Playing in my 1st "proper" comp tomorrow

[woody69]

Decided I want to take part in the winter stableford comps so signed up for my first one and I play tomorrow. Thankfully I have been paired with 2 players of equally (high) handicap. Really looking forward to it!

It is my 1st comp since I joined the club in May and got my initial h/cap so I'm just hoping I don't end up smashing it and get called all names Mexican under the sun (OK, part of me hopes I do!)

Would be nice to get a cut in my 1st comp, but I'm not holding my breath!

 

[BTatHome]

Best of luck, but why so long to play your first comp?

 

[Curls]

Best of luck! Remember these things:

1. If you start well, keep it going, every hole is an opportunity to amass more points
2. If you start poorly, there are lots of holes left on which to amass points
3. If you play great and get cut, you'll be proud out and happy and everyone who loves you will love you
4. If you play absolute horror show and come home with 22 points, everyone who loves you will still love you.

Have fun fella.

 

[woody69]

Best of luck, but why so long to play your first comp?

Purely circumstance and opportunity. 1st son was born Aug 1st this year so it has been difficult to play and the weekends the comps fell on I just happen to be busy. Hoping to play all the winter ones though. Have also signed up for our winter medley, which is a pairs comp played over 4 weekends with a different format for each.

 

[woody69]

Best of luck! Remember these things:

1. If you start well, keep it going, every hole is an opportunity to amass more points
2. If you start poorly, there are lots of holes left on which to amass points
3. If you play great and get cut, you'll be proud out and happy and everyone who loves you will love you
4. If you play absolute horror show and come home with 22 points, everyone who loves you will still love you.

Have fun fella.

Cheers! Appreciate the advice. My friend who has played for many many years said to try and focus on only 1 hole at a time, i.e. completely forget about what just happened or what can happen in several holes time and take my time over putts! (I tend to rush my putts... and miss quite a lot!)

 

[Curls]

Cheers! Appreciate the advice. My friend who has played for many many years said to try and focus on only 1 hole at a time, i.e. completely forget about what just happened or what can happen in several holes time and take my time over putts! (I tend to rush my putts... and miss quite a lot!)

Thats sound advice, even if you have to pick up after putting 3 in the water it has no bearing whatsoever on your ability to make 3 or even 4 points on the next hole, so start afresh and be aware of your score - if you have a 10 foot putt for 1 point there's no point leaving it short!

Edit - one more thing, if you are going well with a fair few points in the bag and you find yourself fantasising about what itll be like to tell your friends/ other half how well you played and how much you get cut - get yourself out of that fantasy world sharp! Day dreaming about after the round is as destructive as still thinking about the missed opportunity 2 holes back - they all take you out of the present which is the only thing you can control and you should be fully in.

 

[woody69]

Thats sound advice, even if you have to pick up after putting 3 in the water it has no bearing whatsoever on your ability to make 3 or even 4 points on the next hole, so start afresh and be aware of your score - if you have a 10 foot putt for 1 point there's no point leaving it short!

That's another thing I need to focus on. I've always thought about my current gross score is. I will very rarely "give up" just because I am out of the points. Means I can be a bit tentative on long putts trying to get it close. I have another mate who simply picks up and stops playing the hole if he blobs and has no interest in what he is scoring stroke wise. Makes him very relaxed and he often plays well as he's never trying to beat his "best ever" gross score.

 

[Hacker Khan]

Purely circumstance and opportunity. 1st son was born Aug 1st this year so it has been difficult to play and the weekends the comps fell on I just happen to be busy. Hoping to play all the winter ones though. Have also signed up for our winter medley, which is a pairs comp played over 4 weekends with a different format for each.

1st son born 3 months ago and planning on playing in all the winter comps! Best of luck with that one, you will pay for it later.

 

[woody69]

1st son born 3 months ago and planning on playing in all the winter comps! Best of luck with that one, you will pay for it later.

What can I say, I have a very understanding wife. Either that or she's cheating on me.

 

[ADB]

What can I say, I have a very understanding wife. Either that or she's cheating on me.

If you live up to your username, I doubt it

 

[G.U.R]

The bit of advice I got before my first comp was that you will be nervous on the first tee and therefore a bit tight and liable to block your drive right and so aim a little more left of centre. It worked as my ball did end up on the right side of the fairway but would have been OB had I not aimed slightly left. Good luck and have fun that's the main thing.

 

[Sir Scoop-A-Lot]

My first comp was a disaster. I put too much focus on lowering my handicap (thought it'd be easy considering what I have) and then earned my name by scooping it left over the boundary fence into the road.

Finished on 17. Lowest ever stapleford score, very embarrassing.

Best advice (which I wish I still followed) just enjoy the moment.

 

[Beezerk]

Good luck mate, still a comp virgin myself but I'm hoping to get started next year.

 

[chellie]

Good luck and try to enjoy it

Beezerk, can you not do comps over winter. My pro has told me to enter all I can just to get used to them. HID is also doing the same although he wasn't a beginner to golf like I am.

 

[Beezerk]

Beezerk, can you not do comps over winter. My pro has told me to enter all I can just to get used to them. HID is also doing the same although he wasn't a beginner to golf like I am.

There's a few on I think, suppose I could to get my eye in, good idea that mate now I think of it. Then again the way I played last weekend

 

[chellie]

There's a few on I think, suppose I could to get my eye in, good idea that mate now I think of it. Then again the way I played last weekend

Well, if I can do it so can you. See my other thread lol My goal is to just keep moving further away from the bottom

 

[drs1878]

Worst that can happen??

+0.1

Just enjoy the round.....

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Have fun. If you are unsure on how to proceed with any rulings, don't touch the ball until you talk to your partners. Be ready to play and above all good bad or indifferent enjoy the company. I'm sure your partners will be as nervous as you.

 

[Wayman]

have fun enjoy tell us how you got on

 

[woody69]

Well I really enjoyed playing, but ended up with a 28 (16 on the front and 12 on the back) points and a 0.1 increase. Missed some silly putts including one from 6"... "I'll just tap it in" and just as I was about to hit it, my FC said, "don't worry about stepping on my line"... stab, 1ft past. Div. One of the guys I played with was a complete rules numpty. I explained the options for a water hazard (red stakes) about 15 times. I also had to tell him he couldn't use his iPhone and Golfshot app and I gave up in the end as he tapped down the green on his line and was marking and placing his ball when in the 1st cut of the rough. Actually felt I was playing quite well weirdly, but the heavens opened from 14th - 16th and the wind picked up and I blobbed every one.

Had a lot of fun though. Felt fairly relaxed and was hitting my irons and driving really well. Just struggled with my putts (as usual!) Looking forward to the next one!

On the plus side, my mate who was also playing managed 42 points and was the overall winner and picked up a 0.8 cut to get him back to 5, so was chuffed for him.