Clean ball striking or posting a good score

[HomerJSimpson]

OK just finished my two medal rounds in the competition (two cards over any three days of the long weekend). Had a nett 75 (+5) yesterday and played much as I have been for months so wasn't hugely shocked although I did have a weak finish.

Played this morning in the drizzle (until the 9th) and went out in 43 same as yesterday and then from nowhere played the next 5 holes in 2 over gross. Just as I was thinking about a sub-par round and finishing close to level par for the two rounds I finished treble, double.

The point is on both days I didn't strike the ball particularly well. While I wasn't fussed about it yesterday, I had a horrible nagging feeling all the way round (especially the back 9) that although I was scoring well I wasn't happy. My distances off the tee and with my irons were poor (hitting 8 irons from 110 into a slight breeze and still only just getting there etc). Do you prefer to hit the ball well and accept that some days you don't score as well as the ball striking deserves or would you rather get it round in any fashion to post a good score.

When I was playing well (seems so long ago) I have to say I'd rather have a good ball striking day and if I didn't score well accept that perhaps I missed a few greens and put too much pressure on my short game or accept that my putter onthat day was a little cold.

Ball striking or scoring - over to you!

 

[toyboy54]

Played yesterday and today,the difference was that yesterday Ihit the ball really well but could'nt score.Today i tried to guide the ball around and won £3(was 9 over for front nine and 4 over for back nine)o.k. got streaky with the old ping anser,but hey I'll settle for that!!!

 

[Cernunnos]

Hi, Homer.J.Simpson,

Clean ball striking or Good scoring. Its actual a difficult one & very much depends upon my state of mind. If I'm striking well & yet not scoring then it can be very annoying, especially If I lip out or make a silly mistake when I've set up ready for a good hole. However I'm usually a good putter, often getting between 28 to 36 puts per 18 holes, with 30 to 33 putts being the usual way of things. So I f anything I may strike well but make the occasional silly mistake even though my short game is normally quite good.

I have scored quite well even on days when my ball striking has been both a mixture of thin & heavey, though usually when I'm still in good possitions. There are positives in both & also annoyance if one part of the game has been lacking.

To hit a bad shot well & have someone say good shot when infact it isn't makes me feel bad & my reaction is usually: "Nice of you to say so, but it was really an awful shot" knowing I've gotten away with something I shouldn't I feel quite guilty walking off with a parr of birdie on holes where in all honesty I've actually been jammy or lucky in the extreme.

On the other hand when I've hit a brilliant iron shot or driver etc & then been unlucky in being obscured for my next shot due to an unfriendly bounce or something thats say left me behind a tree I can feel hard done by, though anything for a challenge would be the positive from that.

At the end of the day I'drather score well while hitting well.In other words have a good round I feel is honestly good.

My favorite rounds are actually those where I've hit well but been hard done to & yet posted a reasonable score under the curcumstances rather than a brilliant score just because I've played luckily.

Can't really give a simle answer as therre is no simple answer as every round is different & ever time we go on the course can be of a different mental state.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Strike well score poorly, anyday of the week! I play, mainly, for the fun of hitting good shots.

Generally though, my game is about good hits and poor scores. Therefore todays +6 round was good as I hit the ball well and didn't hole a putt. But still played to 6. No disasters!!

Hole some of the 10-15 footers and I may come down.

 

[theeaglehunter]

Clean striking for me all the way, if you get a good score when hitting it poorly and believe me I have done this- then it is usually because you have been very fortunate and had a fair bit of luck during the round. If however you start striking it more consistently and play a round where you are clipping it off the turf almost perfectly and yet do not score well you can still take pleasure from the fact that your game is in good shape and good scores should be just around the corner. Rather than sheepishly and somewhat ashamedly having to add up a score you know you didn't deserve.

 

[RGuk]

I had the weirdest round for ages on Saturday (vs. TonyN).
He was feeling a bit shaky, and I just felt that anything could happen. By some miracle of maths (still can't believe it) I managed to play to 12 with 2 triples (7s) on my card!

I didn't think I was hitting it at all well and would have swapped the lucky birdies (2) for the unlucky 7s.

What am I trying to say?.....well.....I'm happiest when I'm hitting the ball well and pretty straight, chugging along with pars and bogeys.

I'd rather make a bogey with a cracking drive, followed by a "just off the green", chip and two putt than a rubbish drive, 5I 2nd when I normaly go with 9I followed by a great chip and then miss a sitter for par.

I'd rarely trade a good score for hitting the ball well and feeling confident, even if the scores don't reflect it.

 

[rob2]

I`d take good clean ball striking over a good score any day of the week.

If I play badly but shoot a good score I leave the course feeling like I got lucky. If I am striking well but scoring poorly I leave the course thinking "next time I come......."

Its the eternal optimism that puring a few shots down the middle and into tight pin positions brings (just wished it happened more often)

Rob2

 

[andiritchie]

i agree with rob i always fell lucky when i hit it bad but score good i played the first 7 holes last week and all my shots were thin or fat including a skyed drive that just got off the tee but i still managed 2 points per hole very scabby

 

[Cernunnos]

Been thinking about this a bit & my final conclusion is:

Although we all want good scores I think I def'feel a lot better & happier when I've been making good ball contact & playing the best I can. As if I've not scored well when playing wel I'm just being unlucky.

 

[level5s]

i enjoy good ball striking but i enjoy a good score more. To score well i need to strike it well, i only ever scramble into the buffer when making the most of a bad striking day.
this said i do like the saying of "there are no pictures on a scorecard".
we need to take advantage of the thin or fat that somehow comes good and we score from it as sure as night follows day golf will throw an unlucky bounce into a bunker etc before long

 

[Sam]

i enjoy good ball striking but i enjoy a good score more. To score well i need to strike it well,

Now then own up if you thinks that't a contradiction

 

[Cernunnos]

Ah yes scrambling... Yeah, now there is something that gives me a buzz.

 

[vig]

Clean ball striking every day of the week.

I know my putting is suspect (working on it) so good scores will come

 

[viscount17]

this has been a real brain teaser.

striking well and not scoring well implies that some part of your game is off, while striking less well but scoring implies that at least part of your game is going well.

my conclusion, be happy with what has gone well and don't be too downhearted by what has not. With golf, as with the weather - it will all change tomorrow.

 

[USER1999]

I am a huge fan of good ball striking. To me, the score is almost irrelevant if I strike the ball well. I would rather see a perfectly struck 8 iron clear the green, and disappear out of bounds than knife one to 2 foot. It is all about feed back and quality of strike. As long as I hit the ball well, I am a happy golfer.
Hacking about to obtain a score is necessary in order to maintain handicap, but it is a miserable experience.

 

[toonarmy]

Easy - clean ball striking every time.

With clean ball striking, good scores will always be around, even if they are not consistent. With dodgy ball striking, you may post the odd good score, but you're never sure how long it will last and you always feel a little like you have cheated.

I broke my PB with the first round with my new sticks and that was based entirely on great driving and irons (especially front nine). The sensation of quality golf far exceeded the realisation that I'd just shot a new low score.

 

[medwayjon]

Scoring, a true measure of skill is being able to pull a good score together if having an off day.

how often has tiger been off colour but still done the business?

Yes there is no sweeter feeling that watching a 5W fly straight and true off the deck but what is the point of the great strike if the score is duff???

 

[USER1999]

Just knowing it was a great strike is enough.