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Do you play to your handicap?

Middle of the season I am usually pretty close. I've never been the kind of guy to have extremes though, so I guess that's not too surprising.

and honestly it's how I prefer to play the game. If the putter gets hot, I'm usually happy with the results.
 
Judge Smails: Ty, what did you shoot today?
Ty: Oh, Judge, I don't keep score.
Judge Smails: Then how do you measure yourself with other golfers?
Ty: By height.
 
I certainly don't play to my handicap. I am trying to birdie every hole on the tee box, and then am forced to settle for less when my lack of talent gets in the way.

My handicap is just a result of whatever the heck I'm doing out there.
 
Currently at a 13 I think in do. I know handicap is your potential, but right now I feel like a mid 80’s round is my target score each time out.
 
... Interesting answers. Nobody plays to their index very often as it is supposed to represent what you are capable of shooting if you are playing your best golf. But I am kinda shocked at how many people have ideas about their score before playing a hole. As cliche' as it sounds, I play every hole one shot at a time. My tee shot sets up my next shot. If it is a bad tee shot I am looking to minimize the damage on my next shot. If it is a good tee shot I am looking to take advantage on my next shot. And as always pin placement dictates whether or not I am trying to make birdie by going at the flag or just an outside chance for birdie playing the middle of the green and hole'ing a long putt. My mind set is birdie every hole but I van only accomplish that taking it one stroke at a time.
 
I always play to par BUT if it is a very difficult par 4 I won't feel too bad and treat 5 as a par in my books
 
I always aim for par or better even knowing that it's not always the smart play for scoring given where my game is currently at.
 
I'm in the play each hole at stated par camp. I definitely see this as a different question than what I expect my result to be or what my goal is. I.e. as a 15 or so many par 4s are technically par 5s to me in which case "playing to my cap" would mean just taking 3 wedges/short irons to get on in 2. I of course never do this. However, it would be interesting to play a round that way now that you mention it. It would certainly cut down on OB and lost balls!!
 
I'm with @chisag.

I'm playing one shot at a time. Many times, I'll hit a less than stellar tee shot and resort to playing for bogey. Once in a while, I'll crush one off the tee and end up in great position. Those times, I'll push the expectation up to birdie. Alas, most of the time, I screw those up, too.

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I always strive for Par and if I make a double, hopefully it's on a Par 3 to avoid 6's and 7's on a scorecard.

Now Monday I had like a 415 yard Par 4 into the wind and my drive went like 200. Knowing I wasn't going to reach with any club in the bag I hit a simple 7iron and left myself like 60 yards to the green. Hit a solid wedge and made a 1 putt Par. On the tee box I told myself it's a Par 5 and don't be an idiot because their was danger and of course headwind.

Obviously varies course to course but also depending on the tees I play. If I play 6200 like I did the last few rounds then yeah I expect to have some birdie looks(I had like 15 over 2 days and made 1, woof) but also expect not to make any worse than bogey. I had like 4 doubles in 36 holes, I'll take that.

Now when I jump back to 65-6600 then yeah I'll be cool with making bogeys.
 
TheDoctor said:
Having a handicap of 12 I am capable of going either way, but I aim for par on any hole where the stroke index is 10 or higher and then try to limit the other holes to nothing worse than bogey

My home course has a 460yd par 4 and last year I actually had a couple looks at birdie, but I never feel bad walking off that hole with a 5

My best scores always happen when I can keep the double bogeys off my card as I am starting to get more regular looks at birdie so if the odd one of those drops amd I have nothing worse than bogey on the card I am happy

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I really like this approach. I think this is something I’m gonna try to do more this season.


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I always play to par. Half the time when I'm out with buddies I don't even know when I'm getting a stroke on the hole, if I know it a lot of times I play the hole worse than normal.
 
I'm of the opinion that I can par any hole I play - so I aim for par, but know there will be some bogeys and maybe worse involved.
 
technically you really cant play to your cap because it will always stay one step ahead of us anyway...lol
But to answer the question I play to (or plan my route at tee) to par. But I dont try to make up for mistakes and then its on to plan B. basically make the shots within my means and with good choices and let the scores fall where they may.
 
What really got my HCP moving down last year was focusing on the mantra of "GIR, 2 putt" and if I missed the GIR then "GIRP- two putt" (I read about this somewhere but it's Green in Regulation Plus 1). SO on a par 4 approach if I miss the green I know I MUST hit the green for the GIRP (on in 3). I play this one safe and make dang sure it's on the green. Nothing worse than getting fancy and trying to stick it close and duffing it... My thought process was singularly focused on making bogey and avoiding the double bogey when I was in "GIRP mode". The elimination of doubles(+) got my handicap moving down from 16 to where it's at now.

So, essentially I play for par but work very hard to not make more than bogey and yes I repeat that mantra in my head - often, especially on my GIRPs. Yes, I have OCD...!
 
Yep. Always trying cor a 5 or better. If I get a 4, I have a stroke “in my pocket” for when I get a 6.
 
Early last year it was closer to playing to handicap than anything else.
Then it turned into trying to play bogey golf.
Now its full on trying to stay under a hundy
 
mikedean441 said:
Early last year it was closer to playing to handicap than anything else.
Then it turned into trying to play bogey golf.
Now its full on trying to stay under a hundy
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We have a safe, comforting spot for you. Come to the Breaking 100 thread .
 
Even when my index was much higher, my mental approach was similar. Execute, play to my capabilities. But on very difficult courses or holes, I always understood the realistic value of bogey.

Pars were always the goal as birdies are now. The opportunity for birdie is less but the mindset remains the same.

That's my frame of mind in approaching most holes, though. But as Chisag says, the result of one shot will dictate my thoughts/actions toward the next. So mindset pre-hole vs during play of that hole can change dramatically and on a dime.

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I play for par and understand that I will have chances at birdie and sometimes I will bogey a few holes. I just try to mitigate the number of times I go too high which, with where my game is right now, I'm good for one or two high numbers a round.
 
Chisag said:
... Interesting answers. Nobody plays to their index very often as it is supposed to represent what you are capable of shooting if you are playing your best golf. But I am kinda shocked at how many people have ideas about their score before playing a hole. As cliche' as it sounds, I play every hole one shot at a time. My tee shot sets up my next shot. If it is a bad tee shot I am looking to minimize the damage on my next shot. If it is a good tee shot I am looking to take advantage on my next shot. And as always pin placement dictates whether or not I am trying to make birdie by going at the flag or just an outside chance for birdie playing the middle of the green and hole'ing a long putt. My mind set is birdie every hole but I van only accomplish that taking it one stroke at a time.
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This for sure.

It's one shot at a time and I don't play a hole based on my handicap. I don't believe in the handicap anyway. I'm capable of shooting under par, at par & well above par on any given day. Just depends on what game I happen to bring to the course that day.
 
golfinnut said:
This for sure.

It's one shot at a time and I don't play a hole based on my handicap. I don't believe in the handicap anyway. I'm capable of shooting under par, at par & well above par on any given day. Just depends on what game I happen to bring to the course that day.
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Par really is just a number. I wonder how many of us would change our strategy if the course was overnight changed to a par 68 or par 74 from a 72. I know it'd change nothing as far as I'm concerned.
 
Strokes are not a factor, I am always trying to shoot Par
 
I am sticking with the cliche group of playing one stroke at a time. My drive/tee ball likely determines how I play the remainder of the hole. At all times, I am trying to eliminate a blow up of double bogey or worse.
 
I don’t try to shoot any number. I just shoot what I can for that day. I’m around a 7 and sometimes I shoot my cap, sometimes over, sometimes under. Just depends on how I’m striking the ball. I have noticed I shoot my best scores when I don’t know what my score is until the end.
 
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