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How Much Does Score Matter to You?

There are two ways to play golf well. You can shoot a low score or you can defeat an opponent. That's the only two types of outcome that define success in golf.

It's very good for your mental health if you're able to go out and enjoy practicing or just hitting shots without regard for score. The very act of hitting a ball toward a distant target is relaxing and pleasant. So I'm not in any way disparaging the other ways of enjoying your hours spent out on the course.

But you didn't "play well" just because you hit a bunch of fairways or totally nailed several long iron shots during a practice round or when not keeping score or competing. You hit some good shots and had fun, which in many cases is a more important activity than "playing well". But success in golf is about scoring and winning, by definition.
 
It matter to me a good bit as that is one of the measures I use for how well or not so well I played. But it is not the only one. As others have mentioned sometimes you hit the ball well and all feels good but stuff is not falling. If I can play same ball all day and avoid penalties I feel good too. Lately my scores have not been the best, but I have been working through a swing change and can start to see it come around. Overall I have been more consistent which is good, now just time to get those damn scores down!!!!
 
darthweasel said:
not always. I went out the other day and was scuffling horrifically. I topped a couple balls off the tee. I missed a couple 3'ers which I had not done in weeks. I chunked a couple chips which I had not done. I highlandered everything longer than a 7i because I could not hit anything safely off the tee. My playing partner, whom I am better than in every facet of the game and we both know it, apologized to the random we were matched up with for my play.

And when I posted the score my trending handicap went down because although I hit far more truly awful shots than I am used to and more than I find acceptable. We were both embarrassed by my play...and yet I scored well.

Rewind a couple weeks, I played the same course with three randoms. I was hitting good shot (for me) after good shot, just smoothing my way around the course, never in trouble, had a really good round. Played well off the tee, good long irons, good short game, putted well...and was 9 shots worse than the recent round.

I have looked at both extensively to figure it out and I can't. Sometimes I hit well and score poorly, sometimes I hit poorly and score well. Yes, both are unusual but not so much so that they are outliers. I cannot count the number of times I have struggled for 9 at my most played course, been super frustrated with my play...and been 4 or 5 over for 9. As a 17.1 (todays number) that is pretty good.

Playing well doesn't always equate to scoring well for me. Then again, playing poorly doesn't equate to scoring badly. Sometimes they do, often they don't.
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I was careful to mention in my posts that golf is funny sometimes as we feel we played well (due given parts of the game) but the score doesnt reflect it and the opposite too. But its through a body of work long term where playing well results in better average scores. The idea that we want to play well is collectively in the end about scores. The better we play the more often we play well, the lower our collective scores will be.
 
Not really, if I shoot a good score I'll post it and be happy with it.
I am going out there to hit good shots, go for hero shots if I think I can make them, but most importantly to play golf and have fun doing it. Not get dragged into a tedious game where every shot matters as much as the next (unless it's tournament golf, game face gets put on).
 
Golf for me has always been measured by score. I don't play "practice rounds" where I don't keep score because my brain will keep track of the score anyway. Hitting the ball well doesn't make me nearly as happy as scoring well. I've had plenty of rounds over par recently where I hit 15+ GIR and rounds under par where I hit only 12 or 13 GIR. I'll take the round under par every time.
 
I wish golf were about how many great shots I can hit in 18 holes and how great the very best of them were. Unfortunately, it is also about how many awful shots I hit and how bad the worst of them were.

Which is one reason I 100% prefer match play against an opponent to stroke play against a scorecard. If every stroke is totaled up for 18 holes it's inevitable that each truly awful shot costs more than a truly excellent shot can gain. And for those of us with double-digit handicaps there will almost always be more awful shots than great ones in a round.

But with match play, you have 18 separate chances to win a hole with (potentially) just one great shot. And when you lose due to an awful shot, you have 17 other holes that are not affected.

It's one thing to have a healthy mental outlook that lets you remember the great shots but quickly put the bad ones out of your mind. I wish I could master that trick myself. But that's about mental hygeine, the scorecard (or your opponent) take a little harder line where the bad shots *totally* do matter.
 
I struggle with this. On one hand I've really been trying to just enjoy being on the course more than stress about my score. The problem is my handicap has crept up and it ticks me off so now I find myself getting more frustrated. I guess it's a balancing act that I'm in the middle of trying to figure out.
 
tahoebum said:
Golf for me has always been measured by score. I don't play "practice rounds" where I don't keep score because my brain will keep track of the score anyway. Hitting the ball well doesn't make me nearly as happy as scoring well. I've had plenty of rounds over par recently where I hit 15+ GIR and rounds under par where I hit only 12 or 13 GIR. I'll take the round under par every time.
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So do you never play practice rounds where you are trying a variety of shots or dropping balls in likely up-and-down situations around green or putting to multiple future hole locations on the greens? Are you saying that literally the only thing you do on the golf course is play one ball, down and out, and keep score on it?
 
KEV said:
I struggle with this. On one hand I've really been trying to just enjoy being on the course more than stress about my score. The problem is my handicap has crept up and it ticks me off so now I find myself getting more frustrated. I guess it's a balancing act that I'm in the middle of trying to figure out.
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My wife, a very wise person, would point out that you can't necessarily control your handicap but the "ticks me off" part is totally within your control. Getting ticked off is a choice.

In fact, she will no doubt point that out to me again this coming weekend for at least the 1,000th time since I took up golf a quarter century ago ;-)
 
Et Tu Brute? said:
So do you never play practice rounds where you are trying a variety of shots or dropping balls in likely up-and-down situations around green or putting to multiple future hole locations on the greens? Are you saying that literally the only thing you do on the golf course is play one ball, down and out, and keep score on it?
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I occasionally(may one of ten rounds) hit an extra approach shot or two from the fairway on a few holes if we are waiting on the next tee. I will also sometimes hit a missed putt over again after everyone has putted out. I generally save my practice for the practice area or the range. I prefer to play extra holes over hitting extra practice shots on the course, and my regular golf buddies are the same way. We wind up playing 27 or more holes often, and I've played 36 or more about ten times this year. On a boys weekend, 45 plus holes a day is the norm.
 
Et Tu Brute? said:
My wife, a very wise person, would point out that you can't necessarily control your handicap but the "ticks me off" part is totally within your control. Getting ticked off is a choice.

In fact, she will no doubt point that out to me again this coming weekend for at least the 1,000th time since I took up golf a quarter century ago ;-)
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I can totally relate to that. My wife is a counselor so anytime I come home and am upset about something from my round she'll make similar comments. She never likes my response of "sometimes I just want to be angry!".
 
Score matters to me since I’m trying to get better. This is the first year I actually started giving a damn. I play with a guy that keeps score but doesn’t care because he thinks putting is boring. He would rather shoot a 120 with 60 putts than he would a 100 with 30 putts. It’s because the higher score with more putts means his ball striking was better (usually) which is what makes the game fun for him. Putting is only to finish the hole.
 
A lot. Its an indicator of my level. if my score improves, it means I'm improving. My aim is to break 80 consistently.
 
First time or two out with a new club or clubs I try to focus on just seeing how the clubs perform and differ from my previous clubs, but score always starts to creep into my mind. It's hard for me to not keep score, especially if I was playing well then I wonder what I would really shoot if I kept score, but you could argue maybe I am playing better because I am not focused on a number each hole and just swinging clubs. Once I get more accustom to a club, the score matters more, mainly because it's the internal competition I play. But I've learned to become much better at not getting down after a bad hole or score, as I used to be upset about scoring really high and now use it as an opportunity to learn and apply my mistakes to the next round.
 
rollin said:
I understand. i totally get it can be about playing well at given areas of the game. But in the end when we play well its still reflective in final scoring is all im saying. The two are intertwined. Through any body of work, the bteer we do things the better are scores will be. The goal for most is to play well. And that results in lower scores. Thats the whole idea in the end for most who play the game. To be as good as we can be at it. Even your teachings are in the end for the purpose of teaching to play the game well at some point. Thats why they want to learn. They dont want to learn to be bad at the game, they want to be better at it. Just because one doesnt look at the score or have a specific score goal doesnt mean they are not practicing and playing to get better. getting better (or for others maintaining a status quo) is still about scores. Anyone who practices to get better at the game isn't doing so in order not to be better. They are doing it to be better. And that is eventually about score no matter how we try to slice it.
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We will 100% have to agree to disagree on this one.
 
enjoying time with friends and family is #1. In fact, I don't plan to play golf unless I have a friend to do it with. once on the course, the good shots I hit far more important than score. When I leave the course I recall the 5iron to hole 15 I pured far more then the par. If I think about my round, I don't ask why I got a par on such a hole I ask what can I do to create a more competitive birdie putt attempt.

I took my 18 year old son out to play with my Saturday morning group recently. It was his first real golf course. He might have broken 100 on his first round but I had him just drop several times when he lost a ball in the rough. I shared my point of view that holding up a golf course to say you shot 98 is not OK. Drop it, take a penalty and move on. When we were done, I talked about his amazing drive at 17 and the fact he blew a great first birdie opportunity at 15. That he shot roughly a 105 is not relevant. That he had a good time is.
 
Hamfist said:
Very little nowadays. I cheat, so keeping score is moot.
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You always crack me up, lol.

I’ve played so terrible since late fall last year that score is mattering less and less to me. Spending time with friends and my kids is what’s most important to me anymore. I usually uncork a couple good shots a round and once in a while I’ll post a decent score. I’d rather see my kids post a low score then me anymore. It can be a lot of fun when they have a 10ft putt on 18 for a milestone or PB.
 
Score matters less than enjoying the company of family and friends.

Also, how I’m playing affects my enjoyment. Sometimes I feel like I’m playing well even though I might not be scoring well, and I’ll still enjoy the round.
 
I’m pretty close to scratch, and score matters a lot. The only way I can play and not focus on score is to intentionally break the rules... like hitting extra shots, playing mulligans, picking up, that sort of thing. Otherwise, score matters a great deal, and can definitely affect my mood.

I do realize that it shouldn’t matter so much, so I try to remember just to enjoy being out getting some exercise and hitting shots. It’s hard to emotionally separate from the goal of shooting low once you know that you can or should shoot low. Focusing and grinding takes a lot of internal energy.


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It matters, but the improvement and enjoyment means more to me. If I am striking the ball and seeing the flight that I want but I am not scoring, I can still find a lot of positives coming from that.
 
Sometimes, more than it should but I usually recover from that after a couple of holes and reality sets in!
 
There's nothing quite as enjoyable as shooting a score below my average. And nothing as frustrating as realizing there's no chance of that happening halfway through the first 9.

I finally had to quit keeping score the last couple of months as the frustration reached an all time high. No more scorecards, no more tracking stats.

Every single round since has been fun... as a game should be. The same overall bad golf but with the ability to forget the bad shots while enjoying the good ones.

The only downsides so far have been 1) the feeling of throwing in the towel on improvement, and 2) not knowing exactly how good a good round might have been.
 
I don't think being motivated by score is necessarily at the expense of social aspects of the game. A friend of mine kept referring to it as either/or, but I know I can enjoy all facets of a round while still being driven my that final number.
 
Score matters more than anything else. If I just want commaradarie, then I can go for a walk with a friend. If I just wanna hit some balls, I'll go to the range. If I'm gonna play, I'm playing to the best of my ability. Some days that's better than others, but I'm always trying to score my best. In the bad days, I can find solace in the good shots or good holes, but I'm always looking for a great score.

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JonMA1 said:
There's nothing quite as enjoyable as shooting a score below my average. And nothing as frustrating as realizing there's no chance of that happening halfway through the first 9.

I finally had to quit keeping score the last couple of months as the frustration reached an all time high. No more scorecards, no more tracking stats.

Every single round since has been fun... as a game should be. The same overall bad golf but with the ability to forget the bad shots while enjoying the good ones.

The only downsides so far have been 1) the feeling of throwing in the towel on improvement, and 2) not knowing exactly how good a good round might have been.
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This has been my recent discovery.

I still am trying to improve, without question. I just use the quality of the shots themselves as my main barometer.

To each, their own, I say.
 
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