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Does anyone keep two scores, "coulda" and "did"?


millsan1
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I frequently play in the late afternoon, and often am alone or near alone on the course.

I DO NOT do this when there are golfers behind me.

But, if I have the time, I will rehit bad shots, and keep that as a separate score if I make better contact, etc.

My score is my score, bad hits and all.  But if I hit a bad shot with say, I don't know, THAT MFING @&^%^*&W*&%S Hybrid I have in my bag, I will drop a ball and hit again, with the intention of having a better second shot, so I can get used to the feeling of making a good shot with that club.  I will then play out both, and score the "replay" shot, just for my knowledge.

When I say bad shot, I am referring to a duff, 25 yd worm burner, etc.  I am not referring to a shot that went a little off or wasn't "just right".

This is an exercise for me to train my brain and my confidence, so I know what I "could" shoot, if I hit all my shots as planned.  I do not count the "coulda" score.

In a given round, I may never do this, or I may do it 5 or 6 times.  Usually the "coulda" score is a solid 5-10 strokes better.  So that score is my goal, my real score is where I am at now and use for my GHIN, etc.

Always remember, the same country that invented golf and called it a game, invented bag pipes and called it music.

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I dont myself as bad shots are part of golf. If i hit a stinker i'll try and recover. I have sometimes played 2 balls when its quiet or in the winter (when its dead!) but never replay a bad shot. Just me personally though.

Edited by RussUK

Russ, from "sunny" Yorkshire = :-( 

In the bag: Driver: Ping G5 , Woods:Dunlop NZ9, 4 Hybrid: Tayormade Burner, 4-SW: Hippo Beast Bi-Metal , Wedges: Wilson 1200, Putter: Cleveland Smartsquare Blade, Ball: AD333

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this is 'practice' rounds, and when able to play and compare, I usually don't just play the mulligan and compare - that's reactionary, it's more planned before the first shot - (like testing a par 5 and seeing if laying up is smarter than going for the green, etc).

Mulligan testing or planning to play two balls aside, you don't want to do this all the time, it's important to mix 'legit' rounds more than these other rounds.

HOWEVER, if this is what is fun for you or whatever, then I'd just say a couple things - don't bet, don't compete, don't pretend to carry a handicap based on 'shoulda/woulda/coulda' (Frankly, you aren't supposed to post for handicap from these rounds since you are adding an element of 'practice' - even if you do post the 'true' score.....).  And don't let it slow down others.....I'm all for doing what's fun for you, and that is different from person to person.

Recovery is part of the game, and I've hit some of my best shots ever and learned a ton having to get out of trouble or take my medicine.   that's fun for me anyway

I think there is a lot to be learned on what your 'entitlement' is with fewer blowup holes.  It gives you insight into what to improve and what it's worth.  But I wouldn't let it become an instinctive response to every bad shot - it'll likely slow down your improvement ramp.

Edited by rehmwa

Bill - 

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Coulda WILL hurt your game. Coulda leads to unachievable expectations. To live in a la la land where you expect to never make a mistake is unrealistic. Hitting a bad shot is part of golf, I have never in my life played a round of golf without hitting a bad shot. I care about what I shot, the good with the bad. They all equal out. I do not concern myself with the 3 footer I should have made because at some point I probably made a long putt I should have missed. If I miss a green because of a bad iron shot, I am sure at some point I probably mishit a shot and got away with it.

I do play practice rounds where I will throw down another ball and re-hit shots, but I don't keep score on those rounds.

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Danny    In my :ping: Hoofer Tour golf bag on my :clicgear: 8.0 Cart

Driver:   :pxg: 0311 Gen 5  X-Stiff.                        Irons:  :callaway: 4-PW APEX TCB Irons 
3 Wood: :callaway: Mavrik SZ Rogue X-Stiff                            Nippon Pro Modus 130 X-Stiff
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I keep 2 scores in mind while playing. My real score and the score without putting.

Example: Hole 1.. I hit GIR and have a 6 footer for birdie. Let say i sunk it. In my mind im 1 under for the real round and 0,5 under in my score without putting. 0,5 it´s because from 6 feet i have 50% chance of making it, so i score 3,5 in that hole.

Why? because I consider putting (inside my hability) it´s a random stat for the day. Maybe on saturday I can gain 5 strokes putting and lose 5 strokes putting on sunday without any changes. That´s 10 strokes difference between 2 different days where i play almost the same but one day i have luck on my side and sink everything and the next day don´t.
This way I can keep a score without the randomnes of putting, keep a positive actitud on bad putting days and keep my feet on the ground on good putting days.

This weekend i played with aerated greens. They where imposible to play. My scoring average it´s 4 over during winter and i shoot a real score of +7 and a +4,5 score without putting. I played good golf, and i knew putting make it a bad round. Won the tournament by 1, course conditions where extreme.      

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Sorry to break it to you, but just because you shoot some score with a bunch of mulligans does not mean you “coulda” shot that.  We are all better than scratch if we get do overs on our bad ones.

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If I play 2 shots, it's usually 2 separate shots from tee to green, not a re-hit of a shot. I've kept both scores for a full 18 holes before. Typically the second score is a little better than the first score, but that's obviously to be expected. I don't usually put much thought into it other than as a method to slow myself down when the course is a bit busy and I can't really play through.

KICK THE FLIP!!

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30 minutes ago, allenc said:

Sorry to break it to you, but just because you shoot some score with a bunch of mulligans does not mean you “coulda” shot that.  We are all better than scratch if we get do overs on our bad ones.

I agree with this.

The only "coulda" score I'll look at is when I get down in 4 after taking S&D, but even then I don't give it more than a passing thought as I put the 6 on the scorecard.

Bill

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” - Confucius

My Swing Thread

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I didn't replay shots but I used to keep statistics for every round which showed my score and the big mistakes - these could be mishits, miss clubs, or mental errors - and I recorded them by type of shot be it chip, putt, drive, etc.  What I was looking for was insight into what errors I could eliminate in order to improve. So I might shoot 80 but have 6 "opportunities."  I figured my potential was to cut the big misses in half.  I stopped doing this when I started using Shot by Shot - basically does it for me.

Peter Kostis wrote an article a few years back about doing some mid-year tests for your game. One test was to basically play a 2 ball scramble with yourself - playing the better shot helps you understand your potential and build confidence.  Another test he had was to play two shots for any short game shot - if the 2nd ball is consistently better, then your short game needs work.  The third was to play the scramble but worst shot - I've heard that pros do this - it helps you to work on recovery shots.  I've really only done the short game version and then only for a few holes.

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No, I only keep one score, although I sometimes remember some of the "should've" shots. 

In My Bag:
A whole bunch of Tour Edge golf stuff...... :beer:

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4 hours ago, millsan1 said:

I frequently play in the late afternoon, and often am alone or near alone on the course.

In a given round, I may never do this, or I may do it 5 or 6 times.  Usually the "coulda" score is a solid 5-10 strokes better.  So that score is my goal, my real score is where I am at now and use for my GHIN, etc.

Somebody check me if I'm wrong here. But I thought there was a new rule stating that rounds played alone can not count toward your GHIN?

Kinda like you can't count a hole in one when playing alone. 

I could be wrong. But I thought I read that. I'm no Alfred Einstein.

My bag is an ever-changing combination of clubs. 

A mix I am forever tinkering with. 

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If you keep a “coulda” score, do you also keep a “shoulda” score?

Do you add strokes when you make a really long putt, get a lucky bounce out of the trees, or hit a shot that’s significantly better than the result you’d ordinarily expect?

The good comes with the bad.  

In David's bag....

Driver: Titleist 910 D-3;  9.5* Diamana Kai'li
3-Wood: Titleist 910F;  15* Diamana Kai'li
Hybrids: Titleist 910H 19* and 21* Diamana Kai'li
Irons: Titleist 695cb 5-Pw

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34 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Somebody check me if I'm wrong here. But I thought there was a new rule stating that rounds played alone can not count toward your GHIN?

They can't, which is why a solo round is the perfect time to hit multiple balls because it's already a practice round.

18 minutes ago, David in FL said:

If you keep a “coulda” score, do you also keep a “shoulda” score?

Don't need to, as my "shoulda" score is always the same. I shoulda stayed home today ;-)

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Bill

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” - Confucius

My Swing Thread

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If I'm playing a casual round I'll keep a "shoulda" score in my head. Mostly because I suck at putting but like to think I should be better.

In my bag:

Driver: Titleist TSi3 | 15º 3-Wood: Ping G410 | 17º 2-Hybrid: Ping G410 | 19º 3-Iron: TaylorMade GAPR Lo |4-PW Irons: Nike VR Pro Combo | 54º SW, 60º LW: Titleist Vokey SM8 | Putter: Odyssey Toulon Las Vegas H7

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Not really. There is always a percentage of possible results. You can't claim that you should have made every 8 FT putt in a round when PGA tour players miss 50% of them. Your percentages are your percentages. Let's say I only have one 9 iron shot into a green. Do I complain about missing the green? What if I hit my last 5 greens from my 9 iron distance?

This exercise does nothing more than set bad expectations and will get yourself more frustrated than you need to be.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
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This sounds like a great way to depress yourself.

"Gee, self, you shot 75, but you could have shot 68."

😛

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
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It's a 19th hole ritual.

I grab my beer and look at the card, thinking about the holes where I got hurt. All three putts and pens go in along with any outrageously mishit ball. 

As long as it wasn't too scarring, the thought is dismissed when the can is empty.  

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Note: This thread is 2045 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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