Do you remember your first club comp and if so how did it go?

Imurg

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Can't remember the exact score but it was bad enough to put me up 0.1.
The first 3 comps I played all did that..reached my highest ever handicap of 15.3 and then the downward spiral commenced.
I think I won my 5th or 6th comp starting with a treble on the 1st....
 

Bdill93

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Sliced it off the tee on the first into a normally safe area.

No one told me to hit a provisional despite me making everyone aware it was my first comp and I'd need help with rules etc.

Walked back to the tee surrounded by 30+ players to replay my shot 5 minutes later after not finding the ball. Great!

So really, the least perfect start possible! But its never been that bad since! :ROFLMAO:
 

Britishshooting

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Yes it was called the Joe Shardlow Cup. I was 13 (18 years ago)

Fortunately they had a junior division as they usually let juniors play in adult comps, only however if approved by the committee due to potential for destroying the field due to advancing quickly with high handicaps.

It was a single stab Format and there was probably only about 25 juniors on the field but I won with 50 points off 27. Second and third we’re at 48 points.

It was probably around a year after before my handicap dropped to a level that was acceptable for me to partake in men’s events.

We used to play in fiddles during the school holidays. The old boys would have 24 handicap juniors off about 5 and somehow the juniors would still take money off them ?

Great times looking back, was really fortunate to have a really good junior team and a membership base that was as inclusive as possible for juniors, whilst keeping things fair for the main membership base.
 

Bamberdele21

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Sliced it off the tee on the first into a normally safe area.

No one told me to hit a provisional despite me making everyone aware it was my first comp and I'd need help with rules etc.

Walked back to the tee surrounded by 30+ players to replay my shot 5 minutes later after not finding the ball. Great!

So really, the least perfect start possible! But its never been that bad since! :ROFLMAO:

Haha

How did the provisional go with the added crowd behind you?
 

Bamberdele21

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Yes it was called the Joe Shardlow Cup. I was 13 (18 years ago)

Fortunately they had a junior division as they usually let juniors play in adult comps, only however if approved by the committee due to potential for destroying the field due to advancing quickly with high handicaps.

It was a single stab Format and there was probably only about 25 juniors on the field but I won with 50 points off 27. Second and third we’re at 48 points.

It was probably around a year after before my handicap dropped to a level that was acceptable for me to partake in men’s events.

We used to play in fiddles during the school holidays. The old boys would have 24 handicap juniors off about 5 and somehow the juniors would still take money off them ?

Great times looking back, was really fortunate to have a really good junior team and a membership base that was as inclusive as possible for juniors, whilst keeping things fair for the main membership base.

If you were playing comps at 13 then I’m interested to know what you play off now 18 years later
 

Orikoru

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Don't remember my first comp, but I remember my first Club Champs in summer 2017, which was only 6 months after joining. The first day I was absolutely awful, and so were the others in my group which just makes it worse. Took about 4.5 hours to get round as we had to keep letting people through, and I shot 108, my worst score of the entire year. Club Champs is a two-dayer, so I was out in the first group the next morning (done in reverse score order you see), had a lovely relaxed round and shot 92, which was my best score of the year so far at the time! So salvaged a bit of self respect. :LOL:
 

Bamberdele21

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Straight down the middle to be fair!

I'm better with more people watching for some stupid reason it seems!

When is your first one? This weekend?

Nice. So you’re good under pressure?

Got a stableford on the 27th feb and medals on the 5th March. I’m first in line for both at 07.04. Keen is an understatement but a bit edgy in regards to the proper rules.
 

Bratty

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I lost 6&5 to a guy in my first knockout comp at Westerham some 15 years ago. I still remind him of it to this day!
 

dprees

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I played my first club competition two months ago. A Stableford, with three other PPs -- all stalwarts of the Seniors section, with handicaps far lower than mine. It was also only my second time attempting 18 holes -- my club membership at that time only permitted 9 holes.

I was, of course, very nervous, and for the first three holes, played really badly. I even four-putted on one of them, and blobbed all three. The really great thing was the support I got from my PPs -- "we've all been there", "that was a good shot", etc.

Fortunately golf is a game played over three hours or more, so the nerves do die down, and from the 4th onwards I settled, began to enjoy the game, and at the end of the match, was shocked to discover I'd got 42 Stableford points, and was in danger of topping the leaderboard that day (benefit of an outrageously high handicap). Fortunately someone else won...but the following week, I got 48 points, and did win. I've never played that well again, though!

The lesson I drew from those first two events was that nerves can cause you to play badly; they can also get you to focus, and play really well. Now I'm more relaxed at the start of a game, I've lost the match nerves, and tend to play to my standard (depending upon conditions) all the time. I end up with points somewhere in the 30s, which is nice, but I know the hard slog now begins--getting my handicap down. I'm intrigued to find out if I can get those nerves back, and harness them to my advantage, in bigger events like the club Open, and in knockouts -- I'll find out this summer.

I try to play at least one competition a week now, sometimes two, and find I enjoy my golf much more now that it has a competitive element to it. It's also nice to play with golfers I've never met before, and become part of the group. I got a fair bit of good-natured ribbing about those first two matches, but nothing I minded in the least--probably the only time I'll be considered a bit of a bandit!

I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much you enjoy your first comp. Let your nerves be a spur to good play, once you are into the game. Have fun, and good luck!
 

Orikoru

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Straight down the middle to be fair!

I'm better with more people watching for some stupid reason it seems!

When is your first one? This weekend?
Provisional balls are always perfect. If only we could hypnotise ourselves to think every ball is a provisional, we'd all be off scratch.
 

AliMc

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Not for me other than it was at Haddington, it was about 50 years ago, I struggle to remember games from a couple of months ago tbh !
Funnily enough I can remember one of the guys i played with, he worked as a blacksmith and had huge powerful shoulders and arms, on the 4th he drove into the deep rough about 70 or 80 yards from the green, at Haddington in the summer it was like hay, somehow we found it, i'm thinking he will do well to shift this, it looked like he took out about a tonne of grass and hit it onto the fringe of the green, remember thinking naw I couldn't do that !
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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No…was 1985…must have been ok as my first three rounds were for handicap and my first handicap was 16. I must have won a few bits and pieces pretty soon after as my handicap came down to 13 in not many months.
 

rudebhoy

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About 5 years ago for me. I was a bag of nerves, not helped by the fact I'd never played off the whites before. Every drive seemed much harder than off the yellows. Didn't totally disgrace myself, got around 30 points. It got easier after that.
 

Bdill93

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Nice. So you’re good under pressure?

Got a stableford on the 27th feb and medals on the 5th March. I’m first in line for both at 07.04. Keen is an understatement but a bit edgy in regards to the proper rules.

Bit of time still then.

My best advice is just let your playing partners know you're new to competition play and if they could point out any rules along the way. Generally as long as you are clued up on provisional ball rules and penalties - you'll be fine! It isn't often a full rules dispute comes out on the course (or not at my place anyway). Whack the ball around and keep track of your shots. If you're unsure on anything just ask for your PP's help.

The first comp will never be your best round, but its one to remember and once the first is over and done with, they get easier! The only pressure on you is the pressure you put on yourself - so just relax and enjoy!
 

Bamberdele21

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I played my first club competition two months ago. A Stableford, with three other PPs -- all stalwarts of the Seniors section, with handicaps far lower than mine. It was also only my second time attempting 18 holes -- my club membership at that time only permitted 9 holes.

I was, of course, very nervous, and for the first three holes, played really badly. I even four-putted on one of them, and blobbed all three. The really great thing was the support I got from my PPs -- "we've all been there", "that was a good shot", etc.

Fortunately golf is a game played over three hours or more, so the nerves do die down, and from the 4th onwards I settled, began to enjoy the game, and at the end of the match, was shocked to discover I'd got 42 Stableford points, and was in danger of topping the leaderboard that day (benefit of an outrageously high handicap). Fortunately someone else won...but the following week, I got 48 points, and did win. I've never played that well again, though!

The lesson I drew from those first two events was that nerves can cause you to play badly; they can also get you to focus, and play really well. Now I'm more relaxed at the start of a game, I've lost the match nerves, and tend to play to my standard (depending upon conditions) all the time. I end up with points somewhere in the 30s, which is nice, but I know the hard slog now begins--getting my handicap down. I'm intrigued to find out if I can get those nerves back, and harness them to my advantage, in bigger events like the club Open, and in knockouts -- I'll find out this summer.

I try to play at least one competition a week now, sometimes two, and find I enjoy my golf much more now that it has a competitive element to it. It's also nice to play with golfers I've never met before, and become part of the group. I got a fair bit of good-natured ribbing about those first two matches, but nothing I minded in the least--probably the only time I'll be considered a bit of a bandit!

I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much you enjoy your first comp. Let your nerves be a spur to good play, once you are into the game. Have fun, and good luck!

This resonates with me ?

I’m a very competitive person i’m always that one out of my circle who will suggest playing a £1 for closest to pin / a hole etc even tho they are better than me I can’t help but be competitive with them. So yeah, I’m sure this will suit me to the ground a lot more knowing there’s some sort of cash voucher at stake lol.

Also the nerves / pressure isn’t a bad thing as you say. I’ve played many sports over the years when this is a massive part of the game.

About 5 years ago for me. I was a bag of nerves, not helped by the fact I'd never played off the whites before. Every drive seemed much harder than off the yellows. Didn't totally disgrace myself, got around 30 points. It got easier after that.

This I’m really looking forward to. The white tees always look in tip top condition when I walk past them
 
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Bdill93

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Provisional balls are always perfect. If only we could hypnotise ourselves to think every ball is a provisional, we'd all be off scratch.

Facts! Always make the standard "Should have done that the first time" comment too... Because you have to really
 
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