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How Much Does Score Matter to You?

bigskyirish

bigskyirish

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I've been giving this one some thought lately. There are a lot of different ways to enjoy a round golf and they're not mutually exclusive. Just off the top of my head, I think it's fair to say that some of the things people are time outdoors, time with friends and family, exercise, competition, camaraderie, and the list goes on and on. So my question is: for your average round of golf, how much does score factor into your enjoyment? Can you go out, not keep score, and have just as much fun as you would if you shot a good round? Are your bad rounds just as fun as your good ones?

For me, the answer is that it matters a decent amount. First, the caveats: (1) I always love playing, even if I play poorly; and (2) I've had absolutely fantastic times shooting high scores. But for the average, everyday round, I enjoy the round a good bit more when I play well. There's virtually no chance I'm going to play without knowing my score and, even if everything else is great, the golf itself is more fun for me when my score is better.
 
If I'm keeping score, it matters a lot.

If I'm out practicing or just relaxing and hitting some shots, it doesn't matter at all.

I probably keep score about 70-75% of the times I go to the golf course.
 
A big part of why golf is so addicting for me is the pursuit of getting better. I like the challenge, and I like that it's hard. It makes the good shots and the good rounds that much better!

So I won't ever get to a point where score doesn't matter to me. Nor do I want to get to that point. But it's not the only thing that matters to me anymore. I played Friday afternoon and my score was NOT good. I actually hit the ball quite well and putted very well, but it was one of those days where none of the bounces went my way. Oh well. It was still fun. And that's the point. I don't want to be the guy who is so hung up on score that the majority of my rounds aren't enjoyable.
 
Depends on my round. If I'm out alone on a Saturday morning - just trying out equipment or "practicing" - score means pretty much nothing.

If it's league or a tournament - it matters a lot.

I will say this though - the best fun I've ever had golfing has been when I've golfed horribly. I just love being out there.
 
Great thread topic, thanks for posting it.
I think that scoring well is about caring, giving one's best effort for all shots. But this is "work" which the majority of players don't want to do.
It's easy to say "this is a casual round" or "this is not a tournament" and once that happens players tend to focus less on their shots, socialize more, play loose with the Rules etc... and scoring suffers.
I understand it is common to hear "golf is a social game" or " I just enjoy being out on the course with my friends and family". While this is all well and good, the "most fun" I see people having is when they actually shoot their best scores.
 
Gotta first say that I never have a bad time on the course. I just love being out there and am so very thankful for being able to be.

But score matters a great deal to me, internally. I want to play my best, always. I'm well aware of how irrational and impossible that is but the fantastical hope/expectation is still woefully inescapable for me. "This could be the day!!!"

So a good round will help me enjoy the day more, a great round ever more so. But even recently I've shot 10 strokes over what I'd deem as acceptable for me yet I still enjoyed myself on the course and still laughed just as hard with the guys off it.

I'd be lying if I said that score didn't matter to me. I'd be lying if I said score didn't matter most. But most is not all and it's the sum of all parts, score, socialization, nature, camaraderie, challenge, psychological release, etc, that is golf to me.

And I golf.
 
Even practicing my score matters quite a lot to me. I don't blow up often, because I'm honestly out there for a good time. The last thing I want to do is be a bad member of my group. I laugh it or shrug it off in silence. If I give myself a moment I will enjoy the new challenge of making par (If possible).

Topped two drives into the weeds this Saturday. Hit my first ball out of bounds this Sunday. I played on and even lightened up the mood after.
But it does matter, I just have to remind myself that it only really matters to me.
 
Score matters to me less as I get older, which might explain why my handicap is higher than it's been since 1981.
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I'm playing more with my 14-year-old daughter these last couple years, and on those rounds, my focus is on her game and making sure she is learning something each time out. Taking the time to help her often makes me careless with my game, especially on or around the greens. The company in my foursome makes more difference in how much fun I have during a round than my score.
 
I don't care about score at all
 
WMac19 said:
Gotta first say that I never have a bad time on the course. I just love being out there and am so very thankful for being able to be.

But score matters a great deal to me, internally. I want to play my best, always. I'm well aware of how irrational and impossible that is but the fantastical hope/expectation is still woefully inescapable for me. "This could be the day!!!"

So a good round will help me enjoy the day more, a great round ever more so. But even recently I've shot 10 strokes over what I'd deem as acceptable for me yet I still enjoyed myself on the course and still laughed just as hard with the guys off it.

I'd be lying if I said that score didn't matter to me. I'd be lying if I said score didn't matter most. But most is not all and it's the sum of all parts, score, socialization, nature, camaraderie, challenge, psychological release, etc, that is golf to me.

And I golf.
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This sums it up really well for me too. You said it a lot better than I did.
 
It does to a point. I have made it a point though this year to have more fun and less about score. Now if playing comp, then ya I worry about my score.
 
I like to keep score but it doesn't matter in the end. I play golf because I enjoy it and that's because I don't take it very seriously.
 
Very little nowadays. I cheat, so keeping score is moot.
 
Oh yes it matters. I play the game and practice it so that I can play it well. Not so I can play it poorly. That's what the driving force or addiction to the game is all about for me. The better I play the better I feel about playing. Score has a direct correlation to just how much fun we have imo or at least to myself anyway.
 
i can't remember a time when i played 18 holes and didn't keep score. i love the challenge of playing to my potential. but like you, i do have a lot more fun when i play well.
 
Score matters to me, I play with guys of all calibers, so I play the course. how close can i get to par....
 
As a high handicapper I am really focusing on getting more pars and less doubles or worse. This has been a big point of emphasis for me this year and it has also dropped my score. My handicap has gone from a 22.4 in March to a 19.0 now. I am really thinking I can make a run at being a 15 by next summer at this time, but I know it's a process and there will be bad rounds mixed in with the rounds where I feel really good.
 
It matters too much I think for myself. I have fun whatever I shoot, but seem to have more fun when I shoot low rounds. Kinda like winning isn't everything, but its better than losing, lol.

I went out by myself after work on Friday after work to practice a few things on the course. And there was a group of 4 girls/women playing, and not one of them could shoot it consistently over 20 yards. They were laughing at each other, and at themselves so much it made me chuckle a few times. And when one of them would hit a shot over 50 yards they would cheer like someone won the US open.

I need a little more of that in my game. I need to be able to laugh at myself more.
 
It's pretty much everything, I play enough that I'm not out there just to enjoy being out there, and I'm not a social person so I'm not interested in that aspect.

I play to try to beat my best score, or be near it, that's about it.
 
I generally care more about improvement than trying to hit a particular score. Golf is a game and one I'd like to be good at, but I'm not up all night worrying about someone who is better than I. I play the game for recreation to challenge myself not as a profession to compete with others.
 
MrDC said:
It's pretty much everything, I play enough that I'm not out there just to enjoy being out there, and I'm not a social person so I'm not interested in that aspect.

I play to try to beat my best score, or be near it, that's about it.
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I take it from that last sentence that you must be good at dealing with disappointment. If you play often then there's got to be an awful lot of rounds where you do not shoot your best score ever.
 
My favorite thing is golfing good, my second favorite is golfing bad. So a tiny bit
 
MrDC said:
It's pretty much everything, I play enough that I'm not out there just to enjoy being out there, and I'm not a social person so I'm not interested in that aspect.

I play to try to beat my best score, or be near it, that's about it.
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You keep doing that and your scores will keep improving,for sure.
 
Score never mattered to me. It's all about how well I played, not the number. Hitting fairways, greens, making putts. Yes, I carry a handicap, my golf group needs it to set up "fair" teams. But it's the camaraderie and fun that I golf for, not a number. Aiming for a number puts a stress on the game, and it is a game.
 
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