Fantastic post. I love the thought process!
You’re striking on the very thing I think about post round far too often. I get tempted into hitting driver and end up putting it in a penalty area. Regularly results in double bogeys or worse. Eliminating the double bogey or worse category is absolutely critical to playing consistent 70s golf. I got down to 2.0 last year and finished the year at 3.0. We hear a lot about “playing it smart” but I would say it’s a lot more about patience for me. I press to par the hardest holes and birdie the easier holes and essentially make “unforced errors”. On the other hand, when I’m patient and focus on giving myself par putts, I approach tee shots and recovery shots very differently. I’m still sending it of there’s no penalty areas but if I’m in the trees, priority number one is getting my ball out to where I have a clear shot at the green.
It’s so stinking simple but the competitive side of me is always lurking and “trying” to make birdies. Patience is key.
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Correct.
One way I could re-state this is that you hardly ever make double bogey after achieving a nGIR (it happens, but far more often a double bogey is related to a poor full swing or a compound error)
Once you get out of position you have to dial back expectations and reset! Bogey is a good score after you drive it in the trees! Easy to say so damn hard to do!!
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It was surreal playing with the scratch. I enjoy playing with my friend (5hdcp) because he’s better but nit that much better than I. We do a lot of talking and watching during the round that we both can pick up a little improvement tidbit. Golfing with the scratch, I just laughed and shook my head. There was absolutely nothing I could have learned from him, our levels were so far apart. All I could do was laugh and shake my head. It was truly a pleasure.
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You are so right. Big Mistakes are round wreckers. A little bit of game/course management goes a long way. And, it s/be low hanging.
At one point, I was a 1.7. I don’t know if I can get back, but I enjoy playing, and it’s fun every so often to have a round where it all comes back together and I can threaten par, especially with my group. I especially remember the first time I think I shot 71 and they just looked in amazement and said we always thought you were full of it, until the first time they see it…It does get more challenging with age…I had a couple of beers with a ballplayer named Mitch Williams. He was a relief pitcher that could throw in the high 90’s consistently. I’ll never forget him saying a few years after he retired…you know I throw just as hard as I ever did, the ball just doesn’t go as fast…how true! I think there’s a direct correlation to golf.
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I think many people do not understand ghin indexes. A scratch shoots over 75 with some regularity (not sure the exact scoring average).
Someone who shoots 3 under to 3 over and has a scoring average of 72 is a plus handicap because of how index is calculated!
In other words, many 0-3 indexes won’t blow you away with a ball striking showcase. They are getting around the course MUCH more effectively than a 5 index though
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Yes, the idea that a handicap is an average score throws people way off. I play at a place with a course rating at 74 so I don’t have to do anything spectacular in my 8 rounds that count to be at a 0 or better. I’ve played with a lot of people who I think are a bit suspicious of my handicap when I shot a pedestrian 77 with them but those scores are very much within range and to be expected.
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Gotta avoid the BFMs (big ********* mistake)
True in life and golf
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I’m going to disagree on this slightly, and flex my philosophy degree…
Mistakes happen. Big mistakes happen. Life, golf, work… it’s going to happen. We are going to mess up. That’s fine.
It’s our reaction to those mistake that compounds the problems and makes things worse… trying to hit a recovery shot out of the woods, covering up a mistake at work… basically our unwillingness to admit we are fallible.
If we can get over that, swallow our pride and make the smart choice based on the situation we are in (vs the situation we think we deserve to be in) we will be better off.
I don’t often push the golf is a metaphor for life stuff, but I do think there are plenty of things that correlate. Mistakes aren’t the problem… even big mistakes. It’s our reaction to those mistakes that what changes the outcome.
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There is a distinction between mistakes and BFMs
Last guy to make a quad and win a golf tournament was adam scott… it is just easier to win a tournament if you don’t make a quad.
Do some people have massive interruptions in life that they are able to overcome? Sure.
My general advice though is still wear a helmet, don’t snort/inject drugs and don’t gamble money you can’t lose
Do as i say, not as i did!
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Ha, I think we are arguing over semantics more than anything… I think Big F’ing Mistakes start when you compound little mistakes…
I agree with you we can’t make the BFMs, but for me to do that, I have to shake off the little mistakes and get back into a positive mindset.
Classic. “Wild Thing” was something else back in the day…no thought for mechanics…just grab it and chuck it.
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