Thursday

Why You Should Burn Your Scorecards

A guest post by: Greg D'Andrea 

People always ask me;  Greg, do you really stink at golf or is the Golf Stinks blog just a gimmick? Well, the truth is, it depends on what your definition of “stink” is. If you ask Rickie Fowler or Tiger Woods to look at my game, hands down they would say I stink at golf. In fact, most of you would probably agree.

But if you ask someone who’s just beginning, they may (and on one occasion someone actually did) say that I should be competing in tournaments. While flattering, this golf newbie had no idea what they were talking about – they were so new, literally every shot for them was a flub. So every time they saw me hit a decent one (which wasn’t that often), they thought I should be on tour! But in reality, I stink. End of story.

My average for 18-holes is 93. Sure, that’s better than some people. Heck, I even break 90 once-in-a-while (best ever is 82). But I also hit my share of triple-digit scores too (had a 113 this season). So as you can see, I’m an average Joe golfer: Inconsistent as hell and even in the case of my all-time best round, I still finished 10 over par.

You know, in all the blog posts I’ve penned, I’ve never written what my average golf score is. Nope, this is the first time. Why? Because I’m trying to make a point: You don’t have to be good at golf to love it! Let’s begin with a simple exercise. How many of you have a fireplace, fire pit or hibachi? Good. Now how many of you have a fire extinguisher? Great. Now go scour your golf bag, home and car (don’t forget the trunk) and collect all the scorecards you can find.  ... Got them all? Super. Now carry the extinguisher and the scorecards over to any of the aforementioned heating/cooking devices. Set the extinguisher down at arm’s-length and light a small blaze in your heating/cooking device. Now toss all your scorecards into the inferno. Don’t leave! Keep your eyes focused on that fire until your scorecards have been reduced to a pile of ash.

On second thought, perhaps you can skip the “burning” exercise altogether if you don’t worry about your score and instead just go out and have fun. The reality for most golfers (me included) is we need to come to terms with the fact that we stink at golf – and that stinking at golf is a perfectly normal thing. Once you’re content with that, you’ll be having more fun than you ever thought possible on a golf course.

Let’s take camaraderie as an example. If you play golf, chances are someone you know also plays, and that both of you hit the course together at least once-in-a-while. There you are – you and your buddy out on the course – talking about the things you would be talking about anyway, except now you are also enjoying a round of golf in the great outdoors. If you have three buddies that are golfers, then it’s a whole foursome full of fun and camaraderie. Add a camcorder and a slew of antics can ensue that would have never taken-place off the course…trust me.

Look, the reality is, 99 percent of golfers stink – but how many of them really admit to that fact? Come on, the last thing you want is to be one of those golfers…you know; the ones that lie to themselves (and to you) and then get all worked up when they go out and shoot a 110 – as if they typically shoot around 75 and they are completely stumped as to this strange turn of events. Why give yourself all that added stress? The best policy is to not worry about your score – you may even be surprised how much not worrying helps you relax – which subsequently translates into more enjoyment out on the course. And isn’t that what golf should really be about – having more enjoyment in your life?

So the next time you hit the links, try to put less emphasis on your scores and more emphasis on enjoying where you are and who you’re with – my guess is you’ll be having way more fun out there. But if that doesn’t work, by all means, go grab a match and that fire extinguisher.

Greg D’Andrea (affectionately referred to as Stinky Golfer Greg) is a regular contributor to the Golf Stinks blog and co-founder of the forthcoming golf social media site, golfstinks.com. Despite living in the same state, Stinky Golfer Greg has not personally met the Golf Girl, but he looks forward to a day when they can hack their way through a local course together. Golf is a game; you should have fun playing it.

13 comments:

  1. It's definitely fun AND liberating to play without keeping score. Great idea Greg! ;)

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  2. And make sure EVERY kid in youth sports get a trophy too!

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  3. You CAN do both you know... One can be competitive and focused on improving game but still enjoy fun golf where the score is secondary. That's the way I roll, and it works. :0}

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  4. .

    well, in the world according to penick, you should always play golf for something, meaning having something to either gain or lose

    additionally, i suggest to any beginners going through various changes to keep score, especially breaking down putts taken, if just as a way to measure progress from all the various trials and changes

    finally, and most importantly to me, a challenging MATCH game is really fun, and if handicapped properly can be a real match among widely rated players, however, to do this you have to know your handicap (and to have a handicap you would have had to keep score for a dozen or so rounds - no ?)

    oh yeah, if you ever birdie (or ace) that hole you always used to screw-up, you'll want that scorecard back !

    anyway be well

    frankD
    ftliquordale soFLA

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  5. .

    greg,

    what course in CT do you play ?

    frankD

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  6. I keep score solely to see if I am improving and if I need to work on my short game (always do!). but playing golf is really about being on the course, enjoying the beauty, my friends, and not working or cleaning the house.

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  7. Remember when we were kids and we could make up games with sticks and rocks and score them in whatever way felt like? You can do it with golf too!

    One side game we play called "Drop and Fire" is where we drop a ball anywhere on the course and shoot from there. It may be a 100 yard fairway shot, a nasty bunker shot or anywhere else. Once we even played from a water hazzard. That was a total mess ...but really FUN!

    My suggestion is ...make it up as you go and forget traditional scoring once in a while.

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  8. Golf is the first sport I've played where I love it even when I stink at it. Which is most of the time. My best score is 88, but generally I'm trying to break 100. I've met the best people on the golf course...and a couple in their yards. :) I started at 40 and now at 46 I can play with anyone, keep up, have fun and you are ABSOLUTELY right about getting rid of the cards. I kept them the first couple of years. Silly...I felt FREE when I binned them. Stephanie

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  9. Noisemaker - great idea! Sometimes we make a rule to play with only 3 clubs (any you chose) and a putter. That's allot of fun too.

    Frank - I've played every 18-hole public course in CT. Now that I've accomplished that, I still try to revisit as many as I can, as often as I can (If you're wondering, Fox Hopyard in East Haddam is my personal favorite).

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  10. .

    this discussion, sort of, proves my point - that TWELVE HOLES should be the standard course for non-tournament touring pros (whereby the standard par would be something around 48 and therefore bogey golf would yield a score of 60)

    yes, i do get it about tossing the scorecard, and yes, i do it myself, sometimes

    and if i had been tossing them in the past i wouldn't now be burdened with the collection of scorecards clogging up my closets, drawers, desks, cabinets and files - i just cant bear to part with them

    most, if not all, to be honest, sentimental souveniers of great resort hotels i have visited, or as reminders of reunions with old friends somewhere, rather than for the scores i shot

    for example, how could i not keep the scorecard from that round on siwanoy a few years ago, when i played with three other guys, thirty-five years after we first played siwanoy together, as our home high school course ?

    anyway be well

    frankD

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  11. .

    okay full disclosure on SCORECARDS

    many years ago, while i was still in the inner circle of my youngest daughters social life, she, of course, would come along with me on the course to drive the cart

    as the others in the group, including rosenbaum, didn't mind, she came along quite often, so often in fact she became acquainted with many of the nuances of the group

    at some point, and totally unsolicited, she confided in me that rosenbaum didn't seem to be counting all his strokes

    i told her "don't mind that J"

    J "dad, isn't that cheating ?"

    me "the thing of it is J, you see, he's keeping my score too"

    J "so he's not counting all your strokes either ?"

    me "i hope not !"

    the punchline is this concerns, as the main protagonist, a CPA and a forensic accountant, and an honest little kid

    anyway be well

    frankD
    ft lauderdaleFLA

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  12. Even when I try not to keep score I find myself doing it anyway. But I promise you, it's entirely possible to LOVE the game, LOVE the comraderie, LOVE the outdoors and still enjoy being competitive.

    Come on, you have to admit it's fun to see if you've improved. It's also fun to par a hole that your scratch friend doubles. (Too bad for them ;o)

    I'm all for ditching regular scores and playing some different games, but I can't burn my cards. They bring back memories and laughs for me. It's even better when I see a card from the past and realize I've actually improved. What an added bonus!

    But if you're going to get ticked off when you don't score well, then stay at home. There's nothing worse than a partner who throws clubs and gets nasty during a bad round. Instead, order a beer and try shots you've never tried before. As a golfing gal pal of mine likes do say, "Do what's fun!"

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  13. I can't burn my scorecards because I keep them all electronically (yes, I'm one of THOSE guys). I use the SkyCaddie scoring app for the iPhone. I love golf stats. I love tracking the progress of my game and seeing the areas I improve or get worse in as the years go on.

    It's the geek in me.

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