Keeping Score – Or Not!
Seasons Greetings to all. During my last official round in 08, which was in early December, I rediscovered a simple way to maximize golf enjoyment – Don’t always keep your score! Purists, no hate emails please. Even the pros don’t keep their score all the time.
They’d lose enjoyment of the game if they did. They have to play by the strict rules of golf in every tournament. But they know that important learning takes place when you’re free to knock it about without golf’s yardstick hanging over your head.
Don’t get me wrong, keeping score and a handicap is a very important part of golf. It’s an absolute necessity if you’re playing any kind of serious competitive golf, including your weekend nassaus. Score tracking is a great way to learn how to play holes strategically instead of just pounding the ball as hard as you can. But, playing without scoring is also an important tool.
When Tiger comes off a layoff he doesn’t track every stroke. Neither do the pros during their practice rounds. When you don’t keep score you give yourself license to swing more freely and try unusual shots.
I played my last round with my wife who is a stickler on keeping score. She doesn’t even like to be conceded a two inch putt. She thinks every hole should end with you hearing the ball fall into the cup. It wasn’t easy to get her to stop scoring. I didn’t succeed until the 3rd hole. Our last day round in December was an unusual 60 degrees with blue skies.
The greens were in great shape and the leaves were mostly blown off the course. I felt nothing but satisfaction when we walked off the course. I wasn’t haunted with the thoughts of what I should have done on hole so and so. It was a great way to end the season. I can’t wait to get back out there.
If you’re not going to keep score, make the decision when you start. I’m not suggesting that you keep a score for a round and decide when you’re finished whether to post it or not. But don’t feel compelled to keep score all the time, particularly at the beginning and end of a season. Have fun, take the pressure off. You might be surprised at how well you play and how long the good feelings linger when you’re finished.
Related posts:
- Golf Cheats and Sandbaggers
- Handicap Systems For Everyone
- Help For The FedEx Cup
- Slow Play
- Left Shoulder Locked
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