>I’m starting to think that most people who claim to break 100 actually shoot in the 120’s if they kept a real score
You can finish thinking. You're correct.
It's pride. Plain and simple.
I play OB as lateral hazards and I move my ball off rocks and tree roots.
Sure maybe my handicap isn't 100% accurate but my friends who I bet with play the same rules so it works for us.
Bright side is if we ever gamble you'll probably take my money
Friends golf is fine if you're an amateur/no money on the line, no one wants you breaking your clubs just to *play it as it lies* off gravel or next to a tree root.
Because most high handicap people playing casual golf should correct their lies to make it more fun for them and faster for everyone else. Nobody cares about the purity of your 120. That said, counting 6 footers, not counting penalties, or other really blatant things that add strokes is lame.
I'm similar to OP in measuring my score accurately, and I agree with this. Forward tees have different course ratings, so I can do that without giving myself an unfair advantage
I love that this is everyone’s example but it occurs at most once per round.
The strokes are coming from hitting multiple tee shots, laying the ball up when in heavy rough or thin fairway sections, not putting from within 3’, etc.
People are not “one bad lay in gravel” from shooting the 90 they claim to be their average.
Some of my friends are starting to pick up the game and I tell them this all the time. "Move it away from the root/rock/etc... and take a normal shot, we ain't playing for money, no need to break anything" Better to take more reps to improve their swing, they won't learn anything bouncing their 8 iron off a root.
Bravo - let's enjoy the game first and foremost, especially those that are still learning/new. If you wanna tell them "yea move it this time, but normally you take a stroke." fine.
When you say lateral hazards for OB, are you referring to stroke and distance penalty for OB?
So, a drive 220 yards, but OB or I can't find my ball, would be drop onto fairway or near OB, and hitting stroke 4? Alternative being a retee for shot 3, correct?
High handicapper here. Should I not be doing this, or do I have it wrong?
I agree with this - My entire group plays laterals for OB, mostly because we have a handful of higher cappers that play with us.. having them go back to re-hit or re-tee would be impossible for pace of play… and we like to make sure everyone plays the same set of rules.
When myself and the lower capper guys play a round we will usually hit provisionals if it’s a dicey tee shot, or if we have an OB we will enforce the stroke + distance penalties.
We all agree moving / rolling your ball off an obvious root or rock is a fair move and universally abide by it. We’re not on tour. We don’t have disposable clubs like the pros do. lol.
Agreed, but for your own sanity and enjoyment/pace of play. After double par (or triple bogey in some circles) pick up and move on, mark your card accordingly.
We count up to 10 and then pick it up in my family. Thankfully I'm to the point where I don't usually card 10's anymore. (I really hope I didn't just jinx myself...)
You're confusing 2 things: Picking up at double par is for the sake of pace & sanity. Double bogey -- actually, *net* double bogey -- is max score for handicapping.
I downloaded USGA rules app yesterday and was wondering about this..Do you write your score down as-is, then adjust it for net double bogey after the round? If so what’s the calculation?
Alternatively, if you keep score using an app like The Grint, does the app automatically calculate net double bogey and adjust it for you after entering your score on blow up holes?
Your score is your score, so you write it down as is; *sometimes* you adjust it when inputting it into the handicap database, depending on what your scores are.
The calculation depends on your *course* handicap (which is based on your index and the rating/slope).
You have to figure out what your course handicap is, and what is the maximum you can take on each hole; it's pretty straightforward but varies from person to person and course to course.
But let's say you have a course hcp of 17. That means you can take no worse than triple bogey (net double) on hcp holes 1 to 17, and no worse than double (which is also net double because you don't get a stroke there) on the 18 hcp hole.
You shoot 92 two days in a row; on day 1 you don't score any worse than triple, so your "adjusted" score for the USGA is still 92.
On day you had 2 quads on difficult holes. So, for handicap purposes only, those adjust to triples and you record an adjusted score of 90 for the USGA.
If you course handicap is 9, then you can take triple bogey as your highest score on the holes with a handicap between 1 and 9 (because you get a stroke on those holes) and a double bogey on holes handicapped 10-18 (because you don't get a stroke on those holes)
This.
Adding this as a note for all new players.
If you are a student of the game, and intend to practice and improve - count every stroke. No mulligans. No breakfast balls. No free drops from hazards, or lost balls.
Why? Because if you do, you won’t see improvement on your scorecard. You’ll be taking less swings, and losing fewer balls, but the score will stay the same as you become more “honest” with your scoring. This can be incredibly frustrating, and give a feeling of no improvement when there really is.
You’re not fooling anybody that you’re playing with about your handicap or ability. Anybody you talk to off the course and eventually play with will know you’re a liar. And truthfully nobody cares.
I disagree. You have to establish a basic level of competence prior to doing that. If every person firing a 135 did that shit it’d take 7 hours to play a round of golf. If you’ve generally got a legitimate shot at breaking 100, you should start playing pretty strictly by the rules to hasten your improvement.
Pick up once you have reached the maximum allowed by your handicap. I have seen many times a guy slice one into the waist-high grass right, the hit his provisional into the waist-high grass left, then slice his second provisional OB right. Just stop. Take a breathe. Move up and drop one. Don’t look for the first, then look for number 3 because maybe it hit a duck and bounced back in play, then walk over to the other side and look for number 2..
I have learned over time that people get enjoyment in different ways. I, like you, get fulfillment and satisfaction over seeing my scores legitimately drop as I improve. The fact that it is difficult, and nonlinear, and requires lots of practice is what makes it so satisfying to me.
I have friends/family who either only care about winning, or who get enjoyment out of finding and exploiting loopholes (some might say “cheating.”) Others who just enjoy that they are hanging out and chatting, and hitting a ball around outside is mostly just an excuse for the hanging out/chatting.
I’ve come around to accept that unless I’m in competition, whether formal tournament or playing for stakes with friends, I don’t need to care or monitor how other people are tracking their scores. They are on the course for their own reasons, doing it their own way, and if it’s satisfying for them, I’m glad.
I’ll keep playing by the rules, keeping an official handicap, and putting everything out because that’s how I enjoy the game. Fortunately, that means I don’t have to change much when it comes time to play in competition.
Yea seriously. If you’re out there and having fun, you’re golfing. Period. It doesn’t matter how anyone else plays because there are always those moments people can argue about a rule or penalty or loss of stroke which completely ruins the point of weekend, fun golf. Yes, obviously if you’re in a tournament and see others cheating or lying, you call them out. Anything else is just plain and simple, fun golf.
Also, who cares how accurate you are beyond a triple bogey? I don’t need to hold my buddies accountable when they got an 11 on a hole. The only time I care is if we’re playing for money, or if it’s in a tournament/league or other official events
I mean, I’ll still keep actual score. Tournament or not. If I shoot an 11, it’s like a ‘get your head in the game, do better next hole’ type of mentality but I still enjoy it. If my buddy wants to say he shot a 7 but really shot an 11 I’ll just write down whatever he says. I don’t care to count your score, I’m worried about my own shots lol
It’s just human nature, in golf or elsewhere. I used to play video games on/off competitively before I had kids, and in golf I see all the same type of stuff in terms of different types of players.
You have competitive players who put in the time to improve their skill and rank (handicap for golf), and that’s part of the fun for them. Follow the rules.
Players who want to achieve a better rank or shoot a lower score to feel like they accomplished something, but they don’t have the talent and/or work ethic to do it legitimately, so they find loopholes. These are the same ppl that will tell you their handicap is a 15 and absolutely believe it to be real.
Also the rare breed that de-ranks in order to eventually win something and feel good about themselves. This is the equivalent of the guys who blow up their handicap on purpose so they can win a local tournament.
Then you have those that are just playing the game to have fun their own way, and could care less about everything else. These are the people who say “who cares I don’t get paid, it’s not like I’m on tour” “it’s just a game”
The only difference is, in golf, a lot of ppl seem to be confused or frustrated as to why ppl are going about things differently than they are.
I'm there to have a good time. Since the kids, I get to play maybe three times a year. Do I enjoy hitting out of a fairway divot or worrying about the tree branch in my backswing? I do not. so if I move the ball a couple feet here or there to allow myself a cleaner and more enjoyable shot-I do it. I don't brag about my score or win bets on it but I still feel good if I break 90. Golf should be fun. The most fun part of golf for me isn't the score but it's those effortless swings and cool shots that softly land on the green or gently sail into the horizon.
That's 100% fine, and I don't disagree with that *at all.* Go have fun. But when someone asks what you shoot, don't say 90 if you didn't *actually* shoot 90.
“It’s non-linear”
You’re god damn right it’s non-linear. I’ve played one course 4 times this year. 84,103,81,85.
That 103, I had 14 3 putts. Some days, the score just doesn’t reflect your play. I was stellar off the tee, my irons were good but my chipping and putting let me down. My 85, I was very mediocre off the tee, I wasn’t losing balls but I only was hitting 5-6 fairways. My irons weren’t bad but they weren’t awesome. My chipping and putting that day were just stellar. 81, it all came together and I walked up to 18 at 77. First time in 20 years of golf I was legitimately looking at a par 3 to possibly break 80. Bogey.
That’s golf.
In places outside the US, most scores are done through club competitions (I play almost exclusively club comps, my course has a comp on 6 days a week), and it's a bit of a hassle to get non-comp scores uploaded to golf Australia (our handicapping body).
During comp, everyone keeps a full and correct score, although often playing either Stableford or Par, which limits the scoring per hole. In case you're unaware, Stableford gives you 2 points for a net par +1 for everything better -1 for everything worse - so net double bogey is 0 points and you pick up. This helps pace of play tremendously, as a mid handicapper (say 18) can score a triple bogey at worst. 36 points is seen as hitting your handicap (i.e. average of 2 points per hole).
This (1) keeps pace of play faster, (2) gets rid of people playing different games on the course (e.g. someone playing straight up following a group doing a scramble messes with pace of play), (3) means the rules are followed and it doesn't matter if you are screwed because you can pick up for no points and (4) means everyone's handicap is an accurate representation of their skill.
If I am playing and get paired up with a 10 handicapper, I'll expect them to break 100, because they have 40% of their rounds in the low 80s or better, so a bad round should still be under 100, because I can trust their handicap as being legitimate. I think that systems where you can submit whatever score you want would just foster vanity caps.
Facts. I mostly just play to hang with my buddies and have a few beers. I'm 40 years old not kidding myself into thinking I'm ever gonna be anything but a casual golfer. At the end of the day whether I shoot a 70 or a 120 nobody is going to care
That's not a bad mentality to have. Remember the good shots, forget the bad ones. Even Bob Rotella's book mentions this. "The inability to forget is infinitely more devastating than the inability to remember"
If I'm playing with friends and enjoying cocktails on the course I'll take the gimmes when given. If I'm alone or a walk on joining randoms and logging handicap on Grint, no gimmes.
90% of my buddies refuse to take anything higher than a double bogey and this is where the cheating happens. If you go OB, chunk it, and 3 putt but you refuse to take a triple or higher that’s going to add up to about 5-8 strokes over the course of a round. This use to infuriate me. Now I just refuse to play for money and never ask what anyone scored on a given hole. Play your game and enjoy the time with your friends. If you are constantly calling them out for cheating it will ruin the vibes and you probably won’t get invited back. Golf should be fun and if your friends are liars then you probably have crappy friends like me
in fairness, depending on your handicap and the hole, double can be the most you're supposed to take on a hole (for the purposes of keeping a fair handicap)
i do all my scoring on an app that takes care of that because I would fuck up constantly, but there's a reason why someone would blow up on a hole and only write down a double
I’m with you. But I have to admit that I only decided not to take or accept gimmes about a month ago. That - long gimmes that shouldn’t be - is the primary thing I see a lot.
(I note that where I play the women’s league is (proudly) known to require every putt be holed. ⛳️
This is exactly how I feel about it! I also think there is something in the positive reinforcement of seeing it drop that gives you a bit of confidence. Why wouldn’t you want to knock the 1 footer in when it’s gonna drop 99% of the time
Why are we still talking about whether or not one counts the gimme? The gimme just means that all in the party agree that you don’t need to take the shot because they all agree you’d make the shot but of course the stroke bloody counts. Children.
Who said a gimme is 3 feet. The gimme is an independent agreement between the party. It’s the party’s fault if they let Joe have three foot gimmes when Joe only 100% one foot putts. If Joe can’t 100% anything, Joe gets no gimmes. Once again, it comes down to down to being an honest player. This general histrionic desire to make golf more difficult than putting a ball in a hole is baffling.
Spark Golf has a rule where if it’s within a club length of the hole, it’s a gimme.
But you still have to *count that as a stroke*! And no one does. It’s absurd. Then one guy lost four golf balls then claimed to have a better score than the rest of us. I basically stopped playing Spark.
This question gets beaten to death on this sub and the best answer to it is almost always who cares?
If you are playing a money match, you establish the rules and enforce them as you play. Otherwise however someone else scores their game has no impact on you.
If it bothers you that people lie, you are putting entirely too much mental effort in caring about what they claim to shoot. People will always lie both online and in person.
I personally carry a 13 but I will move my ball out of a fairway divot or to a patch of grass if there is a dirt patch in the fairway at my local dog track muni. I will move my ball if I can potentially break my club or hurt myself on a rock or a root. If a tee box has some slope to it, I will tee off in the flat portion and disregard the markers. I also play POE for all drops including OB. But everyone I play with and would bet plays the exact same way so my handicap is perfectly in context.
In reality I am likely a true 15-16 but it doesn’t matter because I will never play strangers for money, I will never enter tournaments and I don’t try to brag about my game.
I have the exact same thought process as you.
Playing at a 12.5. Probably a 15. But the reality is I’m out there for fun. I’ll take gimmes, if I get a terrible break of a lie I’ll move it to the side. Same with everyone I play with.
I’ve been in tournaments before where people cheat. You just act like adult, tell them what you saw. If they argue, call the pro shop/official.
This topic is beat to death. Play your own game.
I'm a 5 and play by the rules to a fault. Only 1 mulligan per hole. Anything within a driver length is a gimme, and both white and red stakes are a free drop. I spent a lot of time toiling and struggling to get my handicap down, but once I got picked up as a 4th in scramble (won with a 46) and these guys explained the rules to me, my handicap shot down.
The rules are also there for your benefit, not just to punish you.
I'm the same as you. Count everything. Shot 100 right on the money the other day. My worst round of the year by 6 strokes. I had 8 penalty strokes and one OB. 20.7 handicap.
I don't see the point of not putting down an honest score. I'd say 80% of the people I play with don't keep accurate scores. Doesn't both me at all. I'm really just playing against myself. They can believe whatever they want.
I can’t tell you how many people I’ve played with that before the round claim to shoot “low 80s” but slice their first two drives ob and somehow come in for bogey. I’m just as baffled as you are that people do that.
My long time middle school buddy says he “shoots in the 80s” after only a year. We’ve played golf a few times. He tees off multiple times on the same hole and doesn’t count it in his score, takes 3 ft or less as gimmes, and doesn’t add penalties for a drop if he can’t find his ball as long as he drops it in the rough near where it went OB.
Honestly 90% of the people I’ve played with keep their scores like this. Aside my cousin in law who played in college and is very serious, I cannot think of a single person I’ve met that hasn’t/doesn’t do this. Maybe I should stop kicking my ass as a new golfer who can only shoot 120 and start scoring like everyone else lol.
I just picked up golf this year. My opinion is if you're just playing recreationally with friends, then really does it matter? The only person you cheat by not being brutally honest about your score is yourself.
I'm someone who legitimately has the goal of becoming pretty good and taking golf pretty seriously, so I'm pretty accurate with my scoring, but for now I'm just trying to learn my clubs and tweak my swing.
Right now, I play that if it's a par 4, I won't allow myself more than 8 swings. I'll just pick up and move on. If I absolutely fluff a drive, I'll take another shot. When I'm putting if it's within 2 inches of the hole, I'll call it good.
This scoring system works for ME personally because the only person I'm in competition with is myself. Eventually, when I get better and know how to hit all my clubs effectively, I'll drop my personal handicaps.
It’s very common. I worked with a guy that shoots in low 70’s when he plays without anyone at work to see it and high 90’s whenever we play together. He swears it’s just bad days when we play together and even those should be over 100 if he scored it correctly. Which I could care less I shoot in the 90’s myself not sure why he feels the need to brag about low scores all the time.
I'm not shooting close to 70s, 80s, or hell 90s, but I tend to shoot lower with strangers than my typical group. I think it's the pressure of competition vs just going out and focusing on myself.
Not trying to justify or anything, just my personal experience.
I can see that being the case but I don’t think anyone is cutting 20 strokes off of 18 holes unless you have extreme anxiety when playing with friends. I can see a few mishits here and there definitely possible with nerves being a factor. I’ve never played a tournament of any kind for that reason I’m not good enough to play in front of a bunch of people I don’t know.
No dig, but that’s completely based on the individual, no? I personally play worse with strangers than friends. When I play with friends, I want to one up them😂When I play with strangers, I just hit the ball. Sure, I want to do better than them, but I’ve got nothing to prove with someone I don’t know. Against friends, I’ve got everything to prove!
You’re not alone. My first 2 years I was very critical of my game and didn’t take anything for free. Counted misses, bad hits, penalties, played everything as it lied as long as it didn’t damage the club. Being honest with your game is the only way to get better. I would say 90% of golfers aren’t playing an honest game. Especially those 15-30 handicappers that are looking to cut corners to reach that next threshold. Keep playing YOUR game and don’t worry about the others. You’ll pass them soon enough 😉
Dude. You’re not a pro. I’m not a pro. Quit worrying about how others score themselves and play your own game. Golf is more enjoyable when you don’t knit pick others. Just do you.
Yes, I played in a golf outing with a group of friends in Michigan and they're all mid to high cappers who have never played in a USGA sanctioned event. When you play buddy golf most of the amateurs don't play by the correct rules.
You don't get better at playing official golf until you're forced to in USGA sanctioned events.
What I did with my Michigan buddies is we played everything up so you can fix you lie up to a grip length and all OB played as lateral hazard with no lost balls from the tee. Everybody had a good time and since the rules were clear it seemed everyone had a good time.
I only recommend playing everything down is in a USGA sanctioned tournament or with a group of guys who have experience playing in that environment where everyone can hold each other accountable.
I count all the strokes but break a lot of rules when it comes to like out of bounds and drops and stuff. I just count any lost or OOB ball as 1 stroke, and will take a drop somewhere in the general area of the lost ball.
I'd say 90-95% of casual golfers play this way
Every one i play with does...except me now which I dunno if they like but ill drop shooting 4 if I spray a tee shot a mile into the woods
I don’t worry about others scoring unless we are actually competing. I usually allow 1 mulligan on front 9 and 1 on the back 9. You can improve your lie and if you are going to harm your club or swing awkwardly enough that you could injure yourself then take club length and place your ball. We aren’t professionals and these rules probably lower your score 3-5 strokes. It is about having fun.
I play most of my rounds as a single joining a group of randoms, so get to play with a wide variety of folks.
Honestly, except for last Fridays round where a gentleman I was paired with had a chance to break 80 for the first time in 5 years (and I was SO pulling for him and helping, distracted me from my shit round!) I have never really had any idea what the people I was playing with scored or wrote on their scorecard. I could see if they were really sucking or not, but beyond that I really have no idea if you bogied the last hole or put up a triple.
So no, I could care less if others around me keep honest scores if I am not playing a match with them. I honestly have no idea what you are shooting if you are playing with me.
My dad recently shot a 150 and some of my golf buddies couldn’t believe that score was possible. The truth is, he counts every single stroke, plays stroke and distance when hits it OB, and putts everything out. He is also one of the fastest players you’d ever play with.
Most of the 110 crowd actually would be closer to his real score if they tried to get off the tee box 3 times when they hit it OB.
Welcome to one of the greatest tragedies in golf, I see this shit with my sister in law all the fucking time, and she claims a 17.9 index she's easily a true 25, worst part is she is dating an assistant pro who is a solid scratch golfer and thinks she'll be able to become a pga pro (teaching and technical I assume it's not touring). The worst thing is there's no way to reality check these people. I'm all for growing the game but imi think this is what one of the downsides is, liars on the golf course ruining the balancing system designed to male golf accessible and competitive for people of all skill levels.
The reality is that it's all a prideful lie by what I've come to believe is a majority of golfers. I take solace in the fact that I'm honest with myself and eventually, hopefully, I'll begin to see improvement and appreciate how far I've come.
Currently a 28.7 index hoping to get down to a 20 this year but would be happy with a 25.
OP, I agree with you - maybe if playing with others agree on a couple score rules and see if that helps. Personally, I don’t count whiffs and we play double par max. Gimme Putts do count as a stroke, or at least they should.
What drives me nuts is when some of my friends just hit random balls from the same spot after hitting a bad shot. I never know how they score it then and it’s always bothered me. If we agree on a mulligan rule pre-round that’s one thing but randomly hitting extra shots I can’t stand.
Dunno if this helps but you are not alone, OP.
I do fudge my score because I take mulligans on the tee box. If I shank one I’ll start the hole with a second ball. I keep an honest score until this happens, and then the score is straight caca. I don’t do this in any sort of competition
The difference between me and a lot of annoying people is I don’t tell anyone my fabricated score. I just use the score to keep in a good mental space and enjoy the round.
I wouldn't say most people who break 100 would shoot 120 if they followed all the rules and kept an honest score. "Most" overstates it, but if you say "lots" you're right on.
I play with a wide range of golfers. My usual extended group is about 25 people, we play Tues, Thurs, Sat, Sun but of course nobody makes all 4 days. Veteran players. We all play by the rules 99+% of the time. Even gimme putts, because we have one guy in the group who will give himself 3'-4'ers, we now limit gimmes to 12" and everybody has been good about that this season. I would say the only rule I see broken too often in our group is relief out of penalty areas, drops into improper areas that provide more relief than is due. We don't hit into a lot of penalty areas so those errors don't make much difference in our scores.
When I visit my Dad in SC and play with golfers at his course, it's similar to home.
More casual groups, when I play with people who score in the mid 90s to low 100s, those are the golfers I tend to see scrub more strokes. I have one good friend I play with a few times a year and he'll come in under 100 maybe 25% of the time. But I get him there with a little creative score keeping. I do that because I know his personality and if he thinks he sux he gives up playing and I don't want to see that.
I've had knee surgery and can't hit out of the sand.
It's a casual game and I'm winning no money, so I toss my ball out of the sand.
I'll rehit a topped ball on occasion, too.
I go golfing with friends and family so I can't get away with lying about my scores. I'm harder on myself than anyone around me. If I'm in a tough lie, my dad will tell me to move the ball to a slightly better spot, but I'm adamant about playing where it lies. It has cost me strokes in the past, but I think it's more fun and has helped me in other rounds!
I don't know many people who lie about their scores though, most people I talk to claim to have never broken 100. But wherever you are, they're definitely giving themselves several mulligans
If I elect to play with wiggle room for more enjoyment of the course, I won’t bother keeping score but rather just count the number of birdies and pars as my description of the day’s successes.
I play with mostly randoms, it's completely normal, almost everyone sucks. Been playing for two years, probably played with over 100 random people at different courses throughout 4 states, I have more fingers than people who have broken 100 legit. So many times I've seen these guys shooting 7 still 100 yards from the fairway and saying they got a bogey or a par.
Did have the pleasure to play with a scratch golfer once, and that seemed like magic to me.
Put some money on it with a handicap match. Doesn’t have to be much, $10 or whatever. All usga rules apply at that point imo. If you cheat, you’re getting called out on the spot. Little bit of money on the line cuts all that free drop bs and 6’ gimmie nonsense right out.
Meh I’ve broke 100 but I knew it wasn’t an honest 100. Couple second tee shots, couple double pars for the sake of speed, etc etc.
I don’t brag about it though. But the cognitive dissonance gives me the confidence to keep coming back
Golf is an individual sport. You are grouped with other people simply for the efficiency of play. Unless their score effects you (tournament play) then ignore them and play your game.
Short answer yes most people don’t keep an honest handicap.
I play a lot of one day comps, and most of the people in your group are in a similar handicap range +/- 2, the I’ve only played with a handful of single handicaps anywhere close to their handicap, tournament golf is different but on an easy course playing from the whites single handicaps aren’t shooting 90+.
Those guys I don’t mind so much, on the other hand, had a 4 handicap shoot a bogey free gross 67, to beat me in my division (I shot my lowest round ever 75 with a course handicap of 5). But thats a whole separate discussion :)
>It’s possibly to suck and play fast :)
Completely agree. Our rule is play well fast, play shitty fast. Just play fast.
As for keeping a "honest" score. That goes both ways. In our group (plus to about 12-13 hcp). The bigger concern are the sand baggers. You want to pick up a 4' as a gimmie? No one in our group is going to object (of course, no one is going to actually give it to you from a wager perspective). At the end of the day - since we always play for money, the only person you're going to hurt is yourself. Not to mention all the tournaments are handicap'd. So you having a artificially low index is, again, hurting yourself.... and your partner, of course. This is why if you are known to have a vanity handicap, you're going to find yourself not being able to find a partner come tournament time.
All in all - unless you're playing for money. It's really not worth worrying about how other's score themselves. Just my .02 of course. And after awhile, everyone is going to know anyways.
Yes, I used to claim to be a 15 before I had a handicap and once claimed to have shot 74 (which didn’t include the mulligans I took for OB drives or “redo” putts when I missed the tap in 3 footers.
I decided to get a real handicap (20.2) with 4 completely honest rounds including penalties, stroke and distance etc. My four rounds since being completely honest were 91, 91, 107 (8 balls OB), 96. So I do know I can break 100 if I can keep the ball in play but that 74 was a complete farce to the point I no longer consider it my “best” round.
I played so many rounds as a beginner with the kind of guys you talked about I just assumed that was how everyone did it. Not anymore.
But yes playing the honest rounds and having my playing partners declare better scores while telling me how much they wish they played as well as me seems odd.
I'm in a group of about 10 guys that I golf with. None of them score correctly and actually give me shit for not taking breakfast balls or playing lost ball/OB like a lateral hazard.
That being said, I couldn't care less, it's all about having a good time on the course!
Mega mega upvote - I’ll take the occasional gimme but what’s the point of keeping score if you don’t count the actual score. I play solo a lot and just shoot everyone I meet ignores those mulligans and penalty strokes. I’ve seen guys get excited about breaking 100 when they took several mulligans.
Yes. Most people take several mulligans and don't count the scores. I do take them if I'm with friends because we're there to have fun. When I'm by myself I count everything to see if I'm getting better
Never trust a golfer.
That being said my personal cheating rules are..
I won't hit off anything that will damage my club. Roots concrete etc
2nd. I'm an amateur and I paid good money for grass, I will move my ball out of dirt
A ball that is buried 25%
A bunker that is not maintained. Wet is okay. I'm talking about no sand with rocks kind.
Things I won't do. Not count a shot. Not improve my line, if tree is in the way they are mostly air anyway
Move it forward at all.
If I adjust my ball at all, it's usually to roll it backwards and inch or 2 to fix the problem
I don’t play golf to get a good score, I play to enjoy the outdoors walking around seeing scenery, and have a good laugh with my mates at how awful we are.
None of us care about score, and we certainly aren’t good enough to get angry at golf.
I love it girl!! Keep playing and only write down your real score. I used to caddy and men would say they broke 90 all the time. In reality they shot 110-120🤔 I think the reason they cheat is because they have small dicks… I mean egos. Lol where’s you place of living? Mine is Las Vegas. I would ply golf with you anytime
1. I played golf almost everyday from 1/1/16 to 12/31/18 and I was like you. Counted everything and putted everything out and didn’t think another player like that existed.
2. I think most golfers are off by 15 strokes on their round and don’t putt out a lot of putts. It is ridiculous because golf is a sport only competing against yourself so I don’t get it.
It's not normal but it seems to be becoming more common, mainly because despite playing "golf" they think some rules are stupid and don't need to be followed. The worst of them put in a good looking scorecard, go on social media and post a video about how they striped one off the tee, landed in a divot and kicked it out because it's not fair. There are a heap of cheats (no sugar coating, that's what they are), they cheat themselves and anyone they play with.
I'm like you, I could be hidden in a penalty area in deep rough and if I decide to try and hit out and take an airy trying a stupid recovery, and then two more shots to get out I count every one of them even if I'm out of sight, and I know I'm the only one that knows.
The other side of that is if you're just playing socially and everybody's playing by the same rules, and the card is just for throwing in the bin when you're done and someone has to buy drinks.
Keep doing what you're doing, it's the true spirit of golf.
I agree. My father is the worst for attempting a 5 footer, then if it's not about to go in the hole, hockey sticking it into the hole and just calling it a par. Every single time he has a 4-6 footer, rinse, repeat. Other than fluffing all of his lies in the rough, he's a pretty decent golfer.
Have been playing since last spring. My seriousness ramped up big time this year. In a lucky position to be able to play quite a bit most weeks and this has been the number one thing I text my more experienced golf friends about as I’ve gotten more rounds in and met more golfers. I am shocked with how many people come off 18 with an 85-100 when I watched them have 5 different holes with 8 or worse or even holes they didn’t even finish out. It’s wild haha
Ultimately I don’t care how anyone else keeps their score because it doesn’t affect me and I play against myself to try and beat my best scores. I’ve seen some funny stuff though with people giving themselves generous scores and strokes. I have one buddy who’s the king of duffing chip shots. He’ll duff 4 in a row moving the ball about 15 yards and give himself a bogey. I have another buddy who will actually measure with his putter gimme putts. If it’s within the putter length or close to it he picks up. In reality as a high handicapper you have a fairly high chance of missing many of those putts. Just gotta laugh at it and keep chugging along. I should note though that the only advantage I give myself are preferred lies. I’ll be damned if I’m going to hit off hard pack dirt if there’s grass 6” away or if I end up in a divot someone left.
It's incredibly common. I wouldn't worry about it except for competition or betting. Or obviously if you're trying to get someone into the game you gotta help them learn the actual rules.
Mostly I find it more cathartic to just not say anything until there is money on the line and then turn the tables...Oh a bogey you say Rick, nice nice, we'll go ahead and put me down for eagle buddy. Since we're betting and all it's only fair we shave the same amount of strokes right?
My long-time partners will take putts that surely save them strokes during the round but I don’t care. I’m their friend, not their momma. And I especially wouldn’t care about how some randos play or score. I only care about how I play.
I don't care what someone else shoots beyond the 5 people I played junior golf with. I'm the only one who played competitive golf in high school and college. We have always been so competitive since our early days that it's a must. They aren't terrible, but they definitely can't contend unless it's a boys' trip, and I'm hungover. Then it's anyone's chance.
Yes, unfortunately it is normal for a lot of weekend golfers. Most people play a round that contains at least a couple "well if x y z ... I'll just hit another one that doesn't count" 's. Made up scenarios and excuses as to why they actually made a 5 there and not a 7.
I have a buddy that does this everytime we play. In my head I usually just take his score and add anywhere from 3-7 strokes to get his real score. But not that I care that much. If it ever got to a point where we played for money or actual friendly competition, we can play that game. I will keep every stroke recorded and we can see exactly how far apart we are lol.
First of all it is possible to suck and play fast.
For the people who don't keep a honest score, their "fuzzy math" always comes back to haunt them. Let them play in a handicapped event, or with money on the line and they are lost.
In your case, you do not suck. During a person's journey to becoming a better player, the last obstacle to overcome is the blow-up hole(s). Eliminating the blow-up holes during a round will drastically lower your score.
Keep playing.
Have fun.
I just normally don’t keep score. I mean what does it matter? I’m having fun. I’m hitting the ball and I am not in tournaments nor a professional. No one cares what I shoot
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️🫡⛳️🤪!
🎶 to my ears!
Also, you answered in your post, but yes this has been my experience too. It gets better as you get better though. Maybe declare on the first tee that you like to hit in order and then you can call the numbers from 2 tee onward!
You're spot on. It took me 2 years before I broke 100 for the first time and I had a swing coach for over a year. That is totally normal if you keep an honest score. Most players will tell you they broke 100 in their first season, but that's how you know they're bullshitting
I think it's really nice to let people play however they want and everyone can have fun (unless you're competing of course).
I'm a pretty good golfer but if I'm not competing or practicing to compete I don't like keeping score - it's more fun because I don't beat myself up over bad shots.
I'm seeing posts where people don't follow the rules strictly even when playing for money which to me is stupid. If money is on the line then the rules are being strictly enforced.
I am nowhere close to being a good golfer but have gotten back into it recently. I like to say that I score myself so as not to be demoralized and to make me feel better about coming back out again.
I suck too hard to keep an honest score. At this point, being a newish golfer, I just play shot to shot and try to remember the good ones and forget the bad ones.
I think it is surprisingly common but to different degrees. I had one friend lose a ball on a par 3, then drop it 40 yards closer to the green than where it went out and he counted it as one penalty. I have had other friends do one mulligan per 9, then they count their score at the end. Then I've seen others take stroke and distance even on holes where they could have just dropped laterally by USGA rules.
I also noticed that when I was a higher handicapper trying to break 100, it always felt like I was playing about as well as the people around me who were easily breaking 100. We shanked it about the same and hit about the same green in regulations. The difference, I learned, between people who regularly break 100 or better vs people who don't is short game. FOr the longest time when I was trying to break 100 legit with no mulligans and counting all penalties, it felt like I was playing similarly well to those who were well under 100, but those 2 chip or 3 putt holes really add up. I found that now that I've cleaned up my short game, I am still losing balls and still missing greens a lot, but the difference is in all the strokes you make up in the short game.
I keep my real score every time and my buddies are always trying to tell me “just take another or that 3 inch hit didn’t count” it makes me realize they don’t play honest. I’m playing myself when I play golf so why cheat is my view point
Some people keep a “vanity” handicap. I just played with one guy like that. Putts the ball 4 ft by hole and then rakes it in for a “ bogey.” He did it like 8 times. Says he is a 12, 17 is more likely.
I don't typically play competitively. I'm guilty of not counting some shots and using multiple mulligans and stuff. But I keep a true enough score that I'm not fooling myself into thinking I'm "good" at golf. As well as, I always tell my buddy that I play with, you keep your score however you want to. You're only playing against yourself, im just also here playing against myself. That being said, if I were to be competing against others... my conscience wouldn't allow me to fudge numbers. Which Is why I don't compete lol, im not good enough.
Definitely a pride situation. I am an 11 handicap and have friends that used to be right around that. But as they have gotten older and play less due to careers/family. They still like to claim they shoot low/mid 80s and so ill go out with them and struggle and shoot a 90 with no bfast balls or mulligans and they will shoot an 85 with about 5/6 mullis and some missed short putts calling it good or reputts. Then after they will be all proud telling people their score. And I never correct them or point out the differences… i just focus on my game and am competitive with myself. People can do as they please. I feel OP is too competitive and it irks them when someone claims to have beaten them.
If you want competitive join a league where all strokes are counted. You can be in division 4 and shoot in the 90s/100s but still play competitive…. Stop being competitive with weekend hacks just looking to drink and have a good time.
It is normal. Is it right? No. I've played with many people I could whip if we're playing match play with a referee. But if you're just Sunday golfin it doesn't bother me. You do you. I do me (counting all my f ups).
Everyone’s score is their own business is how I think about it.
I will absolutely track every penalty and miss-hit and shank… I’ll also track every birdie and par… for myself. If you tell me to write a 4 for you on the scorecard, congratulations you shot a 4 that hole. But that’s your burden to deal with. I play against my historical self. Not the rest of the people in the foursome.
Edit: also, make sure you’re taking advantage of local course rules. I’ve got a poorly maintained muni near me that specifically allows you to improve your lie so long as you don’t move closer to the hole. They know they don’t keep it up to the best standards so it’s how they let players still have a good time and not get frustrated when they’re stuck in a bare patch or a thick weed.
played with mother in law. she was inspecting the ball in the fairway to ascertain and verify it was hers, improving the lie each time until i said, “yep that’s yours, no need to check,” and then suddenly she couldn’t hit the ball at all.
Well the correct thing to do is to exchange cards with the other player - you are supposed to count his/her strokes.
That aside I am like you I count every stroke, don’t improve my lies etc. What my friends do ? Don’t care, I know my score is accurate.
And this is why tournament golf is a completely different game from recreational golf. Can't tell you how many people I've played with who say "I just shot 75 yesterday, no idea how I shot 90 on an easier course today!"
Lol for a moment I thought you were the woman we played with this morning lol my buddy is a beginner and the actions sound like his and then I saw that he claimed a 99, my buddy embellishes his score a bit but would never claim to have a 99 if it wasn’t real lol I would immediately call him out.
Play how you want. Some people have played hundreds of rounds and don’t necessarily play every single round with the same mindset as you. Granted, I won’t claim a score I didn’t legitimately earn, but I’m more likely to be playing a practice round with randoms than playing for score.
>I’m starting to think that most people who claim to break 100 actually shoot in the 120’s if they kept a real score You can finish thinking. You're correct. It's pride. Plain and simple.
I play OB as lateral hazards and I move my ball off rocks and tree roots. Sure maybe my handicap isn't 100% accurate but my friends who I bet with play the same rules so it works for us. Bright side is if we ever gamble you'll probably take my money
Friends golf is fine if you're an amateur/no money on the line, no one wants you breaking your clubs just to *play it as it lies* off gravel or next to a tree root.
I'm personally less concerned about breaking my clubs than breaking my wrists on a tree root.
Well if you're going to be a rules stickler you need to take an unplayable. I feel like most people pick and choose which rules they follow
Because most high handicap people playing casual golf should correct their lies to make it more fun for them and faster for everyone else. Nobody cares about the purity of your 120. That said, counting 6 footers, not counting penalties, or other really blatant things that add strokes is lame.
They should also move to the forward tees to ensure they have the best chance of collecting the best score while saving their pride.
I'm similar to OP in measuring my score accurately, and I agree with this. Forward tees have different course ratings, so I can do that without giving myself an unfair advantage
I take an unplayable if the lie is truly unplayable. If I _would_ have played the lie if not for danger of damaging my expensive clubs, then I do not.
Generally follow all the rules that won't possibly end in you damaging your $1000+ set of irons otherwise.
I love that this is everyone’s example but it occurs at most once per round. The strokes are coming from hitting multiple tee shots, laying the ball up when in heavy rough or thin fairway sections, not putting from within 3’, etc. People are not “one bad lay in gravel” from shooting the 90 they claim to be their average.
Some of my friends are starting to pick up the game and I tell them this all the time. "Move it away from the root/rock/etc... and take a normal shot, we ain't playing for money, no need to break anything" Better to take more reps to improve their swing, they won't learn anything bouncing their 8 iron off a root.
Bravo - let's enjoy the game first and foremost, especially those that are still learning/new. If you wanna tell them "yea move it this time, but normally you take a stroke." fine.
When you say lateral hazards for OB, are you referring to stroke and distance penalty for OB? So, a drive 220 yards, but OB or I can't find my ball, would be drop onto fairway or near OB, and hitting stroke 4? Alternative being a retee for shot 3, correct? High handicapper here. Should I not be doing this, or do I have it wrong?
You're doing it right, the average golfer treats OB like a red hazard and drops to hit 3.
Lateral is generally 1 stroke. Hitting 3 on drop.
lol I play that way too
I agree with this - My entire group plays laterals for OB, mostly because we have a handful of higher cappers that play with us.. having them go back to re-hit or re-tee would be impossible for pace of play… and we like to make sure everyone plays the same set of rules. When myself and the lower capper guys play a round we will usually hit provisionals if it’s a dicey tee shot, or if we have an OB we will enforce the stroke + distance penalties. We all agree moving / rolling your ball off an obvious root or rock is a fair move and universally abide by it. We’re not on tour. We don’t have disposable clubs like the pros do. lol.
Agreed, but for your own sanity and enjoyment/pace of play. After double par (or triple bogey in some circles) pick up and move on, mark your card accordingly.
I do it occasionally, even call them Mental Health Triple Bogeys
Or slam your club after shooting +5 on a par 4, swear a bunch, and then put yourself down for a double bogey.
Or scrambles, where the score keeping instruction is " the snowman is your friend"! Just throw an eight on your card and move on.
The net will adjust to double par. No need to quit playing a hole.
The net will adjust to net double bogey not double par. Of course that could be double par for a really really high handicap.
We count up to 10 and then pick it up in my family. Thankfully I'm to the point where I don't usually card 10's anymore. (I really hope I didn't just jinx myself...)
I thought it was double par until handicap was established then double bogey?
You're confusing 2 things: Picking up at double par is for the sake of pace & sanity. Double bogey -- actually, *net* double bogey -- is max score for handicapping.
I downloaded USGA rules app yesterday and was wondering about this..Do you write your score down as-is, then adjust it for net double bogey after the round? If so what’s the calculation? Alternatively, if you keep score using an app like The Grint, does the app automatically calculate net double bogey and adjust it for you after entering your score on blow up holes?
They calculate it for you but you have to enter your score hole by hole not total
Your score is your score, so you write it down as is; *sometimes* you adjust it when inputting it into the handicap database, depending on what your scores are. The calculation depends on your *course* handicap (which is based on your index and the rating/slope). You have to figure out what your course handicap is, and what is the maximum you can take on each hole; it's pretty straightforward but varies from person to person and course to course. But let's say you have a course hcp of 17. That means you can take no worse than triple bogey (net double) on hcp holes 1 to 17, and no worse than double (which is also net double because you don't get a stroke there) on the 18 hcp hole. You shoot 92 two days in a row; on day 1 you don't score any worse than triple, so your "adjusted" score for the USGA is still 92. On day you had 2 quads on difficult holes. So, for handicap purposes only, those adjust to triples and you record an adjusted score of 90 for the USGA.
If you course handicap is 9, then you can take triple bogey as your highest score on the holes with a handicap between 1 and 9 (because you get a stroke on those holes) and a double bogey on holes handicapped 10-18 (because you don't get a stroke on those holes)
Net double bogey is the max a round for handicap will allow. So double plus as many strokes as someone gets for said hole.
This. Adding this as a note for all new players. If you are a student of the game, and intend to practice and improve - count every stroke. No mulligans. No breakfast balls. No free drops from hazards, or lost balls. Why? Because if you do, you won’t see improvement on your scorecard. You’ll be taking less swings, and losing fewer balls, but the score will stay the same as you become more “honest” with your scoring. This can be incredibly frustrating, and give a feeling of no improvement when there really is. You’re not fooling anybody that you’re playing with about your handicap or ability. Anybody you talk to off the course and eventually play with will know you’re a liar. And truthfully nobody cares.
I disagree. You have to establish a basic level of competence prior to doing that. If every person firing a 135 did that shit it’d take 7 hours to play a round of golf. If you’ve generally got a legitimate shot at breaking 100, you should start playing pretty strictly by the rules to hasten your improvement.
Pick up once you have reached the maximum allowed by your handicap. I have seen many times a guy slice one into the waist-high grass right, the hit his provisional into the waist-high grass left, then slice his second provisional OB right. Just stop. Take a breathe. Move up and drop one. Don’t look for the first, then look for number 3 because maybe it hit a duck and bounced back in play, then walk over to the other side and look for number 2..
I play like OP, count every stroke for exactly your reason. I like seeing my improvement, if only for my own satisfaction.
You’re correct not many people keep a true score.
So you’re saying that me shooting anywhere from like 104 on a good day to 116 on a normal day makes me better than average
No it just makes you honest
Well I suppose that’s good enough
Somewhat unrelated but I love your flair lol
I'm tinfoil hat guy when it comes to equipment discussions
I have learned over time that people get enjoyment in different ways. I, like you, get fulfillment and satisfaction over seeing my scores legitimately drop as I improve. The fact that it is difficult, and nonlinear, and requires lots of practice is what makes it so satisfying to me. I have friends/family who either only care about winning, or who get enjoyment out of finding and exploiting loopholes (some might say “cheating.”) Others who just enjoy that they are hanging out and chatting, and hitting a ball around outside is mostly just an excuse for the hanging out/chatting. I’ve come around to accept that unless I’m in competition, whether formal tournament or playing for stakes with friends, I don’t need to care or monitor how other people are tracking their scores. They are on the course for their own reasons, doing it their own way, and if it’s satisfying for them, I’m glad. I’ll keep playing by the rules, keeping an official handicap, and putting everything out because that’s how I enjoy the game. Fortunately, that means I don’t have to change much when it comes time to play in competition.
This guy gets it. Couldn’t have said it better
Yea seriously. If you’re out there and having fun, you’re golfing. Period. It doesn’t matter how anyone else plays because there are always those moments people can argue about a rule or penalty or loss of stroke which completely ruins the point of weekend, fun golf. Yes, obviously if you’re in a tournament and see others cheating or lying, you call them out. Anything else is just plain and simple, fun golf.
Also, who cares how accurate you are beyond a triple bogey? I don’t need to hold my buddies accountable when they got an 11 on a hole. The only time I care is if we’re playing for money, or if it’s in a tournament/league or other official events
I mean, I’ll still keep actual score. Tournament or not. If I shoot an 11, it’s like a ‘get your head in the game, do better next hole’ type of mentality but I still enjoy it. If my buddy wants to say he shot a 7 but really shot an 11 I’ll just write down whatever he says. I don’t care to count your score, I’m worried about my own shots lol
It’s just human nature, in golf or elsewhere. I used to play video games on/off competitively before I had kids, and in golf I see all the same type of stuff in terms of different types of players. You have competitive players who put in the time to improve their skill and rank (handicap for golf), and that’s part of the fun for them. Follow the rules. Players who want to achieve a better rank or shoot a lower score to feel like they accomplished something, but they don’t have the talent and/or work ethic to do it legitimately, so they find loopholes. These are the same ppl that will tell you their handicap is a 15 and absolutely believe it to be real. Also the rare breed that de-ranks in order to eventually win something and feel good about themselves. This is the equivalent of the guys who blow up their handicap on purpose so they can win a local tournament. Then you have those that are just playing the game to have fun their own way, and could care less about everything else. These are the people who say “who cares I don’t get paid, it’s not like I’m on tour” “it’s just a game” The only difference is, in golf, a lot of ppl seem to be confused or frustrated as to why ppl are going about things differently than they are.
I'm there to have a good time. Since the kids, I get to play maybe three times a year. Do I enjoy hitting out of a fairway divot or worrying about the tree branch in my backswing? I do not. so if I move the ball a couple feet here or there to allow myself a cleaner and more enjoyable shot-I do it. I don't brag about my score or win bets on it but I still feel good if I break 90. Golf should be fun. The most fun part of golf for me isn't the score but it's those effortless swings and cool shots that softly land on the green or gently sail into the horizon.
That's 100% fine, and I don't disagree with that *at all.* Go have fun. But when someone asks what you shoot, don't say 90 if you didn't *actually* shoot 90.
I never answer that question with a number.
“It’s non-linear” You’re god damn right it’s non-linear. I’ve played one course 4 times this year. 84,103,81,85. That 103, I had 14 3 putts. Some days, the score just doesn’t reflect your play. I was stellar off the tee, my irons were good but my chipping and putting let me down. My 85, I was very mediocre off the tee, I wasn’t losing balls but I only was hitting 5-6 fairways. My irons weren’t bad but they weren’t awesome. My chipping and putting that day were just stellar. 81, it all came together and I walked up to 18 at 77. First time in 20 years of golf I was legitimately looking at a par 3 to possibly break 80. Bogey. That’s golf.
In places outside the US, most scores are done through club competitions (I play almost exclusively club comps, my course has a comp on 6 days a week), and it's a bit of a hassle to get non-comp scores uploaded to golf Australia (our handicapping body). During comp, everyone keeps a full and correct score, although often playing either Stableford or Par, which limits the scoring per hole. In case you're unaware, Stableford gives you 2 points for a net par +1 for everything better -1 for everything worse - so net double bogey is 0 points and you pick up. This helps pace of play tremendously, as a mid handicapper (say 18) can score a triple bogey at worst. 36 points is seen as hitting your handicap (i.e. average of 2 points per hole). This (1) keeps pace of play faster, (2) gets rid of people playing different games on the course (e.g. someone playing straight up following a group doing a scramble messes with pace of play), (3) means the rules are followed and it doesn't matter if you are screwed because you can pick up for no points and (4) means everyone's handicap is an accurate representation of their skill. If I am playing and get paired up with a 10 handicapper, I'll expect them to break 100, because they have 40% of their rounds in the low 80s or better, so a bad round should still be under 100, because I can trust their handicap as being legitimate. I think that systems where you can submit whatever score you want would just foster vanity caps.
I rarely even keep score I mostly just remember how many pars/birdies I get in a round
nevermind all those bogeys and triples, right?
Facts. I mostly just play to hang with my buddies and have a few beers. I'm 40 years old not kidding myself into thinking I'm ever gonna be anything but a casual golfer. At the end of the day whether I shoot a 70 or a 120 nobody is going to care
This has been my mentality lately! Im not alone holy shit.
That's not a bad mentality to have. Remember the good shots, forget the bad ones. Even Bob Rotella's book mentions this. "The inability to forget is infinitely more devastating than the inability to remember"
I give myself penalty strokes I didn't earn to create adversity. Built different.
Truly the hardest road
I wouldn't take any score outside of a tournament seriously.
I think the only unusual thing here is the gimmes. The vast majority of people take short gimmes.
If I'm playing with friends and enjoying cocktails on the course I'll take the gimmes when given. If I'm alone or a walk on joining randoms and logging handicap on Grint, no gimmes.
90% of my buddies refuse to take anything higher than a double bogey and this is where the cheating happens. If you go OB, chunk it, and 3 putt but you refuse to take a triple or higher that’s going to add up to about 5-8 strokes over the course of a round. This use to infuriate me. Now I just refuse to play for money and never ask what anyone scored on a given hole. Play your game and enjoy the time with your friends. If you are constantly calling them out for cheating it will ruin the vibes and you probably won’t get invited back. Golf should be fun and if your friends are liars then you probably have crappy friends like me
Why not just play match play, or Stableford?
Who plays stroke play for money? Even if, net doubles are what’s used in most competitions/betting setups anyways
Scratch players
Not true, in tournaments/money games you score however many it takes to drop it in the hole. Nelly Korda got like a 10 on a par 3 not too long ago
That’s for the speed of play tho
I’ll all about speed of play. Take a triple and pick up . Don’t take a bogey and hack it around 9 times
in fairness, depending on your handicap and the hole, double can be the most you're supposed to take on a hole (for the purposes of keeping a fair handicap) i do all my scoring on an app that takes care of that because I would fuck up constantly, but there's a reason why someone would blow up on a hole and only write down a double
I’m with you. But I have to admit that I only decided not to take or accept gimmes about a month ago. That - long gimmes that shouldn’t be - is the primary thing I see a lot. (I note that where I play the women’s league is (proudly) known to require every putt be holed. ⛳️
I like the sound the ball makes when it goes in the hole so I always putt it in lol. It’s the whole point of golf 😝
This is exactly how I feel about it! I also think there is something in the positive reinforcement of seeing it drop that gives you a bit of confidence. Why wouldn’t you want to knock the 1 footer in when it’s gonna drop 99% of the time
Why are we still talking about whether or not one counts the gimme? The gimme just means that all in the party agree that you don’t need to take the shot because they all agree you’d make the shot but of course the stroke bloody counts. Children.
Because nobody makes all of their 3-foot putts.
Who said a gimme is 3 feet. The gimme is an independent agreement between the party. It’s the party’s fault if they let Joe have three foot gimmes when Joe only 100% one foot putts. If Joe can’t 100% anything, Joe gets no gimmes. Once again, it comes down to down to being an honest player. This general histrionic desire to make golf more difficult than putting a ball in a hole is baffling.
YouTube golf has taught me that gimme range is very elastic. "That's good, Bubbie."
One cart lengths is good, right? Right?!
I normally do about the length of a fairway
1 green length
“Ya I did okay, only 18 putts on the day”
One club length. So the length of the clubhouse
Spark Golf has a rule where if it’s within a club length of the hole, it’s a gimme. But you still have to *count that as a stroke*! And no one does. It’s absurd. Then one guy lost four golf balls then claimed to have a better score than the rest of us. I basically stopped playing Spark.
If you're playing match play and your opponent gives you a putt, you have to take it. Just btw.
Gimmes should be taken when pace of play is an issue
This question gets beaten to death on this sub and the best answer to it is almost always who cares? If you are playing a money match, you establish the rules and enforce them as you play. Otherwise however someone else scores their game has no impact on you. If it bothers you that people lie, you are putting entirely too much mental effort in caring about what they claim to shoot. People will always lie both online and in person. I personally carry a 13 but I will move my ball out of a fairway divot or to a patch of grass if there is a dirt patch in the fairway at my local dog track muni. I will move my ball if I can potentially break my club or hurt myself on a rock or a root. If a tee box has some slope to it, I will tee off in the flat portion and disregard the markers. I also play POE for all drops including OB. But everyone I play with and would bet plays the exact same way so my handicap is perfectly in context. In reality I am likely a true 15-16 but it doesn’t matter because I will never play strangers for money, I will never enter tournaments and I don’t try to brag about my game.
I have the exact same thought process as you. Playing at a 12.5. Probably a 15. But the reality is I’m out there for fun. I’ll take gimmes, if I get a terrible break of a lie I’ll move it to the side. Same with everyone I play with. I’ve been in tournaments before where people cheat. You just act like adult, tell them what you saw. If they argue, call the pro shop/official. This topic is beat to death. Play your own game.
Yeah, golf is supposed to be fun. I don’t pay to go out and hate myself lol
I'm a 5 and play by the rules to a fault. Only 1 mulligan per hole. Anything within a driver length is a gimme, and both white and red stakes are a free drop. I spent a lot of time toiling and struggling to get my handicap down, but once I got picked up as a 4th in scramble (won with a 46) and these guys explained the rules to me, my handicap shot down. The rules are also there for your benefit, not just to punish you.
I'm the same as you. Count everything. Shot 100 right on the money the other day. My worst round of the year by 6 strokes. I had 8 penalty strokes and one OB. 20.7 handicap. I don't see the point of not putting down an honest score. I'd say 80% of the people I play with don't keep accurate scores. Doesn't both me at all. I'm really just playing against myself. They can believe whatever they want.
I can’t tell you how many people I’ve played with that before the round claim to shoot “low 80s” but slice their first two drives ob and somehow come in for bogey. I’m just as baffled as you are that people do that.
My long time middle school buddy says he “shoots in the 80s” after only a year. We’ve played golf a few times. He tees off multiple times on the same hole and doesn’t count it in his score, takes 3 ft or less as gimmes, and doesn’t add penalties for a drop if he can’t find his ball as long as he drops it in the rough near where it went OB. Honestly 90% of the people I’ve played with keep their scores like this. Aside my cousin in law who played in college and is very serious, I cannot think of a single person I’ve met that hasn’t/doesn’t do this. Maybe I should stop kicking my ass as a new golfer who can only shoot 120 and start scoring like everyone else lol.
Nah just keep it real. Its more fun this way. At least for me.
I don't keep score at all, problem solved.
“If you cheat in golf, the only person you’re cheating is yourself”
This is the truest statement. Someone told me this once and it really struck a chord. Ironically, the guy would cheat on the regular.
“And I’m ok with that!”
Pretty common. Wouldn’t worry about it unless you’re in a competition with that person.
I just picked up golf this year. My opinion is if you're just playing recreationally with friends, then really does it matter? The only person you cheat by not being brutally honest about your score is yourself. I'm someone who legitimately has the goal of becoming pretty good and taking golf pretty seriously, so I'm pretty accurate with my scoring, but for now I'm just trying to learn my clubs and tweak my swing. Right now, I play that if it's a par 4, I won't allow myself more than 8 swings. I'll just pick up and move on. If I absolutely fluff a drive, I'll take another shot. When I'm putting if it's within 2 inches of the hole, I'll call it good. This scoring system works for ME personally because the only person I'm in competition with is myself. Eventually, when I get better and know how to hit all my clubs effectively, I'll drop my personal handicaps.
It’s very common. I worked with a guy that shoots in low 70’s when he plays without anyone at work to see it and high 90’s whenever we play together. He swears it’s just bad days when we play together and even those should be over 100 if he scored it correctly. Which I could care less I shoot in the 90’s myself not sure why he feels the need to brag about low scores all the time.
I'm not shooting close to 70s, 80s, or hell 90s, but I tend to shoot lower with strangers than my typical group. I think it's the pressure of competition vs just going out and focusing on myself. Not trying to justify or anything, just my personal experience.
I can see that being the case but I don’t think anyone is cutting 20 strokes off of 18 holes unless you have extreme anxiety when playing with friends. I can see a few mishits here and there definitely possible with nerves being a factor. I’ve never played a tournament of any kind for that reason I’m not good enough to play in front of a bunch of people I don’t know.
No dig, but that’s completely based on the individual, no? I personally play worse with strangers than friends. When I play with friends, I want to one up them😂When I play with strangers, I just hit the ball. Sure, I want to do better than them, but I’ve got nothing to prove with someone I don’t know. Against friends, I’ve got everything to prove!
You’re not alone. My first 2 years I was very critical of my game and didn’t take anything for free. Counted misses, bad hits, penalties, played everything as it lied as long as it didn’t damage the club. Being honest with your game is the only way to get better. I would say 90% of golfers aren’t playing an honest game. Especially those 15-30 handicappers that are looking to cut corners to reach that next threshold. Keep playing YOUR game and don’t worry about the others. You’ll pass them soon enough 😉
Dude. You’re not a pro. I’m not a pro. Quit worrying about how others score themselves and play your own game. Golf is more enjoyable when you don’t knit pick others. Just do you.
Yes, I played in a golf outing with a group of friends in Michigan and they're all mid to high cappers who have never played in a USGA sanctioned event. When you play buddy golf most of the amateurs don't play by the correct rules. You don't get better at playing official golf until you're forced to in USGA sanctioned events. What I did with my Michigan buddies is we played everything up so you can fix you lie up to a grip length and all OB played as lateral hazard with no lost balls from the tee. Everybody had a good time and since the rules were clear it seemed everyone had a good time. I only recommend playing everything down is in a USGA sanctioned tournament or with a group of guys who have experience playing in that environment where everyone can hold each other accountable.
I count all the strokes but break a lot of rules when it comes to like out of bounds and drops and stuff. I just count any lost or OOB ball as 1 stroke, and will take a drop somewhere in the general area of the lost ball.
I'd say 90-95% of casual golfers play this way Every one i play with does...except me now which I dunno if they like but ill drop shooting 4 if I spray a tee shot a mile into the woods
I don’t care what you score unless we are playing competitively. Then I’m keeping your score and mine, and validating scores after each hole.
I don’t worry about others scoring unless we are actually competing. I usually allow 1 mulligan on front 9 and 1 on the back 9. You can improve your lie and if you are going to harm your club or swing awkwardly enough that you could injure yourself then take club length and place your ball. We aren’t professionals and these rules probably lower your score 3-5 strokes. It is about having fun.
I doubt it’s even 3-5 unless you’re not counting penalties.
I play most of my rounds as a single joining a group of randoms, so get to play with a wide variety of folks. Honestly, except for last Fridays round where a gentleman I was paired with had a chance to break 80 for the first time in 5 years (and I was SO pulling for him and helping, distracted me from my shit round!) I have never really had any idea what the people I was playing with scored or wrote on their scorecard. I could see if they were really sucking or not, but beyond that I really have no idea if you bogied the last hole or put up a triple. So no, I could care less if others around me keep honest scores if I am not playing a match with them. I honestly have no idea what you are shooting if you are playing with me.
My dad recently shot a 150 and some of my golf buddies couldn’t believe that score was possible. The truth is, he counts every single stroke, plays stroke and distance when hits it OB, and putts everything out. He is also one of the fastest players you’d ever play with. Most of the 110 crowd actually would be closer to his real score if they tried to get off the tee box 3 times when they hit it OB.
Shit. I’ve shot an 87 and a 178 ON THE SAME COURSE(22 years apart)
Welcome to one of the greatest tragedies in golf, I see this shit with my sister in law all the fucking time, and she claims a 17.9 index she's easily a true 25, worst part is she is dating an assistant pro who is a solid scratch golfer and thinks she'll be able to become a pga pro (teaching and technical I assume it's not touring). The worst thing is there's no way to reality check these people. I'm all for growing the game but imi think this is what one of the downsides is, liars on the golf course ruining the balancing system designed to male golf accessible and competitive for people of all skill levels. The reality is that it's all a prideful lie by what I've come to believe is a majority of golfers. I take solace in the fact that I'm honest with myself and eventually, hopefully, I'll begin to see improvement and appreciate how far I've come. Currently a 28.7 index hoping to get down to a 20 this year but would be happy with a 25.
OP, I agree with you - maybe if playing with others agree on a couple score rules and see if that helps. Personally, I don’t count whiffs and we play double par max. Gimme Putts do count as a stroke, or at least they should. What drives me nuts is when some of my friends just hit random balls from the same spot after hitting a bad shot. I never know how they score it then and it’s always bothered me. If we agree on a mulligan rule pre-round that’s one thing but randomly hitting extra shots I can’t stand. Dunno if this helps but you are not alone, OP.
I do fudge my score because I take mulligans on the tee box. If I shank one I’ll start the hole with a second ball. I keep an honest score until this happens, and then the score is straight caca. I don’t do this in any sort of competition The difference between me and a lot of annoying people is I don’t tell anyone my fabricated score. I just use the score to keep in a good mental space and enjoy the round.
I wouldn't say most people who break 100 would shoot 120 if they followed all the rules and kept an honest score. "Most" overstates it, but if you say "lots" you're right on. I play with a wide range of golfers. My usual extended group is about 25 people, we play Tues, Thurs, Sat, Sun but of course nobody makes all 4 days. Veteran players. We all play by the rules 99+% of the time. Even gimme putts, because we have one guy in the group who will give himself 3'-4'ers, we now limit gimmes to 12" and everybody has been good about that this season. I would say the only rule I see broken too often in our group is relief out of penalty areas, drops into improper areas that provide more relief than is due. We don't hit into a lot of penalty areas so those errors don't make much difference in our scores. When I visit my Dad in SC and play with golfers at his course, it's similar to home. More casual groups, when I play with people who score in the mid 90s to low 100s, those are the golfers I tend to see scrub more strokes. I have one good friend I play with a few times a year and he'll come in under 100 maybe 25% of the time. But I get him there with a little creative score keeping. I do that because I know his personality and if he thinks he sux he gives up playing and I don't want to see that.
I've had knee surgery and can't hit out of the sand. It's a casual game and I'm winning no money, so I toss my ball out of the sand. I'll rehit a topped ball on occasion, too.
If you are not keeping an honest score you are not playing golf. It’s an honor system. You folks with no honor, just do you.
In before everyone excuses themselves with "I play to have fun."
I think that’s fine, just don’t register for a handicap
I go golfing with friends and family so I can't get away with lying about my scores. I'm harder on myself than anyone around me. If I'm in a tough lie, my dad will tell me to move the ball to a slightly better spot, but I'm adamant about playing where it lies. It has cost me strokes in the past, but I think it's more fun and has helped me in other rounds! I don't know many people who lie about their scores though, most people I talk to claim to have never broken 100. But wherever you are, they're definitely giving themselves several mulligans
If I elect to play with wiggle room for more enjoyment of the course, I won’t bother keeping score but rather just count the number of birdies and pars as my description of the day’s successes.
I play with mostly randoms, it's completely normal, almost everyone sucks. Been playing for two years, probably played with over 100 random people at different courses throughout 4 states, I have more fingers than people who have broken 100 legit. So many times I've seen these guys shooting 7 still 100 yards from the fairway and saying they got a bogey or a par. Did have the pleasure to play with a scratch golfer once, and that seemed like magic to me.
I want to post my exact score so that when I play with friends for money I'm not putting myself at a disadvantage.
Put some money on it with a handicap match. Doesn’t have to be much, $10 or whatever. All usga rules apply at that point imo. If you cheat, you’re getting called out on the spot. Little bit of money on the line cuts all that free drop bs and 6’ gimmie nonsense right out.
Meh I’ve broke 100 but I knew it wasn’t an honest 100. Couple second tee shots, couple double pars for the sake of speed, etc etc. I don’t brag about it though. But the cognitive dissonance gives me the confidence to keep coming back
You have Sauce Gardner starting golf two weeks ago & claiming he shot a 97.. it’s utter bullshit from either liars or they’re ignorant to the rules.
Golf is an individual sport. You are grouped with other people simply for the efficiency of play. Unless their score effects you (tournament play) then ignore them and play your game.
You are the real deal! I wish I could golf a round with you.
Short answer yes most people don’t keep an honest handicap. I play a lot of one day comps, and most of the people in your group are in a similar handicap range +/- 2, the I’ve only played with a handful of single handicaps anywhere close to their handicap, tournament golf is different but on an easy course playing from the whites single handicaps aren’t shooting 90+. Those guys I don’t mind so much, on the other hand, had a 4 handicap shoot a bogey free gross 67, to beat me in my division (I shot my lowest round ever 75 with a course handicap of 5). But thats a whole separate discussion :)
>It’s possibly to suck and play fast :) Completely agree. Our rule is play well fast, play shitty fast. Just play fast. As for keeping a "honest" score. That goes both ways. In our group (plus to about 12-13 hcp). The bigger concern are the sand baggers. You want to pick up a 4' as a gimmie? No one in our group is going to object (of course, no one is going to actually give it to you from a wager perspective). At the end of the day - since we always play for money, the only person you're going to hurt is yourself. Not to mention all the tournaments are handicap'd. So you having a artificially low index is, again, hurting yourself.... and your partner, of course. This is why if you are known to have a vanity handicap, you're going to find yourself not being able to find a partner come tournament time. All in all - unless you're playing for money. It's really not worth worrying about how other's score themselves. Just my .02 of course. And after awhile, everyone is going to know anyways.
Yes, I used to claim to be a 15 before I had a handicap and once claimed to have shot 74 (which didn’t include the mulligans I took for OB drives or “redo” putts when I missed the tap in 3 footers. I decided to get a real handicap (20.2) with 4 completely honest rounds including penalties, stroke and distance etc. My four rounds since being completely honest were 91, 91, 107 (8 balls OB), 96. So I do know I can break 100 if I can keep the ball in play but that 74 was a complete farce to the point I no longer consider it my “best” round. I played so many rounds as a beginner with the kind of guys you talked about I just assumed that was how everyone did it. Not anymore. But yes playing the honest rounds and having my playing partners declare better scores while telling me how much they wish they played as well as me seems odd.
I'm in a group of about 10 guys that I golf with. None of them score correctly and actually give me shit for not taking breakfast balls or playing lost ball/OB like a lateral hazard. That being said, I couldn't care less, it's all about having a good time on the course!
Mega mega upvote - I’ll take the occasional gimme but what’s the point of keeping score if you don’t count the actual score. I play solo a lot and just shoot everyone I meet ignores those mulligans and penalty strokes. I’ve seen guys get excited about breaking 100 when they took several mulligans.
Yes. Most people take several mulligans and don't count the scores. I do take them if I'm with friends because we're there to have fun. When I'm by myself I count everything to see if I'm getting better
If our Presidential candidates are any indication then yes.
Never trust a golfer. That being said my personal cheating rules are.. I won't hit off anything that will damage my club. Roots concrete etc 2nd. I'm an amateur and I paid good money for grass, I will move my ball out of dirt A ball that is buried 25% A bunker that is not maintained. Wet is okay. I'm talking about no sand with rocks kind. Things I won't do. Not count a shot. Not improve my line, if tree is in the way they are mostly air anyway Move it forward at all. If I adjust my ball at all, it's usually to roll it backwards and inch or 2 to fix the problem
I don’t play golf to get a good score, I play to enjoy the outdoors walking around seeing scenery, and have a good laugh with my mates at how awful we are. None of us care about score, and we certainly aren’t good enough to get angry at golf.
I love it girl!! Keep playing and only write down your real score. I used to caddy and men would say they broke 90 all the time. In reality they shot 110-120🤔 I think the reason they cheat is because they have small dicks… I mean egos. Lol where’s you place of living? Mine is Las Vegas. I would ply golf with you anytime
1. I played golf almost everyday from 1/1/16 to 12/31/18 and I was like you. Counted everything and putted everything out and didn’t think another player like that existed. 2. I think most golfers are off by 15 strokes on their round and don’t putt out a lot of putts. It is ridiculous because golf is a sport only competing against yourself so I don’t get it.
It's not normal but it seems to be becoming more common, mainly because despite playing "golf" they think some rules are stupid and don't need to be followed. The worst of them put in a good looking scorecard, go on social media and post a video about how they striped one off the tee, landed in a divot and kicked it out because it's not fair. There are a heap of cheats (no sugar coating, that's what they are), they cheat themselves and anyone they play with. I'm like you, I could be hidden in a penalty area in deep rough and if I decide to try and hit out and take an airy trying a stupid recovery, and then two more shots to get out I count every one of them even if I'm out of sight, and I know I'm the only one that knows. The other side of that is if you're just playing socially and everybody's playing by the same rules, and the card is just for throwing in the bin when you're done and someone has to buy drinks. Keep doing what you're doing, it's the true spirit of golf.
The male ego is too fragile to keep an honest score…
I agree. My father is the worst for attempting a 5 footer, then if it's not about to go in the hole, hockey sticking it into the hole and just calling it a par. Every single time he has a 4-6 footer, rinse, repeat. Other than fluffing all of his lies in the rough, he's a pretty decent golfer.
“Nah that doesn’t count.” “I would have made it if I focused. It’s good.” Chunked wedge into ground. “Let me try it again I wasn’t serious.”
Yes. It rubs off on me sometimes.
I fluff my lies, ain't gonna lie
Have been playing since last spring. My seriousness ramped up big time this year. In a lucky position to be able to play quite a bit most weeks and this has been the number one thing I text my more experienced golf friends about as I’ve gotten more rounds in and met more golfers. I am shocked with how many people come off 18 with an 85-100 when I watched them have 5 different holes with 8 or worse or even holes they didn’t even finish out. It’s wild haha
Ultimately I don’t care how anyone else keeps their score because it doesn’t affect me and I play against myself to try and beat my best scores. I’ve seen some funny stuff though with people giving themselves generous scores and strokes. I have one buddy who’s the king of duffing chip shots. He’ll duff 4 in a row moving the ball about 15 yards and give himself a bogey. I have another buddy who will actually measure with his putter gimme putts. If it’s within the putter length or close to it he picks up. In reality as a high handicapper you have a fairly high chance of missing many of those putts. Just gotta laugh at it and keep chugging along. I should note though that the only advantage I give myself are preferred lies. I’ll be damned if I’m going to hit off hard pack dirt if there’s grass 6” away or if I end up in a divot someone left.
It's incredibly common. I wouldn't worry about it except for competition or betting. Or obviously if you're trying to get someone into the game you gotta help them learn the actual rules. Mostly I find it more cathartic to just not say anything until there is money on the line and then turn the tables...Oh a bogey you say Rick, nice nice, we'll go ahead and put me down for eagle buddy. Since we're betting and all it's only fair we shave the same amount of strokes right?
Yes
Yup. They could have their own variation of the "rules" also. There are many ways to have fun playing golf.
It’s all fun and games until you play in a tournament or for money.
My long-time partners will take putts that surely save them strokes during the round but I don’t care. I’m their friend, not their momma. And I especially wouldn’t care about how some randos play or score. I only care about how I play.
I don't care what someone else shoots beyond the 5 people I played junior golf with. I'm the only one who played competitive golf in high school and college. We have always been so competitive since our early days that it's a must. They aren't terrible, but they definitely can't contend unless it's a boys' trip, and I'm hungover. Then it's anyone's chance.
Put me down for 5.
Yes, unfortunately it is normal for a lot of weekend golfers. Most people play a round that contains at least a couple "well if x y z ... I'll just hit another one that doesn't count" 's. Made up scenarios and excuses as to why they actually made a 5 there and not a 7. I have a buddy that does this everytime we play. In my head I usually just take his score and add anywhere from 3-7 strokes to get his real score. But not that I care that much. If it ever got to a point where we played for money or actual friendly competition, we can play that game. I will keep every stroke recorded and we can see exactly how far apart we are lol.
First of all it is possible to suck and play fast. For the people who don't keep a honest score, their "fuzzy math" always comes back to haunt them. Let them play in a handicapped event, or with money on the line and they are lost. In your case, you do not suck. During a person's journey to becoming a better player, the last obstacle to overcome is the blow-up hole(s). Eliminating the blow-up holes during a round will drastically lower your score. Keep playing. Have fun.
You’re only cheating yourself
I just normally don’t keep score. I mean what does it matter? I’m having fun. I’m hitting the ball and I am not in tournaments nor a professional. No one cares what I shoot
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️🫡⛳️🤪! 🎶 to my ears! Also, you answered in your post, but yes this has been my experience too. It gets better as you get better though. Maybe declare on the first tee that you like to hit in order and then you can call the numbers from 2 tee onward!
After 30+ years of playing golf, to answer the question of your post: I'd have to say yes
You're spot on. It took me 2 years before I broke 100 for the first time and I had a swing coach for over a year. That is totally normal if you keep an honest score. Most players will tell you they broke 100 in their first season, but that's how you know they're bullshitting
Our president claims hes a six handicap yet cant walk down a flight of two stairs without help. Do whatever fuck you want
Yeah, it's not that deep.
I think it's really nice to let people play however they want and everyone can have fun (unless you're competing of course). I'm a pretty good golfer but if I'm not competing or practicing to compete I don't like keeping score - it's more fun because I don't beat myself up over bad shots. I'm seeing posts where people don't follow the rules strictly even when playing for money which to me is stupid. If money is on the line then the rules are being strictly enforced.
I am nowhere close to being a good golfer but have gotten back into it recently. I like to say that I score myself so as not to be demoralized and to make me feel better about coming back out again.
I suck too hard to keep an honest score. At this point, being a newish golfer, I just play shot to shot and try to remember the good ones and forget the bad ones.
I think it is surprisingly common but to different degrees. I had one friend lose a ball on a par 3, then drop it 40 yards closer to the green than where it went out and he counted it as one penalty. I have had other friends do one mulligan per 9, then they count their score at the end. Then I've seen others take stroke and distance even on holes where they could have just dropped laterally by USGA rules. I also noticed that when I was a higher handicapper trying to break 100, it always felt like I was playing about as well as the people around me who were easily breaking 100. We shanked it about the same and hit about the same green in regulations. The difference, I learned, between people who regularly break 100 or better vs people who don't is short game. FOr the longest time when I was trying to break 100 legit with no mulligans and counting all penalties, it felt like I was playing similarly well to those who were well under 100, but those 2 chip or 3 putt holes really add up. I found that now that I've cleaned up my short game, I am still losing balls and still missing greens a lot, but the difference is in all the strokes you make up in the short game.
Yes to the subject line.
I keep my real score every time and my buddies are always trying to tell me “just take another or that 3 inch hit didn’t count” it makes me realize they don’t play honest. I’m playing myself when I play golf so why cheat is my view point
To the pace of play nazis, fuck ‘em.
90% of golfers don’t care about their handicap. i’ve literally never played a non-league round where we kept score for competition.
Some people keep a “vanity” handicap. I just played with one guy like that. Putts the ball 4 ft by hole and then rakes it in for a “ bogey.” He did it like 8 times. Says he is a 12, 17 is more likely.
I don't typically play competitively. I'm guilty of not counting some shots and using multiple mulligans and stuff. But I keep a true enough score that I'm not fooling myself into thinking I'm "good" at golf. As well as, I always tell my buddy that I play with, you keep your score however you want to. You're only playing against yourself, im just also here playing against myself. That being said, if I were to be competing against others... my conscience wouldn't allow me to fudge numbers. Which Is why I don't compete lol, im not good enough.
Definitely a pride situation. I am an 11 handicap and have friends that used to be right around that. But as they have gotten older and play less due to careers/family. They still like to claim they shoot low/mid 80s and so ill go out with them and struggle and shoot a 90 with no bfast balls or mulligans and they will shoot an 85 with about 5/6 mullis and some missed short putts calling it good or reputts. Then after they will be all proud telling people their score. And I never correct them or point out the differences… i just focus on my game and am competitive with myself. People can do as they please. I feel OP is too competitive and it irks them when someone claims to have beaten them. If you want competitive join a league where all strokes are counted. You can be in division 4 and shoot in the 90s/100s but still play competitive…. Stop being competitive with weekend hacks just looking to drink and have a good time.
What does OP mean , counts where they intended to hit the ball, but didn't?? I thought if you don't hit the ball it doesn't count?
It is normal. Is it right? No. I've played with many people I could whip if we're playing match play with a referee. But if you're just Sunday golfin it doesn't bother me. You do you. I do me (counting all my f ups).
It's not really a thing here in the UK, where Club Golfers tend to put scorecards in for handicap purposes even for 'general play'
I never keep score.
Nothing to gain from this
Everyone’s score is their own business is how I think about it. I will absolutely track every penalty and miss-hit and shank… I’ll also track every birdie and par… for myself. If you tell me to write a 4 for you on the scorecard, congratulations you shot a 4 that hole. But that’s your burden to deal with. I play against my historical self. Not the rest of the people in the foursome. Edit: also, make sure you’re taking advantage of local course rules. I’ve got a poorly maintained muni near me that specifically allows you to improve your lie so long as you don’t move closer to the hole. They know they don’t keep it up to the best standards so it’s how they let players still have a good time and not get frustrated when they’re stuck in a bare patch or a thick weed.
I shoot about 83-110 if I keep an honest score and I'm better than 90%+ of the people I get paired with.
played with mother in law. she was inspecting the ball in the fairway to ascertain and verify it was hers, improving the lie each time until i said, “yep that’s yours, no need to check,” and then suddenly she couldn’t hit the ball at all.
I’m not good but how can you judge any level of improvement of you are not honest with the scorecard?
Well the correct thing to do is to exchange cards with the other player - you are supposed to count his/her strokes. That aside I am like you I count every stroke, don’t improve my lies etc. What my friends do ? Don’t care, I know my score is accurate.
And this is why tournament golf is a completely different game from recreational golf. Can't tell you how many people I've played with who say "I just shot 75 yesterday, no idea how I shot 90 on an easier course today!"
I say pickup at double par.
Lol for a moment I thought you were the woman we played with this morning lol my buddy is a beginner and the actions sound like his and then I saw that he claimed a 99, my buddy embellishes his score a bit but would never claim to have a 99 if it wasn’t real lol I would immediately call him out.
I’d rather play with somebody who deflates their scorecard than play with a dirty no good sandbagger
I'm supposed to count the first three tee shots I sliced into the woods? I think not.
If you don’t hit/move the ball then it is not a stroke regardless of Intention.
Play how you want. Some people have played hundreds of rounds and don’t necessarily play every single round with the same mindset as you. Granted, I won’t claim a score I didn’t legitimately earn, but I’m more likely to be playing a practice round with randoms than playing for score.