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A tale of two nines

mikedean441

mikedean441

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I'm a stats geek so bare with me a bit. Was looking through my last 10 rounds and just seeing if besides crappy putting if there was anything else hindering my game. I joke about taking 14 holes to get "warmed up" sometimes but sadly after looking at my scorecards for the front 9 vs the back 9 at different courses it may be true.

My last 10 scores have shown the following differences:(
0, -6, -2, 0, -5, -4, -2, +5, -1, -3.

So in summary out of 10 rounds ive been better 7 times on the back, the same 2 times and worse only once (and that once came courtesy of a blow up 9 on a par 3).

Anyone else run into this? What do you guys think it is? In past year's Id say its me getting warmed up, but for about half of these rounds Ive been able to hit the range prior to the round.

If it was the same course over and over, I'd say maybe difficulty of the back 9, but the 10 here consists of 6 different courses.

Curious as to what others are seeing/have experienced.
 
I used to be like this a lot. In fact I can pin point the round that turned it around for me. I was playing with Captain Golf and shot 52 on the front and then 35 on the back. Even talked about it a bit on here about how each 9 holes seemed like a different round to me. I then started paying close attention to my warm up routine. How I wanted to make sure I was banging balls to get loosened up, but also practicing with a purpose like seeing fairways in between flags on the range, chipping to a location rather than just pitching the ball. Hitting different types of shots, etc. Since that time, the tales of two nines seemed to have gone away for me.
 
I agree with JB. I find that if I can warm up properly and hit balls at the range, my scoring improves dramatically. I can find that groover faster. I also have gotten better at trying to make something happen on the back if I didn't play great on the front. Kind of playing with a sense of urgency with out being reckless and trying to take advantage of good positions. It is something I haven't quite figured out though either.
 
I'm the same way Mike. And to make things more simple, I play most of my golf on a 9 hole course. What I have noticed in my game is that I tend to be more loose and relaxed on the front nine. While this may be better for some golfers, it doesn't work that way for me. I play better when there is a little pressure on me. If I shot poorly on the front, I tend to be more serious and methodical on the back 9. I do think loosening my muscles up does also play a role. There isn't a driving range at my course, so all I can do before teeing of are some stretches and dry swings.
 
I think it's just random noise, and frankly a lot of courses ARE set up with the back being slightly more difficult. You'd need to find the front/back ratings for those courses to check that.
10 is also a pretty small sample size, even if it seems like a lot of golf to those of us who get 5 decent months a year.

I personally don't seem to have a pattern, I've shot high/low and low/high a few times this year...and I'm talking 10 shot swings. That's just early season inconsistency.

Could be a mental block...maybe you start off too wound up and looking for a PB....then relax a bit on the back and get back to your normal game? Hard to say.

But I don't think it's an issue. The coin came up heads 5 times in a row, it happens.
 
jmatt said:
I think it's just random noise, and frankly a lot of courses ARE set up with the back being slightly more difficult. You'd need to find the front/back ratings for those courses to check that.
10 is also a pretty small sample size, even if it seems like a lot of golf to those of us who get 5 decent months a year.

I personally don't seem to have a pattern, I've shot high/low and low/high a few times this year...and I'm talking 10 shot swings. That's just early season inconsistency.

Could be a mental block...maybe you start off too wound up and looking for a PB....then relax a bit on the back and get back to your normal game? Hard to say.

But I don't think it's an issue. The coin came up heads 5 times in a row, it happens.
Click to expand...

Just went through the next 10 scores......-2, +5, -4, -2, -2, +6, -4, -2, -3, -4...so 80% of the time better on the back

Might just need 9 holes to warm up when its all said and done
 
For me it is very random but I know that when I have a good round I am usually 3 or 4 strokes better on the back 9. If I could play 9 holes for a warm up prior to every round I'm very confident my scores would start to drop.
 
interesting thread Mike.... i know i play better when i hit about 20 balls on the range before hand like JB said when i'm not just hitting to hit and i actually practice with a purpose on the range like i normally would before a round i have noticed much better scoring on the front if i don't have time to warm up i normally see those blow up holes on the front or penalties for losing a ball OB. the back 9 i am usually much more consistent and i tend to see long par streaks.
 
I almost always start slow, but I almost always finish the front nine strong. I honestly feel like I peak right at the 7th or 8th hole, slowly getting better from slow start. It's that way almost every single round I play. For me, I think it's just getting focused and in a rhythm. Just need to shake off the jitters and start thinking of targets instead of avoiding bogeys and doubles.
 
I have looked back over my scores for the past year and find streaks like yours and streaks that are just the opposite. There could be several reasons, our front and back are different in that the front requires a lot more accuracy off the tee, is sheltered from wind, is slower to drain during wet periods and doesn't require as much distance. These factors and the fact that as an aged walker I get tired can account for differences other than psyche. I think psyche is just one of many factors in scoring.

When looking back at my very best scores (mostly May 2012), it can work both ways as well, 40 31, 32 35, 36 31, 36 36, 37 35, 35 34, 35 35. From this month, the scores are similar except for being about five shots higher on both front and back.
 
It isn't so much a tale of the two nines for me, it usually takes me a few holes to fully loosen up then I have a good stretch, usually followed by a few 'tired' holes towards the end of the round

I do notice that if I get the chance to hit balls prior to the round I start better, but a lot of the time I don't get this chance so have to make do with plenty of stretching. The end of the round is a fitness issue at the moment, so hopefully I can sort that out and keep the consistency going to the end of the round

Having said that, my last round was the total opposite as I scored 26 points on the front 9, followed by only 17 on the back 9 with only stretching to warm up, BUT, I did limit myself to my no more than my 5w from the tee for a few holes until I got into the groove, so it got me thinking about how I can effectively incorporate a 'warm-up' routine into the first few holes and still play well
 
My scores are usually the opposite. I'm normally much better on the front 9, heck the first 14 or 15. I just never seem to be able to really finish off a good round and that's frustrating. When I went out and played last Monday I was +3 thru 11, and finished at +9. To make it even worse in my eyes I was +5 after 14 and played the final 4 at +4 with a double bogey thrown in there. It even happens when I tee off on the back 9 first and finish up on the front 9. Just can't seem to finish off a round.
 
you may just need the time to "relax", your mind and swing, i have played the front 9 with 9 putts and back 9 with 18 putts for a total of 27 putts in the same round. was feeling good and just lost the touch with the putter on the back, no idea why, weather was same all day, sstill scratch my head over this round. lol
 
Usually the jump start for me is on hole 8 regardless of where I play. I will get up and down or get par and then uncork a huge drive or solid iron on 9 and I am on my way. I am way too tentative at the start.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
 
Two options mike...

1. Hit the range for a good bit and play some "simulated" holes. I.E. Hit driver, than an mid/short iron/wedge, and then a chip. Get your body in the motion of playing a hole, rather than a typical range warmup (Wedge, Iron, Driver, repeat).

2. Start on the back 9 first.
 
Was just talking about this with my Paradise teammates the other day. Sunday, I didn't have a place to warm up or hit a few balls before my round. I put up a 50 on the front nine and then promptly threw up a +4 40 on the back. This has convinced me that warming up is so important. A lot of courses around me don't have a good warm-up area, so taking a donut or a swing stick is going to become part of my new routine.
 
I felt like I was the same way, but my stats are sort of inconclusive. Rounds this year (Back - Front) = +2, -5, -1, -2, -2, +3, +3. The -5 was when I was feeling terrible to start the day and hadn't warmed up yet. These last two +3s were on courses with tougher back 9s than fronts, so I'm not surprised. I only hit balls before one of the rounds though, so that's interesting.
 
ditto, typically i'm a bad front nine player if I don't have a chance to hit a few dozen balls (and putting) before the round starts. For me, sometimes playing is such a last minute decision and we're off and sprinting to a course.
 
My home course doesn't have a driving range, only a small green to practice chipping and putting. So I usually walk out of the pro shop and straight to the first tee. What helps me out is that I don't try to do anything special on the first few holes, just aim for the middle of fairways and middle of greens. I don't try to pull off any hero shots or shaping of the ball until I figure out what is going on with my swing on that day.

You would think that my scoring average would be better on the back nine, but it tends to even out because the back nine at that course is harder than the front nine.
 
ddec said:
My scores are usually the opposite. I'm normally much better on the front 9, heck the first 14 or 15. I just never seem to be able to really finish off a good round and that's frustrating. When I went out and played last Monday I was +3 thru 11, and finished at +9. To make it even worse in my eyes I was +5 after 14 and played the final 4 at +4 with a double bogey thrown in there. It even happens when I tee off on the back 9 first and finish up on the front 9. Just can't seem to finish off a round.
Click to expand...

I'm often the same way ddec.

Though it may not always be the case, frequently I think it's because as approach the last few holes, I start to enter the real world again.

Thoughts enter my head like: "I told the wife I'd be home around 4. It's already 4:30. Is she sitting there frustrated?"

"I've still got a lot of work to do on that project when I get back."

"Man I don't want to leave. I wonder if I could sneak over to the range for a bit afterwards. No, wait. I can't do that."

In short, I think I lose some focus. That's something upon which I need to improve - staying focused until the ball drops into the cup on 18.
 
I almost always shoot better on the back. I'm always better warmed up then, obviously.


THPing on Tapatalk
 
War Eagle said:
Two options mike...

1. Hit the range for a good bit and play some "simulated" holes. I.E. Hit driver, than an mid/short iron/wedge, and then a chip. Get your body in the motion of playing a hole, rather than a typical range warmup (Wedge, Iron, Driver, repeat).

2. Start on the back 9 first.
Click to expand...

This is a great idea. I have never been one to hit oneclub ten times in a row, but I have never through to alternate each shot. Moreso that getting your body in motion, I think it would get you mindset right forthe upcoming holes.

I also believe if you would do this and take more time in between shots, youwould have a more effective practice session. In your round you only get onechance to hit a shot. Keep that same mentality when practicing. This would belike getting those first few holes out of the way for those great scores.
 
One other thought. For me, I sometimes have something not quite right in my swing. Often it's not until the back nine that I figure out a correction.
 
I am the opposite.

I'm usually focused and dialed in on the front nine. I start losing my focus and patience on the back. More so on long rounds.
 
Yesterday! Played at a country club in Memphis, so we were meeting up with two local guys who got us on the course. Not knowing the course, or the two guys we were playing with, I froze up and played golf swing. Shot a very ugly 49 on the front as a result. Once I relaxed a bit, and found my swing, I shot 41 on the back. Hit 5 of 7 fairways, 6 greens, had legit birdie chances 3 times (inside 15 ft). So, yes, I'm right there as well. Tale of two nines. If I ever were to get back to playing more frequently, it will go away, but it now takes me a number of holes to find that day's swing...
 
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