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If you look back over your rounds, you’ll probably find that in those rounds that you score well, you chipped and putted great. Many of the great ball-striking rounds are ruined by all those lip-outs and missed opportunities.
I definitely agree. I’ve been scoring pretty well in the past few weeks, but my ball striking has been awful. I’m hitting maybe 3 fairways per round, maybe half the greens. Yet I’ve been in the 70s the whole time. The main reason is that my short game/putting has been at scratch level, so having tee shots that are at 15 handicap level haven’t been as big of a hindrance. Today I shot 81 on an easy course (70.8/123) mainly because while my short game was still great, the putting completely deserted me. 35 putts, including 5 misses of 4 feet or less, and another 3 from 9-15 feet that were easy putts I considered quite makeable. Its amazing what a different attitude you get after a poor tee shot leaves you with no play at the green and your short game is on fire. I find myself thinking "hey, I can get to within 40 yards of the green, maybe even one of the bunkers, that’s an easy par." Probably why you never see Tiger or Mickelson get too worried when they hit a wild drive into some awful place. — I have discovered a remarkable proof which this .sig is too small to contain!
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How do you feel about it? All things being equal, which type of round would you rather have? One where you hit the ball well but don’t score? Or one where you clank it around all day but manage to score better than your ball-striking might otherwise suggest?
I’d opt for the good ball-striking day, Randy. When I’m hitting the ball well, it’s very positive reinforcement that those hours I put in at the practice range are paying off. And if I’m hitting the ball well on a particular day, I can darn well do it again, and tomorrow, and the day after that. Hit the ball well, and the scoring will come. Spend the round scrambling your ass off, and you probably won’t have a clue what you might do your next round.
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How about 3 putting for a triple bogie, or 3 putting for par?
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It’s interesting to me how the views of most amateurs is in contrast with the pros in relation to this most obvious part of the game. In fact, it strikes me as ironic that we, the hackers of the world, seem more inclined to want to play "the game of Golfswing" (aspiring to make sweet contact) instead of playing "golf" (aspiring to get the ball in the hole in the least number of strokes).
After I once beat our assistant pro, he went into the clubhouse crying, "That SOB shot even par and didn’t hit a solid shot all day!" I replied, "Didn’t have to."
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The bottom line is that the purpose of the game is to score well. The practice tee is the place to hit the ball well. The golf course is for scoring.
On the other hand, striking the ball well usually helps you score better – that’s why we practice it. And it’s nice to know your swing can travel from the range to the course.
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How do you feel about it? All things being equal, which type of round would you rather have? One where you hit the ball well but don’t score? Or one where you clank it around all day but manage to score better than your ball-striking might otherwise suggest? Randy
That’s an EASY choice for me. Throughout most of my golfing experience I’ve been a pretty solid striker of the ball, but not especially gifted–OK, perhaps "terrible" is a better word–with the putter. :-) In my old days at Duck Lake Country Club I played a lot of golf but never got better than a 3 handicap. It was the putter that kept me from getting better. I’ll never forget one round I played with our head pro, a guy who played the Florida mini-tour with considerable success each winter. I was usually better than he was tee-to-green, but this day was exceptional. I was knocking the ball way past him on every hole and hitting my irons so close to the stick it was amazing. I hit 18 greens in regulation and I don’t think I had a putt longer than 15 feet all day and plenty from 8 feet or less. And you know what I shot? 75 (on a par-70 course). I was so PO’d with my putting that when we walked off the 18th and I’d 3 jacked it again, I heaved my putter way up into a tree near the green. (I’ve mellowed considerably in my advacing years since then.) The pro shot a scrambling 67 and took a chunk of my money home with him. He did have a great sense of humor, though–that December he sent me a Christmas card saying that he hoped I’d be back at the club the next year because he’d ordered 3 dozen extra putters and a ladder for the pro shop. :-) So, to answer your question, I’d much rather hit the ball poorly and score well by chipping in a few times and draining some long putts. I’ve only played like that on a very few occasions and it always felt like I was getting away with something. On the other hand, hitting it well but not converting scoring chances is a very familiar feeling and it always feels like I’m being cheated out of a good round. I HATE to play like that! Ray Pezzi Bellaire, MI
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[.......mucho snippage.....] It’s interesting to me how the views of most amateurs is in contrast with the pros in relation to this most obvious part of the game. In fact, it strikes me as ironic that we, the hackers of the world, seem more inclined to want to play "the game of Golfswing" (aspiring to make sweet contact) instead of playing "golf" (aspiring to get the ball in the hole in the least number of strokes). Therein lies a key, perhaps, to why we DON’T very often get the ball into the hole in the least number of strokes possible. Randy
Agree with pretty much all you say here, Randy. At our level – amateurs – whether low/mid/high handicap - we *should* know that it is unlikely that we will have a round where we hit the ball perfectly every time and score too. We have to play the game with the swing we bring to the course that day and there is absolutely no guarantee that it will be the same swing we had yesterday or even in the morning round. It is adjusting to the vagaries in our swings and finding a way of getting the ball in the hole in the least amount of strokes, whether they are pretty or not, ….that’s golf (to me anyway). — David RSG Roll Call http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/sneddond.htm email: dsneddon AT attcanada DOT ca
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<snip How do you feel about it? All things being equal, which type of round would you rather have? One where you hit the ball well but don’t score? Or one where you clank it around all day but manage to score better than your ball-striking might otherwise suggest? Randy Now, for a limited time: RSG-ATLANTA Memorabilia: http://www.YouGoGolf.com/rsg-atlanta-results.htm#MEMORABILIA My RSG Roll Call profile: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/brownr.htm RSG FAQ: http://ttsoft.com/thor/rsggolf.html Voiceovers/Narration/Voice Acting: www.RandyBrownProductions.com To e-mail me, go to my website at www.YouGoGolf.com and find the link.
i’d take the hit the ball but don’t score anytime, if i get on a streak where i’m striking the ball well the first few rounds the scores don’t come but i know that they will, if i clanking it, but score then it holds the possiblity that the next time i’ll really play worse,and then worse, and then……. right now i’m in the best groove i’ve been in for 3 years, had a 39 on the toughest of the 3 nines at my home course the other day with 5 greens in regs (a very unusual occurrence for me, both the 5 regs and the 39), but the start of the groove, about 3-4 weeks ago i was hittng well, but not scoring, but i just keep a positive attitude and the ball started finding the bottom of the cup. also have banished the driver and teeing with my 16*, and added a 52* which has really help my short game. bud
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How do you feel about it? All things being equal, which type of round would you rather have? One where you hit the ball well but don’t score?
I feel the same as you – seems kind of obvious to me 
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. (A friend of mine likes to say that striking the ball poorly and still shooting a good score is like having sex with an unattractive woman — not good…but then not bad either.) —
That wouldn’t be your regular partner James Herriot would it David? Brian – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –
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""R&B"" <SLAM_SPAM_THANK_YA_MAAM writes: It got me to thinking… We’ve all had rounds where we had a good ball-striking day but didn’t score particularly well. And then we’ve had days when we didn’t strike the ball well at all, but got the most out of our rounds by scoring surprisingly well considering how poorly we hit the ball. And it made me wonder — which would you rather have?
I’ll take the good ball-striking round. My weak putting rounds are rare so I’m always confident that my putting stroke will return. — –dph (dph AT luckytrout DOT com)
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How do you feel about it? All things being equal, which type of round would you rather have? One where you hit the ball well but don’t score? I feel the same as you – seems kind of obvious to me
How would you prefer to screw up your score – pars, birdies, doubles and triples or pars and death of a thousand bogey cuts? B. J. Wilkinson
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How would you prefer to screw up your score – pars, birdies, doubles and triples or pars and death of a thousand bogey cuts? B. J. Wilkinson
Good question. I’d have to say bogeys. If you start par, birdie, triple, par, double, you’ll probably slash your wrists. If you start par, bogey, bogey, bogey, you’re probably thinking "there’s a lot of golf left, this round could go either way, a birdie could come at any time….." About a month ago I started with 9 straight bogeys, then followed that with 6 straight pars, then bogey, bogey, par for 82. I’ve had worse rounds. It even kind of got to be funny – we were laughing at how I would find so many varied ways of making bogey, but none repeated! 3 putt, water, sand, bad chip, drive in woods and chip out, OB then "birdie" the hole, etc. It was a real smorgasbord.
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There is always a hollow feeling after having a good ball-striking day and then adding up the score which seems much higher than it should be. This is abated somewhat by the optimism of the next round where that short game will reappear and you’ll bust em. If you look back over your rounds, you’ll probably find that in those rounds that you score well, you chipped and putted great. Many of the great ball-striking rounds are ruined by all those lip-outs and missed opportunities.
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Score not withstanding, the illusion that I’m playing well always makes for a more enjoyable afternoon, even if the outcome surprises me when I add ‘em up.
The bottom line is that the purpose of the game is to score well. The practice tee is the place to hit the ball well. The golf course is for scoring. I see the practice range full of people who can hit the ball well, but can’t score. "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but three-putts the last green?" – Fred Corcoran
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Score not withstanding, the illusion that I’m playing well always makes for a more enjoyable afternoon, even if the outcome surprises me when I add ‘em up. The bottom line is that the purpose of the game is to score well. The practice tee is the place to hit the ball well. The golf course is for scoring. I see the practice range full of people who can hit the ball well, but can’t score.
I’ll have to side with the lady on this one. B. J. Wilkinson – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –
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"Annika1980" wrote The bottom line is that the purpose of the game is to score well. The practice tee is the place to hit the ball well. The golf course is for scoring.
It’s interesting that you should point this out. I agree. It’s really the reason why I posed the question. On the one hand, I’m rather conflicted over the fact that I scored pretty well on the back nine despite having a perfectly miserable day with my ball-striking. I know it’s because I chipped and putted better on the back, and I’m always encouraged when the short game is sharp. But this time, I found myself strangely underwhelmed by my ability to "get a lot out of the nine," because my ballstriking was *SO* bad. But you make a valid point, and I’ve heard this from numerous TOUR pros. They’ll take a good scoring day over a good ballstriking day EVERY TIME. Part of the reason is because their livelihood depends on it, and that can’t be underemphasized. But at the same time, I’ve also heard many of them tell me essentially what you’ve said — that PLAYING THE GAME is all about finding a way — some way, somehow — of getting the ball in the hole in the least number of strokes. Somehow, we forget that this *IS* the essence of the game of golf. It’s interesting to me how the views of most amateurs is in contrast with the pros in relation to this most obvious part of the game. In fact, it strikes me as ironic that we, the hackers of the world, seem more inclined to want to play "the game of Golfswing" (aspiring to make sweet contact) instead of playing "golf" (aspiring to get the ball in the hole in the least number of strokes). Therein lies a key, perhaps, to why we DON’T very often get the ball into the hole in the least number of strokes possible. Randy Now, for a limited time: RSG-ATLANTA Memorabilia: http://www.YouGoGolf.com/rsg-atlanta-results.htm#MEMORABILIA My RSG Roll Call profile: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/brownr.htm RSG FAQ: http://ttsoft.com/thor/rsggolf.html Voiceovers/Narration/Voice Acting: www.RandyBrownProductions.com To e-mail me, go to my website at www.YouGoGolf.com and find the link.
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How do you feel about it? All things being equal, which type of round would you rather have? One where you hit the ball well but don’t score? Or one where you clank it around all day but manage to score better than your ball-striking might otherwise suggest? Randy
I’d much rather have a good ball striking day. Bryan
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I identify with you, brother. After playing fairly well most of the year (13), I started pushing short irons right. Got worse – fast, and within 6/8 days I was unable to hit a 7i 124yds straight. Took a lesson in which poor supprination was id’d as the villain, but hell, I’ve been guilty of that for years. And, I was hitting my woods fairly well. The set up and swing felt OK, but put a wedge in my hands and all hell broke loose. Felt like I wanted to lay on the ground, kick my feet, and bawl – thought about quitting the game. But kept going to the range and gradually, gradually, it dawned on me that my tempo was non-existent and that I was getting to the outside of my rear foot. Between the too fast downswing and the reverse weight shift, the head was arriving wide open. Suddenly, the short irons were crisp and on target. I may not putt well any given day, and the score balloons as a result, but I’ll take ball striking any day. Everyone’s putter goes cold now and then, but at least you can have the sense that you hit the damn ball OK.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I went through a few rounds recently where I scorched the front side, then saw the wheels fall off on the back.
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says… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -<snip How do you feel about it? All things being equal, which type of round would you rather have? One where you hit the ball well but don’t score? Or one where you clank it around all day but manage to score better than your ball-striking might otherwise suggest? Randy Now, for a limited time: RSG-ATLANTA Memorabilia: http://www.YouGoGolf.com/rsg-atlanta-results.htm#MEMORABILIA My RSG Roll Call profile: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/brownr.htm RSG FAQ: http://ttsoft.com/thor/rsggolf.html Voiceovers/Narration/Voice Acting: www.RandyBrownProductions.com To e-mail me, go to my website at www.YouGoGolf.com and find the link.
No question about it, I’d rather have a good ball striking day. I feel a lot more satisfaction when I’m hitting the ball where I want to than when I’m just getting lucky on putts. And on those rare days when I’m doing both (like yesterday), all is right with the world. Kenny — Kenny Stultz RSG Rollcall: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/stultzk.htm
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How do you feel about it? All things being equal, which type of round would you rather have? One where you hit the ball well but don’t score? Or one where you clank it around all day but manage to score better than your ball-striking might otherwise suggest?
Enough of this "touchy-feely, I felt great and hit the ball really nicely" stuff! I’m a golfing mercenary … give me the low score any day. 
Cheers Colin Wilson RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm Trentham Golf Club: http://www.trenthamgolf.com
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I How do you feel about it? All things being equal, which type of round would you rather have? One where you hit the ball well but don’t score? Or one where you clank it around all day but manage to score better than your ball-striking might otherwise suggest?
Put me in the solid-knockin’ camp. A handful of really well struck shots makes up for a lousy score for me. Dave Clary/Corpus Christi,TX http://home.stx.rr.com/dclary RSG Roll Call http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/claryd.htm
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To me, scoring is secondary — a little added bonus or extra dividend — to the enjoyment of hitting pure shots. If I’m scraping the ball around the course and not hitting ‘em sweet or solid, I don’t feel much pleasure. (A friend of mine likes to say that striking the ball poorly and still shooting a good score is like having sex with an unattractive woman — not good…but then not bad either.) — "If I don’t see you no more in this world/ I’ll meet you in the next one/ And don’t be late." — JH, "Voodoo Child." — Home Page: http://www.depaul.edu/~dsimpson
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I went through a few rounds recently where I scorched the front side, then saw the wheels fall off on the back. Then, starting with the round I played at Cobblestone with Mike Marler, Sparky and ANNIKA1980 — to paraphrase the Taylor Made slogan — I "lost my game." Completely fell apart, never showing any evidence of having played a round of golf before in my life. As much as I’d love to blame the poor play on "my evil twin," I know there was something fundamental going wrong with my game. Then, last week, I had an interesting round. It was something of a reversal from the rounds where I played well on the front and fell apart on the back. This time, I saw the round get completely away from me on the front. More of what I saw at Cobblestone. The front was ugly, ugly, ugly. Clanking shots left and right. Hitting wormburners. Oh, boy, was it awful. Then, somehow, I managed to turn it around on the back. I shot a respectable 2-over on the inward nine. Funny thing was, I didn’t feel like I PLAYED any differently on the back than I did while scuffing it around on the front. I continued having difficulty making good contact with the ball, and kept hitting clankers. It was very discouraging, yet when I added ‘em up, I’d improved my score by TEN STROKES on the back nine. It got me to thinking… We’ve all had rounds where we had a good ball-striking day but didn’t score particularly well. And then we’ve had days when we didn’t strike the ball well at all, but got the most out of our rounds by scoring surprisingly well considering how poorly we hit the ball. And it made me wonder — which would you rather have? In a tournament or in a round where you’re betting your buddies a few dollars, the answer is obvious: you’ll take the lower score, even if it ain’t pretty. But when playing a recreational or "practice" round, I would personally come away feeling a lot better about my game if I were striking the ball solidly, regardless of how I scored. That round I played where I didn’t feel like I hit the ball any better on the back, yet carded a 2-over-par back nine, left me feeling pretty empty and without much confidence heading to my next round. And even though I know it’s a temporary setback, it sure did nothing to inspire good feelings about going to my next round (except that I got a bad one out of my system). How do you feel about it? All things being equal, which type of round would you rather have? One where you hit the ball well but don’t score? Or one where you clank it around all day but manage to score better than your ball-striking might otherwise suggest? Randy Now, for a limited time: RSG-ATLANTA Memorabilia: http://www.YouGoGolf.com/rsg-atlanta-results.htm#MEMORABILIA My RSG Roll Call profile: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/brownr.htm RSG FAQ: http://ttsoft.com/thor/rsggolf.html Voiceovers/Narration/Voice Acting: www.RandyBrownProductions.com To e-mail me, go to my website at www.YouGoGolf.com and find the link.
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<SLAM_SPAM_THANK_YA_MAAM says… How do you feel about it? All things being equal, which type of round would you rather have? One where you hit the ball well but don’t score? Or one where you clank it around all day but manage to score better than your ball-striking might otherwise suggest?
That’s an easy one for me, Randy. Score not withstanding, the illusion that I’m playing well always makes for a more enjoyable afternoon, even if the outcome surprises me when I add ‘em up. May your next round be your best round. Dave Please: no spam, off topic, or crossposts as explained in the RSG FAQ: at http://ttsoft.com/thor/rsggolf.html