Question about new golfer wanting to experience different courses

[Golfin Teacher]

Hello! I fell head over heels in love with golf this summer and have been playing at least 9 holes nearly every single day (I'm a teacher :)) I just moved to the area I live in and I don't have any golfing buddies yet. I'm really wanting to experience some different golf courses, but a few things are keeping me from doing it.

 

First is the fact that I would be going to a course as a single. I know there are a lot different courses with different rules and norms, but is it annoying/difficult to experience courses on your own? My father in law and I played a course this summer and a single was grouped with us and I felt pretty bad for him since we were pretty bad, but he was a pretty decent golfer.

 

I guess that is really the major issue: I'm worried about not performing well. Should I just get over this and enjoy the game, or should I wait to play different courses until I get my slice fixed? I don't hit a slice every time, but probably 1 out of every 3 find the tall stuff on the right and I'm out there wading around looking for my ball slowing people down. I don't know what my handicap is but I typically average a 45 on a par 36 on my normal course.

 

So how does everyone feel about being paired with or playing behind a guy like me?

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

Unless you happen to play only in the company of the same group of friends every time you play, the answer is yes, you have to just get over it. I had not been playing golf more than a year or so before I noticed that the people I got paired up with on public courses were almost as likely to be a lot worse than me as be a lot better than me. But the key is to experience the game without judging yourself or worrying about others judging you.

There's a few things you can do. If you're playing with other people and have taken six or seven strokes without reaching the green yet, pick your ball up and drop it on the green and putt. If you knock your fifth or sixth (or tenth!) ball of the day into the woods, don't insist on giving it a full five-minute search. Learn the basics of golf behavior, like where to stand when others are playing a shot and how to tend the flagstick, mark your ball on the green, rake bunkers and so forth. And even if you don't play quickly, try not to be the slowest person in the group. If you can do those things it won't matter if your score is 140, most people will not mind being paired up with you.

The key is to respect the course (fix divots, etc.), respect your playing companions (simple etiquette) and respect yourself (no temper trantrums, whining about how bad you're playing). A player who is respectful and is obviously in love with the game is OK to play with in my book. A few people may not feel that way but remember, it's only for 4-1/2 hours and then you'll probably never see them again. Life's too short to worry about whether some poorly adjusted individual might think a nasty thought about playing with you.

[Crab Daddy]

If you're shooting 45/9 you're already ahead of the majority of golfers - at least the ones playing public courses around me. If you're worried about a mismatched pairing, let the starter know your skill level, and, hopefully, he'll be able to place you with the right group.
I've been on both sides of this, and, honestly, the biggest mismatch is often etiquette. If you play efficiently, don't cuss every blown shot, and are jovial, it's no big deal.

[jswaykos]

I consider myself a very middle-of-the-road golfer when it comes to skill. I'm just as likely to be better than everyone in my group as I am worse than everyone. I don't care AT ALL about the skill level of who I play with so long as they're good company and keep pace! Heck, they don't even have to be good company - playing quickly is sufficient. I play as a single a lot because nobody I know likes getting up at first daylight...

[skinny99]

Don't think twice about it. Go play. Follow the advice Fourmyle has laid out with respect to ettiquette and when in doubt tell the people you are paired up with that you are new. I actually met one of my closest friends by getting paired up as we were both singles and like you as a teacher had schedules were our friends worked when we were off a lot.

[tnord]

as a "better" golfer i don't care who i play with as long as they remain in good spirits, have basic etiquitte, and keep pace.

if you get paired up with a bunch of dudes playing from tees you don't normally play from, don't feel like you have to go back there with them. play your own game, be courteous, and all is well.

[OpusX20]

The fact that you are thoughtful and self-aware enough to even ask the question means that you are welcome in my group anytime regardless of what you shoot. I am a reasonably decent golfer (used to be a club pro, currently a 3 hdcp) and I often get people who say something to the effect of not "being good enough" to play with me. As far as I'm concerned, this is nonsense. I honestly don't care how good of a player you are. As long as you keep up the pace and are a nice guy/gal, that is all I ask. The reality is that I am too absorbed in my own game to even notice what you shot.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

The general manager of one of the other clubs in town played with my Sunday morning group this weekend. I think he's probably a 3, 4, 5 handicap. My only nervousness came from rolling in 15-foot and 40-foot putts on the first two holes. I though "Dang it, now he's going to be disappointed when I start making my usual double bogeys". Hated to set expectations I couldn't deliver on. I parred three of the first four holes before staring up with a string of triple-bogeys (skipped right over the doubles) and I think that was my only three pars of the round.

He didn't mind, though. Just played his ball, made his pars and didn't whine about his couple of bogeys. I don't really think he cared if I shot 72 or 102.

[jswaykos]

[quote name='Fourmyle of Ceres' timestamp='1311718087' post='3426246']
The general manager of one of the other clubs in town played with my Sunday morning group this weekend. I think he's probably a 3, 4, 5 handicap. My only nervousness came from rolling in 15-foot and 40-foot putts on the first two holes. I though "Dang it, now he's going to be disappointed when I start making my usual double bogeys". Hated to set expectations I couldn't deliver on. I parred three of the first four holes before staring up with a string of triple-bogeys (skipped right over the doubles) and I think that was my only three pars of the round.

He didn't mind, though. Just played his ball, made his pars and didn't whine about his couple of bogeys. I don't really think he cared if I shot 72 or 102.
[/quote]

Ha! I've always found that as long as I've had a couple really good holes early, people think I'm much better than I am for the rest of the round regardless of how I'm playing!

But seriously, to the original poster - just go play. Don't even stress about it. You can play more golf as a single, or hardly ever play while waiting for a buddy. You'll make good conversation with almost anyone you're paired with, no matter what. Right off the bat you have something in common with whoever you're playing with - you both love golf!

[Golfin Teacher]

Wow, I got some great responses from all of you guys! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and reply to it! I'm going to take the general consensus of advice to just enjoy the game, have fun, and have great etiquette. Can't wait to try out some different courses

[jswaykos]

[quote name='Golfin Teacher' timestamp='1311720337' post='3426369']
Wow, I got some great responses from all of you guys! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and reply to it! I'm going to take the general consensus of advice to just enjoy the game, have fun, and have great etiquette. Can't wait to try out some different courses
[/quote]


Best of luck out there! I've played a lot more different courses than I ever have in the past few years thanks to solo, early morning tee times. While everyone else is sleeping in, I'm on the course getting the best start possible to my day! And my buddies wonder why I'm "all of a sudden" playing better than them...

[SpinMill75]

I wouldn't worry about it. I play as a single most of the time and get paired up with golfers of all abilities all the time. If you have great etiquette, are a good person to golf with and enjoy yourself.....its all good in my book.

-spin

[JessN16]

This is the thing I struggle with the most and yes, it does keep me off courses.

I typically shoot around 100-105. Moreover, I like to develop enough of a report with whoever I'm playing with that I can feel free to converse or talk about the course without worrying about whether I'm messing up his concentration. This is a game, not business for most of us. But some people treat it very much like it was their job, and have all sorts of unwritten (and unspoken) rules about how they want you to act around them, and most typically don't say anything until four holes in when you slip up, get criticized and now you're playing the rest of your day while walking on eggshells.

As expensive as this game can be, and as time-consuming, I don't ask that I play well. All I ask is that I enjoy my day, and I can't enjoy myself in the company of snobs.

Now, lest you get the idea that snobs are the rule rather than the exception, they are not. I've been paired up with a bunch of strangers in my life and 90 percent of the time they turn out to be solid joes. But the 10 percent of the time where I draw a real snob, my day is ruined.

I guess I like to look at a golf foursome as four guys vs. a course, not four guys vs. each other. I enjoy my rounds the most when there's some camaraderie involved.

Jess

[orangebang]

Just stick with muni's and lower fee public courses while you're still grooving your new swing. There are ALWAYS singles and occasional golfers out there that don't mind joining up at all.

Just make sure you're following proper etiquette (don't get in front of someone's birdie/par, or walk in someone's line) and nobody will mind playing with you.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

[quote name='JessN16' timestamp='1311738210' post='3427475']
I guess I like to look at a golf foursome as four guys vs. a course, not four guys vs. each other. I enjoy my rounds the most when there's some camaraderie involved.
[/quote]

Everyone has their own way of enjoying the game but for myself, playing "against the course" is a much less satisfying experience than having a bit of a game with another player. Doesn't matter to me if the stakes or a soda pop or a dollar or even nothing except bragging rights that expire 5 minutes after we walk off the last green. The back and forth of friendly competition adds a whole other dimension to just plodding along writing a number in a box after every hole.

That said, I love walking the course hitting shots and enjoying the feeling of movement through eighteen beautifully arranged open spaces. But in that case there's no need to "compete" with the course. It's just a good walk, enhanced.