Clubs and Scorecards

[chisag]

... I know it is winter and many are antsy so lots of equipment posts from those that are not able to play. Jacked lofts and MB vs more forgiving irons always seem to be favorite winter topics. So let me present a perspective from our friend the scorecard: 

"Hello Friends. (I said that long before Jim Nance) I have quite a bit of information for you. Sometimes I even have pictures or art work of my 18 holes. I list any local rule that differs from the standard USGA rules. I let you know how far each hole plays from whichever tees you play and I never pass judgment on which ones you choose. I also let you know how long the entire course plays for all 18 holes. I let you know my Slope Rating which is basically a number indicating how difficult I am for a bogey golfer and I let you know my Course Rating which is basically a number indicating how difficult I am for a scratch golfer. I let you know what par is for every hole but most importantly I have a box where you can write in your score as to how many strokes you took on every single one of my 18 holes and a box at the end for the total. This is my most important function and it lets you know how you scored so you can compete with other golfers or yourself or against my course. As you can tell by my boxes, I do not believe everyone should get a trophy just for playing. 

Obviously I care very much what number you write in my 18 boxes or I would not provide them. And to be honest, I have absolutely no opinion of you as a person and the only thing I ask is you write an honest number in my boxes. Now this brings me to the reason I am taking to you today. Sorry to be so blunt, but I don't give a rats a$$ what club you use for any shot on any hole. I don't care if you use an iron or a driver off the tee. I don't care if you use a 5 iron with 28* or 22* of loft. I don't care if you use X Flex shafts, Senior Flex shafts or Ladies Shafts. I don't care if you hit it thin from the fairway and make a par or if you hit a perfect towering shot that lands close to the pin and lip out your birdie putt for par. I just care about how many strokes you took, not how you took them. And I really, REALLY don't care if you use a MB, Players Iron, GI, SGI. If I did, I would have boxes to check for different kinds of shafts, woods, irons, wedges or chippers. 

The only thing I care about is what number you write in my 18 boxes and I leave it to you to use the equipment that helps you write the lowest number. Trust me on this one too. Your friends or playing partners really don't care what clubs you play either, they only care if the number you write in my boxes add up to more than their numbers. So nobody cares what clubs you play, least of all me. Good luck and I look forward to you writing some lower numbers in my boxes!" 

Signed, 

Every score card from every course you play

[Mr. 82]

My old cliche, "the scorecard doesn't have pictures."  Even though you sort of said some scorecards have pictures, but not of any of my shots or club selections.

The best players in match play find a way to make par when they miss the drive, shank the approach shot, and chunk a chip, leaving an 80 foot putt.  Meanwhile my playing partner stripes one down the middle and hits his approach shot to 15 feet for his birdie attempt.  The guy who "Seve'd" his way around that hole can completely demoralize his match play opponent by draining that 80 foot par putt, while he watches the guy who hit the perfect drive and the approach shot to 15 feet, 3 putt for bogey to lose the hole.

The scorecard doesn't care how you did it, just as long as you are honest about how many it took to do it.

The teaching moment for all golfers is to never give up on a hole.  I can hit my drive into a penalty area on a par 5, and still walk off of the green with a par, if I hit my 3rd shot down near the green, pitch on in 4, and make the putt.  You will demoralize your playing partners by doing this.  And if nothing else, you will mentally wear them out by making par when a bogey would have been a good score.  Seve Ballesteros was the master manipulator, but hitting an approach shot from the parking lot to about 20 feet, and making the putt for birdie.

Golf doesn't have to be pretty, just accurate when counting it up.

[RetiredBoomer]

I play an average of three times a week with a group that doesn't keep score.

It's just about the fresh air and laughs.

The bets are usually on individual shots, and we play in conventional order so we all see each other's shots.

So, Mr. Scorecard, you can take a breather on our rounds.

There are different ways and different reasons to play this game.