Wayman
Tour Winner
I know my score all way round.
To be honest I've tried ignoring my score but it lasts about 1 hole
To be honest I've tried ignoring my score but it lasts about 1 hole
You only play 1 holeI know my score all way round.
To be honest I've tried ignoring my score but it lasts about 1 hole
Never keep track of my score.
Belt it then find it, Belt it then find it, hole out, write it down.
Rinse & repeat.
I feel that keeping score can affect your focus on the shots ahead.
And as a separate point is there any other sport in which competitors may choose not to know their score until its complete?
There's a few similar to this but if I can use yours as the most recent, I take it you mean keeping track can affect in a negative way (the other way wouldn't make sense I guess)
I was wondering though if knowing the score should instead focus the mind in a positive way in terms of course management and club/shot selection
After all 12 bad holes followed by 6 pars has to be a better feeling than 18 bad holes or do you mean if you have 12 good holes going then check score it affects you so that you then suffer the bad holes?
And for all, what changes do you think take place to a player if you see you have a good score going then after checking, the wheels somehow come off?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^. THIS exactly^^^^^^^^^^^If you have got your score in your mind then that often promotes thoughts like "if I par that then that, bogey there or something like if I can bogey in from here"
That is not good for focussing on the shot at hand imo.
You can also be protective of a good score. We all know when we are playing well but when you know the exact score you can start using up them shots you have got to be safe when you don't really need to.
Staying in the moment is key for golf imo.
If you have got your score in your mind then that often promotes thoughts like "if I par that then that, bogey there or something like if I can bogey in from here"
That is not good for focussing on the shot at hand imo.
You can also be protective of a good score. We all know when we are playing well but when you know the exact score you can start using up them shots you have got to be safe when you don't really need to.
Staying in the moment is key for golf imo.
Knowing your score and playing one shot at a time are not mutually exclusive. Knowing your score is fine as long as you don't let it overwhelm you or dictate the way you play. "Playing safe" because you are on a good score is just daft. If you're playing well and have been hitting your driver well all day, hit it again, why wouldn't you if it is the right club?
I know my score but it doesn't affect my shot selection and it isn't the reason I might hit a bad shot, bad shots happen, it's how you react to them that can be the problem.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, whether they know their exact score or not, has messed up the last few holes of a good round on more than one occasion, it happens.
Everybody is different and works in different ways so some people might even work the opposite.
What im talking about is not always a conscious decision like shot selection as well, your mind can sub consciously encourage what it thinks is a safe swing or something different than your normal swing etc.
But even if you don't know your exact score you know when you are playing well so this could happen anyway. As you say though, we are all different, there is no right way