I took eight weeks of golf lessons this semester and felt pretty good about my performance, so I decided to play a round with a couple mates today. In 9 holes, my best was a 6 and my worst a 9–for a total of 67 (!) strokes. Casualties: two golf balls in a ravine. I’m hopeless with fairway woods, and sliced my driver much worse than I did at the range.
It was a lot of fun, though, and seems like a worthwhile pursuit. It would be nice to have a job where there’s the occasional golf outing on company business like I’ve seen at my dad’s construction firm, and an insurance brokerage.
My take on golf is that unless you are gifted, you should take the number they post as par and double it - if you shoot that as a beginner, pat yourself on the back and move to the next hole - you did good.
It’s been a long time since I started, but ISTR that you improve quite a bit pretty quickly - provided you play/practice regularly. It doesn’t take too long to get to the point where you are able to hit at least one club well. Maybe your 5-iron. So even if you are just hitting it 150 yards and reasonably straight, that will lead to more 5s and 6s, than 7-8-9s.
A couple of things to remember - hitting the ball and scoring are completely different things. And for most folks, unles you play/practice regularly, you are never going to progress beyond a certain point. Most impotantly, don’t get too hung up on the score that you lose track of the fact that a round of golf is essentially a pleasant walk in the park.
I started in January. Golf is really, really hard! I’ve been playing regularly and practicing a lot, and my BEST score for 9 holes of par three is 56. It’s one thing that you can really enjoy even if you’re bad at it, though. If you really want to see improvement, work on your short game.
Think about it this way - those people who hit par, they’re totally cheating themselves. You pay the same amount as they do, but we high handicappers get a lot more practice and see the whole course! Just think about those guys playing the Masters, one of the most beautiful golf courses in the world, and they just get to see the short grass! I’d be right up and personal with those azaleas, I tell you what! (Last time I went out, I had to fight a snapping turtle for a ball. Actually, I didn’t fight it. I let him keep it. He seemed very upset.)
Not a golfer. But, I recently played a round of Indoor Miniature Golf with a half dozen friends. Most of us cheered those who finished each hole with only 2 strokes, said “better luck next time” to those who just missed the hole, and balanced the risk of hitting the ball into an obstacle(where it would take multiple strokes to recover) with the reward of maybe hitting a hole in one.
Not Joe. Joe got mad because he didn’t win. (He came in second. There was about ten strokes separating first and last place). Joe got more two stroke holes than anybody else(I think), but he had a couple of 5 or 6 stroke holes where shooting for that perfect hole in one lead him astray, and then it took a few more strokes to recover.
Actually, closer than you might think. I play golf quite a bit, and can actually remember a “Eureka” moment of mine. I was on about the 6th hole, quite early in the morning, and I heard someone who had just teed off on the 1st hole, cursing a blue streak. And it really struck me how ridiculous it was that someone would go out of their way to wake up early on a weekend, drive somewhere to pay money, and get pissed off! My decision (others may disagree) is that a significant reason why most people get pissed off with golf, is because they simply focus on one thing - a low score - and if they do not attain it, they are pissed. And the kicker is, most golfers (myself included) suck, so they are unlikely to get the good score they desire!
So I actually compiled a list of various things that would contribute to my considering a round of golf “successful.” In no particular order, they include
-if I have a good total score
-if I play a particular hole well
-if I have one or a couple of really good shots
-if we play quickly without delays
-if I enjoy some good conversation and a few laughs with my playing partners
-if I see some pretty/interesting nature
-if I find more balls than I lose
-if I win some wagers (or at least don’t lose the maximum burn).
The way I figure it, I’m pretty much assured of succeeding in at least a couple of those areas every time I hit the links. And several of them are in my control far more than achieving a low total score.
Works for me. In fact, I’ve had to adjust my attitude/approach this year, as I finished last year with my lowest handicap ever, but was not playing to it as this year started. Was finding myself focussing on my score, and getting pissed when I did not attain it.
Generally, I find that the happier and more relaxed I am, and the less I think about scoring, the better I play. Many of my best rounds have come when I was just shooting the shit with my buddies, not even thinking about the score.
Special note for all beginners: we’ve all been there. But just because you are taking a lot of strokes does not mean you need to take a lot of time doing so. The course is not the place for a lesson if it will hold up the group behind you. And you should always replace your divots and repair ball marks without delaying pace.
I used to play regularly and shoot in the mid-80s. I treasure the memory of once shooting a round of par (admittedly, on an easy course).
But golf is definitely hard. Only a small percentage of golfers are able to get near their potential without playing often - several times a week. This is time-consuming and usually expensive.
I don’t play much now. With 18 holes typically requiring 4.5 to 5 hours, the appeal is a lot lower than when I could get on the first tee at dawn and be done in 2.5 hours.
Golf is like crack for perfectionists. The better you get, the worse the drug gets.
Golf is possibly the most complex sports motion that a body can do. What it comes down to is consistency. If you put the same swing on every ball and the ball does the same thing every time, you can become a very good player with that alone.
Work on some putting and chipping, but don’t get too caught up in it. I hate the saying “drive for show, putt for dough”. My bad holes are usually caused by errant drives, not missed putts.
I think that also depends on what sort of player you play and what sort of course you play. After a dozen years of golf, I still don’t hit long enough to play a regulation course well or have a good time doing it (unless I’m in good company or playing a scramble), but I’ll do fine on a little executive course, shooting a little over bogey golf - getting two birdies over the course of a summer of every other week golf, a stack of pars, and only losing a sleeve or two of balls (which since I don’t play that much is fine).
(I have a hard time hitting 150 yards with a driver. I get 130 with a five iron - a good shot - and a four or lower isn’t a dependable club. But I’m a not terribly atheletic, fairly small, casual female golfer).
You think playing golf is hard, try caddying sometime! If you ask a simple question when the golfer is whacking the ball, you get yelled at. If the beer is not cold enough, you get yelled at. If you accidentally step on the ball, you get yelled at. Oh, and if you get in the way of the hole and the ball hits your foot…whoa!
Golf is not only hard, it’s God damned hard. I was once a pretty good golfer, shooting consistantly about 80 to 83 or so for 18 holes. That was about my potential. Maybe if I had practiced as much as the tour pros and hit as many balls I could have gotten into the high 70’s but that was a good as I was going to get.
Golf is a great game and I still play but I don’t even keep score any more. I’m happy to hit a few good shots in a round. Yes, you want to do well but it’s more fun if you don’t take it too seriously. Unless, of course, you intend to try to make a living at it.
You will improve with time and practice but it’s still just a game for 99.999% of players…
I’ve never been a caddy, but these sound like no-brainers to me. Isn’t that what a caddy is supposed to do and not do? How hard is it not to talk to someone taking a shot? Or not to step on his ball?
Congrats on finding the type of course that allows you to enjoy the game. I always laugh when I see a group of macho guys play from the tips, and proceed to hack up the course.
But I’m not sure why the yardages you give would keep you off of most standard courses. At least if you hit them relatively straight. A drive and 2 5-irons will give you 410 yards in 3 strokes. Enough to reach just about any par 4 in 1 over prox. (You are a woman, right, hitting from the red tees?) The main thing a short hitter needs is to stay out of trouble. Now if you are short AND erratic, that’s a recipe for some high scores!
I know a bunch of guys who play what we call “old man golf.” They can’t hit it further than 150 yards downhill and with a tailwind, but they are ALWAYS in the fairway, and they NEVER screw up around the greens. Generally pocket their share of us big hitters’ money as well!
I’m a beginner and I’m happy with a few good shots per round, or if I show some improvement over the last time I’ve played. The bummer for me is that it often seems like people treat a round of golf like a race. There is always another group dogging your tail. I always let people play through if they want to go faster than me me, but what is with all the rush?
like I’ve seen at my dad’s construction firm, and an insurance brokerage.
I’ve been playing regularly and practicing a lot, and my BEST score for 9 holes of par three is 56. It’s one thing that you can really enjoy even if you’re bad at it, though. If you really want to see improvement, work on your short game.