Competition vs. non competition play

[fixyurdivot]

Since joining the men's league and two other groups that play competition games, I'm finding that I simply do not play as well as opposed to just casual rounds. I have finished 1st in an individual low net game for my flight, and placed in the top 10 a couple of times in men's league team contests.  I haven't kept close track but gut says barely 50/50 on money in and pay outs on our Monday and Thursday team games. I'll go further to say that more often than not, I'm one of the team members not playing to my handicap/quota.  Looking at my play/score data, I'm averaging over 4 strokes better when just playing outside of a competition format. 

And, we play them where they lie (except local rules) and putt everything out.  Same for casual play except for a couple absolute, depth of a mallet head, tap in's.

Except for the trash games we played in Yuma (Wolf for dimes/hole, 2 bits for CTP's and birdies), I really never participated in very much competitive golf. Perhaps it will just take some time to forget about the competition part and stay focused on the execution part - dunno, sure hope so?   

Does playing competitively affect your game (or did it when you first started)?

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

Great subject. Wish I could answer but have not really played competitively outside of a league and honestly….I wouldn’t say it was super competitive and at the time I wasn’t treating it as such (not that I wasn’t trying but I think then and now mindset of what competition golf is very different)

Goos luck hopefully you can get through what I would say is most likely a mental thing. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

I can’t just go beat a ball around the course. I play better when there’s something on the line or there’s a goal to achieve 

[revkev]

I couldn’t vote because you need a 3rd choice. 
 

Same

When I was playing lots of competitive golf I was the same guy always. I was a 1 if you met me for a fun round somewhere or if we were playing for money or some sort of championship - I was going to be between 70-75 every time I played. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

I pretty much play the same in fun rounds or competitive rounds. Always try to play the best I can. But I do love the pressure. I seem to be able to step up when it counts. I will give the edge to competitive rounds but not by much.

[JerryB]

The only "competition" format I've ever played is the scramble.  I do seem to play better in that format versus a casual foursome, but mostly because the pressure is less.  I know on any given shot that only one of us needs to hit it well so I seem to swing freely.

My absolute best rounds have been solo rounds.  I don't have to worry about anything else but my own ball and the next shot.  I've got a theory that if I was solo and also had a caddy, I'd probably shoot low 60's at worst .

[GolfSpy_APH]

Second round of competition is where I shine. First round is typically a disaster. 

[tony@CIC]

If I  combine club competition with our men's  group, I tend to play better in those events then when I either go out alone or golf with my wife. In the former; competitive events, there's money on the line (and pride). Playing alone or golfing with my wife, I tend to experiment a bit with different clubs and shots. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

9 hours ago, JerryB said:

I've got a theory that if I was solo and also had a caddy, I'd probably shoot low 60's at worst .

You should have said " A Good Caddy". My round with a caddy this past season cost me about 4 strokes. I had to stop listening to him. Sad to say it was my first round with a caddy and it left a bad impression with me.   

[GolfSpy BOS]

6 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Second round of competition is where I shine. First round is typically a disaster. 

I'm going to make a mental note of this and NOT go double-or-nothing on day 2 when I get to play with you! haha

 

I voted that I play better... but I have to caveat it.  I haven't played any real money on the line kind of golf and I never played competitively in school.  So I'll rephrase it a bit and say that I tend to play better when I'm in a competitive mindset.  It keeps my focus (particularly on the short game shots) which really helps my scoring.  When I'm just out to have fun I might still string some pars together, but if I loose focus its easy for the round to go south.  

 

[CarlH]

All of my games (well, most) are competitive to some degree.  My regular games all are some form of competitive games, either team or individual scores.  The only ones that aren't are when I go out with my wife, who is a beginner golfer, and just practice.  With that in mind, when I play a club tournament, it's not much difference.  I don't feel any more or less pressure than I do for a regular game with the boys.  My answer:  The same

[GolfSpy TCB]

I voted that I play better in non-competitive rounds. But as many above have said... that is pretty subjective.  I am in competition with myself every time I pick up a golf club...  But I believe OP is talking about organized tourneys and such - and in that sense, I'm usually a play a little more loose when I'm playing rounds with my normal group (which is still competitive... in some cases even moreso than an organized event... my buddies can be ruthless!!  haha).  

The other thing I consider is that the organized events are playing a different setup than I do on my day in/day out rounds.  Rough is longer, Greens are slicker, pins are tucked... so that definitely contributes.  

All that said... I can blow up a round when I'm alone on the course, just like I can when a starter announces my name at the first tee  

[Jim Shaw]

great topic, two totally different games, and two totally different approaches. I have played competitvely for 51 years and honestly could write a small book on the nuances I have experienced playing the two games, I will tell my latest story about a turning point in my competitive golf life, this is one story of many. 

In 2019 I qualified for a provincial senior team, the national championship holds a separate competition every year where 3 golfers compete for a championship, 2 of the best 3 scores count on the first 2 days of the national competition.

Anyway I went into this championship in what I thought was the best my golf game had ever been, I hired a swing coach in 2017 and we had been working hard and seeing results. So, off I go to the nationals and proceed to "s*** the bed". I am devastated, letting myself down, letting my team down, man I was so distraught. I had been kicking around hiring a sports psychologist to help me as well however the results I had been getting with my swing coach seemed to be working at least until that tournament.

Immediately when I returned and had a chance to critique my result I reached out and got a sports psychologist, we started working in 2020 (covid didnt give us much opportunity to test what we were working on under tournament conditions) however in 2022 I was able to have a full year of competitions with my new tools.

In summary casual games are totally different than competitive games in my golf world

[THEZIPR23]

I have won club championships, I placed well in competitive amatuer events, I even won a couple of events with other Club pro's when I was an assistant, I have also completely embarrassed myself in all of those type of events. Competitive events definetly expose parts of your game that are not where they should be. And no matter what you will be faced with some adversity that just doesn't show up in normal rounds. If you are struggling in these types of events you have to determine what is causing it. For the majority of players I would say it is the mental aspect that gets exposed. However there are other things that factor in as well.  My normal group of guys I play with have zero chance in a competitive arena, gimmies, bad strategy and trying things they really are not capable of is normal for them. You can't just flip the switch when a torunament starts and expect a better or even the same result if you are not doing those things in normal rounds. 

[Jim Shaw]

5 hours ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

You should have said " A Good Caddy". My round with a caddy this past season cost me about 4 strokes. I had to stop listening to him. Sad to say it was my first round with a caddy and it left a bad impression with me.   

My experience with a professional caddy (my wife caddies for me in provincial and national championships) was at Bandon Dunes and he figured out my game in about 3 swings and it was a great experience and saved me at least, I would say, 6 strokes

[Tom the Golf Nut]

16 minutes ago, Jim Shaw said:

My experience with a professional caddy (my wife caddies for me in provincial and national championships) was at Bandon Dunes and he figured out my game in about 3 swings and it was a great experience and saved me at least, I would say, 6 strokes

Luck of the draw, I guess. I was looking forward to the experience but in my case, it just didn't work out. 

[CarlH]

2 hours ago, Jim Shaw said:

My experience with a professional caddy (my wife caddies for me in provincial and national championships) was at Bandon Dunes and he figured out my game in about 3 swings and it was a great experience and saved me at least, I would say, 6 strokes

I had an awesome caddy at Bandon. He quickly figured out my game and guided me to a nice round.

[GolfSpy_APH]

How many of us often play in competitions or treat all normal (casual rounds) as comp rounds? 

[DaveP043]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

How many of us often play in competitions or treat all normal (casual rounds) as comp rounds? 

I regularly play in moderately formal competitions, club tournaments, interclub matches, etc.  In most of my casual rounds I'm still competing in some way, a fourball match within my group, a singles match against my wife.  Its really rare that I play golf without some kind of competition involved.  And I do reasonably well in the proper competitions.  I certainly don't win everything, but I'd guess my scoring is pretty similar.  And that means I play like a dog sometimes in tournaments, just as I play really well at other times.  I do believ that "competing" in casual rounds helps me to play well in more formal competitions, just as playing by the Rules all the time helps me when I'm required to play by the Rules.

[ckeller52]

I play worse but I've gotten better because of the comprtition. 

[Kenny B]

I don't play competitively anymore.  I used to play in the Men's gangsome.  When I did, I played worse than casual rounds, but it did make me better over time.  Although my scores eventually got a little better, my standings didn't because of corruption.  It seems that on the day of the gangsome, the course was set up to favor the longest hitters... eliminated half the field.  The same 4-5 guys always won.  However, I did move up from the bottom of the field to the middle of the pack; just didn't make sense to keep paying money to the same guys when I can play the same course and have more fun for "free".

Now my competition is against the course and trying to better my previous scores; less stress and I can only blame myself for "losing".  Analyze it, and work to improve next time.

[fozcycle]

I have run a Saturday Points game for 22 years.  That said for past 6 years, weekday games had small games with them, Net handicap games. I tend to play well on Day 1 of a two day competition but usually not so good on Day 2. I think the pressure gets to me. I voted “worse”.

[PankaGolf]

Better and it’s not even close. 
 

in casual rounds I have a tendency for the “watch this” shots. 

[TC-KS Golfer]

19 hours ago, Jim Shaw said:

My experience with a professional caddy (my wife caddies for me in provincial and national championships) was at Bandon Dunes and he figured out my game in about 3 swings and it was a great experience and saved me at least, I would say, 6 strokes

I played in Scotland this summer - eight rounds in eight days, and had either a forecaddie (shared) or a personal caddie almost every round.  I did much better with the forecaddies - give me distances, course nuances, green reads and other info and let me figure out how to get it there.  The personal caddies at some great courses wanted me to just take extra club into the wind rather than trust my knockdown I'd worked on all spring and summer leading up to the trip.  One caddie gave me a few bad green reads, another was a wizard.  My best round was played at the Old Course with an off-duty caddie.  He and I played the tips while his two guests played up a few tees (I was a waiting line add-on).  He and I had similar length and so he just gave me the lines and said there's trouble on the right so keep it left, make sure you carry the front (bunker) because the green is plenty deep, etc.  I played my worst when caddies tried to club me or didn't help me understand the layout of the hole.

Depends on what your style is and what you like, but in the end trust your game and make your own decisions.

[itsjustagame]

Keep playing in these events and get your handicap up.

[flsw19]

It depends on the format and tees. I tend to play better in 4-ball, something about not wanting to let a partner down. At my home course this year I have been playing a weekly game from a tee forward - which is more in keeping with my distance; however it took me most of the year to adjust to different play lines to avoid hazards that are not reachable from further back.

[tortise]

When I was playing in a mens club or an organized group I would break 80 about every 4 rounds. Since I joined a golf course where I now play by myself 90 percent of the time now breaking 90 is a big deal. I start out planning to get 18 balls in 18 holes no mulligans no gimme but I end up playing 2 or 3 balls on each hole


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[ChuckZ]

I have somewhat withdrawn from competitive golf at my age (76).  More to do with my physical disabilities as I get older.  Just cannot play in those three tournaments any longer.  Loved to get the competitive juices flowing.  Use to play in about six tournaments every year and fairly competitive in tournaments.  Never good enough at Championship level, but won my share of flights.  Normally carried a 10-12 handicap, but we never play handicaps, strictly gross scores.  Even tried to qualify for mid-ams but never made it.  Never one to play much in captain's choice tournaments, but did play on one team years ago that play in one event every year that we normally one.  We shot pretty good scores normally shooting around 23 under (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000).  We were always the team to try to beat.  I now play in a Senior men's league three days a week.  We use a modified stapleford format and the league maintains our points.  Our points go up and down depending on how we play and the persons with the best plus score can win cash.  Small amounts, of course.  We are retirees.  Also play in our course's interclub team.  We play eleven other clubs in the tri-county area.  A different course each month, 144 players teeing it up normally on the first Monday.  Modified stapleford format and the secretary of the Charleston Interclub maintains the points we need to pull throughout the year.  Our team mostly has fun.  I placed in the top twenty twice this year, so nothing serious.  Some of the teams are serious and will do what every it takes to win the team trophy.  I have semi-resigned from playing in tournaments.  I had decided that I would only play the Joint Base Senior Invitational and due to my back I bowed out this year.  I love playing at the Air Force Base and it is easy for me to get on with my VAID.  Will see how is goes next fall after I visit with my neurosurgeon on January 5th.  Competitive golf can be fun and should be but play just playing golf for fun, that's what I'm talking about.  Hakuna matata.           

[GolfSpy_KFT]

My competition experience is limited, but this past summer I played in a 2 man scramble league and found that I seemed to play better doing that vs. just going out and playing a casual round. I also find that I play better in casual rounds where there are side bets and games going on, like 3 putt poker, wolf, etc. I have never played in a men's league or similar, mostly because I've never established a true USGA handicap and I could not play at scratch and keep up with a good majority who do have handicaps. I am going to establish one this summer, though, as it is included in my club membership, and then participate in a few of the club event tournaments that are free to members. I am looking forward to that!

[Kevyn Nightingale]

I find there are different games within the game; in increasing order of difficulty

1. On the range

2. On the course by myself

3. On the course in a group

4. Playing for money

5. Playing in a tournament that has very little meaning, such as Wednesday men's night

6. Playing in a tournament that has some importance. For me, that would be a club championship or some other invitational event.