How much does "playing well" influence your enjoyment of the game?

[David Ober]

For me, it influences my enjoyment quite a bit, but I'm not sure how much.

For instance, I'm not sure if I'd rather shoot my personal best at Griffith Park, or shot a very poor round at Cypress Point.

I think I'd rather shoot the great round at a poor or mediocre course, actually.

What does that say about the role golf course architecture plays in our golf games?

What say you guys?

[Patrick_Mucci]

David,

Playing well is it's own reward.

How can anyone not enjoy the game when they''re playing well ?

Even if your opponent is playing better, there's a special feeling when you're on your game.

I'm with you.

[Alex Miller]

For me, it influences my enjoyment quite a bit, but I'm not sure how much.

For instance, I'm not sure if I'd rather shoot my personal best at Griffith Park, or shot a very poor round at Cypress Point.

I think I'd rather shoot the great round at a poor or mediocre course, actually.

What does that say about golf course architecture plays in our golf games?

What say you guys?

Harding or Wilson? Either way I go (went) with the very poor round at Cypress point. 

How I well I play is not completely independent of my enjoyment, but I think when playing a course for the first time I am able to distract myself with all the new experiences/architecture more than on a repeat play. Luckily this strikes a nice balance for me as I'll often score better on repeat plays. This is all independent of company, of course, which I'm finding more and more is the biggest factor of all.

[David Whitmer]

I agree with every sentence Pat wrote.

If I play poorly, it theoretically should not cast a  shadow over my enjoyment (after all, I do not play for a living), but it does. I'm very competitive and hard on myself. I know what I can do and how well I can play, and even though I know I will have off days, it still drives me nuts when I have them.

If I am playing poorly, what I try hard not to ever do is be a negative for the rest of my group. I need to always be fun and positive. If I am not, some guys may choose not to play golf with me anymore. That's a road I never want to go down.

[Jim Nelson]

It certainly influences me and I believe it changes how most people come off the course feeling.  I played Castle Stuart this summer and was absolutely foul when I walked off the course.  Horrible day.  I could not get my game together and my mood tumbled into the abyss.  I can barely remember some of the holes.  Played Royal Dornoch on the same trip, played better not great, but loved the course.  Remember every hole in detail.  I think there is an acceptable range of performance wherein I am ok.  Most golfers are head cases and since that is where your pleasure and enjoyment exist, it is hard to separate out those feelings.

At this point I would like to plug the book "Extraordinary Golf".  At the end, the author advocates viewing your round as art and be less concerned about performance, in a sense, approach it in a more zen-like manner.  Not easy, but an admirable goal and surely a better way to enjoy every course you play. 

[Jeb Bearer]

It used to make all the difference for me; I was a hothead and would get in a bad mood and not come out of it when I was off my game. More recently, I have seen the light (thanks in part to my discovery of this site  ) and I have gotten much better about not focusing so much on the score when I'm playing poorly, but just enjoying the course and trying shots. That is much easier to do on a good design.

Of course, all else equal, I would rather play well, who wouldn't? Still, I've found that when I can take things a little easier and step back a little bit, it makes the inevitable bad rounds far more bearable.

What difference does GCA make?

I recently played a course in NC that, IMHO, was a horrible design. Forced carries every other hole, narrow fairways, OB and lateral hazard everywhere. I didn't bring my A game, it was awful. Even with my new enlightened attitude  I didn't enjoy it at all; searching and dropping every hole can have that affect. I honestly believe that on a well-designed course, eg. CPC, Pinehurst 2, TOC, you can play poorly and still enjoy it because 1. there is something to accomplish on every shot, and 2. the smart golfer should always be able to keep his ball in play. Even at 16 at Cypress, Mackenzie gave the lesser player or the one having a bad day the opportunity to play it safe.

So, I hope that's not too rambling. Basically, yes, playing well influences me, but, so does the architecture which can have a counteractive effect.

[Matthew Essig]

To me, "playing well" influences my enjoyment of the day, not of the game. I will always love the game.

However, the majority would say yes to the question.

[Terry Lavin]

"Oh, not at all," he lied.

[Joe Bausch]

It used to make all the difference for me; I was a hothead and would get in a bad mood and not come out of it when I was off my game. More recently, I have seen the light (thanks in part to my discovery of this site  ) and I have gotten much better about not focusing so much on the score when I'm playing poorly, but just enjoying the course and trying shots. That is much easier to do on a good design.

Of course, all else equal, I would rather play well, who wouldn't? Still, I've found that when I can take things a little easier and step back a little bit, it makes the inevitable bad rounds far more bearable.

What difference does GCA make?

I recently played a course in NC that, IMHO, was a horrible design. Forced carries every other hole, narrow fairways, OB and lateral hazard everywhere. I didn't bring my A game, it was awful. Even with my new enlightened attitude  I didn't enjoy it at all; searching and dropping every hole can have that affect. I honestly believe that on a well-designed course, eg. CPC, Pinehurst 2, TOC, you can play poorly and still enjoy it because 1. there is something to accomplish on every shot, and 2. the smart golfer should always be able to keep his ball in play. Even at 16 at Cypress, Mackenzie gave the lesser player or the one having a bad day the opportunity to play it safe.

So, I hope that's not too rambling. Basically, yes, playing well influences me, but, so does the architecture which can have a counteractive effect.

Well said Jeb-ster.

[JESII]

For instance, I'm not sure if I'd rather shoot my personal best at Griffith Park, or shot a very poor round at Cypress Point.

But what if it's rainy and crappy at Griffith versus beautiful at Cypress?

[Scott Warren]

I certainly enjoyed the day I took money out of Sir Bob's very own pocket in a game of Wolf at MPCC more than the subsequent day two years later when his buddies took a considerable amount more out of mine at the same course!

But I liked the course just as much both days.

If I allowed the quality of my play to dictate my feelings towards a course, there wouldn't be very many I liked.

But there is a special satisfaction in playing well on a great course.

[Shaun Feidt]

Playing well always makes for a better experience, but the experience doesn't completely depend on the how well you play.  I also think how a golfer is playing during a certain round can affect how he feels about the conditioning of the course.  If a player is scoring well, they can overlook conditions that might not be at their best, but if that player is out hacking, they tend to be more critical of certain conditioning aspects,

[David Ober]

Playing well always makes for a better experience, but the experience doesn't completely depend on the how well you play.  I also think how a golfer is playing during a certain round can affect how he feels about the conditioning of the course.  If a player is scoring well, they can overlook conditions that might not be at their best, but if that player is out hacking, they tend to be more critical of certain conditioning aspects,

The playing well/conditioning thing is a great point, and one that I experienced last week at my home course. I'm playing well right now, and the winter conditions of the course are not bothering me at all, but one of my best buddies, a fine, fine player, come off the course saying how horrible conditions were and how he wasn't having any fun lately. And he's not at all a complainer usually.

[Josh Tarble]

Any time I am able to play I enjoy it...I wouldn't do it otherwise. But for me, the company I play with is a huge part.  I always love to play well, and am quite competitive but it's always: company>"playing well"

[Doug Siebert]

I've shot some pretty awful rounds where I had a great time, and I'd certainly rather shoot a bad round at CPC than a great round at the local cow pasture course.

I do agree with Patrick though that you can't help but enjoy yourself when you play great, but with one caveat.  If you come close to some sort of personal record or milestone you might end up a bit unhappy.  Last year I was playing on my favorite local course and unexpectedly dropped in a 20 footer for birdie on 16, and realized I was 2 under par.

I've never shot under par on what I consider a "real" golf course before, but as you have probably already guessed, my mind got the better of me (as I started to think of finishing 3 3 for a 69) and scored a double bogey 5 on the 17th, and parred 18 for a disappointing 72.  That's still a really good round for me, just not what I would have expected given that neither 17 or 18 are really that demanding.

If, on the other hand, I had double bogied 16 to go from even to 2 over, and birdied 17 and 18 to shoot that 72, I would have left feeling great.  Funny how that works, huh?

[Sean_A]

It depends and this one reason why I prefer matchplay.  The game could be well off, but a good shot, a wonderful up n' down or a cracking putt can win a hole and turn a match - thats fun.  If a match is competitive I nearly always enjoy myself.  Sometimes the course can be a downer, but for me that is mainly down to conditions and upkeep issues rather than the design.  BUT, its always more fun to have a good match and win rather than lose.   

Ciao

[Ronald Montesano]

This probably lines up with Sean best of all. If I know or suspect that the course possesses shot value, I'll drop a ball or two along the way (with no intent of holding folks up) and replay the shot, to get a sense of how it's supposed to look/react. Getting past the number is critical to enjoying the course (for me) on a day when my desired number is not going to happen.

If I'm reviewing a course (officially or informally; I'm not a rater) I owe it to people to reveal the course as much as I possibly can. This means figuring things out (again, with multiple balls; again, without threatening to hold up play) in a manner that leads me to enjoy the day much more than I would if I were attempting to post a medal score.

If score is the most important factor of the day, I find it to be completely separate from enjoyment of the course; it's more enjoyment of the execution than the course. I'm sure that proper execution on an elite course would mean much, but I can't find the precise wording to express the how and why.

[jeffwarne]

Given that a handicap includes ESC and is simply the best 10 scores of your last 20, most people don't "play to their handicap" on a given day, because it's not close to their average.
To tie your happiness to a score seems futile and must make for a real shite day if you make a mess of an early hole.

With match play you have a better than 50% chance of having agood day, particularly with presses and emergency 9's .
You could play well and lose, and still be happy with your play.
Or you could struggle and win, or win presses, and emerge witha good feeling.

I'm always amazed at people who suck, go out and play poorly, and are grumpy.
Of course when I go down, i go down hard because as the eternal optimist, I'm inclined to press quite a bit on the days when I really shouldn't be

[Jim Nugent]

I wonder if this affects the ability of some raters to rate the courses well.  Seems like their enjoyment of the course could color the way they rate it.  Especially since many of them may play the courses they rate one time. 

[Howard Riefs]

Playing well certainly influences my enjoyment of the game. However, even higher on the list is playing at a reasonable pace. If confronted with really slow play ahead of me (and few options to avoid it), that would significantly diminish my enjoyment -- even if I'm shooting a career score.

[Jud_T]

Learning how to enjoy oneself on the course even when having an off day is the final frontier of the zen of golf.

[Shaun Feidt]

Howard,

I totally agree with your thoughts on pace of play.  Even if I am not playing well, when I can get around the course in 4 hours or less I can still enjoy myself.  When you are getting held up, and not performing, it can sometimes become a nightmare.

[Jason Thurman]

We all love hitting good shots and playing well. That's why there's so much money in golf equipment.

Playing well also improves my ability to enjoy architecture. The only thing more fun than hitting a great shot is standing over the ball believing that the ideal play is a hard 4 iron that runs up the ridge in the center of the green and then feeds right to the hole, and then executing that shot and watching it unfold just as you pictured. I can recall shots like that on each of my personal Top 10 courses, and there's no doubt it contributed to my lofty rating of them. It's hard to evaluate strategy when you can't execute it.

[BDuryee]

Even more so than playing well, for me nothing can beat a well played fourball. Most of my memorable rounds are matches when everyone is playing well and it comes down to a putt on the last.

[Peter Ferlicca]

3 Summers ago when I was up in Washington I went on a little golf road trip with another golfer.  We drove all the way to Montana and played Rock Creek Cattle Company, then the next day played Idaho Club and The Club at Black Rock.  I don't know if it was the 7 hr drive sitting in the car or just not swinging well that day but I played horrible at Rock Creek, probably shot an 85, absolutely loved it though.  I can't imagine a golf course in a prettier setting.  The next morning we made the drive to Idaho Club, took a couple swings on the range, went and played with the Assistant Pro there and waxed him and shot a 69.  Idaho Club is a very nice place and I enjoyed it a lot, but at the end of the day I would still take shooting 85 at RCCC anytime over a 69 at Idaho Club.  We then finished up the trip at The Club at Black Rock, and boy oh boy talk about a comlete opposite kind of golf course from RCCC.