Playing on your own.

[nairn1967]

How many people on here are happy going out and playing on their own on the course? I joined a club a month or 2 ago and have been playing most weekends with a few friends. However, they aren't the most reliable and there have been a few occasions where I have sacked off going because I would have nobody to play with.

I'm considering starting to go on my own when my friends can't play but have never done this before and the idea of it just seems a bit off, I don't get as excited with the thought of going on my own.

Do many people on here play on their own when they can't get a game with anyone? If so how do you find it? What are the positives/negatives?

Thanks

Can be difficult for a new member at a club if you don't know many people, Most golfers would encourage you to join in and make up a 3 ball / 4 ball, down side is that a lot of club golfers still dont recognise a single golfer and are not willing to let you through which is very frustrating especially if practise on the course is frowned upon.

Best of luck with getting some reliable playing partners

 

[Wayman]

Other than comps I play golf on my own. Due to the fact I have a young family and Golf is decided 5 mins before I tee off

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Depending on when you are playing as a solo at weekends, I can see it being busy and if there are events on, hard to get a game. Get some cards in and get a handicap and start playing comps. Most clubs run weekend roll ups (sometimes called greedies or swindles) so why not ask if/when these play and join these. Guaranteed a regular game.

I do enjoy playing on my own and find it therapeutic at times to clear the head and to try a few things out on the course and work on stuff.

 

[USER1999]

As i get older, i am less willing to play on my own. I do it occasionally, but in general prefer to have a ball spotter with me.

 

[ScoopUK]

I've only just started playing and work shifts. As a result unless I'm playing with someone from work I don't have anyone to play with as don't know anyone else yet. I don't mind though. Find without someone watching me I am a bit more relaxed and play a bit better. Get to try different things like play 2 balls, maybe playing one conservatively and on the other more risky shots, see what works out best. Can also spend a bit of time practising chipping around the green or similar. I'm playing on a local 9 hole which isn't as serious as some other courses. As a result I've never been on it and had more than 1 other group on the course so far. Been the only one on it a couple of times which is great. Downside of playing on your own is no banter and getting frustrated trying to find my ball because wasn't able to watch it's entire flight.

 

[NorfolkShaun]

No issues playing solo, works well for me when nipping out for an impromptu round.

We have a swindle at weekends so always people at the club to team up with if needed and plenty of comps.

 

[nickjdavis]

I play regularly in comps so am perfectly happy to play on my own as well.... especially in the summer evenings.... can be lovely and relaxing and on an empty course I can play with a rhythm that is rarely achievable when playing with others.

A good practice format for playing on you own is a "worse ball scramble"..... exactly as it sounds..... play two balls and choose the worst shot as the position to play the second from..... its a real bigger when you hole the first putt from 20ft and realise that it counts for nothing!!!

 

[Jamesbrown]

I play a lot on my own as I get a lot of time off.
After all your competition is the course.

My club can be full of loners out on the course practicing as well as myself, all enjoying our own company. We all see enough of everybody anyway with three qualifiers a week .

 

[Capella]

I like playing on my own, especially on a summer evening. But it also happens quite often that I head to the golf course on my own and then run into someone I know and we finish the round together.

 

[Dando]

I probably play 75% of my golf solo and I love it mainly because I’m an unsociable git but in reality none of my golfing friends are that keen on teeing off at 5.30am in the summer!

at least I get the course to myself and a chance to practice on grass rather than mats at the range

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

I can’t imagine you should need to play alone at weekends unless you have really tight time constraints. I always use the roll ups as a backup option on a weekend if for some reason I am by myself.

I might play 9 or 12 holes by myself of an evening in the summer if I have some time to kill. Genuinely, I’d rather give it a miss than play by myself at a weekend.

This, I can't imagine turning up at my club on a weekend and not finding a game, normally sitting in the bar with a coffee will invite several enquiries as to whether I have a game arranged and if not would I like to join in, if that fails have a chat with the pro.