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Do you play better or worse when playing with a good golfer?

NoShanks

NoShanks

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I was playing golf with a friend and he said he feels intimidated when he plays with me in a way that adds too much pressure for him to try to match my game and says he plays bad with me.

which got me thinking about this; Do you play well when you play with a good golfer or do you play worse? Do you play bad with a bad golfer?

personally, I play some of my best golf when playing with good golfers. I also feel I can lose some strokes when playing with bad golfers


My theory is that when you play against good players you can try to match or imitate their shot visuals. When you play with someone who hits all over , their bad shot visual creeps into your subconscious.

I have never thought about it that way and I love playing golf with all skill levels and don’t care how bad or good someone Is when I’m playing with them. All I care about is fun golf. So it got me curious about how others may feel about this.
 
i still make some bad shots but i play better...not competitive but playing with better golfers is more fun.
 
I dunno cuts both ways
 
This subject comes up a lot and my answer is still the same.
Yes, I seem to play better when playing with others who are better than me. But I don't play worse when playing with higher handicap players.
 
I absolutely play better when playing with better player than me. Theres no intimidation factor or anything. When it comes to how i perform when paying with golfers that arent as good, I cant say that it affects my PLAY at all. It could affect my mindset a bit though. Its always nice to walk up and hit a drive with forced carry over water after a dude bombs it center cut. That can happen with good or bad players though. lol
 
Really good golfers intimidate me, but playing with those slightly better seems to make me play better. I also seem to play better with the few golfers that are worse than me, but that is probably just by comparison.
 
If I'm playing with a better player I tend to think my game is holding them back and they should go on and play at their pace.

It's not their fault they were paired up with me.:ROFLMAO:
 
You play your game and I will play mine. I do take note of what holes better players take less than driver on and keep it in my memory bank. It won't change my club selection that day but I know I have to start playing irons off of tees for course management. I just like hitting the big stick and I don't get in a lot of trouble with it anymore.
 
It doesn't hurt. My PB of 73 my playing partner shot 99. It doesn't affect me what someone else does. Even in the Quota/Skins game. If someone is going off, you can't do anything about it, you just have to play your game. Very cliché but someone shooting 75 or 95 has nothing to do with my play.

If someone is clearly skilled then I guess it could make me want to play better but that could be a detriment because I shouldn't be trying to match whoever shot for shot.
 
ehhhh, most of the time. Which my playing partners are all scratch to +. Sometimes I catch myself trying to do some things they do which I cannot do consistently and gets me in trouble. But, the positive side is when im struggling they will point out what im doing or a tip here and there which is awesome.
 
I tend to play better when playing with better golfers. I focus more on what I'm doing.

Truth is I prefer to play with better golfers. The lower their handicap, the better I like it. I like watching great golf shots.

A few weeks ago I was paired up with a scratch golfer. We had never met before. I scored one my lowest numbers so far this year, and he still beat me by 13 strokes with his legit 68. That was a fun round of golf for me personally. The guy was a shot maker.

I'm never intimidated on the golf course. Even if I have a bad day. Being a little better than average player means I still have some game....most of the time.
 
I tend to play better when paired with better players. Not that I try to keep up with them or match their play, but my focus is just a little better. Not that playing with lesser players makes me not focus, but if I am playing with someone who is struggling I tend to focus on making the round enjoyable for them versus my score.
 
It can go either way. I just love playing the game, so I don't care if I'm with someone worse or better, let's just play. I think the personality and demeanor of the other player affects the way I play more than the skill level.
 
I’m a relatively unfazed golfer. I’m relatively inconsistent and feel like I could go high or low on any given day regardless of who I play with. I did play with a couple friends for the first time who seemed nervous to play with me and my mid-80’s prowess, so I can definitely see how some folks can be intimidated by playing with better golfers.
 
It depends on how I'm playing that given day. History backs me up on that.
 
The experience is usually driven by the course I'm playing, not necessarily the playing partner... however, an elite player AND an elite course (especially if it is my first time there) can lead to doom for me. Despite the swing being the same, no matter where you play... it affects me.

I went and played my home course on Monday, a decent little public track, and shot 72... the next day, I played a top 100 in the US (https://www.golfdigest.com/story/old-sandwich-golf-club) and shot 95. My playing partner, a plus 2, shot 69. It was a long day.

I then went on and shot 74 two days later playing with friends who couldn't break 100 with their life on the line.

Who knows.
 
I can have my good days, but I definitely can't play in front of my dad for some reason.
 
Often worse, sadly. I’m super hard on myself. While that has been helpful in other areas, it just hurts me on the course. Too often I try to keep up with the better player, when my game simply can’t. As a result, sometimes my round will just spiral.
 
chile said:
I still make some bad shots but i play better...not competitive but playing with better golfers is more fun.
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I still hit some inexplicably bad shots or make bad decisions and definitely agree on the fun part, so long as I'm able to play my game and not get caught up in not being able to score the way they do. If I don't, it's usually not terribly enjoyable as I get down on myself.

mikeg_74 said:
I tend to play better when paired with better players. Not that I try to keep up with them or match their play, but my focus is just a little better. Not that playing with lesser players makes me not focus, but if I am playing with someone who is struggling I tend to focus on making the round enjoyable for them versus my score.
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Agree completely. It's hard to watch a friend struggle. I don't offer tips or anything but I do try to keep it light and try to get him to focus on something other than the struggle he is having.

ToddJ027b said:
I think the personality and demeanor of the other player affects the way I play more than the skill level.
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Great point.
 
I almost made this thread earlier this week.

I tend to play a lot better when I play with better players. As long as it isn’t a tournament. Lol

When I am able to imitate a swing or see a shot that I might have normally not thought about, it helps my game tremendously. I have played my best rounds with assistant pros of mine that are friends, or scratch golfers. Also I don’t feel any pressure because I know that I won’t be able to beat them regardless of how I play (even though I have competed very well and exceeded my expectations).

Just being able to see what a smooth swing looks like and how good players generate power it makes me overswing less and helps me with strategic shot making around the greens.
 
Slow play tends to bother me

Crappy partners - rare - annoy me.

I try to put it out of my mind and think about more pleasant things.
 
I think I tend to play better when playing with better players. Usually that is when a little more money is on the line and it requires me to focus a little bit more. I also feel like your a generally able to keep a better pace and rhythm going which can help.
 
I generally play better with better players. It just seems to have more of a flow, and able to get in a good rhythm when not looking for lost balls etc. Having said that, I have just as much fun playing with all abilities assuming they keep a good pace and are fun to play with.
 
dduarte85 said:
The experience is usually driven by the course I'm playing, not necessarily the playing partner... however, an elite player AND an elite course (especially if it is my first time there) can lead to doom for me. Despite the swing being the same, no matter where you play... it affects me.

I went and played my home course on Monday, a decent little public track, and shot 72... the next day, I played a top 100 in the US (https://www.golfdigest.com/story/old-sandwich-golf-club) and shot 95. My playing partner, a plus 2, shot 69. It was a long day.

I then went on and shot 74 two days later playing with friends who couldn't break 100 with their life on the line.

Who knows.
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This is very similar to me. I live in the 70s. Good round is low 70 ok round is mid to high 70, bad round is in the 80s.

when I play with a + handicap I analyze their mental game more than their swing. What happens if they hit a bad shot?, how do they recover from it? What is his shot strategy on approach? Etc
 
It depends on how fast they play. If someone knows where the ball went and they can find it and play quickly then it doesn't impact my game. If I need to find their ball and make sure that they keep moving it will impact my game. In summary it isn't how good they are but how much I have to worry about them. If I play with a good golfer who is super slow it can impact my game if I am worried I am falling behind and we have groups waiting on us.
 
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