First 3 holes or last 3 holes.... which are harder?

[JustOne]

Are the first 3 holes easier or harder to play?

Are you nervous on the first 3? not warmed up? has your focus (and your round) gone by the time you approach the last 3 holes or are you shaking like a leaf at the prospect of making 3 pars for a new personal best?

Which do you find harder to play and why?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Last three at my place. 420 yard par 4 16th (SI 3) with OB all the way down the left hand side of the drive. 200+ yard par 3 with OB left at 17 and par 5 closing hole with OB right, ditch for longer hitters and a pond cutting into the green. I'll take 5, 4, 6 every time

 

[Imurg]

I don't think it makes any odds to me generally but at APGC definitely the last 3, simply because they're difficult compared to the first 3.
I try and - cliche-time - take every hole as it comes (Oooh-er Matron) so in that respect they're all the same.
But our last 3 - long par 4, tricky par 5, longish par 4 - is one of the reasons I joined the club instead of others. It's a strong finish.
But then our 1st is hard too.

As a rule though - no different for me.

 

[duncan mackie]

the 12 in the middle (according to my comp stats) by a long way!

Of these 6 the first 3 play easier by a fair margin though - no doubt the 1,500+yds of the last 3 (par 4,5,4) contributes to this...

 

[monktonhallgc1882]

well considering the 18th played 6.1 (485 yard par 4) in the final medal got to be the last 3 holes.

 

[Oddsocks]

Re the original question, it has to be last 3. First three I have no expectations, but last three you make assumptions based on the previous holes.

For me the hardest holes are the last 6, the first 6 i swing loose expecting nothing, the mid 6 I'm working out what I think I can shoot, the last 6 I'm trying to recover from the mid section cock ups.

Take today, first six +2, mid six +6, last 6 +7.... Bloody scary really!

 

[splashtryagain]

Nothing to do with the actual holes and my pro has a go at me for this but, the first 3 holes as this is where i know if I am having a good swing day or not. Pro has a go as if not good for first 6 then I switch off and just have a laugh.

 

[Siren]

First 3 at my course however the 18th should be stroke index 1 but its is stupidly long and uphill

 

[Iaing]

First three without a doubt.
I always seem to finish stronger than start. Must be lack of preparation.
Always seems a bit more tentative in the first few holes.

 

[Mungoscorner]

Normally when i start well i finish poorly,and vice versa.
No idea why ?

 

[upsidedown]

Over the last 20 rounds I've played the first 3 in 1.8 over and last 3 in 1.6 over so for it's the first 3

 

[Andy808]

Similar start and finish to our round. 1st and third are tricky with the 2nd being a fairly simple par 3. To finish the 16 is a simple par 4 then it's a long par 4 which has a bad habit of biting you on the back side when you least expect it and the final hole has OOB all down the right with a dogleg right to boot. The first is SI5 and the last 2 holes are SI1 and SI4. Tricky start and a tricky finish.

 

[Snelly]

Last 3 - no question.

 

[LanDog]

1st 3 on any course. I usually struggle to get into rhythm at the start of a round

 

[ScienceBoy]

Some courses have a tricky 18th, some have an easy 18th. At my old course if yo got through 15 and 16 all you had to do was cruise home through a moderatly tricky par 3 with a deep green and an "easy" par 5 when played safe is very straightforward and has lots of margin for error.

 

[bobmac]

For those of you who panic over the last few holes if you have a good score going, just remember, if you tie with someone else, countback is the back 9, back 6 and back 3.

For those of you who start a round with no warm up and suffer on the first few holes, I have no sympathy.

 

[jdchelsea]

First 3 for me. Think it's more to do with figuring out what's working for me on any given day. I.e. not driving well might start hitting irons/fairways off tees. Think it's a case of learning from mistakes as the round goes on.

 

[MashieNiblick]

Setting aside the intrinsic difficulty of the actual holes, I'd say on balance last 3. I'm rubbish at closing out a good round. By the last 3 I'm usually getting a bit tired, and might be feeling a bit of pressure if there's still something to play for.

 

[Threeoffthetee]

If I can walk off the first three at our place with six points I am very very happy...normally looking at four and sometimes worse. By the final three I am either warmed up, or too tired to care. Just for the record, this morning I got went nett birdie, nett par, nett par and on the 4th the comp was called off owing to flooded greens and unplayable conditions......gutted.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Our first hole is a long par 3 with OB right but I get a shot and happy to take 4. The 2nd is a par 5 and as long as you avoid the OB right off the tee it is fairly simple. The 3rd is a long par 4 and you have to carry an environmental area which is OB. Once that is negotiated it is a fairly straightforward hole and 5 should be the worse you get. If you can come out of those level twos or better it sets you up nicely. I'm not saying I've not had my share of disasters but I don't fear the holes as I tend to warm up before hand so go in feeling loose and confident