An interesting Problem

[Sweep]

Thinking about the golf I have played so far in June, an interesting pattern has emerged. I have played 5 rounds of competition golf at my home course and 5 rounds of competition golf away and it seemed that my away scores were much better than my home results, so I decided to do some analysis. The results are quite dramatic. My average score away is 1.2 under my handicap, which I am delighted with. My average at home is 14.4 over! Admittedly I have enjoyed a couple of great rounds away and had a couple of nightmares at home, but still. There is no doubt my home track is a stiff test, but that should only really account for 2 or 3 shots per round. This month I have averaged 13.2 shots a round better away! So, what is the cause? Poor course management? Maybe a mental thing? Has anyone else ever had this kind of issue or ever analysed home scores v away?

 

[cookelad]

(I think your home to away difference is 15.6) Sounds similar to what I was doing a couple of years ago in that I was basically maintaining my handicap on Open scores as no matter what I seemed to do I couldn't get the damn thing around my home track! Unfortunately I never could work out why!

 

[One Planer]

Sounds to me like you've become a little complacent and your home course and not giving your full focus.

On you're away days you may be putting more effort (Mentally) in judging lay ups and distance as you're not overly familiar with the track.

Then again, that's probably a load of guff

 

[Sweep]

(I think your home to away difference is 15.6)

Oh yeah

 

[Val]

Sounds to me like you've become a little complacent and your home course and not giving your full focus.

On you're away days you may be putting more effort (Mentally) in judging lay ups and distance as you're not overly familiar with the track.

Then again, that's probably a load of guff

Spot on, something a lot of mid to high HC will come experience.

 

[Robobum]

What is your h'cap Sweep??

That home average just sounds crazy!!!

 

[bladeplayer]

Ive been through this , still going through it ha , I think in our own course we know the holes we "should" be scoring on etc and our mind set is set to this , this should be par , birdie etc, and we chase that score ..

i think Gareth has hit the nail on the head with complacent , we have it in our heads how each of the holes should be played . then when we go away we dont have this, we play it as it comes , drive on the fairway get it on or near the green to get down in 2 or at worse 3 , you make a few in 2 and the odd one we birdie and a good score just seems to happen ..

 

[Khamelion]

Sounds to me like you've become a little complacent and your home course and not giving your full focus.

On you're away days you may be putting more effort (Mentally) in judging lay ups and distance as you're not overly familiar with the track.

Then again, that's probably a load of guff

On the away courses you are not familiar with, perhaps you are being more cautious with not exactly knowing what the outcome of an errant shot might be. Where as at home you know the run off areas and what trouble you'll get into on errant shots, so you go for it a little more and end up worse off than if you had played an away type of shot.

Not sayng this is the case but there's a stream running in front of the green, small band of thick rough in front of the stream, flag cut centre left, 15yds from front, 5yds from left.

From 200yds out, away from home you lay up and pitch onto the green, at home, you decide the 4 or 5 iron looks good and instead of an easy pitch as your next shot you've left yourself plugged into the left green side bunker, with next to no green to work with before the cup.

So it could be complacency or maybe poor decision making.

 

[JustOne]

Ive been through this , still going through it ha , I think in our own course we know the holes we "should" be scoring on etc and our mind set is set to this , this should be par , birdie etc, and we chase that score ..

I agree. Always pulling your driver out because you know you can get there with a 'Sunday best', and thinking about what you did last week rather than what you're about to do RIGHT NOW.

 

[North Mimms]

Your home course- yes you get used to it. Your decision is based on the 4 times out of 10 that you carried that hazard, so you stupidly go for it and get into trouble. Or that fact that once you got into that nasty greenside bunker and took 4 to get out so now you steer away from it when really you could clear it with ease.

We play our home courses with a lot of "baggage"


For some big away matches, my partner and I will often play a practice round of we don't know the course, and note things like keep drive down left hand side, better to miss green right etc. We analyse the course "fresh" as we see it- there is no experience, good or bad to influence us.
Try playing it with an open mind as a strange course and see how you get on

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I agree. Always pulling your driver out because you know you can get there with a 'Sunday best', and thinking about what you did last week rather than what you're about to do RIGHT NOW.

I think this is an important factor. On away courses I really think about the shot and clubbing in the context of the round and conditions. Round my own track I tend to play in accordance with what I think I should be able to do based upon what I have done before.

 

[Fader]

Its the same issue i've been having to an extent. Played only 4 comps at my home course this year due to work schedule and got 0.1 back in all of them, yet played 1 away comp and shot well under handicap which has left me 0.2 better off than I started the year and even in bounce games at home club i'm just not scoring well enough then played Sunday at my old mans place and shot well under handicap again.

The only thing I can think of is my course management is better at away clubs because i'm playing holes i'm not familiar with so am having to think through my options rather than going on autopilot at my home club.

 

[Robobum]

I disagree to a certain extent.

Familiarity with my home track means I know exactly where I can and can’t go taking into account ground and weather conditions etc. Then, with a card in my hand, I can make the decisions on what to hit and where to suit the conditions and the state of my scorecard. That is totally different to a bounce game where driver will come out at every opportunity as the end result has no consequence.

I find I’m inclined to hit driver more when at away courses, particularly if I am playing them blind. I go off the hole yardage without a great appreciation of any dangers that may be at landing areas or leaving fiddly approaches etc. I am definitely wiser in the afternoon of a 36 hole comp and my scores normally reflect that.

 

[North Mimms]

I disagree to a certain extent.

Familiarity with my home track means I know exactly where I can and can’t go taking into account ground and weather conditions etc. Then, with a card in my hand, I can make the decisions on what to hit and where to suit the conditions and the state of my scorecard. That is totally different to a bounce game where driver will come out at every opportunity as the end result has no consequence.

I find I’m inclined to hit driver more when at away courses, particularly if I am playing them blind. I go off the hole yardage without a great appreciation of any dangers that may be at landing areas or leaving fiddly approaches etc. I am definitely wiser in the afternoon of a 36 hole comp and my scores normally reflect that.

I think the inportant difference is I'm sure your handicap is low single figures, so you are most probably better at course management and your planned shots shots come off more than most people.
I don't know what Sweep's hcp is, but suspect that is a lot higher than yours

 

[Robobum]

I think the inportant difference is I'm sure your handicap is low single figures, so you are most probably better at course management and your planned shots shots come off more than most people.
I don't know what Sweep's hcp is, but suspect that is a lot higher than yours

Rarely!!!! haha

I asked what the OP h'cap is but haven't seen it yet - regardless, even for a 28h'cap beginner, wasting 14 shots over your h'cap is crazy, whether you know where the ball is going or not.

 

[Sweep]

What is your h'cap Sweep??

That home average just sounds crazy!!!

My handicap is 18. I know. my home average is bad, isn't it? Really bad.
Most say I have the game to play off 12. I think that is a bit ambitious, but I know I can play to 14. Still, if I can't get it round my home track, it isn't going to happen.

 

[Sweep]

Thanks for all your replies. It is very much appreciated. I think the problem has been there for a while and this month has just highlighted it. I couldn't believe it when I worked out the figures (even when I did them wrong!) I must admit that I never really considered that I might be being complacent but I think you are right. I just go with the same clubs on the same holes. I need to rethink and refocus. They say the definition of madness is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. The positive thing is that I know I have the game to go lower, I just have to work out how to do it at home and see each hole as I would if I was playing it for the first time. Alternatively, I could just join another club

 

[Robobum]

My handicap is 18. I know. my home average is bad, isn't it? Really bad.
Most say I have the game to play off 12. I think that is a bit ambitious, but I know I can play to 14. Still, if I can't get it round my home track, it isn't going to happen.

Wow!!! That makes it even more crazy!!!

Have you done some stats and cast your memory back over these rounds?? Pinpoint where the shots are dropped and the reasons??

The you can adjust (or form a new) your gameplan.

There shouldn't be many times, if any, that a person with 18 h'cap ability should be shooting in 3 figures - especially on their home patch!!!!

 

[Sweep]

Wow!!! That makes it even more crazy!!!

Have you done some stats and cast your memory back over these rounds?? Pinpoint where the shots are dropped and the reasons??

The you can adjust (or form a new) your gameplan.

There shouldn't be many times, if any, that a person with 18 h'cap ability should be shooting in 3 figures - especially on their home patch!!!!

I know. There is something wrong. I think my major problem is consistency. It isn't so much one particular shot I am failing at (though hitting the green with a wedge would be nice). I think it is more that I can't seem to avoid throwing in a couple of holes with big numbers. If you do that too often, averaging 5 a hole very quickly becomes 6 and then you are into 3 figures. I will most often do very well in the club ecletic comp, because I score a lot of birdies, but have difficulty stringing 18 decent holes together. We play very few stablefords at my club and the number of stroke play medal comps is a major factor, I am sure.
I won again today - away from home - in a corporate comp at a championship course in windy conditions. 38 points with the inevitable blob that would have ruined a medal card.
Thanks again for your advice. Much appreciated.