Played 9 holes today and if I was in a competition I'd be a bandit

[janmolby]

Played 9 holes this evening with a lad from work and at the end I did the 9 holes in 43 shots which for me was very good as my best score for 18 holes is 97.

Reason I posted this is because I'm 100% not a bandit as before this 26 was a handicap I had but couldn't yet play to but today I think I did at most 6 bad shots over those 9 holes. Yet if I was in the competition today and played the back 9 as I did the front 9 then the clubhouse would have been full of people giving out about me. There would be no mention of the money i wasted last year and this year entering competitions hoping to get my handicap down.

 

[ScienceBoy]

There is no reason why someone of your handicap could not shoot in the 80s.

BUT...

The game is mentally harder with a scorecard! (FACT)

The back 9 has 9 new holes and at least 9 new challenges, there it is never certain you will score as good as, you may even score better than!

Competitions bring more to the game, today I am playing with a +1 handicap player, a 3 and an 8 and I am off 14! I can barely play to it also! I feel the pressure but I will also hope their games will raise me up.

Last fact is that it is usually easier with your friends. I went to the range with some guys from work and I was showing off like a trick shot pro. Went out on the course the next night and shot a front 9 of 50

 

[Tiger]

Key thing is you put together a good front nine. You now know you can string together nine good holes which will do your confidence a world of good. Few weeks ago playing with mates I came back in 43 for 24 points. A week later in the medal I played front nine in 54 but came back in 43 partly because I knew I could do it. Hope it acts as a big confidence builder for you!

PS as for comments of banditry just ignore them. They are either a) jealous because they had a bad round or b) suffering from amnesia as they can't remember the scores they posted when they were coming down

 

[Billysboots]

Notwithstanding the fact you clearly played very, very well (and I take my hat off to you), 9 holes is only half a round. It's a different thing altogether putting that sort of golf together over 18 holes, especially with a card in your hand.

Take the positives and keep plugging away, and that handicap will tumble.

 

[janmolby]

Yeah I know it's a whole different ball game when playing in a competition & of course the back 9 almost certainly wouldn't have gone as well as the front 9 but as I had 25 points on the front 9 any decent scoring at all after that would have given me a low to mid 40's score. My point was that next time you see a high handicapper get a score like that it may just be that he happened to play well, we're not all bandits.