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How legit is your game?

I'd say about 90% legit, and by that I mean I play most of my rounds at 100% legit; hitting off bare spots, playing it as it lies, playing with mud on my ball in the fairway, etc. However, there are a few "fun" rounds with certain friends where we crack open the beers and I don't stick to all of the rules, and take mulligans, improve my lie, etc. I don't count those other rounds towards my handicap, and it probably only happens a few times a season, but I do have them.
 
wubears71 said:
I will play by the rules to a tee unless I am really stinking it up. Then I'll pretty much stop keeping score and just play for fun - take mulligans, take a 2nd shot etc. those rounds do not get posted for GHIN. An example was last week where I was slicing everything and it was so frustrating.
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You should record all scores for GHIN. ESC will take care of the blow up holes over the long run.
 
ChristopherKee said:
You should record all scores for GHIN. ESC will take care of the blow up holes over the long run.
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If I'm taking mulligans and such and not the laying by the rules then it should still go in GHIN? I don't even keep score on these rounds?
 
The USGA Handicap Manual has provisions for dealing with those transgressions.

wubears71 said:
If I'm taking mulligans and such and not the laying by the rules then it should still go in GHIN?
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wubears71 said:
If I'm taking mulligans and such and not the laying by the rules then it should still go in GHIN? I don't even keep score on these rounds?
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If you played the majority of the first 7 holes within the rules of golf you should record a 9 hole score. If you played 12 holes within the rules of golf then record an 18 hole score.

Turning a round going bad into a "practice" round doesn't really help in the long run for establishing a handicap (or improving your game), it will only take strokes away from you when you really need them in a tournament.

Keep the pressure on yourself and try to finish strong, learning to recover from mistakes and make your way around the course on a bad swing day is what will ultimately lower your handicap.
 
chicogolf said:
98% by the book, essentially because I try to post to keep my handicap true. Why anyone would want to end up with a hcp that doesn't accurately reflect their actual scoring potential is beyond me.

Only caveats: in non-competitive round, I'll move my ball away from a lie where something like rocks may damage a club (we have a lot of lava cap here).

So, here's a good one. If you're unable to go back to the tee (Pace of play), do you drop, take 2 strokes, and see what you end up with or do you post the ESC max (7 for me)?

I did the latter the other day and am now wondering if that habit would artificially inflate my scores a bit.
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Drop and be playing 4. Then score the hole with an X. That's the proper method of finishing a hole outside of the rules.
 
When I play as a single I don't keep score and treat the round as practice.

When I play with others I play by the book 100%. I don't even like to take gimmies because 2 foot putts are not automatic in tournaments (I know from experience).
 
Too legit to quit... no?
Our home course doesn't really have a range so depending on the group you may/may not get a breakfast ball off the first tee. Other than that all rules apply and max score is double par to keep pace moving along.
 
By the rules here. The only exception is if the course is empty, I'll play two balls with no intent to post a score and work on various things. Anything less and your not really playing golf.
 
I would say reasonably legit. I post a score each time I play except for the few rounds I have a new course being built that is not yet rated. I play it down and putt everything out, especially If I'm playing solo. Unplayables are unplayables, regardless if that root shouldn't be there, and I count the penalty if I drop or else play it sideways to miss the root. If I'm in a game with friends and the scoring gets liberal I keep track of the 'oh that was really a gimme, you got a 4' type discrepancies with dots on the scorecard and post the score accurately. If I'm playing more than one ball for practice or to compare a club or ball, I record and play out the first ball, a ball clearly marked as my 'real' ball. The primary issue where rules are bent revolve around pace of play. I hit provisionals if I think a ball might be lost or oob but if I can't find a ball I was dead certain I could I don't go back and re tee, I just add 2 strokes and drop a ball where I assumed it had to be.
 
Pretty well by the rulez.
Gimme's within 12" if offered, buddies don't offer them up easily due to the forever running skins game
Rocks/Roots - move inches backwards keeping the line as to avoid damage to irons/me.
OOBs/Not Sure's - 3 off the tee (always hit a provisional to save time)
anything else - too bad for me.

Besides, a not so favorable lie is hard to replicate so it becomes good practice to go for it.
 
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I never take mulligans and always count drops. I will say in a casual round I will fluff if my ball is in a dead spot from a poorly maintained area and I will one hand 2ft putts to stay out of someones line and if i miss it I still count it. So overall I would say what I shoot is pretty legit. I have the mindset that in casual rounds I'm not a pro so why make the game harder than it is. Landing in a dead spot in the fairway isn't my fault.
 
I play legit for posting purposes. Very infrequent gimmies and always take the penalties, even if it pisses me off.
I post scores my hcp for tournament play and to see improvement/worsening. Otherwise I am lying to myself.
 
Unless just playing a casual round which I don't post score in hdcp system it's by the rules
 
I count every drop, every penalty stroke, and probably over-penalize myself at times.

Others I play with, that think themselves "by the book" players, rake putts, forget to count strokes, and cite ESC as being their reasoning to do so.

If I put up a 9 on a hole, I write down a 9, not a double bogey 6.
 
I'm the only person in my group that cares about scores and rules seriously, so when I play by myself I take it seriously. No gimmie putts and full penalties.. etc. When I play with those friends I don't want to be that serious, I still don't take gimmie putts. They play for fun so I do aswell.
 
SaffaClint said:
I play to the rules no matter what.
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Same here. Play it as it lies no matter what and putt out everything. I don't care what other guys I'm playing with do, unless we're playing for $$. But most of those guys are in our local Men's Club and play by the rules as well. We have a lot of native areas (can be knee-high) outside the cut rough on our course so we've all got into the habit of playing a provisional ball if we hit into a spot where it could be hard to find.
 
I play as legit as I can. Now I'm not gonna risk tearing up a club in a bad bunker or trees lie
 
My father taught me the game the same way his father taught him. His used to tell me "You are only cheating yourself if you don't count everything." He insisted that I putt everything out and learn to play by the rules when I started at age 13. Playing high school golf solidified my rules knowledge and playing by the rules was an ingrained habit after 8 consecutive years of competitive golf. The only rules breach for me this year was this spring when I lost a imbedded ball in the middle of the fairway. I dropped a ball to save the time of going back to the tee and took the stroke and distance penalty.
 
If I am keeping score, I go by all the rules as best as I can. If I'm not playing well, I stop keeping score and focus just on my swing.
 
braddman19 said:
I count every drop, every penalty stroke, and probably over-penalize myself at times.

Others I play with, that think themselves "by the book" players, rake putts, forget to count strokes, and cite ESC as being their reasoning to do so.

If I put up a 9 on a hole, I write down a 9, not a double bogey 6.
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If you play in handicap events you should follow the USGA's equitable stroke control guidelines.
 
braddman19 said:
I count every drop, every penalty stroke, and probably over-penalize myself at times.

Others I play with, that think themselves "by the book" players, rake putts, forget to count strokes, and cite ESC as being their reasoning to do so.

If I put up a 9 on a hole, I write down a 9, not a double bogey 6.
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100% correct to pick up ball once you are over the ESC unless you are playing a stroke play competition in which case you write down the actual score and adjust at end of round for handicapping.
 
Try and Play pretty close to 100%. I play it down unless there are rocks or roots that may damage my club or my arm. Try to be as accurate with penalty strokes as I can.

Count every putt myself, when I play with my friends we usually do gimmes inside of 2 ft.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I typically play by the rules (to the best of my knowledge) unless my lie or ball position may cause injury to myself or my golf clubs.
 
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