One of the biggest myths in golf...

First topic message reminder :

... well two myths actually, on the same subject - Stroke indexes

1) That SI is a "degree of difficulty"
2) That SI makes a difference in strokeplay

How many people here believe these myths?

super_realist wrote: It's worth bearing in mind it's fairly probable that there are a just as many mid-high handicappers who similarly don't like playing with low players.

but as you said above, playing with players better than you can raise your game. you enjoy it, so why shouldn't anyone else? i certainly do. best round i ever had was with an ex-walker cupper. he got me to try a couple of shots i'd never have dared. they worked and it was great to play with someone so much better than me. he was very gracious and we enjoyed the chat, the golf and the views.

Graeme, Personally I do think that it is a very flawed mentality. If you go out with an expectation of what score you want to shoot, you are extremely unlikely to achieve it.
If however you go out with the hope of simply playing well without thinking about your score or attaching extra significance to any shot (which should be the same on every shot) then you are likely to do much better.

For that reason I never ever write my score down on a card.

I think I've been misunderstood again Graeme, by virtue of the variety of golfers within any social circle I do of course play with some people on a social basis who are of much higher handicaps. And I hope that they get the benefit of playing with better players as I do when I play golf with lower players than me.

What I'm saying is that I don't enjoy playing in club handicap knockout competitions because I don't enjoy handicap based competitions. That doesn't mean I exclude higher handicappers or don't like playing with them. I just don't enjoy handicap competitions. That's fair enough isn't it?

graeme,

personally i don't go out trying to stay no more than a certain number over par. i've been trying to seperate each shot into what it stands for -i.e its not a birdie chance from the fairway [technically its an eagle chance] its a birdie chance when you are putting for it. likewise on the tee, i'm not thinking 'i ought to par this hole', i'm trying to think through the tee shot. if i then hit a bad one, i'm thinking about risk / reward of going for the next or not in the knowlegde, the safe one might still leave a 100 yard pitch and a putt to save par. what i'm trying to say is that i only 'score up' mentally when dealing with the consequences of a poor shot - not on the tee, or in the car park getting my shoes on. ye ken?

That's not the right way to approach it.

If you need (say) a gross 80 to win, the way to look at it is -

two 3s
six 4s
ten 5s.

Just ignore the par of the course, and the par of each hole, identify where you can get those scores by hole, and then concentrate on doing that. You'll probably not manage it on a couple of holes, but don't get too down, because you may well improve on a couple of holes as well.

You'll find it easier to score with that approach.

Disagree George, putting pressure on yourself to shoot any number is a sure way to capitulate.

Go out, enjoy yourself and try to play well, within yourself, without expectation and not caring if you hit a bad shot or miss a putt.
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is that they don't accept that bad shots are inevitable. It's part of the egame at every level.
It is how you respond to bad shots that will improve your game and lead to better scores.

Gain control by giving up control.

super_realist wrote:
Gain control by giving up control.

How very Zen

Davie wrote:

super_realist wrote:
Gain control by giving up control.

How very Zen

i like that

SR,

If you read what he asked, he wants to be able to compete against someone scoring well below his handicap. We aren't talking about scratch players here, it's someone who wants to turn in a good score and hasn't managed it by just going out there and playing. If you disregard the traditional stuff like par and GIR, then you can go into the round with a whole fresh mindset. It's about playing within yourself, and avoiding pressuring yourself.

Now if you need to score a 70, that approach isn't going to work. But if you've been scoring 90 and you know you can do better, that's a great way to improve.

super_realist wrote:Disagree George, putting pressure on yourself to shoot any number is a sure way to capitulate.

Go out, enjoy yourself and try to play well, within yourself, without expectation and not caring if you hit a bad shot or miss a putt.
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is that they don't accept that bad shots are inevitable. It's part of the egame at every level.
It is how you respond to bad shots that will improve your game and lead to better scores.

Gain control by giving up control.

Very true SR. I shot a six on my par-5 10th the other day on 2 separate occasions. The first time, hit one off the heel (almost a reverse shank) with a 3-wood into a bush 30 yards away. Hacked it out onto fairway (450 yards short still). Hit 2 half decent hybrids a good pitch and a one putt. Two days later, decent drive, huge hybrid with loads of draw, okay pitch, 3 putts. Moral of story, not how but how many and more pleased with the recovery on the first occasion than the 3-putts on the second occasion. I think a lot of it is about keeping control of your emotions. I remember someone commenting on Cabrera's attitude recently; very stoical, to look at his body language and facial features, you just wouldn't know whether he's nailed one or duffed one.

That's exactly what I mean George, if you want to improve your scores you actually have to forget about your score.

If you are constantly monitoring your score, you put pressure on yourself both when you are scoring well but also when the round is slipping away from you, both meaning that reaching your goal of a predetermined score is more difficult.

Count up your score when you finish, not as you go round. It's difficult not to know what you are scoring, but if you try and focus on something else like the target, shot visualisation or a pre shot routine it might help to take your mind off your score and you might actually end up scoring better.