Solo golf is accepting you will eventually meet up with a fellow solo degen golfer at some point in the round. The first tee shot when you exchange names and excuses is nerve racking. A couple holes later you are best friends. Shake hands at the end and never see each other again. Only stories to tell.
I became good friends with a couple almost exactly a year ago when I was playing as a single. In March they hooked me up as an "estimator" for their company , so I could enjoy an all expenses paid trip to Arizona for golf, paid for by the supplier they get their product from. Turned into a great solo round.
I played solo today as well at a state park course in rural Appalachia that is in the middle of nowhere. The only other person I saw for the entire 18 was a ranger who rolled by and tossed me a golf ball. It’s an absolutely beautiful course with wildlife everywhere. I saw 6 wild turkeys, a deer, rabbits and a ton of squirrels. Absolutely nothing like playing alone and getting to decompress.
I play a course like that near our family’s vacation house out in boonies. They don’t even take tee times usually, just show up and play. I was once the first person there at 10am on a Saturday morning. Its awesome.
I went once as a solo in a cart a few years ago. I wanted to go fast since I wanted to get back before my kids got up from naps. I’m talking like a 75 minute pace for 9, but I was still trying to decompress.
By the 4th hole I noticed a 2some somewhere behind me. By the 5th hole I noticed they were somehow catching up. By the 6th they were somehow waiting on me.
On the 7th I’m losing my shit internally because I couldn’t believe anyone could be playing this fast without intentionally trying to be dicks. I teed off on the par 3, stuck it on the green, got in my cart and went to ride up.
I was still 75 yards from the green when I heard them tee off. So I just grabbed my ball and sat in the cart to watch and let them play through. They didn’t even acknowledge I was there.
Fucking rednecks.
I try to get in 18 on my par 3 mini starting at 6-6:30. The first 9 usually takes an hour and a half or even two, but by the time I round the turn the course has usually cleared out enough where there’s no waiting any more. I’m alone on the last few holes as the sun sets. Those are my favorite rounds. I got paired with a retired guy a couple of weeks ago only planning to play 9. He was only planning on the 9, too. We were having such a good time chatting and playing together, when we were walking off the 9th we kinda looked at each other and one of us said “I bet we can beat the sunset on the back 9.” He gave me a ton of good tips that have improved my game. If you’re reading this, Mike, you fixed my putting!
Same here. I'm a hacker who plays much better alone or with friends, my game falls apart trying to keep up with randoms. I know it shouldn't be that way, but... mental blocks.
Unfortunately playing solo at any reasonably priced course seems impossible in my area.
The course I'm playing this summer has a 9 hole track, in addition the their 18. I'll go out for 9 holes at 7am, solo, and might see 3 other people the whole round. And it takes ~1hr15min to walk if I'm not chasing shots all over the place. AND and, it's before it starts to get hot. It's great.
I play 3 or 4 times a week solo. Sometimes I keep score. Sometimes I practice and have half a dozen balls going at once. Evenings are dead at my course. Love this time of year.
I played 18 today on a laid back course....let's call it a little rural. Anytime I got to the tee box and saw other humans I would backtrack and replay a few holes. I'm more of a rhythm golfer. I want to hit then go the ball and then hit it again. I'm not great but consistently a bogey golfer. No music, no conversation, no beers just quiet bliss.
Thanks you. I’ve been playing my own ball mainly this year because I work at a course and don’t have many people to play with, been stuck in the 40s and 50s and finally broke it. Bogey, bogey, bogey, double bogey, birdie, par, birdie, par, par.
Shot an 85, my best round ever, when playing by myself. When playing with friends, I get inside my own head too much and try to do shit that I normally wouldn't do instead of shutting my brain off and just playing
I lived in BFE Midwest Ohio, so there was only 1 tack in the country & I would always play on Friday after my shift at the steel mill working my way through college.
Did a full round, packed my own beers, shot like shit by myself & got some wings at the bar around the country road tavern before I raised hell with the non golf bros.
I miss those days. Solo golf is therapy.
I read somewhere that taking a photo of a moment effectively takes you out of the experience of the moment. You’re no longer doing the thing, you’re trying to observe yourself doing the thing. The more photos you take, the less you were really there. Ever since then, I just try to be in the moment of the experience.
I absolutely prefer playing alone - I'm lucky to have a beaten up muni 9 hole that's never overbooked and would never do something as silly as ask you to play with strangers. The stories I hear from other courses makes me wince.
Just played a local 18 with a buddy yesterday and had a good time playing horrible. Got home and told the wife all about it while we're packing for our vacation. She says "too bad there isn't a course out there" and I told her there most certainly is. She suggested I take some time to myself and go play, so I didn't hesitate. Booked 9 holes at Monarch Beach in Dana Point.
I do it every Friday right after work. I have had the same tee time (5:12) the last fifteen Fridays in a row, along with today at 5:12. Gonna call Friday morning and get that 5:12 slot again to play solo. I love it.
I played 18 last night, front 9 with a group of 3 strangers. Shot a 47 on the front. Back 9 they took off and I had an open course with nobody around. Shot a 37 on the back.
My only issue with playing solo is the boys don’t believe me when I tell them I shot a 37 on the back.
>Foursome 3 tee times being me. 
I saw this before I read the post and then about died when I got to that "sentence"🤣
It's like sex. Sometimes it's okay to go at it alone. With strangers it can be good too. ...other times you just want your boys with you.
Also like pizza and skiing. When its good its good. When its bad, its still pretty good.
Simmer down there fly boy
Just bros smashin balls together
Solo golf is accepting you will eventually meet up with a fellow solo degen golfer at some point in the round. The first tee shot when you exchange names and excuses is nerve racking. A couple holes later you are best friends. Shake hands at the end and never see each other again. Only stories to tell.
Yeah but sometimes that solo is a restaurant manager and hooks you up every time you patronize their workplace now
I met a really good physical therapist waiting to tee off behind a slow group.
I became good friends with a couple almost exactly a year ago when I was playing as a single. In March they hooked me up as an "estimator" for their company , so I could enjoy an all expenses paid trip to Arizona for golf, paid for by the supplier they get their product from. Turned into a great solo round.
I played solo today as well at a state park course in rural Appalachia that is in the middle of nowhere. The only other person I saw for the entire 18 was a ranger who rolled by and tossed me a golf ball. It’s an absolutely beautiful course with wildlife everywhere. I saw 6 wild turkeys, a deer, rabbits and a ton of squirrels. Absolutely nothing like playing alone and getting to decompress.
I play a course like that near our family’s vacation house out in boonies. They don’t even take tee times usually, just show up and play. I was once the first person there at 10am on a Saturday morning. Its awesome. I went once as a solo in a cart a few years ago. I wanted to go fast since I wanted to get back before my kids got up from naps. I’m talking like a 75 minute pace for 9, but I was still trying to decompress. By the 4th hole I noticed a 2some somewhere behind me. By the 5th hole I noticed they were somehow catching up. By the 6th they were somehow waiting on me. On the 7th I’m losing my shit internally because I couldn’t believe anyone could be playing this fast without intentionally trying to be dicks. I teed off on the par 3, stuck it on the green, got in my cart and went to ride up. I was still 75 yards from the green when I heard them tee off. So I just grabbed my ball and sat in the cart to watch and let them play through. They didn’t even acknowledge I was there. Fucking rednecks.
I walk 9 solo 3-5 times a week. It's great.
I want this. So so badly
Muni courses after the clubhouse closes is the secret.
What time does your local muni clubhouse close? Mine is like 8:30...
630ish usually
So you just play whatever course you want?
I have many to choose from. I usually play the closest one
Problem is there’s a queue of other walkons doing the exact same thing.
I try to get in 18 on my par 3 mini starting at 6-6:30. The first 9 usually takes an hour and a half or even two, but by the time I round the turn the course has usually cleared out enough where there’s no waiting any more. I’m alone on the last few holes as the sun sets. Those are my favorite rounds. I got paired with a retired guy a couple of weeks ago only planning to play 9. He was only planning on the 9, too. We were having such a good time chatting and playing together, when we were walking off the 9th we kinda looked at each other and one of us said “I bet we can beat the sunset on the back 9.” He gave me a ton of good tips that have improved my game. If you’re reading this, Mike, you fixed my putting!
Is this implying that you play without paying the green fee?
Yes. And they don’t care.
Same here. I'm a hacker who plays much better alone or with friends, my game falls apart trying to keep up with randoms. I know it shouldn't be that way, but... mental blocks. Unfortunately playing solo at any reasonably priced course seems impossible in my area.
Get up at 5am and head over to the local muni, you’ll play solo in a scattered group of other singles who also don’t want to talk to anyone lol
Find a decent club with a good course
The course I'm playing this summer has a 9 hole track, in addition the their 18. I'll go out for 9 holes at 7am, solo, and might see 3 other people the whole round. And it takes ~1hr15min to walk if I'm not chasing shots all over the place. AND and, it's before it starts to get hot. It's great.
Same. I rarely play with others
One of the great joys of my life
I play 3 or 4 times a week solo. Sometimes I keep score. Sometimes I practice and have half a dozen balls going at once. Evenings are dead at my course. Love this time of year.
I played 18 today on a laid back course....let's call it a little rural. Anytime I got to the tee box and saw other humans I would backtrack and replay a few holes. I'm more of a rhythm golfer. I want to hit then go the ball and then hit it again. I'm not great but consistently a bogey golfer. No music, no conversation, no beers just quiet bliss.
shot my first 39 tonight
Deeeyum! That’s my goal right now. I’m getting closeee. Good for you!
Thanks you. I’ve been playing my own ball mainly this year because I work at a course and don’t have many people to play with, been stuck in the 40s and 50s and finally broke it. Bogey, bogey, bogey, double bogey, birdie, par, birdie, par, par.
Solo golf at the gloaming is a spiritual experience.
That’s one of the reasons I play the back 9 at 5:40am no one in front of me, no one behind me.
Solo golf is a fantastic experience. You do it once, and you’ll never want to look back.
This post reads like a romantic golf song by Robert Goulet. "Just me and the course, having fun with one another"
Best part of playing solo is the speed round sometimes I’ll get the first teatime out the box and play 18 in under two hours. It’s amazing.
Shot an 85, my best round ever, when playing by myself. When playing with friends, I get inside my own head too much and try to do shit that I normally wouldn't do instead of shutting my brain off and just playing
I lived in BFE Midwest Ohio, so there was only 1 tack in the country & I would always play on Friday after my shift at the steel mill working my way through college. Did a full round, packed my own beers, shot like shit by myself & got some wings at the bar around the country road tavern before I raised hell with the non golf bros. I miss those days. Solo golf is therapy.
I’m over here wondering what a holiday discount is…. Every course near me charges more on holidays.
Solo golf is extremely elite. With 3 of your boys, also extremely elite.
I just locked up the sport after not plahing in ten years. Played 18 solo last Sunday for 35 bucks at a local course. Played in 3 hours
I read somewhere that taking a photo of a moment effectively takes you out of the experience of the moment. You’re no longer doing the thing, you’re trying to observe yourself doing the thing. The more photos you take, the less you were really there. Ever since then, I just try to be in the moment of the experience.
I absolutely prefer playing alone - I'm lucky to have a beaten up muni 9 hole that's never overbooked and would never do something as silly as ask you to play with strangers. The stories I hear from other courses makes me wince.
Just played a local 18 with a buddy yesterday and had a good time playing horrible. Got home and told the wife all about it while we're packing for our vacation. She says "too bad there isn't a course out there" and I told her there most certainly is. She suggested I take some time to myself and go play, so I didn't hesitate. Booked 9 holes at Monarch Beach in Dana Point.
I would literally pay double or triple what greens fees are to have this experience.
Thats awesome dude…??
How major of a US city we talking sir?
Biggest city in the south that’s not the south Florida metro area
I do it every Friday right after work. I have had the same tee time (5:12) the last fifteen Fridays in a row, along with today at 5:12. Gonna call Friday morning and get that 5:12 slot again to play solo. I love it.
I try and play solo every Friday at sunrise during the day light savings months. It’s the bloody best.
I played 18 last night, front 9 with a group of 3 strangers. Shot a 47 on the front. Back 9 they took off and I had an open course with nobody around. Shot a 37 on the back. My only issue with playing solo is the boys don’t believe me when I tell them I shot a 37 on the back.
My partner just got the full kit back home, I peeped the receipt, its a premium sports, for a reason.
I always hit up my local on rainy/overcast days for the open course, great days
Something absolutely fucking magical about having a 6-7,000 yrd course to yourself. Murica!
This is new? I think I gotten paired with people maybe 4 times in 5 years of playing. 🤷‍♂️
You playing in BFE West Virginia?
Maryland
Congrats on playing golf! Didn’t need 3 paragraph’s but congrats again, regardless.
This is a support group. Our fellow peer requires affirmation and validation.Â
Damn I am so lucky to live by a course 4 min walk from me.
Dude wtf did I just read. Did you get hit by a stray ball off the 9th my boy?