Any correlation between time-of-day and your score?

[MelloYello]

Recently I'm playing quite a bit in the early morning and my scores have been bad, haha. There's no great way to say it other than, I'm consistently finding ways to post a few big numbers in between short stretches of good golf. My driving is inconsistent and my speed control on the greens has been pretty ugly at times.

 

Oddly enough, when I play late in the day, I seem to be more consistent. It's not always as good as I'd like but it's consistent. There seem to be fewer blow-ups.

 

What about you guys?

[Scooterboy59]

When the dew is off. That is when I play my best. Love 12:00

[Ferguson]

nope. game is the same.

[North Butte]

Yep. Tee off before about 10:30 or so and my game is not as good. Tee off 8am or earlier and I can’t play a lick.

 

In addition to just not being physically at my best early in the morning most golf courses are usually sopping wet until mid morning sometime. I detest everything golf when the ground and grass are wet.

[Lord Helmet]

Im the opposite OP. Earlier the better for me. Do not know why. My brother in law and I have talked about this. He plays in a league in the evenings and Sunday afternoons with my nephew typically. When I join them Sunday afternoons, he shoots low to mid 80s, capable of posting in the 70s if the putts drop. I usually am upper 70s to low 80s in these rounds, and not as sharp off the T or on the green.

 

Switch that to early AM rounds and bro in law struggles to break 90. I usually have a crack at breaking my personal best 74 and am much more sharp. Not sure what it is....but its there.

[w6racing]

I play much better in the afternoons.

 

I think its because as i get older (45) my body take longer to wake up.

[MtlJeff]

Early in the day you get no roll but greens stick better and are a tad slower. So I find short game a bit easier.

 

Late in day I drive the ball 20 yds further.

 

It evens out.

[foxy222]

I always play better in the evening. Not sure why, been that way in all sports I’ve played, night games were always my best and mornings feel tougher

[A.Princey]

I'll up the ante, I play better later in the day after having already played earlier that same day!

 

I'll agree with the OP though, I need a solid 3-4 hours of "wake up" before my muscles and movement are fully functional.

[bladehunter]

Hate early morning starts. Dew effects spin. And roll of putts. Also changes iron strikes and wedges if you play on less than super tight fairways. And from the rough ( Bermuda) it makes it twice as penal.

[North Butte]

Hate early morning starts. Dew effects spin. And roll of putts. Also changes iron strikes and wedges if you play on less than super tight fairways. And from the rough ( Bermuda) it makes it twice as penal.

 

Not to mention having your pants wet halfway up to the knees after just 2-3 holes.

 

The problem with being a "dewsweeper" is that doggone dew!

[Atrayn]

I play better in the morning after a Bloody Mary. Not sure if it's the morning or the Bloody Mary at this point....

[Socrates]

Time of day isn't the issue as long as there are a few range balls hit. The problem with early times is the temperature. Cool mornings mean worse scores for me. If it's warm out and the sun is shining, mornings aren't an issue. Not only is the body less willing, but you have to factor in how far the ball isn't going in the cool air compared to even a couple of hrs later.

[MrJones]

I play most of my rounds as a dew sweeper. And it'll usually be there till around the 12th hole. I play better when I play in the afternoon for many reasons:

 

Body is loose. I hit the ball better and further early on

 

Ground is dry: drives go further.

 

No wet lies in the rough around the green.

 

Greens are easier for me to read for some reason in the later parts of the day.

[SkiSchoolPro]

I tend to score better in the mornings when I'm fresh, greens are smoother and there's less wind on average.

[MaineMariner]

My group is usually the first or second out every Sunday. Because of how far away the course is (about 45 minutes) and the carpooling situation, we never really get there with enough time to properly warm up, so it takes me a good 3-4 holes to really settle in and for my body to loosen up. Couple that with the wet grass, which can be punishing, and you have a recipe for some horrible front 9 scores.

[Bar_Stroll]

Geez, I'm glad I'm not the only one.

 

I have some friends I played with a lot before I laid off the game in 2010. I started playing again and making huge improvements then I'd go out with these guys every once in a while and they play on Sundays at 6:45 a.m. to beat the local scrambles. Basically first guy tees off when we think we can see the ball fly. I'm a steady 10-15 strokes worse playing with them, they must think I'm constantly lying about my normal scoring. I vowed (to myself) to just decline any future invites even though they are some of my favorite people to play with.

 

I boycotted for a while and now because I want to join them as friends I'll just put it in my mind I could care less about a score or even keeping score. I don't mind being up early I just don't do anything to get loose so my swing suffers. I've since enjoyed it much more. I practice different shots or take different clubs or shafts and just have fun.

 

The wet ground is no fun either.

[cardoustie]

i'm best at 1-2 pm

 

Ok at 10-11am

 

Total garbage at 7:30 am

 

At 50 with a bad back, golfer's elbow and arthritic hands I need some time to loosen up and aiming fluid isn't in the cards in the morning

[Mcgeeno]

I'm getting a little older and its put me in a pickle hahaha.

 

I used to love going out at 6-7 AM and being first out, but now I feel stiffer, less loose, the swing feels tight and sore.

 

If I play at 9-10-11 in the morning I score the best for me but it usually is 2 hours slower on my home course....

 

I cant decide which I prefer haha.

[Range Pro]

Putting is especially tough teeing off early in the morning because the speed of greens is constantly changing all morning long.

[North Butte]

Putting is especially tough teeing off early in the morning because the speed of greens is constantly changing all morning long.

 

My last trip to the Ocean Course at Kiawah I played a 7:45am round with a buddy and two guys we got paired up with. Then about 2pm went back out for a solo round with a caddie. Early on he gave me a read on a putt that seemed totally off, based on what I'd seen putts do that morning. It was a 15-footer that I was positive would be dead straight.

 

When I asked him was he sure of the read he said, "What you saw this morning has nothing to do with what it will do this afternoon. Trust me". The read was two balls outside left. I tried my best to comply but lipped it out on the low side. He grinned and said, "The grain probably got worse while we were talking about it".

 

But that was on Paspalum greens in South Carolina, early August. An extreme case to be sure. If you bent down and listened you could just about hear the grass growing in the 95-degree sunshine.

[SomedayScratch]

Mid day, either late morning or early afternoon I play the best. Not sure if that has more to do with the time of day or the fact that these tee times are usually saturdays and sundays, so I'm less stiff from sitting at a desk all day. Rounds immediately after work are probably the worst. Unfortunately, this is most of them...

[getitdaily]

I always score more at night. Wife isn't much of a morning person.

[Cwebb]

Could be as simple as...are you morning person or not. If not, it would be surprising if you shoot better scores early in the morning

[Range Pro]

I always score more at night. Wife isn't much of a morning person.

 

When you lip out, she will tap it in for you.

[North Butte]

I'm actually at my best work-wise early in the day. Not crack of dawn but say 8:00, 8:30 after a couple cups of coffee. Those next several hours I can get more quality work done than in a month of late-afternoons.

 

Just doesn't work that way for me when it comes to playing golf. I think I probably abide by the principle espoused by William Blake

 

Think in the morning.

Act in the noon.

Eat in the evening.

Sleep in the night.

 

I'm hoping to retire one day, keep working about 15-20 hours a week and live my life more fully by those precepts. Get in to the office some time before 9:00, head to the golf course 12:30 or 1:00, be home for supper by 6:00, collect a retirement check plus paycheck every month...sounds like a perfect lifestyle to me!

[getitdaily]

I always score more at night. Wife isn't much of a morning person.

 

When you lip out, she will tap it in for you.

 

She would then get a penalty stroke...

[MaineMariner]

Putting is especially tough teeing off early in the morning because the speed of greens is constantly changing all morning long.

 

This is another great point and it applies to all facets of the short game.

[pearsonified]

I'm better at damn near everything after 3pm.

 

(I absolutely SLAY at coffee before 9am, tho.)

[PowderedToastMan]

No correlation for time of day, but I play ridiculously well when there are no shadows (not in the dark obviously). I go from a scratch slightly better golfer to a course-record threatening machine. It’s the strangest thing in the world.