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Consistent nines...

Tiger

Money List Winner
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Aug 19, 2009
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Suffolk
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Anyone else have issues like this where one nine is consistently better than the other. My last five times out I've scored significantly better on my second nine. Before you ask it's not the course as two of those five rounds I played the back nine first. It's all due to my short game it takes about 8 or 9 holes to warm up. Practicing before hand makes no difference either. Wierd. Has to be pressure pitches, chips and putts and only get them during the round. Am I alone in this regard or anyone else suffering from this malaise?
 
Very much so Tiger.

In our game yesterday I had 12 points on the front 9 and 22 on the back!!

Played like I'd never heard of golf on the front 9 and under par gross on the back.....

Hey ho, was a glorious sunny afternoon at least
 
i tend to do this all the time,i'll play one 9 perfectly well then fall apart on the other 9 and it's in no particular order.it's a pain in the ass!!!
 
Yep. Feast or famine for me. I'll play the front nine well and blow out or use my full handicap quota by the 7th and play the back nine in something like three over. Can't find the magical combo of two matching halves
 
I'm usually fairly consistent but if I do have a difference it's a biggie!
Think I had 8 out and 22 back once - that sort of thing.
 
There's a separate thread about 'in the mind' - if really suffering something you could try is to work out the par for each set of 6 holes and score three lots of six. At least then if you start poorly you can start scoring better more quickly! Of course no need to stop at six...
 
There's a separate thread about 'in the mind' - if really suffering something you could try is to work out the par for each set of 6 holes and score three lots of six. At least then if you start poorly you can start scoring better more quickly! Of course no need to stop at six...


i've tried this and it doesn't work for me personally.i tried 6 lots of 3 holes but my score was always in the back of my mind.
 
The back 9 at my home course is far easier than the front 9. My best ever gross score on the front 9 is 6 over but I've done the back 9 in level par gross. Having said that I also tend to have a much better back 9 regardless of the course. I think it takes me a while to warm up for chips and putts etc.
 
There's a separate thread about 'in the mind' - if really suffering something you could try is to work out the par for each set of 6 holes and score three lots of six. At least then if you start poorly you can start scoring better more quickly! Of course no need to stop at six...
It's not so much about knowing my score as I don't pay any attention on my way round but thinking of it as three sixes is interesting...

Thing is a lot of you are talking about fluctuations in scoring. I'm talking about being consistently inconsistent. No matter which way round I play the course I more often than not finish stronger than I start!?!?
 
17 out yesterday, 9 in - 1 blob on front and 4 in 1st 5 holes on the back... c'est la vie

had 2 four pointers aswell so makes the scoring even worse :)

My tee shots were the best ever but my irons and chipping were woeful. I just accepted it wasnt going to happen and enjoyed the round regardless
 
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Best way is to play one hole at a time, what's behind you and to come has no bearing on the hole you are currently playing.
 
Gary Player once said that amatuers take 5 or 6 holes to warm up, and can then play even worse if they've had a really bad start. Two things immediately spring to mind, 1) a proper warm up, 2) why have an artificial break in the round after 9 holes. Comments like, "I shot xx on the front 9 and need to shoot yy on the back 9," immediately puts pressure on the player achieve.

One to try; look to score no more than 5 on a hole. If you score a 4, you're allowed a 6 in your round. All of a sudden it doesn't matter if you score a 6 - "Arrrggghhh! I scored a 6!" It doesn't matter if you have a 6, its the score at the end of the round that counts. If you average 5's, that a 90 for the round. If your handicap is less than 20, adjust the hole targets, e.g. no more than 16 holes with an average of 5 plus 2 of the par 3's must be 4's. That will give you an 88.

Setting a 5 target can actually take pressure off your 2nd shot. You've knocked it into the deep do-do's. Do you play the impossible, and try and make a 4, or do you drag out a short iron and knock it onto the fairway short of the green? If you choose the latter option you won't leave your 2nd shot in the rubbish and post a 6. In fact, you have a reasonable chance of an up and down 4.

Try it. You'll be amazed how much pressure a run of 4's takes off your round when you know you can have a run of 6's and not hurt your score.
 
Tiger I play off a similar handicap to you and this happens to me a lot during competitions, I would play better after 7 or 8 holes.

I would start poorly and once I knew I wasnt going to win anything the pressure comes off.

Once, I had a terrible first 8 then proceeded to gross par 6 holes on the trot. My playing partners were amazed seeing as I had struggled to get it off the tee the first few holes. This is off 27 hcp!
 
Me yesterday..

11 point front nine, including a 4-point birdie :o
17 point back nine.

So pretty inconsistent scoring...


... but I chipped and putted like a knobber over all 18 so in that respect I was fairly consistent. :eek:
 
Hi I'm new to the forum.This thread is so relevant to my golf. One of the worst examples would be a +21 on the from 9 followed by a +9 on the back 9. I was playing with a friend and his boss at their course. Maybe the nerves got the better of me when starting out. Relaxed on the back 9!! Would love to be able to put my "good half" into action over the course of a whole round!
 
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