How Much Does Score Matter to You?

[OGputtnfool]

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 couldn't do that. I'd rather know I played bad than have no idea.

I've started some rounds really bad that I've turned around nicely.

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[darthweasel]

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.

I had been ( a few years ago) on the verge of quitting the game. The only, and I do mean ONLY reason I didn't was it was the one time I got together with some guys I worked with /had worked with in the past, and our foursome had been together over a decade, been through some stuff together. When I took my new job nearly a decade ago, it was much more high powered and I knew golf would be more serious so instead of quitting I got fitted for clubs, took lessons, got (for my own purposes) to where I was a respectable golfer, a mid-teens handicap.


To this day we go out as a foursome, talk about old times, family issues, what is bothering us, what is going good...it is a great time with friends. I go specifically for that.

And with that said, if I am out there shanking every tee shot, blowing putts past the hole, chipping over the green...I am not pleased with my golf game. But I am pleased to be out with the guys golfing. I can differentiate between not playing well and spending time with friends

 

[Et Tu Brute?]

If I'm actually playing one ball and holing everything out, not knowing my score is literally impossible for me. I can ignore it (somewhat) if it was a solo round where I wasn't really trying to play my best but I still know what "the number" is at any point during the round.

So I pretty much segregate my trips to the golf course into rounds where I keep score, try to score well and (most often) compete with someone or else I just hit shots, stop and practice chipping, play two balls, practice specific shots from the rough, that kind of thing. Make it either "really playing" or "really practicing".

Going out and playing it down and out for 18 holes but trying to trick my mind into not keeping score would be miserable. If I shoot a score, then I do care what that score is.

 

[gonyr]

I think it matters too much to me. In other words, my expectations are sometimes too high. I know I'm not a good golfer, but I am improving. The inevitable rounds when I think I should be doing better, but don't, become very frustrating. I've been pretty consistently shooting about 47-49 for 9 holes over the past month. On Monday I put up a 52. It felt like I was doing horribly, but ended up only being 3 strokes above my recent average. I always keep score, even in a fun round when I'm the only one scoring out of my group. I think it's the only way to keep track of my slow progress from horrible to below average. Thankfully I think the days of the 58-60 blow ups for 9 are behind me. I still have the occasional blowup holes, but I'm much better at settling down and putting them behind me now.

 

[Parrot]

I'm not one of those folks who can play without any care as to score. I enjoy playing golf to get better. I enjoy competing against myself and the course. That necessarily makes scoring matter. I want to score as best as I can. I enjoy rounds where I score well more than those I don't. If I play/score poorly, I'll still enjoy being on the course even though I'm not happy with my performance. If I didn't care about scoring, I wouldn't have the drive to try and get better.

Even when I'm playing to try different shots or to see how well something I've been practicing is progressing, I may not keep a hole-by-hole score but I'm well aware of how many good or bad shots I hit.

Score matters. It isn't the be all, end all, but it is important. The fact that score matters to me doesn't preclude me from enjoying simply being on the course either solo or with friends whom I've known or with folks I just met.

 

[OldandStiff]

If I'm actually playing one ball and holing everything out, not knowing my score is literally impossible for me.

This.

I'd have to have a head injury to not know what I'm scoring. And the score matters to me, but not as much as how I played. We've all had rounds where the score didn't reflect how we played one way or the other. This is something my wife will never get her head around. She'll ask me how i played, and then after the response ask me what I shot. When they don't seem to line up she just kind of shakes her head and walks away.

 

[Et Tu Brute?]

This is something my wife will never get her head around. She'll ask me how i played, and then after the response ask me what I shot. When they don't seem to line up she just kind of shakes her head and walks away.

My wife just wants to know if I made an ace. Probably because if I do, we'll need to take out a second mortgage to pay the bar tab when my monthly bill arrives ;-)

 

[CobraX51]

Was I happy when I shot a 48 for 9 holes on Sunday? No.

Was I happy yesterday when I shot a 41 for 9 holes? Yes.

It matters to an extent. I'm not out there to just play bad golf, also not good golf either. Just something respectable where I can advance the ball and hope to send the ball nice and high.

The group I'm with is way more important so if I do have a bad round at least I'm in good company.

 

[JonMA1]

I couldn't do that. I'd rather know I played bad than have no idea.

I've started some rounds really bad that I've turned around nicely.

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It's not really like that for me. It's easy to know when my score would have been terrible. It's not like I'm delusional and believe I'm playing better. This just makes it easier to not dwell on the negative.

I have to consider my playing partner(s) as well. Isn't it more enjoyable to play alongside someone who is glad to be out there regardless of the score instead of "that guy" who is constantly pissed at himself over a bad shot?

I know what you mean though. It's a little bit of a cop-out not keeping score. I never thought it would get to this.