Is golf contagious (good or bad)?

[Wally Fairway]

Maybe I could have posted this in the "Watching Pro Players mess with my mind" thread, but I think it is different.
Sometimes you see it on tour where one group seems to all have it going, sometimes when one falters it is a struggle for others.

For me personally, I know that the best round of my life (+1, 73) was played with my 2 uncles who were both near scratch at the time and had been recent club champions.
Also, I know for me that if I'm playing with some buddies who are generally hacks then it is much tougher for me to focus and put up a good score.

IMO, some of it has to do with playing with better players you get better reads on a greens, pace of play is better and I think whether it is a tournament, a money game, or just being competitive that also gets you more focused. (And maybe focused isn't the right word). But playing with worse players, spending time looking for their ball (many seem unable to even know an approximation of where it is), helping remember how many shots, playing out of turn (and not in a good way like ready golf) or not being ready to hit very quickly at all seem to bring me down scoring wise.

So do you play better/worse depending on who you are playing with?

[dennyjones]

1 hour ago, Wally Fairway said:

So do you play better/worse depending on who you are playing with?

 

This is me... Last year I played with an ex-coworker that needed improvement and we were joined by a third.   The elderly gentleman had trouble getting in and out of his cart and was very slow.   After 3 hours of just 9 holes, we quit.   It seemed I could not get into a rhythm and the slower he played, the worse I played.   

I've found I play better golf with somebody of my ability or better.   This isn't always the case but probably the norm.  

[Lihu]

1 hour ago, Wally Fairway said:

So do you play better/worse depending on who you are playing with?

Not really, I can play just as bad with good players or bad players. . .

[chilepepper]

14 minutes ago, Lihu said:

Not really, I can play just as bad with good players or bad players. . .

Me too! I tend to make my own weather. 

[Lihu]

6 minutes ago, chilepepper said:

Me too! I tend to make my own weather. 

Yeah, usually most people are relatively nice, and bad play just kind of happens on its own.

[mchepp]

I'd say sometimes. It sounds to me like you are trying to make a correlation of a really good round your shot to the people you played with and I doubt there is a strong correlation. 

[Jakester23]

To this point my 2 best rounds are a 79 and an 81 (at a tough course that probably makes it so better score than 79). I had the 81 with my buddy who is probably the best golfer I play with. I had the 79 with 2 coworkers who shoot  100-120 for 18. For me at least I seem to get in my own zone when I'm play well.  If I'm laughing and having fun I usually play well regardless of who I'm playing with. 

[Hatchman]

Don't know if there is a correlation.  I hold the stick in my hand.

[Patch]

7 hours ago, Wally Fairway said:

Maybe I could have posted this in the "Watching Pro Players mess with my mind" thread, but I think it is different.
Sometimes you see it on tour where one group seems to all have it going, sometimes when one falters it is a struggle for others.

For me personally, I know that the best round of my life (+1, 73) was played with my 2 uncles who were both near scratch at the time and had been recent club champions.
Also, I know for me that if I'm playing with some buddies who are generally hacks then it is much tougher for me to focus and put up a good score.

IMO, some of it has to do with playing with better players you get better reads on a greens, pace of play is better and I think whether it is a tournament, a money game, or just being competitive that also gets you more focused. (And maybe focused isn't the right word). But playing with worse players, spending time looking for their ball (many seem unable to even know an approximation of where it is), helping remember how many shots, playing out of turn (and not in a good way like ready golf) or not being ready to hit very quickly at all seem to bring me down scoring wise.

So do you play better/worse depending on who you are playing with?

I always play better when playing with better golfers than myself. I just focus better, for what ever reason, when I am getting my back side handed to me. Some of my best scores have been when getting beat by 7-8+ strokes.....during the front 9.

[NJpatbee]

I do not play very differently with golfers much better of worse than myself.  There was a time many years ago that I would play worse with a much better golfer by trying to keep up with the better player. Those days are long gone and I just play my game.  In all honestly, most of the players I play with are of similar ability to me.