starting off slow...

[slugger]

last couple of times out, i've been quite poor over the first 3 or 4 holes before getting going and putting some good scores on the card.

I drive fine, and the putting isn't bad, but it always takes time for me to find my way with my middle irons for approaches to the green. It's costing me easily 3 or 4 shots in the first 3 or 4 holes!!!!

Any tips to improve on this. I warm up fine, hit around 20 balls, but when it comes to doing it for real on the course...

 

[john0]

Welcome to my world!!

I suffer exactly the same, am always a slow starter and usually drop a number of unnecessary shots over the first 4/5 holes. Our back 9 is much more difficult than the front, yet I always seem to score/play better on the back 9. Maybe we should get a sneaky few holes in before teeing off down the first

 

[Redwood]

I've found this also the last couple of rounds I played. 15 and 11 points going out, and 19 and 21 coming in!!!

As thise were my first two rounds after the removal of the kidney stent I wasn't expecting great things, but basing it on my back nine figures I am hoping there is a good round in there somewhere!!!

 

[RGDave]

I think so much depends on the course. At mine, the first few are trouble-free, so bogeys at worst, hoping for a par or two at best. However, I play at least one course where disaster is written all over the card. I just try to stay calm and plan a strategy to suit. Having started 7 over the other day for just 3 holes, I was determined not to do that yesterday when I played a course I've not been to for years and years. Teed off both par 4s to take the fairway bunkers out of play, went for the "bail out" area (short, long, left, whatever) for the 2nd shot and went from there....ended up 1 over after 3 and 5 over after 9....just played steady, steady every shot and got back to 4 over after 12.....not bad.

 

[bobmac]

I warm up fine, hit around 20 balls,

Now, this isn't for everyone but....
You hit 20 balls for a warm up?
Nowhere near enough.
5-10 mins putting, chipping and bunkers.
5-10 mins pitching (1/2-3/4) swings
5-10 minutes going through the irons..8,6,4 rescues finishing up with 1/2 a dozen drivers then straight on the first tee.
That will give you more of a chance to get straight into some good scoring from the start.
but as I said, it's not for everyone

 

[MizunoGreyhound]

I would dearly love to go through the warm up you mention Bob, but as we have 2 nets and a putting green anywhere near the first tee, there is precious little chance of that happening.

Don`t know if anyone else finds this, but irons generally ok, however no idea where the driver is going for the first couple of efforts.

 

[slugger]

As above, that warm up sounds ideal, but we don't have the best of facilities. There is a practice area to the east end of the course that is out of bounds, but all other practice areas on the course are in bounds and therefore not within use on match day - are there local rules to get around this kind of thing? I'm going to ask when i'm up there at the weekend.

After my neck problems last week and week before, i am now making a big effort to stretch properly before playing though.

I'll make sure and take at least 15 minutes chipping and up to 1/2 swings on the practice area first on sunday though.

 

[Parmo]

I agree with Bob.

I find warming up on the range with short game to long game back to short game then putting, followed by a few cigs and a coffee then knob one off the first.

 

[JustOne]

I drive fine, and the putting isn't bad, but it always takes time for me to find my way with my middle irons for approaches to the green. It's costing me easily 3 or 4 shots in the first 3 or 4 holes!!!!

Are you being aggressive enough to start with? I find that on the first couple of holes 150yds feels like a 7-iron but on the back 9 it's a 9-iron

Make sure you are properly warmed up, stretch, hit some shots, eventually have some proper full swings to get the juices flowing.

I also found that chipping dead helps It means that if you do hit a reasonable drive and then nobble a 5-iron close enough to the green it's a simple up and down and sneak off with a par

Short game is the saviour.... if you see mine tell it to come home!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My pre-match routine in competitve round is well know and I tend to get there about an hour before my tee time. Our first three holes are pretty demanding off the whites and so I just try and settle for a bogey per hole (net par) and then by the 4th I'm happily into my round. Sometimes I can par the 2nd and 3rd but that way I'm under no real duress if I don't. The 1st remains a golfing mystery and can be anything from a 3 to a 7 or 8 (par 3)

 

[Imurg]

The one thing I miss from my old club is the on-site driving range. We currently have 2 nets and a decent putting green. We also have the short course but I can't hit anything bigger than a wedge there. So I can't warm up the driver, fairways etc except in the nets which to be honest are shabby.
Our first is only 385 yards but almost everyone plays it as a par 5 due to having to lay-up before a stream or risk carrying 200yards over it. The lay-up leaves a shot in excess of 200 yards so most have never hit the green in 2. It hurts to almost accept a bogey on such a short hole but to go for the carry has little margin for error.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Depending on the tee time, I have been known to hit a bucket at a range literally 5 minutes away by car when the practice ground has been flooded. Into the car, pay the mony, a few putts and a couple more shots in the net. I actually made a par par start so it could be the answer