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Do You Start Hot?

Jimmy3864 said:
On my home course I usually start well, first hole is a par 5, followed by a rather short par 3 then a dogleg par 4. My goal for the first 3 combined is 1 under but even par is okay. After the 3rd, the course toughens up fast.

This season I found I hit a lull around 12/13 which in hindsight I attribute to lack of staying nourished and hydrated. On both counts, this year I didn’t pay enough attention to both until it as too late and run out of gas, both mentally and physically. On average, I typically start strong.
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Hydration is definitely important. Nourishment, as far as food is concerned, can be handled well before the round.
 
Start slow but oddly enough stats say 10th hole my worst.
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I normally par the first few holes then my skill kicks in. Bogies and more after that...
 
It takes me several holes to warm up unless I hit the range before hand.
 
It is a mix for me on how i start. This weekend i started out hot it was amazing i had 4 pars in a row which is unusual for me. Last weekend i carded a triple on the first hole of the day. That first drive of the day seems to set the tone for my round.
 
Anytime I've started hot, it also correlates to playing alone and with no one in front of me. Yesterday I started off bogey, bogey, par. I was ecstatic and looking forward to a great potential round. Then I caught another solo at 4. saw he was waiting, paired up with him and the hot start came to an abrupt end. waiting, messing me up about the same as strangers eyes watching me play.
 
I never used to...at all. But recently It's been about 50/50 if I start hot or not. Playing more 9 hole rounds has helped, because you kind of have to start hot due to not having a lot of time to make up for it.
 
It doesn't matter whether I start hot or start cold. It is whether I get into a rhythm. If I haven't got it by the 5th hole, my round is not going to be good. "It don't mean a thing if you aint got that swing" to paraphrase a song.
 
It's almost a given that I play the back 9 better than the front 9. Since it's only a 9 hole course, 2 different greens on 7/16 and 9/18, you'd think it be similar but it can be a pretty big difference some times.

So to me that means NO I dont start hot ?
 
There is no real pattern to my game. Sometimes, I start hot, other times not. I have to start hot at my home course in order to shoot a good score, because the back 9 is at least a couple strokes harder than the front 9.
 
mtbloco said:
Anytime I've started hot, it also correlates to playing alone and with no one in front of me. Yesterday I started off bogey, bogey, par. I was ecstatic and looking forward to a great potential round. Then I caught another solo at 4. saw he was waiting, paired up with him and the hot start came to an abrupt end. waiting, messing me up about the same as strangers eyes watching me play.
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When I started playing golf about 20 years ago and was new to my city and the only golfer I knew was my wife’s boss about 15 years my senior. I forced myself to play with strangers, entered in club championships, match play competitions, etc so I would get used to playing with anyone. Fast forward, for myself it was a good strategy. I don’t mind at anytime playing with whoever and my game/score is not impacted. It’s a tough adjustment at first but really comes down to blocking out those 10-15 seconds standing over the ball. Good luck.
 
I'm a feast or famine starter. I'm typically either 1 under through 5, or 5 over.
Some days the swing feels natural and other days I'm searching right off the bat.
 
OldandStiff said:
I do well on the first hole, typically. Then I get worse for a while, and tend to finish with a flurry.

I'll post my scores by hole #. I just noticed it last night, and it was somewhat surprising. It's biased by my home course since I play more rounds there, but it's still a little dramatic, and something I'm going to try to work on.

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That's interesting. Is no. 15 a par 5?
 
Its always been hit or miss for me. Could be a bird and could be a quad or anything in between. That's the way its always gone but for some reason (and I think its just coincidence) but I have begun most rounds this season with doubles and triples like nobody's business. Putting myself behind the 8ball right from the start and its gotten frustrating as heck sitting at +6 ,7 whatever and only played 3 or 4 freaking holes. I mean I settle down but the damage to break 90 is basically done right from the start.
 
How i start depends on the course....I try to minimize the damage by maybe teeing off the first hole with a 4 iron if its not long, or if its tight. If its wide open and longish i will hit the driver, then just hit the second to the middle of the green and get a two putt for par
 
Relatively speaking, I do typically start hot. My front nine score is almost always better than my back nine score. Even on a good for me day I usually fall apart somewhere around hole 14 or so. I just can’t stay engaged for a full 18.
 
campilobaxter said:
That's interesting. Is no. 15 a par 5?
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On the home course, yes. And I eagle'd it yesterday. It's a short par 3, a dogleg right par 4, and a tricky water lined par 4 on the other 3 local courses. It is a little biased, but eliminate the home course and the pattern holds true for the second half of this year. I practice the first hole at the range before a round, and I think that's why I play it well, but I think I need to adjust my overall approach a little after seeing this.
 
Jimmy3864 said:
On my home course I usually start well, first hole is a par 5, followed by a rather short par 3 then a dogleg par 4. My goal for the first 3 combined is 1 under but even par is okay. After the 3rd, the course toughens up fast.

This season I found I hit a lull around 12/13 which in hindsight I attribute to lack of staying nourished and hydrated. On both counts, this year I didn’t pay enough attention to both until it as too late and run out of gas, both mentally and physically. On average, I typically start strong.
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I have 2 courses that I play all the time. Both start with a 500 yard par 5. One it’s a rarity to make par, the other I generally have an eagle putt with an 8i into the green.

Course number one you have to hit a near perfect drive to have a go at the green, and you’ll still have to draw a hybrid into the green to have an eagle putt. I’ve made eagle there 2 time in probably 1000 rounds.

Course two, if you hit a hard pull hook you might be in the rough but you have a short to mid iron into it. Unless you get unlucky there is almost no trouble. I’ve made more eagles there than any other hole-combined. Even if my approach ends up 40ft away I know how the green breaks. I’d say in 1000 lifetime rounds I’ve made eagle 100 times, birdie 300 times, par 400 times, and bogey or more 200 times (usually if the tee shot is blocked right). Easiest hole ever. Just don’t go right and hope you don’t get blocked by a tree left (about a 10% chance).
 
Cold starts here. Even if I’ve been on the range / putting for 30min before the round. I think it’s typically nerves for me. By the 3rd or 4th hole, I’m in a good groove and mellowed out finally.
 
Sometimes I do, Those day’s usually go off the rails.
 
Sometimes I start terrible. Sometimes I start hot - when this happens I know it's only a matter of time before the triple bogey.
 
No real clue as to why I tend to start off well, but hot starts are way too prevalent to just be coincidental.
 
Rarely do I start hot. Even if I start off with say a par or 2, there is a blowup hole looming. Swing wise it definitely takes me a few holes to feel comfortable each round, even if I do hit balls on the range prior.
 
OldandStiff said:
I literally didn't know that was available to view in my Grint account until last night. When I saw it, it definitely gave me pause. 9, 10, & 11 is the toughest stretch on my home course imo. Everyone thinks they're having a good round until then. After them, you generally have some shots to make up.
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Our course has a tough 9th and 11th as well. Off the blue tees(6,420 yards), The 9th hole is 437 yards with a 3 tiered green and the 11th is a 218 yard par 3 where the prevailing winds are across from the right.
 
Very very seldom do I start hot. Drives me nuts— my first 3-5 holes are typically my worst by far.
 
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