The man took every stroke in a nearly 300 stroke round. It's like when someone comes to your party and eats your whole wheel of cheese. Yes, you should be mad, but how can you be when you're so impressed?
Yep. I got paired up with a couple a month back at a crappy country 9 hole course. The guy had only played once and his lady never. I said that is fine no rush. Took them both about 4 shots to get 100 yards down the fairway. I wished them luck and they understood. Tee sheet was full behind them as well, so saw them pickup most holes off the tee and drop by the green.
Iām not counting a strangersā strokes, especially after that first double digit hole. OP should be reported to the Vatican. They might need official sainthood ASAP.
Sounds like you improved every part of your game lol! 278 seems absolutely wild though. I struggle to wrap my head around that. I shoot around 115 because I canāt putt to save my life. 3 putt nearly every damn hole. Doesnāt matter if the first putt is from 50 out or 15 out, itās going to take 3 to get in š
278 is pretty easily achievable if you have never done sports of any kind and just go straight to playing golf.
Every drive will either be OB or less than 100 yards, every iron shot will be duffed at best 50 yards in front, or chunked or topped 2 inches. And then chipping is just going to be blading the ball back and forward.
People say focus on short game, but I will absolutely wager the best part of his game was putting.
Realistically, I doubt most balls went further than 25 yards. Thatās basically putting it down the fairway with a bunch of whiffs and duffs. I have to imagine a bunker would be a nightmare.
Yea my 151 was a lot of shots that push the ball anywhere from 2yards to 150 yards down the hole (i wont say fairway cause I wasn't always there).
278 is crazy to me, but I can see it happening if you've never been to the range and dont have any idea what you're doing.
Iām unaware of any island green for causal golfers that doesnāt have a drop area for pace of play.
Putt to water, take drop, putt to green, 7 putt, perfect.
Still several strokes ahead of where we could be.
OP, with an empty course and still having to endure a 6.5 hour round when you didnāt have toā¦you sir are literally the nicest guy in the world. You could have played 54 holes solo in that time.
My buddies FIL is like this. Follows the rules to a tee. That's fine and all. Except he is like the guy in OPs story. There's no reason for him to hit a bunker shot "because he needs to practice them" when he can't hit a 15 yards chip off turf.
Just move it out until you can break 100. No one cares except you.
This is the way. Start fresh every hole and see if you can string together a few good shots and make a par. Once youāre +3 or so, consider bagging that hole and try again on the next. No one cares unless youāre competing, and if two guys who shoot 120+ are competingā¦lord help whoever is behind them.
Agreed! A nice gentleman did something similar for me way back when, which caused me not to throw in the towel. I am still terrible, but now I play terrible fast.
I would have handed him the 7i and said, OK half swing for every shot till you get within 50 yards of the green, even a short half swing can go 100yards and it's much more enjoyable, because by the end of the round he will have that 7i shot mastered.
I told him to mainly use his PW for now. It was hard for him because he never really had a lesson beside the golfing license you need in Germany. But basically everyone passes that.Ā
Hard thing for him were the tee shots. His driver went around 30 yards on each hole he used it. On the fairway he either completely missed the ball or chunked it. A "good" shot for him were the shots he topped (ball rolled like 30-40 yards and he was happy about that). I cheered him up on every "decent" shot.
Multiple choice test with questions about the rules of golf and course etiquette. If you pass that you play 9 holes with a Pro and need to score 12 net Stableford points. So 6 triple bogeys on 9 holes and you pass. But everyone passes, tbe score literally does not matter in the end.
No because the golf club would lose a potential member and therefore income. Especially in Germany where golf is more of a niche sport each club is happy for every member they can get.
You can use the range and any par 3 courses until you reach that point.
Almost the same here in Denmark, though it is a lot less formal. More or less all clubs have a performance requirement/pro approval for access to the 18 hole course(s). At least without a mentor.
Given that membership gives you the right to book tee times on almost every other clubs courses (for a fee) it is basically an inter-club agreement to make sure that members do not have to suffer behind groups of bi monthly monster duffers.
Mr. 278 being so fastidious about the rules and counting ALL the strokes also 100% tracks with him being German. I honestly probably should have guessed that from the OP, but here we are.
Same in Sweden: https://nataliafranssongolf.com/the-green-card
There are shorter "pay and play" golf courses that does not require a green card but all larger/serious ones do. It is quite nice to be honest.
Waitāyou need a license to golf in Germany? And thereās a qualifying test to obtain the golfing license?
Talk about gatekeeping:
āThe āPlatzreifeā requirement is rigorous and consists of two partsāa written test and a hands-on test. The hands-on test takes you out on a golf course where you must prove your driving, putting, and chipping skills, and then you join a pro to play 18 holes of golf with a maximum of 108 strokes.ā
https://internationalpga.com/you-need-a-license-to-play-golf-in-germany/
In Germany donāt you normally play Stableford? We call it poƤngbogey in Sweden and when you get your license or green card you start with a 54 handicap and pick up after a double bogey. But I guess they wanted to play everything out. Amazing patience.
I was like that until my girlfriend took me to the range and I realised oh thatās why youāre saying I need to get lessons and got to the range first.
I've played with people where I was honestly shocked that their bag could hold enough balls to last 18 holes(in addition to the beer in it). Like easily 50+ balls lost.
Because of you, heāll keep playing golf. My first time on a course, I got paired with two guys who I thought were cool. They ended up leaving me behind. I almost quit that day, but I didnāt. Hats off to you brother for sticking with him
If someone causes a round to take 6.5 hours for a twosome, you cannot really deduce anything about peoples temperature from them leaving the slow one behind. That is beyond reasonable.
Played a round of golf drinking a beer per hole and penalty shotgun a beer on birdies (not drunk enough if you can birdie), shooter of whiskey for a 3 putt (it was a local farm course, out of season we were the only folks there for the most part)ā¦ I birdied 3 of the first 4 holes (3 putt the 4th so that was an additional 3 beers and a shooter to really get it going) and tied my best round ever at that course and do not remember the car ride home when my buddyās gf picked us up lmao
I used to forecaddie at a place where if there was only a single player and they couldnāt group them with someone, we got the option to play with them (without pay).
I get this older musician guy with super long hair who said he was new to golf, but could hit some shotsā¦
Oh boy, by hitting some shots he meant for 20 yards max. He was soooo bad that most holes I just picked up my ball because he was so slow. We literally had a 5:20 round with basically just him playing, with a caddie, and no one in front of us. And that was with me speeding him up like always taking his ball out of traps, kicking it into the fairway, etc.
Such a nightmare day. Like being 100% completely honest, he probably shot 275-300. Then he didnt tip me, so I spent 6 hrs running around in the extreme heat for no money.
EDIT: Oh and to top it off, I got in trouble for it because my round time was so slow and it messed up everyone behind me. I tried to plead my case but boss didnt care
Feel free to downvote me for being more callous than OP but Iāve been in the industry for a long time and I hate to be that guy but this experience wouldāve been a lot better if you also taught him the proper etiquette about pace of play. 6.5 hours as a twosome is kind of unacceptable, unless the course is completely dead. Plus, counting every stroke isnāt the way to approach the game at an actual course if someone is ever this bad or just new to the sport.
If I was playing with someone who is struggling to make it off the tee box, down the fairway, out of bunkers etc. and is constantly hitting duffs, chunks and shanks, then Iād tell them to pick up their ball after a few attempts in a given area and just drop it near wherever Iām at or at least move it significantly closer to the green. I promise, you can still have plenty of fun like this, and itās far less frustrating.
If someone is that bad, then they arenāt playing in a serious tournament and they arenāt playing for money, so who cares? Keep things moving. There is no purpose counting strokes if someone is like 3x over par. Obviously someone like this can still go out on course to play but playing super slow and chasing every 20 yard miss hit and constantly going on a safari adventure to find a ball is unfair to other groups who are waiting.
I wouldāve told this guy to go to the driving range and practice putting green to focus on hitting consistent shots before worrying about counting strokes. Because honestly, if youāre like OP and are watching someone who is shooting nearly 4x par, what would you learn from counting all those strokes and what would be the significant difference if it was only 3x or 2x over par? The improvements of someone playing at this level should be handled at the driving range, not during an actual round.
I hope you emphasized that 6.5 hours isn't acceptable on a course with people. I applaud your friendliness and patience with this guy but if he wants to take up golf he'll need to pick up the pace regardless of how his round is going.
278 is quite the score though. Were you counting his whiffs as shots as well?
I gave him some advice regarding how to practise. Told him to focus on short game first and then iron play. Basically learning the game from green to tee. Also suggested an instructor I'm getting lessons from. He was very thankful for my advice.
> round lasted around 6.5 hours
Gonna be honest, even on an empty course you probably should've encouraged this guy to move along a little quicker. 6.5 hours is absolutely absurd and he probably shouldn't get in his head that it's OK to take that long for a round. It's one thing when you're not holding anyone up, but he should probably get an expectation set that you've gotta be aware of timing (and frankly he wasted a lot of your time, even if it didn't really bother you).
I told him that you normally pick up your ball if the course is packed. But here the course is mostly empty except on the weekend. You don't even have to book a tee time during the week.
If the course is busy just play a lot of best ball. Anything within putters length of the hole I considered holed. Work on getting your irons in the air and leave the driver at home.
P.s. I suck at golf but this has helped me keep a good pace and improve.
Just pick up sometimes and rehit balls that go OB. There is no need to make yourself suffer like this dude. My wife is a 100% beginner and we get around in a normal amount of time. Scores really donāt matter at this level of play.
I really hope you ended the round with "Hey man, you're a decent dude and I hope you stick with the game. That said, I have superhuman levels of patience and I need you to know that absolutely nowhere is it acceptable to play to a score of 278. Our 6.5 hour round is simply not ever going to fly. You need more time on the range and on and around the putting green. If you're serious about the game, I'd recommend lessons. In the future, I want you to set a max score on any given hole and you should pick up once you reach it - usually beginners go with triple bogey or double par."
As long as it was an empty course and you weren't holding anyone up - bless you and your patience. But that is abnormal and not really tolerated under most conditions. It's not even particularly helpful to someone's game to play strict rules if they are shooting 120+ let alone 278!
I am curious. Did you think to teaching how the Handicap system works?
As a beginer you can assign him a 36 HDCP. And when he reached Net Double Bogey on each hole he could just pick up. Then maybe just drop by you on or around the green and practiced chipping and putting.
Probably would have saved you a ton of time.
My friends and I pick up at double par unless itās league play and the putt matters for something. Nothing worse than putting for a 7 on a par 3 because the guy youāre playing is doing the same lol.
6.5 hours!? Good lord. I would have told him Iām just going to play ahead after a hole or two. If the course was that empty I could have played 36 in that time.
Alway enjoy playing with people so I didn't really care how he played. And he eas super thankful for each advice I gave him. Was a great day on the course.
Recently I played with 2 guys easily 75+ they each shot in the 80s from the ladies tees thru 9. But they smoked 5 combined joints over the course of 9 holes. Possibly the the greatest sporting spectacle Iāve ever witnessed
This actually happened to me at TPC Sawgrass. Got randomly paired with an international businessman on the first tee. Thereās no way he broke 200. It was wild to see someone drop that kind of coin on such an adventure.
Iāve golfed 3 times this week and Before that itās been 25 years. It took me a week to go for it because I was waiting for when I didnāt see anyone going up or waiting , I thought I got out there alone then the guy on the mic says pair up with these 2. Omg my worst fear! I told them right up front itās my first time. But I easily kept up because I had a cart and they walked I shot like double Bogie on most holes maybe 1 bogie and one just MISIRBLE 9 on a par 4. Went today and got 2 pars. I figure by next week I should be on the tour. lol Iām hooked!!
No, no, no! You guys have it all wrong! This man is a genius! You pay your $100? $200? $300? greens fees and get a measly 94 strokes! He got THREE TIMES his money's worth! :D
I played in my first tournament in my menās league this year and a guy shot 142 and I thought that was insane. He was playing off a 22 handicap. My handicap at the time was 32 and I shot a 103.
Do they not cap scores where you are?
I'm in NZ and when you submit a card, they are automatically capped at 0 Stableford points (double bogey for your handicap)
I think it's there for pace of play, if it's going to be more than a handicapped double bogey pick it up and move on.
Coz let's be honest, 300 odd isn't much use to him down the track when he's trying to figure out if he's gotten any better
Assuming an average length course and hopefully from the front tees letās say you played 5500 yards - at 278 strokes he averaged 19.8 yards per strokeā¦.thats impressive.
Hey man just fucking @ me next time okay damn
Airing out all your laundry bro
Replies like this are why this is my favourite sub
Just didn't get enough reps in at the range? Back a little tight? Or what was it?
Group in front of us was really slow. Threw me way off my mojo
Every time in my backswing those F\*\*\*ing drones!
Omg hahahah š my only question is how fucking tired are you after 6.5hours, swinging and counting 278 strokes. Need a 8000 calorie dinner after
ššššš
Holy shit š
Did you guys at least get some dogs at the turn?
1.8k in 1 hour?!? Holy shit
Figure it out at the range before going and blowing hot poo all over the course
Murdered with words. Rip.
r/suicidebywords
Honestly kinda proud of my man for being honest on the score card.
Yeah he even said that I should count properly so he knows where his game needs improvement. Literally the nicest guy I've ever met.
You endured a 6.5 hour round with a stranger... you might be the nicest guy ever.
The man took every stroke in a nearly 300 stroke round. It's like when someone comes to your party and eats your whole wheel of cheese. Yes, you should be mad, but how can you be when you're so impressed?
Subtle, baxter.
You know I donāt speak Spanish Baxter, but thatās impressive ššš
I was taught that after 2x par, pick up and go to next tee box. Learn to hit at the driving range. So 144 tops.
He only doubled that, nbd
Iām a very patient man but I would have have wished the man Godspeed and good luck and left that honest motherfucker in the dust
Yeah I would have left first hole
And met him back at the first hole after finishing the round
Tremendous
Yep. I got paired up with a couple a month back at a crappy country 9 hole course. The guy had only played once and his lady never. I said that is fine no rush. Took them both about 4 shots to get 100 yards down the fairway. I wished them luck and they understood. Tee sheet was full behind them as well, so saw them pickup most holes off the tee and drop by the green.
If I had enough beers and time, I would definitely stay just for how bizarre it would be
i'm closer to the stranger than OP, but if I was OP I would have played twice.
Iām not very patient soā¦. Yeah I donāt have to say what Iād do
Iām not counting a strangersā strokes, especially after that first double digit hole. OP should be reported to the Vatican. They might need official sainthood ASAP.
Evidence of the miracle: the OP playing partner is alive after OP killed him twice and brought him back both times.
I, personally, would rather die.
After that 21, I would have said, letās pickup after scoring a 10
I MIGHT have made it 9 holes before lying about needing to leave.
Yeah I'd leave ASAP once I realized the pace lol
Theyre now bros. One day his bro wont suck at golf, he sounds brand fucking new to all sports. I think its awesome hes learning.
Im like 3 years in and still terrible š
I would have continued on after hole one and been like Iām sorry man I got some where to be
My thought exactly.
At a 278 literally every aspect of his game needs improvement.
I mean, when I started two years ago I shot a 151, not counting drops.... Now im closer to 90s-100s counting drops. First few times can Suuuuuck
151 rum š¹ pineapple juice and Malibu caribou get them all numb
Wasnāt expecting to see a tech n9ne reference in this post
Sounds like you improved every part of your game lol! 278 seems absolutely wild though. I struggle to wrap my head around that. I shoot around 115 because I canāt putt to save my life. 3 putt nearly every damn hole. Doesnāt matter if the first putt is from 50 out or 15 out, itās going to take 3 to get in š
278 is pretty easily achievable if you have never done sports of any kind and just go straight to playing golf. Every drive will either be OB or less than 100 yards, every iron shot will be duffed at best 50 yards in front, or chunked or topped 2 inches. And then chipping is just going to be blading the ball back and forward. People say focus on short game, but I will absolutely wager the best part of his game was putting.
Because he putted the whole course.
Realistically, I doubt most balls went further than 25 yards. Thatās basically putting it down the fairway with a bunch of whiffs and duffs. I have to imagine a bunker would be a nightmare.
Yea my 151 was a lot of shots that push the ball anywhere from 2yards to 150 yards down the hole (i wont say fairway cause I wasn't always there). 278 is crazy to me, but I can see it happening if you've never been to the range and dont have any idea what you're doing.
I think I can score better than 200 with only my putter though.
Iām reasonably confident I can beat that on almost any course with just my putter.
Island greens would require a unique approach
Iām unaware of any island green for causal golfers that doesnāt have a drop area for pace of play. Putt to water, take drop, putt to green, 7 putt, perfect. Still several strokes ahead of where we could be.
Theres a drop area on the island hole at my club but it's still a 20 yard pitch over water lol
Well we don't know if he shot 260 off the green and then one putted every time...
Or played bogey golf but got five 2-stroke poor conduct penalties each hole...
OP, with an empty course and still having to endure a 6.5 hour round when you didnāt have toā¦you sir are literally the nicest guy in the world. You could have played 54 holes solo in that time.
So where does his game need improvement?
Gotta eliminate those 3 putts.
When youāre shooting 278 three putts might be a lofty goal.
> So where does his game need improvement? The golf part.
Blind people shoot better scores
My friends would play the same game and say āaround 100ā
A lot of /r/golf would be like āyeah I totally broke 80ā
My buddies FIL is like this. Follows the rules to a tee. That's fine and all. Except he is like the guy in OPs story. There's no reason for him to hit a bunker shot "because he needs to practice them" when he can't hit a 15 yards chip off turf. Just move it out until you can break 100. No one cares except you.
I think it's worth the bunker shot. And the second bunker shot. But at 3+ it's probably worth picking up.
I shoot 100+ and I will always try a bunker shot twice, after that I toss the ball out and keep going
This is the way. Start fresh every hole and see if you can string together a few good shots and make a par. Once youāre +3 or so, consider bagging that hole and try again on the next. No one cares unless youāre competing, and if two guys who shoot 120+ are competingā¦lord help whoever is behind them.
My grandpa always says they donāt leave room for a second number in the boxes on the card
Ha. He's right.
Must actually be exhausted. Swinging a club that many times when you clearly donāt play often is a feat
For his sanity, I would recommend not keeping score for a while and focus on figuring out the swing, but mad respect.
I've always said why keep score at all if you aren't going to follow the rules and count honestly. That's why I *rarely* keep score.
Just sandbagging his handicap and needed a witness. š
You're a gem of a human for being so patient. Good on you.
Thanks!
Agreed! A nice gentleman did something similar for me way back when, which caused me not to throw in the towel. I am still terrible, but now I play terrible fast.
Yea big ups man a lot of people would have gotten snappy with him or been rude at a certain point. You love to see it
I would have handed him the 7i and said, OK half swing for every shot till you get within 50 yards of the green, even a short half swing can go 100yards and it's much more enjoyable, because by the end of the round he will have that 7i shot mastered.
I told him to mainly use his PW for now. It was hard for him because he never really had a lesson beside the golfing license you need in Germany. But basically everyone passes that.Ā Hard thing for him were the tee shots. His driver went around 30 yards on each hole he used it. On the fairway he either completely missed the ball or chunked it. A "good" shot for him were the shots he topped (ball rolled like 30-40 yards and he was happy about that). I cheered him up on every "decent" shot.
You need a license to golf in Germany? What do you have to do to get a license?
Apparently not much if this guy had one.
Burst out laughing here and I feel bad but a hilarious comment. Much respect for Mr. 278
I did, too, oh my, belly laugh. I just hope Mr. 278 keeps his scorecard forever.
Multiple choice test with questions about the rules of golf and course etiquette. If you pass that you play 9 holes with a Pro and need to score 12 net Stableford points. So 6 triple bogeys on 9 holes and you pass. But everyone passes, tbe score literally does not matter in the end.
Is it possible you go to all the effort and you don't get a license? Like they just tell you that you're too horrible to keep playing?
No because the golf club would lose a potential member and therefore income. Especially in Germany where golf is more of a niche sport each club is happy for every member they can get.
Of course its niche when you need a license just to learn how to play.
You can use the range and any par 3 courses until you reach that point. Almost the same here in Denmark, though it is a lot less formal. More or less all clubs have a performance requirement/pro approval for access to the 18 hole course(s). At least without a mentor. Given that membership gives you the right to book tee times on almost every other clubs courses (for a fee) it is basically an inter-club agreement to make sure that members do not have to suffer behind groups of bi monthly monster duffers.
That is some of the most German shit I have heard. Take a sport, regulate it even further than it already is. There must be more rules.
Mr. 278 being so fastidious about the rules and counting ALL the strokes also 100% tracks with him being German. I honestly probably should have guessed that from the OP, but here we are.
Same in Sweden: https://nataliafranssongolf.com/the-green-card There are shorter "pay and play" golf courses that does not require a green card but all larger/serious ones do. It is quite nice to be honest.
whatās next, a license to make toast in your own damn toaster?!
Are you making fun of the WeiĆbrotbrƤunungsbetriebserlaubnisprĆ¼fung??
Pulse. Any pulse.
I was told that the golfing lessons required in Europe are there to prevent this sort of scenario.Ā
Waitāyou need a license to golf in Germany? And thereās a qualifying test to obtain the golfing license? Talk about gatekeeping: āThe āPlatzreifeā requirement is rigorous and consists of two partsāa written test and a hands-on test. The hands-on test takes you out on a golf course where you must prove your driving, putting, and chipping skills, and then you join a pro to play 18 holes of golf with a maximum of 108 strokes.ā https://internationalpga.com/you-need-a-license-to-play-golf-in-germany/
So how did a guy who scores a 278 one day get below 108?Ā
Bro-job for his assessor?
Those were the extra strokes
In Germany donāt you normally play Stableford? We call it poƤngbogey in Sweden and when you get your license or green card you start with a 54 handicap and pick up after a double bogey. But I guess they wanted to play everything out. Amazing patience.
Thatās 20 strokes more than Scottieās entire Travelerās Championship stroke total lol
Yeah but Scottie also started some time avo and was also bad in the beginning. Everyone has to start somewhere.
I guarantee 6yo Scottie, first time holding a club, can get around a course in less than 250 strokes.Ā
The first time Scottie ever picked up a club he could have scored better than this.
That somewhere is the driving range.
Next month heāll be here claiming to have broken 90
90? You sure you didn't have a typo there and meant 80? Plus the 300 yards drive and 200 yard 6 iron.Ā
Not just shooting 80, but also giving advice on how we can do it too.
Just hit less shots! Genius strategy!
190 maybe
Dude needs to pay his dues on the RANGE before stepping foot on a golf course again.
I mean yeah, but you canāt really put too much blame on him for wanting to play the actual game
I was like that until my girlfriend took me to the range and I realised oh thatās why youāre saying I need to get lessons and got to the range first.
This canāt be emphasized enough.
I've played with people where I was honestly shocked that their bag could hold enough balls to last 18 holes(in addition to the beer in it). Like easily 50+ balls lost.
At least they are hitting it far enough to lose balls. Sounds to me like this guy could barely hit the ball at all.
Because of you, heāll keep playing golf. My first time on a course, I got paired with two guys who I thought were cool. They ended up leaving me behind. I almost quit that day, but I didnāt. Hats off to you brother for sticking with him
If someone causes a round to take 6.5 hours for a twosome, you cannot really deduce anything about peoples temperature from them leaving the slow one behind. That is beyond reasonable.
At some point it's okay to stop keeping score and play best ball (I meant a scramble my bad).
I don't think that guys ball would ever be the "best ball"
Best ball wouldnāt speed anything up, but a scramble would
I dont think Iād score that bad being blackout drunk
Played a round of golf drinking a beer per hole and penalty shotgun a beer on birdies (not drunk enough if you can birdie), shooter of whiskey for a 3 putt (it was a local farm course, out of season we were the only folks there for the most part)ā¦ I birdied 3 of the first 4 holes (3 putt the 4th so that was an additional 3 beers and a shooter to really get it going) and tied my best round ever at that course and do not remember the car ride home when my buddyās gf picked us up lmao
I used to forecaddie at a place where if there was only a single player and they couldnāt group them with someone, we got the option to play with them (without pay). I get this older musician guy with super long hair who said he was new to golf, but could hit some shotsā¦ Oh boy, by hitting some shots he meant for 20 yards max. He was soooo bad that most holes I just picked up my ball because he was so slow. We literally had a 5:20 round with basically just him playing, with a caddie, and no one in front of us. And that was with me speeding him up like always taking his ball out of traps, kicking it into the fairway, etc. Such a nightmare day. Like being 100% completely honest, he probably shot 275-300. Then he didnt tip me, so I spent 6 hrs running around in the extreme heat for no money. EDIT: Oh and to top it off, I got in trouble for it because my round time was so slow and it messed up everyone behind me. I tried to plead my case but boss didnt care
Iām generally against straight up asking for tips but I reckon in your shoes Iād have made it very fucking clear what I expect after 6 hoursĀ
I could probably beat that by just kicking the ball. Jesus.
Feel free to downvote me for being more callous than OP but Iāve been in the industry for a long time and I hate to be that guy but this experience wouldāve been a lot better if you also taught him the proper etiquette about pace of play. 6.5 hours as a twosome is kind of unacceptable, unless the course is completely dead. Plus, counting every stroke isnāt the way to approach the game at an actual course if someone is ever this bad or just new to the sport. If I was playing with someone who is struggling to make it off the tee box, down the fairway, out of bunkers etc. and is constantly hitting duffs, chunks and shanks, then Iād tell them to pick up their ball after a few attempts in a given area and just drop it near wherever Iām at or at least move it significantly closer to the green. I promise, you can still have plenty of fun like this, and itās far less frustrating. If someone is that bad, then they arenāt playing in a serious tournament and they arenāt playing for money, so who cares? Keep things moving. There is no purpose counting strokes if someone is like 3x over par. Obviously someone like this can still go out on course to play but playing super slow and chasing every 20 yard miss hit and constantly going on a safari adventure to find a ball is unfair to other groups who are waiting. I wouldāve told this guy to go to the driving range and practice putting green to focus on hitting consistent shots before worrying about counting strokes. Because honestly, if youāre like OP and are watching someone who is shooting nearly 4x par, what would you learn from counting all those strokes and what would be the significant difference if it was only 3x or 2x over par? The improvements of someone playing at this level should be handled at the driving range, not during an actual round.
I hope you emphasized that 6.5 hours isn't acceptable on a course with people. I applaud your friendliness and patience with this guy but if he wants to take up golf he'll need to pick up the pace regardless of how his round is going. 278 is quite the score though. Were you counting his whiffs as shots as well?
I counted every stroke of him. Also counted out of bounds and penalty drops.
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Dude he is German, there is no "fun" only "right"
I gave him some advice regarding how to practise. Told him to focus on short game first and then iron play. Basically learning the game from green to tee. Also suggested an instructor I'm getting lessons from. He was very thankful for my advice.
Yeah dude needs to play triple max for the sake of everyone else on the course.
> round lasted around 6.5 hours Gonna be honest, even on an empty course you probably should've encouraged this guy to move along a little quicker. 6.5 hours is absolutely absurd and he probably shouldn't get in his head that it's OK to take that long for a round. It's one thing when you're not holding anyone up, but he should probably get an expectation set that you've gotta be aware of timing (and frankly he wasted a lot of your time, even if it didn't really bother you).
I told him that you normally pick up your ball if the course is packed. But here the course is mostly empty except on the weekend. You don't even have to book a tee time during the week.
Fuck me... that's going to be me once I start, I hope I get someone cool like you to hang with me š nervous
If the course is busy just play a lot of best ball. Anything within putters length of the hole I considered holed. Work on getting your irons in the air and leave the driver at home. P.s. I suck at golf but this has helped me keep a good pace and improve.
Oh cool thanks! I think leave the driver at home might be the best advice I've hear lol. I appreciate you!
Just pick up sometimes and rehit balls that go OB. There is no need to make yourself suffer like this dude. My wife is a 100% beginner and we get around in a normal amount of time. Scores really donāt matter at this level of play.
Play up to double par and pick up. That's how I survive and keep pace
Someone that bad should not be on the course. It should be lots of practise on the driving range and lessons
I really hope you ended the round with "Hey man, you're a decent dude and I hope you stick with the game. That said, I have superhuman levels of patience and I need you to know that absolutely nowhere is it acceptable to play to a score of 278. Our 6.5 hour round is simply not ever going to fly. You need more time on the range and on and around the putting green. If you're serious about the game, I'd recommend lessons. In the future, I want you to set a max score on any given hole and you should pick up once you reach it - usually beginners go with triple bogey or double par." As long as it was an empty course and you weren't holding anyone up - bless you and your patience. But that is abnormal and not really tolerated under most conditions. It's not even particularly helpful to someone's game to play strict rules if they are shooting 120+ let alone 278!
Seriously. A 6.5 hour round?
What happened to sucking faster?
Wtf would keep cou t if your over 120 lol
After an 8, next ones good lol
Should have stopped after 9 and sent him to the driving range
You should have let him know about the double par rule for beginners. Just pick the ball up, the hole is over sir.
I am curious. Did you think to teaching how the Handicap system works? As a beginer you can assign him a 36 HDCP. And when he reached Net Double Bogey on each hole he could just pick up. Then maybe just drop by you on or around the green and practiced chipping and putting. Probably would have saved you a ton of time.
I think the best advice would have been āhave you considered tennisā?
why would you not tell him to pick up after double par ? thats torture
He said he wants to finish each hole by holing the putt
My friends and I pick up at double par unless itās league play and the putt matters for something. Nothing worse than putting for a 7 on a par 3 because the guy youāre playing is doing the same lol.
6.5 hours!? Good lord. I would have told him Iām just going to play ahead after a hole or two. If the course was that empty I could have played 36 in that time.
Alway enjoy playing with people so I didn't really care how he played. And he eas super thankful for each advice I gave him. Was a great day on the course.
Youāre a heck of a fellow.
As do I. But 6.5 hours on an empty course watching someone else take 300 shots is absolute madness.
Iāve played with people who are probably capable of shooting that score but they generally just pick up for sake of pace.
If you hit 270s consistently and you want to improve your score by 130 shots, use your putter for everything.
Recently I played with 2 guys easily 75+ they each shot in the 80s from the ladies tees thru 9. But they smoked 5 combined joints over the course of 9 holes. Possibly the the greatest sporting spectacle Iāve ever witnessed
You possess an amazing amount of patience and empathy. Iām genuinely impressed.
Yeah I'm a pretty chill guy.
This actually happened to me at TPC Sawgrass. Got randomly paired with an international businessman on the first tee. Thereās no way he broke 200. It was wild to see someone drop that kind of coin on such an adventure.
Lost me at "first time on the course." 6.5 hours, I would have lost my shit.
 This guy?
I would be so fucking sore after swinging the club that many times
You should have told him, local rule: after triple bogey we pick up here
Iāve golfed 3 times this week and Before that itās been 25 years. It took me a week to go for it because I was waiting for when I didnāt see anyone going up or waiting , I thought I got out there alone then the guy on the mic says pair up with these 2. Omg my worst fear! I told them right up front itās my first time. But I easily kept up because I had a cart and they walked I shot like double Bogie on most holes maybe 1 bogie and one just MISIRBLE 9 on a par 4. Went today and got 2 pars. I figure by next week I should be on the tour. lol Iām hooked!!
Why even keep score after 5-6 holes? Itās obvious the man needs to hit the range and find his swing.
Take him to a driving range until he can actually hit a ball
No, no, no! You guys have it all wrong! This man is a genius! You pay your $100? $200? $300? greens fees and get a measly 94 strokes! He got THREE TIMES his money's worth! :D
I played in my first tournament in my menās league this year and a guy shot 142 and I thought that was insane. He was playing off a 22 handicap. My handicap at the time was 32 and I shot a 103.
How the hell did he get a 22 handicap?
Reverse sandbagger
It's so stupid it's genius!
I once forecaddied for a foursome that shot a 108 in a corporate scramble golf tournament. My eternal hell would be that day over and over forever.
How many of his shots were putts?
Did not count his putts but on one hole he had 8 putts.
At least he got his moneyās worth.
Do they not cap scores where you are? I'm in NZ and when you submit a card, they are automatically capped at 0 Stableford points (double bogey for your handicap) I think it's there for pace of play, if it's going to be more than a handicapped double bogey pick it up and move on. Coz let's be honest, 300 odd isn't much use to him down the track when he's trying to figure out if he's gotten any better
Assuming an average length course and hopefully from the front tees letās say you played 5500 yards - at 278 strokes he averaged 19.8 yards per strokeā¦.thats impressive.
He's so lucky! Nowhere to go but up from there.
I feel like I could best 278 with just a putter..
He would have been better off using his putter the whole round. Good on you for the patience and hopefully helpful pointers to help his game improve.
How many golf balls did this guy have to begin and lose along the way? Seems impossible to shoot a 278 and not go through at least 2 dozen.
Iām more surprised the course was empty. Everywhere I play it is packed.
He got his moneyās worth
Missed opportunity to educate him. Double par max or something equivalent. Who the hell has 6.5 hours to play a round of golf?
I refuse to believe this
No automatic hole out at 12 shots? I'd have left 4 holes in
Shrink the game
I feel attacked