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Do You Quit?

I never quit. If I'm "bleeding out" on the front nine, I do whatever it takes to stop the bleeding one shot or hole at a time. I also continue to remind myself there is a new back 9 waiting for me.
 
If I have a bad first three holes there is plenty of time to get it back. If I have a bad 9 I go into the next 9 with the mindset of going low on the back. If I have a rough start on the back that's when I will get frustrated and I am out of it mentally. I am trying to get better at sticking with it and get better at grinding it out but it's a work in progress
 
I don't make any determination on a round until somewhere on the back 9. I may imbibe a little more and try to enjoy being out on the course more than focusing on the next shot if I'm not playing all that well by then.

That being said, for me, a round that counts for my handicap is determined before the first shot of the round and doesn't change mid round. If it's a bad round, so be it.
 
Do I quit? no. I would consider that walking off of the course and I've never done that. However sometimes I need to change my frame of mind so sometimes that will be becoming more relaxed or switching up how I view a shot to help me get out of that funk.
 
I actually dealt with this today. I haven't touched my clubs in about a year and a half. Between having our first kid, working 60 to 80 hours a week, and moving twice in the last year, it's been tough to make time. Anyways, first three holes were ok. Bogey, double, double. Things went south from there. I managed to shoot a 10 on a par 3, a 9 on a par 4, and another 10 on a par 5. Rather than letting that get to me, I just stopped keeping score and focusing on making one shot at a time. I probably shot a 130 to 140 on the day but I was able to work back into some rhythm and identify and fix some issues as I knocked the rust off. Overall I turned a terrible round of golf into a great day with a good friend and by the end of the round felt better about how I was playing. By not keeping score, I didn't stress myself out and kept calm through the whole round.
 
I never quit trying or give up on a round no matter how bad it is. If I've reached 9 or higher and feel like I'm holding up play. I'll pick up and esc the hole, but then try like hell on the next one. But I've never quit playing because my round was going bad or half hearted it due to the round sucking.
 
i don't think my attitude during the game changes much whether I'm playing well or not. On the course, golf is serious business to me, but not life or death. I think I've played in enough games to experience that it's not over until the 18th, so I guess I'm trying to condition myself to keep grinding till the end. It's a delicate balance - not too serious that golf feels like work, but not too casual either that I'm not giving my best.

I've had games where I shot 50-42, and I've won bets where it was only in the last 4 or 5 holes where I really racked up to come from behind.
 
JB said:
Let's say you start out with a rough first 3 holes. If you are a low handicap player think a double and a couple of bogeys. For a high handicap player think multiple OB off the tee and some 3 putts. How do you turn it around? Or do you basically phone it in and "have fun"?

I have watched this at multiple THP Events and it seems that its very different for different golfers. Some quickly "quit" and point out that they are "just having fun" and others grind to get it back and see when the switch flips.

Now keep in mind that neither is right or wrong, but I was curious after witnessing it on a few occasions.
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I think my threshold or tolerance is a little higher. I rarely double bogey, but if i double multiple holes and go +6 or +8 quickly after a few holes I may turn it in. I'll just wait for the other 9 to see if I can shoot better. I rarely if ever just flat out quit.
 
Never quit...just sometimes know when to pick up and take the medicine. Now if it continues I have stopped keeping score once...last week. Was much more less painful. Will keep swinging and know that it will come back at some point...or some round later.
 
Keep grinding. It can turn around quickly
 
JB said:
Ill ask again because I think a few missed it, but if the guys that pretty much kill it and play for fun and stop keeping score when things are not going well, how accurate do they think their handicap is? Genuine question. Ill add do people that do not feel their handicap travels, do you think this is one of the reasons?
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I honestly think if you have a blow up and not turn in a card, that your handicap is inflated. The guys I play with, who profess to be lower handicaps than I are generally only a stroke or two better during a round.

I used to be convinced I was a legit 9 handicap, this was when I played 80 rounds a year but mainly at the home course. I could score at that one course, but no where else. Scores were through the roof everywhere other than the home course.

This year, my handicap has gone up almost 4 full strokes..... but its a true travelling handicap. I have played to my cap, or better, on every course I have played this year. Previous years, this was never the case. I put up better scores now than I ever did as a 9.8.
 
If I am by myself, at my normal course, repeatedly shanking and/or endangering others without a fix, and totally miserable I will straight walk off the course and go home.

At that point just being there is not fun to me.

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JohnSinVA said:
"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never -- in nothing, great or small, large or petty -- never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

Seemed like a good thread for some Churchillian wisdom.
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Except sometimes it makes good sense to remind ourselves that we are playing a GAME with the intention (assumption here) to have fun, and if we are not having fun, giving in to the "practice round" mentality makes the round bearable...less painful...more fun.

It's golf, not war.
Nice quote though.


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It's funny today I had one of those games... flatstick was not my friend today at all, got me frustrated focus slipped other shots started to wander more than usual, and this thread came to mind. I didn't quit though, instead I relaxed. My shots relaxed and while I had a terrible round overall down the stretch I made some great shots.... and still missed the putts. But hey I know that right now putting and chipping is keeping me from my scoring goal, so I know I need to spend more time practicing those elements. Probably going to spend 80%+ time on that from here on out now that my swing is starting to groove itself more.
 
I may give up on a particular hole but am trying to birdie the next hole, every hole is its own little battle, win more than you lose and your score will take care of its self
 
Having only played in one THP event , which I did not play well in, I just enjoyed what I managed to finish out. I enjoy the friendship and golf as a game not the way I earn a living, so it is what it is.
 
I keep grinding, trying to forget about the last bad shot. I don't think I'll improve quickly if I quit after a few bad holes and just whack the ball around meaninglessly.
 
InTheRough said:
The USGA wants us to count all of our rounds. This give us no real "practice" on the course. Pros get to practice on the course out from under the watchful eye of the USGA. See practice rounds can take the form of using multiple balls on holes which mean not under ROG, and that means writing Par + HC for any hole that is not played strictly under ROG according to the USGA Handicap Manual Rule 4. Now for a practice round that could end up as 72 + (your course HC) for the round entered into GHIN. Seriously? It just shows that you played a round that day. It's for their statistics keeping to see how active their members are.
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Just to clarify, you can play practice rounds and not post them for a handicap. You can even play two balls on a hole or 5 and still have that round count for handicap. You need to play 13 holes according to the rules of golf to have that round count for your handicap.
 
Maybe I am a terrible golf because I do occasionally have meltdowns and mentally lose my concentration for the remainder of the round. It's rare but I have and probably will again in the future, say screw posting a score for the remainder of that particular round because I'm having a melt down. I don't think it means I can't travel and play well at a hard course. If my "A" game is on, I will score well at any course and have proven that on many occasions. It has nothing to do with me having a bad day on my home course.
 
JB said:
Ill ask again because I think a few missed it, but if the guys that pretty much kill it and play for fun and stop keeping score when things are not going well, how accurate do they think their handicap is? Genuine question. Ill add do people that do not feel their handicap travels, do you think this is one of the reasons?
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I never quit keeping score, no matter how bad it is. You never know when things are going to turn around. My first under par 9 I started off with 2 bogies, and caught fire from there.

To answer your question, I sure think that when folks stop keeping score, it could contribute to a bit of a vanity handicap situation. Especially when folks know that they are about to drop their best scores from the record. Just have to remember that you're only, in theory, supposed to beat your handicap once in four rounds. If your score isn't there that day, it's just not there. Keep track and post it properly!
 
Have quit for a slow round before, never for a bad score. I'f I'm fortunate enough to be on the course and have the time, I'll be out there.
 
I keep grinding. If it goes WAY south, I try to refocus the noggin and even go to irons off tees, etc. I'll keep trying to figure it out as usually I find a three-hole stretch that can help me re-focus and settle it down.
 
I do have some trouble keeping it up mentally when this happens, but I have at a couple of occasions made really good results after a terrible start, so when this happens I try to remember these rounds and usually I at least start playing a bit better
 
i try to keep going and hope i get my game working again. I had a bad start to my weekly medal a few weeks ago, my driving was dreadfull and i lost 8 balls on the first 7 holes. Went out in 68.Got it going in the back 9 and came back in 45. Was seriously considering putting in NR after 9 , but stuck at it and i am glad i did.
 
I will grind to the bitter end. Usually my driver is the cause of my woes which leads to punch outs or lost balls. If it's one of those rounds, I'll bag the driver and hit 3 wood rest of the day. It just boggles my mind one round driver will be on point every single drive. Another round I can't find the fairway....duffer
 
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