Keeping score / handicap

Practice
#1

I keep score every time I go out and play…and with my work schedule I usually sneak in 9 holes 2 times per week. I’ve seen in the past that some of my best scores came when someone else (a good friend that sadly passed recently) kept score for me.

I’m wondering for those of you that keep a handicap (I bounce between a 12 and 13)…do you ever…and if so…how often do you get out and play without keeping score at all? I’m wondering if I took a break from keeping score, it would help me on the mental side and end up lowering my scores in the near future.

I don’t play competitively, just recreationally, but have been stuck on a 12/13 for 2 years now. Interested in other approaches from the group.

#2

Sorry to hear about your friend passing first off. On to the question, I’ll decide before I go out if I want this to be a “handicap round” or just a “practice round”. For practice rounds, I’ll drop extra balls, retake putts, try different shots and etc.
On the mental side of scoring, for scored rounds I use devices such as Arccos or my Garmin watch to keep score for me. Fortunately, both of those have scores kinda hidden away in a corner so I can intentionally ignore it and not really know the result until the end. That might be a way to recreate the feeling of someone else keeping score even if you’re on your own.

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#3

Any rhyme or reason to how often you play “practice” rounds vs “handicap” rounds?

#4

If I’m playing 18 holes, then those are definitely going to be scored rounds. Quick nines where I can squeeze them are more likely going to be practice, but I want to make sure I’m posting something at least once a week to keep my handicap representative just in case I want to start playing club comps (but I haven’t yet).

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#5

I am kind of the same…I get 50-60 handicap rounds in a year so its no issue there.

If I am alone, struggling with anything or am short on time I know before I play that i am going to practice…so i will play how ever many shots i need to try to get back on track, at night at our course I can bounce around or just hunker down on a hole and hit 10-15 shots from a certain distance or off the tee…I find it so much easier to dial it in on the course by seeing shots that are shots that I will play versus on the range pounding balls.

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#6

It shouldn’t have any effect unless you are focusing on your score as you play. If that’s happening you need to work on your concentration.

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#7

I probably play somewhere around 90 scored rounds a year. Like CoryO mentioned, if I’m playing 18 holes, I’m usually keeping a score toward my handicap. However, I do like to go out late in the afternoon or early evening and throw down 2 or 3 balls and play a variety of shots over 9 holes. I might hit 3 drives on the 1st hole, throw 3 balls in the trap on #2 and play those out, hit 3 balls from 150 on the 3rd hole, and so on. This gives me a chance to practice some of the shots that I see the most on my home course while just clearing my head a little. It’s fun and purposeful both at the same time.
Hang in there and keep plugging away TSmith, you’ll slowly get that 12 down to an 9 or 10.

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#8

Totally agree…any suggestions?

#9

So sorry about your friend. I feel for you.

The only time I don’t record a round for my handicap is if I’m with a group of buddies and they want to fluff lies in the rough or skirt around some other not exactly USGA approved rules.

I do see value in occasionally playing without a scorecard, but even if you walk away feeling like you hit it well you don’t know how well your “feel” held up to scoring. But that’s ok, too. Sometimes just feeling like you played well can give you a confidence boost to actually play better when keeping score in the future.

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#10

I use my GPS watch to keep my score. I literally don’t know what it is until after the round.

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#11

@TSmith: if the “suggestions” question was directed at me, then I would very quickly tell you to spend the vast majority of your practice time on shots from 50 yds in, short game work around the green, and putting. Improving in these areas will make the most impressive (and quickest) improvement in your handicap.

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#12

If I am going to play18 holes, I am going to keep score in my head. I will know the whole round how I stand with par and be able to remember every shot after the round. I will report the round for handicap and perhaps put the round into a phone app that records stats.
If I am out by myself I rarely even play 9 holes but hit multiple shots on each hole maybe use 3 or 4 balls.

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#13

I find a good way of keeping score on a practice round is to ‘score’ the shots where I’ve done everything I planned to do correctly, i.e. I’ve followed my pre-shot routine without being distracted, I’ve picked my target and stuck to it, I’ve committed fully to the shot I want to hit and I’ve struck the ball as I wanted to.

If all these are all a ‘Yes’ then I count that as a ‘Good Shot’, no matter where the ball actually ended up. This means you are concentrating on the process and not the outcome, which I find helps if you’re trying to improve.

You can set your own criteria for what counts as a ‘Good Shot’, and even have a different list for putting if that’s an area you want to work on, but you should only have one set of criteria for every other shot - you don’t have a ‘Good Drive’ and a ‘Good Iron’ and a ‘Good Wedge’ - that’s too much variation and too much to think about.

At the end of the round I count up how many ‘Good Shots’ I hit and it’s probably about 12 - 18 the first time you try it but it gets better the more you do it and I find this also improves my scoring game when I go back to it because I’m not so fixated on the actual score but whether I’m following my process - the results start to look after themselves.

Hope this helps

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