Ever FEEL like you had a good round.....

[BK in TEXAS]

Anyone else have one of those rounds where you really feel like you played great, but looking at the card you didn't?

 

I did yesterday. It started on the 1st tee, a dastardly little hole; only 280yds but you simply cannot drive the ball on the green due to bunkers & water. The skinny sloped green makes you think about your wedge approach too.

 

The whole course is like that really. Very technical. Strategy plays a big role (as I'm learning) in your score. It is a course that rewards uber-accuracy and ball position way more than distance. The driver is the right choice on only 5 holes, and a risk/reward gamble on 3 others. 10 holes pulling driver usually results in more harm than good.

 

Anyway, off the 1st tee I like to layup with a 4 wood and leave a 55 yard pitch. I hit the shot flush, it felt beautiful, it flew 25 yards farther than I usually hit my 4 wood, and it found the greenside trap .

 

That continued hole after hole. Every drive, every iron felt great, sweet spot every single stroke. I have never done that for a whole round before. They didn't necessarily end up where I wanted them, mostly long or long left. That cost me strokes. But MAN were they flying off the club.

 

Driver felt great too. I was nutting each shot, but again, sometimes slightly left. On this course though, they put a bunker or single pine tree just off the fairway about 260yds from the tee. I found myself behind them a few times. Again, costing a stroke here and there.

 

 

I rarely make puts over 8', and today was no exception. But instead of missing the longer 25 footers by a couple feet, I was missing them by mere inches. No strokes gained, but tapping in sure feels better than concentrating on one just outside the leather. I did however sink an 18 footer with 4 feet of break. Pure luck, but very encouraging.

 

In the end, I finished playing bogey golf. It's about 7 strokes above my typical goal for this course. Yet, I feel like I played much better than that.

 

I'm sure others have had rounds when you feel like you played better than you scored........so.....what do you take away from these rounds?

 

 

BK

[RoverRick]

I have had 82's that felt like I played even par and I have had what felt like horrible days and shot 74.

 

It also depends on your attitude. Yesterday, I started out hitting 5 or 5 fairways, 6 of 6 greens, and having 12 putts and felt like I playing aweful because I had fairly easy birdie putts on all the holes, but still had to make 4 to 5 footers for par. I should have been rejoicing at playing so well, but felt I needed to make some thing happen, nevermind the fact I am even par and leading the match. I pulled out the driver and made something happen on the next hole. But it was not what I was dreaming of. I made and incredible hybrid punch out of the woods 5 feet short of the green, but the round was not the same after that.

[JBones]

I haven't had that feeling, but I've had the exact opposite, feeling like I've played absolutely horrible and not ending up that bad. Yesterday, I was hitting the ball everywhere, to the tune of 1/14 fairways and 6/18 greens. I wasn't the score keeper, but I was keeping track of my stats. At the end of the day, I expected an 85 and it ended up being a 78. I had 22 putts (had a few putts from the fringe that equated into 1 putts) and was 9/10 getting up and down for par (the other two holes were horrible and what subsequently ruined my round). Usually if I'm hitting it well I'm scoring well.

[Tony Covey MGS]

I've had it happen both ways for sure...sometimes on the same day.

 

On the front 9 Saturday I felt like I just didn't have it going. I hit my #2 hybrid off the tee a good bit of the time, but Saturday I couldn't stop myself from hooking it. Actually, I couldn't get off the tee with ANYTHING (pull hooking the hybrid, dead pulls with the driver, and just for good measure, I completely fatted a 52° on a short par 3. My best drive of the first nine flew about 250 (a little short for me) directly into a fairway bunker (no big whoop for me...some days the fairway is the last place I want to play from). When all was said and done I had shot 46.

 

On the back I still had trouble off the tee, but I was grinding (really grinding), and finding ways to make desperation bogeys, a couple of pars, and some other stuff. It wasn't easy, but I felt like I was playing...and scoring better. When it was all over, I had shot a 46 (again). Granted par on the back (actually the front...I went off 10), is one stroke higher, but it really felt like I was playing much better (despite tee trouble...which often led to tree trouble).

 

For my Thursday night league, I felt like I had absolutely nothing. I was getting off the tee well, but making mistakes (both physical and mental) along the way. On 17 I sliced the hybrid OB (in hindsight, that was the beginning of the hybrid trouble that carried over to Friday, and into the weekend). I teed up my provisional, and as we all do from time to time, hit the big over-corrective hook. I ended up balls deep (literally) in thick heather. The best I could do was muscle a 5-iron up the fairway. I was basically ready to pencil in a triple. For my 5th, I had 115 downhill to a mostly blind pin (I could see the top of the flag, but nothing else. I hit it right of my target, and figured I'd come up a few feet short of the green. One of my opponents was farther up and could see the green. I heard him say..."looks pretty good" and then very matter-of-fact, "it went in".

 

I ended up with a 43 (pretty good for me). Tied for 1st in the league (net), and scored enough points to win the first half of the league ($100 pro shop credit). It felt like I shot 53.

 

It's all part of coming to terms with the fact that some days you're not going to have your A game (or your B game, and sometimes your C game), but it's important to keep grinding, but be willing to accept what the course gives you.

[revkev]

Used to happen to me all the time - doesn't anymore - the score on the card says it all for me - I really couldn't give a rats you know what how that score got there so long as it got there within the rules of golf - if its 75 or under - I'm happy - I can be happy at 77 or 78 on a difficult course or under tough conditions and be okay but other than that - I'm ticked.

 

I play to win the game - too old to monkey around with that other stuff.

[JBones]

I play to win the game

Settle down there, Herm Edwards.

[GolfSpy WD]

I haven't had that feeling, but I've had the exact opposite, feeling like I've played absolutely horrible and not ending up that bad. Yesterday, I was hitting the ball everywhere, to the tune of 1/14 fairways and 6/18 greens. I wasn't the score keeper, but I was keeping track of my stats. At the end of the day, I expected an 85 and it ended up being a 78. I had 22 putts (had a few putts from the fringe that equated into 1 putts) and was 9/10 getting up and down for par (the other two holes were horrible and what subsequently ruined my round). Usually if I'm hitting it well I'm scoring well.

 

This. Almost every round I play I'm pretty sure I'm going to walk off carding a 105 and it usually ends up in the high 80s - low 90s. That's one of the things I love about the Golfshot score card, you only see the hole you're currently on, so I don't worry about any of the holes I've finished.

 

I don't think I've ever felt like I had a great round while playing, so I've never had the great round/poor scorecard feeling .

[JMiller]

Well I have had both sides of the equation lately, I have had days where I shot 38 (2 over on 9 holes) and felt I left at least 3 or 4 strokes on the golf course, struck the ball well didn't score worth a crap basically. I was probably 6inches on a few kicks from being perfect and resulting in a poor leave, it was just one of those days where the bounces were not going my way.

 

Then there was yesterday where I shot 38 (2 over on 9 holes) I had ZERO long game it completely feel out the bottom. However, I scraped it with a pro short game and putting and made a great score for how poorly I was playing. I had 2 FIR and 3 GIR with 3 bogeys and one pitch in birdie lol, even then had a made a couple of birdie putts that burnt the edge i would have been a couple strokes lower then I was.

 

I guess that is what keeps us coming back to play golf some days we play poorly but score well, other days we play well but score poorly.

[revkev]

Sorry guys I'm struggling here. How can you play poorly and score well? Help me with this. If the object is to shoot the lowest score possible doesn't the score on the card determine how you've played?

 

Granted my perception may be off - I may not be happy with how I hit the ball or how I putted but in the end the score card or the score card of the field I'm playing against verses my score card is going to be the judge of how I played.

 

I will grant that when I was younger I'd gripe and moan that I deserved a better score (pretty rare that I'd own up to shooting a lower score than I deserved). In my opinion that's fools gold. I'm playing golf, it's going to be fun - As to the quality of my play I get a number at the end of the day that reveals the real quality of my play. Some days the rub of the green might go my way but over the course of a few weeks or a month those things even themselves out.

 

I'm not a buyer here.

[GolfSpy WD]

Sorry guys I'm struggling here. How can you play poorly and score well? Help me with this. If the object is to shoot the lowest score possible doesn't the score on the card determine how you've played?

 

Granted my perception may be off - I may not be happy with how I hit the ball or how I putted but in the end the score card or the score card of the field I'm playing against verses my score card is going to be the judge of how I played.

 

I will grant that when I was younger I'd gripe and moan that I deserved a better score (pretty rare that I'd own up to shooting a lower score than I deserved). In my opinion that's fools gold. I'm playing golf, it's going to be fun - As to the quality of my play I get a number at the end of the day that reveals the real quality of my play. Some days the rub of the green might go my way but over the course of a few weeks or a month those things even themselves out.

 

I'm not a buyer here.

 

I don't look at my scorecard during a round. I usually get this feeling if I have a double or triple bogey. Doesn't matter how I do on other holes...

[JBones]

Sorry guys I'm struggling here. How can you play poorly and score well? Help me with this. If the object is to shoot the lowest score possible doesn't the score on the card determine how you've played?

I'm also one that does not look at the scorecard until the end of the round. I also break my game down into two parts, putting (scoring) and ball striking (playing). In my example from the other day, my ball striking was pathetic, but my putter (or scoring club) was on, so I could salvage the round. On the opposite side of that, last year in the city tournament I hit almost every fairway and every green, but I three putted 14 times to scores of 82 and 83. So, when you break the game down the way I do, yes, you can play poorly and score well or vice versa.

[revkev]

Oh I don't look at the score card while I'm playing unless I'm writing down the score or looking at the map. I never, ever add up my score to say - ooooh I could shoot this or that. Having written that I also always have a sense of what I'm shooting and I suspect that anyone who says he doesn't isnt' being totally honest. I could be wrong - but I find it hard to believe. My experience is that whenever I ask playing partners how they're doing - they know - they're rarely shocked if I'm the score keeper by what I say they've shot and I play with roughly 100 different people in the course of a given season. I've yet to play with someone who didn't know what he was shooting when asked or what he shot when told at the end of the nine or the round.

 

Having written that I always have fun playing golf - I don't do this for a living, it's my stress relief, one of my true joys in life. At the end of the day the scorecard is the judge of how well I played. I'll let it tell me that. I've had fun regardless by the company that I've kept, the BS we've spewed, the good shots I've hit along the way (there are always some regardless). Heck if I'm playing by the rules I've made 18 putts, so there were some perfectly executed strokes - there's always lots to be happy about after a round.

 

I hate to be a pain here but how is every shot not a scoring shot? Last I checked I had to count my drive the same as my tap in or made 5 footer. All have contributed to my score at the end of the day. Knowing that it makes sense to practice the shots I'll hit the most - the putts - so that's where I invest my time but individual putts count the same as the drive or the approach or the chip. In fact since there will invariably be some penalties acrued with everything but the putter (I don't ever recall taking a penalty because of something I did with a putter but give me enough time and eventually I'll forget to replace my mark or putt when someone hasn't marked and hit there ball or something like that). At any rate since there will be penalties with the other clubs you could argue that the other shots count more towards the score than an individual putt because lifetime they will average more than one stroke.

 

Like I said I don't want to be a pain and most certainly I realize that I think differently from most people but isn't the point to shoot the lowest score possible? If you have a handicap don't you also know what your average score is? Doesn't that establish a personal par? If you shoot it or better haven't you played well regardless of what components of the game went into shooting that score?

 

How is putting different from chipping or an approach or a drive? That's like saying that when you're swinging the bat you're playing baseball. Running the bases doesn't really matter it's only when you're swinging the bat that you're actually playing the game. When I was in college the guy with the stop watch told me to go home when I tried out for the Expos - not the guy watching me swing the bat or throwing the ball. It's all part and parcel of the game.

[JBones]

Again, it's all in how you approach the game. You can still make birdie from a drive that is short and right, you're never going to make birdie on a putt that is short and right (unless of course it was an eagle putt).

 

I always have a sense of what I'm shooting, but I try to only think about one shot at a time, so I stay in a zone instead of getting too up or down. The two guys that caddy for me in tournaments do a great job of keeping me level headed throughout the round whether I'm doing good or bad. As you said, I'm just blessed to be able to get out and play, so I don't get upset about how I'm doing.

[revkev]

Now that I can relate to - it's very possible to be aware of what you are shooting and then forget about it while executing an individual shot - in fact I'd suggest it's essential that you just focus on the shot at hand during that minute or so from the time the club leaves the bag until you've hit it.

 

I get the concept that you're getting at JBones - the putt is the ultimate stroke and so it's result can't be undone - that still doesn't dimish the importance of that drive or the approach - I've certainly hit great drives that created birdie or par opportunities and I've had great approaches - heck I've holed approaches - two hole in ones, a double eagle, countless hole out eagles along the way.

 

I just want us to keep in mind that all of it goes into the score. We don't want to be unfair to any facet of our games. I'd hate to have my driver mad at me - I need at least one allie in my golf bag.

[Tyk]

I try not to pay too much attention to my score during a round. I always have a sense of about where I'm at, but I make an effort to just play shot by shot.

 

I've had rounds that go both ways, feel terrible and score ok, and hit the ball well and don't score at all. Sometimes I can just figure out a way to get the ball in the hole even when I'm spraying it around a bit and sometimes I'll be striking the ball well and it just isn't doing what its supposed to! A bad bounce here and there, a crappy lie, a pure shot 20 yards long and a few missed putts and there a round goes!

[xxio]

One particular round stands out. 12-15 years ago on the Ike course at Industry Hills. I was a pretty good ball striker back then. Long straight high fades was my go to shot. I don't think I hit anything badly that day and walked off with an 81.

 

That swing on any given day at any of my home courses would have been at most a 2 over par round.

 

It was only 3-4 years after that I read about how difficult that course is and I finally realized my 81 was actually reasonable.

[GolfSpy WD]

I honestly have no idea how my round is going until I check the score card later. Hell, after each hole I do everything I can to forget the score and it works pretty well. I've found this to be the best way to keep score for me, each hole I reset my mind as if it's the first hole of the day, though I suppose in a tournament you want to know your score to gauge whether you should try something risky or not.

[Shambles]

Likewise, I don't give much attention to my score.

 

The only thing I want on my mind is my current situation and the solution I have chosen. I leave the caddy to count the strokes and tell me how I did at the end of the round. There are times I think I did better than my score, but those are the times I make great shots but have a very bad shot or two that cost more than I was conscious of. When I get into trouble I focus more on saving the stroke rather than on taking the smart relief, and that kind of not thinking attitude can get expensive.

 

 

Shambles

[dru_]

Last night... Played 9 to get away from the visiting in-laws. Walked it in 92 degree heat. Didn't lose a single ball, didn't have to go looking in the woods, stayed out of the water. Putted well, chipped well, but the end result was about 8 strokes worse than it felt. I finished 9 with a 43. Looking at Golfshot after the round, the answer comes from a number of 3 putts that should have been 1's or 2's, and all stem from a problem with a slight push off the putter face that I am struggling to consistently correct.

[fozcycle]

Today at my weekly game at Pebble Creek in Tampa.

 

I was hitting the ball well, but couldn't score...I shot a 50 on the Front 9 and then a 40 on the back 9 for a 90. I ended up tied for third and got $21 from a $20 weekly game, using points. I was +1 and tied for third place. We pay

 

To get the 40, I parred the last 6 holes.

 

How's that for having a good round even though I played like crap.

 

Maybe I should get to the course at sunup and play a few holes BEFORE our 8 AM shotgun start. ....LOL.....I can't since I run the game and have to register everyone....usually we have 20 to 30 players.

 

It wasn't until after we finished that I realized I was playing terrific on the back nine versus the front.