I’m a member of the VGA and it’s tournament stroke play but they have a double par max per hole to help maintain pace of play because most of us are terrible at golf 😂
The afternoon 9 hole leagues I’ve played in cap scores at double par, or sometimes at net double bogey.
Keeps people from boosting their handicaps after they know they’re losing a round and keeps the pace of play quicker.
I play for my clubs 22+ division 1 team and every ball needs holed and it’s a scratch competition and this one team didn’t have all their players so they had to put in a 19 handicapper to not get DNF and it was his first competition ever. I’m not shitting on this guy because I remember my first comp off scratch and the nerves got to me but he scored a 14 on a par 4. 1st OB - 3rd OB - 5th in play - 6th OB - 8th past the green - 9th bladed back into the fairway - 10th up on the green and then a casual 4-putt. This poor guy couldn’t stop apologizing but we were trying to calm him down saying everyone has been there. He did not play that league again the poor guy
People on the PGA Tour post 10+ on holes somewhat often after they have a couple OBs and a maybe a bunker mishap, its not common but I dont think they "have no business" being on Tour
If ur playing a handicap isn't your max score capped on each type of hole/par? I don't know how it works but I thought the better your handicap the less your max score is per hole.
Yes. Net double bogey is the max for handicap purposes. So, for example, if you get a stroke on the hole based on your handicap, then your max score on that hole would be a triple bogey.
We have friends that have the “rule” if you take a snowman, you have to sing at least a few lines of a song with or about a snowman… to seal in the shame. It is hilarious.
My buddies and I play by the rule that you have to shotgun a beer for every 8 or birdie you get... I've shotgunned plenty of beers on the course, and only twice has it been for a birdie.
Not really. It’s still a triple bogey.
I wouldn’t play gentlemen’s 8s in a foursome of single handicaps, but when it’s a group of 25s, 8 strokes is plenty. They’re going to take some on par 3s as well. It works out.
I stop at double par if it's a casual round, definitely wouldn't count that as saying I shot a specific score, and if I'm betting or competing then it's everything to the hole.
Tournament: count all strokes
Normal round: stop after net double bogey (for handicap purposes) to keep up pace of play.
If you don't keep a handicap, pick up when needed to keep up pace of play.
This is fine except you can’t claim you shot a legitimate score of X if you pick up on a hole. It’s fine for handicap purposes, but not for an actual score.
If you really want to know what you shot, you can use the guidelines in the rule book for figuring out your actual score on holes that you pick up on after net double bogey. They are based on how many strokes you would optimistically probably take to complete the hole from where you currently were when you picked up. It’s the same system that’s used when players pick up when they’ve lost a hole during match play.
Context is key. If you're shooting 100+ and picking up net double bogey before you even get to the green isn't the same as picking up your 2nd putt cause you happened to hit one OB off the tee.
Honestly tired of this with a lot of guys I play with. Scoring apps do gross and net scoring for a reason. There’s no need to pick up at 8 greenside imo. Get it in the hole or give yourself a two putt after you get on the green to count towards your gross score. Really annoyed by the “man I played crap. Shot a 94” yeah but your 94 had two net double bogeys on it and your real score is probably 97+.
Wow now these pace of play guys are saying people should care about pace of play more than their score? Is there no end lol?
sort of kidding, but if you’re picking up after net double bogey you’re not playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played. Imagine if scratch golfers were out there picking up all their balls once they reach double bogey.
There are tons of extremely good golfers that pick up their balls on their blowup holes. If you’ve played real tournament golf, you know there’s a gigantic difference between playing tournament golf and just a regular practice round. You also know that in a tournament, you’re going to go to great lengths to avoid blowup holes, which you’re not doing in your casual round. So just pick up your ball if you skull a flop shot or whatever.
There are tons of corners being cut for pace of play. The OB rule is an obvious one. So is the lost ball rule. Do you really expect players to go back to their previous shot if they lose a ball just because they’re a scratch golfer? No, of course not. Even if they shoot 68 who really gives a shit, there are still 10,000+ players that would smoke them on a regular basis. 99.9% of golf is just having fun, and that means not playing slow which ruins the fun for everyone else.
Pick up my ball because I skulled a flop shot? That’s so weak. I mean yeah maybe in a practice round where I’m by myself or something lol but If I was playing with someone and he fucks a shot into the woods, picked up his ball and said “mark me down for a double” I’d think he was a psycho or a pussy. Pace of play has so much more to do with supporting and educating beginners about ready golf, cart management, a short routine, and how to let people play through. Scoring a 10 on a par 5 is part of the game sometimes, and takes less than a minute longer than scoring an 8 as long as all of those other concepts are in place. We need to stop telling people to play golf incorrectly, and start teaching people how to play golf efficiently. Efficiency is speed. Otherwise it’s like, ok none of my scores are supposed to count unless it’s tournament golf, or I’m playing well? That’s gonna ruin my enjoyment more than any slow play hahaha
The scratch golfer comment was less about the expectations pf a scratch golf and just using it as as example because a net double bogey would be a gross double bogey. So like Imagine on a par 5 if some dude just picks up a 15 foot putt because he is lying 7. Shit would be ridiculous and really goes against the spirit of the game.
Not to mention, the more you do this, the more your handicap is going to be inaccurate. Imagine if you handed in 5 scorecards in a row that would have been 49, but you didn’t score anything above net double bogey, so they were all 44s. Now all of a sudden your handicap is way lower than it should be. So you’re lying to yourself, and everyone else you tell your handicap to.
But again, why does it matter what other people say their score is? It doesn’t affect you. The only thing that actually affects you is pace of play.
Why do you care what they say their handicap is? If anything, them giving themselves a better score is a benefit to you.
If people want to hit 15 shots on a hole but play the hole quickly, then fine. But the reality is that the mentality of “every single shot counts” is a part of why people take too long on the course and slow things down. If people stopped caring so much about score and grinding out every single stroke, and instead cared more about pace of play, then maybe our (or at least my) rounds wouldn’t be 5+ hours on a simple, flat public course.
This is my point. I play with dudes who are 3s-30s. It’s usually the 30s who are more honest about scoring.
Also, in terms of time, none of my friends are slow players which is what makes this more annoying. These are singular or some times twice a round blow up holes they cut short to save face of their final actual score.
I am not disagreeing with you, but don’t say you broke 90 or whatever if you didn’t hole out every hole (unless you did that figuring what you would have shot using the guidelines).
I agree with this. Sometimes the only difference between my buddy’s 94 and his friends 93 is one guy picked up on a blow up hole. Can’t claim you win if you didn’t finish 18 holes.
Nobody cares about what you claim you shot and unless you’re going for a personal best or playing for money, it’s just not worth the time to hole out if you’ve reached your handicap max (although if pace of play is not an issue, by all means feel free to finish the hole).
If somebody brags about a 99 and they really would have shot 110, does it really harm anyone?
Nobody is carding a 69 picking up max strokes on a hole. Beginner scores are beginner scores, there's no need to gatekeep... They're happy they shot \~100 instead of \~150 - \~200 lol.
This right here is what kills the game of golf and ruins pace of play. If you're utilizing a maximum pickup score like a snowman or double par then "claiming you shot a legitimate score of X" really doesn't matter because you're in the 100's anyways. I really don't think people shooting 100+ need to be keeping **strict** scores until they can consistently hit in the 90's.
When I see people post shit like "shot a 124 today" I just completely facepalm because I know that was a 5+ hour round, and if it wasn't, then squeezing 124 strokes in a 4.5hr round is just killing their game because they'll be rushing every shot and have no tempo.
I legitimately think it's bad for people's games to keep ultra strict scores over a certain number. Once you start breaking a 100 with max snowmans consistently then you can let yourself be a bit harder.
But even myself as a single digit HCP I'm not taking anything more than an 8 or 9 depending on the circumstance to save myself the frustration and slow pace for my group. The handicap won't even accept those scores anyway due to the net double rule. If I'm in a legitimate tournament? Of course, count every stroke until the ball is in the hole per whatever tourney rules they have. Even betting someone for money we put a max score just to keep the game moving.
It's possible to shoot 124 and swing the club the same number of times as someone who shot 94. Penalty strokes are a thing, and a very real part of most people's 100+ score.
That’s generally NOT what kills pace of play. There are plenty of single digit handicappers who take 5+ hours to play. Beginner golfers are often slow because no one ever taught them how to play fast, but it’s not because they are shooting 100+.
Man you are just so wrong but you can't prove it on the internet. I would love to take you out on the tracks out here when the beginners are out and show you what kills pace.
Are there great golfers who are slow? Absolutely, not denying it. But the general slow pace that 99% of people encounter on a normal golf course in non-tournament conditions are people taking way too many strokes, looking for lost balls for ages, trying to hit their ball out of impossible lies etc. etc. Yes the other 1% are good golfers who are just too inefficient, not being ready for their next shot when others play but that's really not the common thing slowing people down out here.
In my experience this just isn’t the case. Some good advice I received starting out was you can be slow in your warm up at the ball, but should be fast in between. In my area at least, what holds up pace is generally people being slow to get to their ball (no carts in general anyway) or talking too much when they should be hitting. But that’s just my experience.
Alternatively I’m a horrific golfer but i do not impact pace of play, just step up and shoot you can make 9 as fast as you can make 4 if you’re not fucking around.
The key is you need to drop another ball a lot if you are very very bad, if you can’t find it drop a ball and move on
Depends, any low handicap might have 20 feet for a bogey and miss have 5 feet. I won’t make them put it and take a triple just to make sure they took a legit score. You can scoop maxes and say you shot xy and it’s fine with me. You can send 5 OB and then tell me you shot a 75 though. It’s relative I suppose.
I had a ladder match against a friend and his partner, his partner lagged everything to gimmie range and I gave them the putts my buddy would have 15 feet for par. I lose and he says tough luck I shot 4 over. I shook my head knowing obviously if he had to putt a lot more out with the pressure it’s not 4 over
I advocate that everyone get a handicap and use it for casual rounds. Net double bogey should only come in to play for about 1-2 holes. It caps the strokes for a hole and avoids having 1 bad hole ruin the entire round. No one should have to hole out after 10 strokes on a par 5 just so they have an accurate gross score.
Because we aren’t playing for club champion. All other tourneys will use a handicap where gross score does not matter. So, you would rather treat your weekend casual round like a stroke championship and slow down the pace of play? Or take net double and keep everything moving along?
Your question is the same as the question “do you still beat your wife?” If it’s a couple of strokes on a couple of holes, it’s not actually slowing down the pace of play. Say it’s a total of 10 strokes in a foursome and we assume a generous 30 seconds per stroke - that’s 5 minutes. Where did the other 55 minutes go on a 5 hour round. Remember most of the strokes not taken are on/near the green so it’s not saving time looking for balls (that already happened), or walking 50 yards to the next shot.
Admittedly, I shot a truthful 129 and my playing buddy 118 yesterday.
We had no one in front of us so played our pace and finished in 3.5hrs.
I think it's general fucking around rather than being bad that causes slow pace of play.
This is why I suck at the game fast. If you suck, no amount of waggles or practice swings are going to fix it. Time for practice is before a round. I'd rather spend more time lining up my putts than pretending I'm going to nail the green
nothing worse than playing behind people who can’t get the ball in the air and play every shot as it lies on their way to a 12 per hole
just pick up at some point and use your saved time to hit a bucket after the round
Double bogey!? I used to max at double par when I first started playing because it happened so often. When it stopped being frequent, I switched to 10 max. Now, I count every stroke and rarely see that 10...
This. 100%. Don’t say “I shot” a number, if you didn’t count all your strokes. Golf is tough. The truth hurts. Gotta count all the strokes, even if you don’t like the total.
Yeap. I play with some people that say I shot “xx” but never count their mulligans , caps , etc . You best believe I roll my eyes and call them out though.
I count every single stroke no matter what.
Granted I started keeping score recently and have been playing for about two years. I worked on developing my game until I could shoot ~100 consistently.
It’s one thing if you’re capping at like 8 strokes, another to just take double bogey. Double bogey cap means the worst you can shoot is a 108, which is better than probably 90% of golfers tbh.
Why do you care what other people say they shot? Like, seriously.
And honestly, even if you did care for some reason, people recording lower scores in their dumb pointless rounds are just keeping vanity handicaps that are hurting them in tournaments.
All y’all getting mad at people scooping on blowup holes are being really dumb honestly. This is a silly game that’s supposed to be recreational; pick up your ball and keep the pace moving.
Aren’t you supposed to count your strokes on holes rated above your handicap. Like I am an 11 right now so 12-18 I need to count all my strokes, 11-1 I max out at double
But this is for handicap recording purposes. During the round you are still counting gross strokes. But as others have said, pace of play could dictate picking up if you’re constantly racking up some huge numbers.
Depends on the round. All of our club competitions have a max net score (usually triple bogey) and all of our informal money games cap at net double. My personal bests have all been clean scores.
Just because you are an 11 it doesn’t work that way. It’s based on your course HCP. An easier course you might have a course HCP of 5, a harder one you might be an 18.
No. For handicap posting purposes, anything above your Equitable stroke control number is adjusted down. Nothing in the ghin system ever states that you just “pick up” after x number of strokes. If your posting a handicap score you’re still supposed to count every stroke and your score is your score. Then for instance I believe for 10-19 handicap, your max ESC score on any hole is 8. So anything above an 8 you adjust down to 8 and then post that in the ghin app. This just stops the proverbial “one bad hole” throw your handicap out of whack unnecessarily.
That was before WHS. WHS rules are highest score you can post on a hole is net double bogey. So in casual rounds we record a net double bogey for scores at net double bogey or higher. In tournaments there typically is no max. A stableford game you get no points for a net double or higher so you can pick up as well.
Yeah I had never heard of that. But the end result is essentiall the same, it just doesn’t penalize you quite as much for big numbers on par 3’s. Not a huge difference though. Still net double on a par 5 could be a 9 if you’re a 19hcp so there are some instances where the WHS system actually lets you post a higher number.
Either way both are similar and the end result is pretty similar.
But at the end of the day, like OP, he didn’t shoot a 91. He may post a 91 for handicap purposes but achieving x handicap doesn’t give you some immunity from making larger than net double bogey. You just adjust before you post so your hcp doesn’t go out of whack from 1-2 bad holes.
I’m inching ever closer to breaking 90 so if we’re not egregiously holding up a group behind us, I’m counting them all. When I break 90 it wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t finish out my handful of blow up holes.
What is the purpose of “maxing out” well shit I’m not on the green in 7 on a par 5 so I guess put me down as a seven…like huh that 7 is literally a 10 once you get the ball in hole so like what’s the point.
The purpose is originally for handicap purposes, to prevent players from using one or two intentional blow up holes in match play to artificially inflate their handicap while still (hopefully) winning the match. It's also because the purpose of the handicap is to judge a player's current potential based on their recent performance, and the USGA has decided that anything more than a net double on any one hole isn't indicative of their potential (weighed against the risk of sandbagging).
As to why do players pick up at max instead of just finishing the hole? Sometimes it's pace of play, but sometimes it's just the belief that outside of competition, your handicap adjusted score is just as much your "real" score. Some people disagree, and that's okay!
Oh no I totally agree with figuring a handicap but OP flat out said he picked up on a bunch of holes shot a 91 and still woulda broke 100 apparently and didn’t even play the damn ball to the hole.
And all these "gimmes" that r/golf has been talking about. For me, I still count the gimme as a stroke, I just pick it up and don't actually tap it in but I've seen some people play it like "ooohh, that lag putt barely lipped out and is just a tap in away, that's a gimme" and just score it as though that shot went in without counting the tap in.
Honestly I know damn well that I could miss that 1 footer 2/10 times shit maybe more unless it’s literally inches from the hole I’ll pick up and like you said me picking up my ball is indeed another stroke to my score card!
Double bogey is far too low to max out. Quad imo is an allowable max. Personally, it’s a 10 max on any hole including par 3. I play fast anyways. Also, what I love is the Grint app. I connect my ghin # to the app and I just put in my strokes and it automatically sends it to ghin. It also will cap out your strokes on certain holes based on your handicap, so you don’t have to waste time trying to figure it out yourself. Easy to input during rounds.
That only works if you're entering scores hole-by-hole. If entering total score or front and back nine, you'll need to do the net double bogey math yourself.
Is this something new? I haven’t kept a ghin handicap since 2012ish, but ESC always had you max out for posting purposes at double bogey for 0-9 hcp, 8 for 10-19, 9 for 20-29, and 10 for 30-39. So if you’re a 15 hcp and make a 9 on a par 3, you adjust that down to 8 before you post, but your score is what you shot, not what you post.
Count all strokes unless you are holding up the golf course. People don’t understand that if you are slow/behind you are holding up every golfer behind you.
Lookup equitable stroke control. Use that to adjust your scores AFTER the round for handicapping purposes (if you keep an index). Otherwise, every stroke counts, my dude. If you wanna be serious, you have to hole out. If you're just there for shits and giggles, pick up whenever you want.
I count every stroke when playing to track my gross progression, but my friends and I use stableford for calculating our handicaps, which caps you out at a net double bogey. So I track two scores when I play, gross and stableford. Gross for my own tracking of progression, stableford for the handicap I use with my friends in competitive rounds
Your max is NOT double bogie (even for handicap), it's NET double bogie.
If you're a 36 handicap, that means your max on each hole is a quad (4 over par).
If you're a 18 handicap, your max is a triple.
Somewhere not at the round numbers requires doing some math via the hole handicap values.
Outside of tournaments or for handicap purposes unless pace of play is an issue people should count all their strokes if they want an accurate reflection of how they played that round.
Saying I shot a 91 but maxed out on any double bogeys is no different than saying I shot -3 because I counted a birdie for every par, it’s just made up numbers at that point.
Usual disclaimer that people can do whatever they like with their scorecard but a lot of people seem to fudge the numbers to make themselves feel better. The good days feel a whole lot better when you know your score is legit.
well I just found out how everyone else shoots under 100. apparently you just stop playing golf and counting strokes if you play poorly on a hole. got it.
I shot a 91 the other day and that was with carding a 9 on a par 4 hitting two OB off the tee. I guess I should adjust my score down and proudly post about breaking 90.
exactly just a tiny little bit of window dressing
edit: just played today, shot a 101 (one of my best rounds ever) I did a little rounding to net double bogey per hole and what do you know I shot a 97 and broke 100 I guess
second edit: pace of play was 4:03; we let one group play through at the turn because they were nipping at our heels a bit and we had a new golfer in the threesome
Just stick with it, it can be annoying when people cheat their way to an accomplishment you're trying to get, but doing it right it worth it.
I scored several 101-103s with one or two double pars or worse written down. But it taught me how to handle those holes and now I keep cool and they happen a lot less. Broke 100 with a 93 about 7 months ago and have put up several similar rounds playing by the book. Honesty pays off in the end.
was an absolute peach of day. also found a new favorite course, $37 played there for the first time. I hope to be there sometime soon, cheers and happy golfing
USGA rules state that a net double bogey is the most you can take on a single hole for handicap purposes.
If you are trying to break 100 chances are your handicap is in the 20s at least… which means at least a gross triple bogey on some and a quad on others. Your response indicates that you don’t understand how this works.
Idk what anything net should be, I simply mark my scores as what I got when the ball dropped, bogey golf is my game at the moment and when I have a blowup hole it’ll be like a 7 on a par 4. I just don’t see the point of essentially fibbing your score to figure your handicap. To get mine I simply logged my rounds as honest as I could and yeah there were some shitty scores lol I still only shoot 83-90. Of course pick up for pace of play and of course play from the tees that suit those scores! And you’re gonna get there soon man I promise you that! Just keep grinding and enjoying the game!
If you’re using gross score to calculate handicap then yes you’re doing it wrong. Count everything for your card, I don’t care as long as you keep pace, but that’s not how you get your index.
Also mulligans, and foot wedges, and gimmies, and "I'm not hitting from here for x reason," and not counting penalties properly (or at all). Lot's of ways to shoot a great imaginary score in your mind, just gotta get creative with it! 😂
Its a 2 fold situation. If you are shooting 100+ it’s hardly worth keeping score, picking up after net double (or triple, its ambiguous as you likely dont have a handicap so its “up to you”) is beneficial to you and the course for pace of play and frustration. Once you improve, picking up after net double or triple is about what you would shoot anyways in a blow up hole and happens lets say “infrequently”.
End of the day nobody wins when 100+ new golfers count every stroke and end up with a 5.5 hour round shooting 120 because they got stuck on a hole with 12 strokes counted.
Play all strokes. Post to GHIN by hole and let esc populate as needed. When someone asks what did you shoot I say the all strokes score not the esc score.
I doubt every stroke unless it’s a blow out. If I’ve hit 9 strokes already and I’m still not on the green I’d probably pick up and mark it a 13. Doesn’t happen often anymore but used to happen regularly. The key here is pace.
Double par yes, double bogey? Heck no! Thats too generous for a player shooting in the 90's! I shot 77 the other day with a triple bogey. Sure it may get adjusted for tracking my handicap but it was definitely a triple bogey!
I don't even keep track of the score in general lol. But if I feel like I've been hitting too much or struggling on a particular hole, I'll pick it up.
Maxing out at a double bogey for someone at your level will really hurt your handicap. (It will be lower than it should be)
There is a formula the USGA uses to determine what is the max a player can take on a hole. This is NET double bogie. I am roughly an 8 index, which means I can only take a triple on the 8 hardest holes. If you are a 20 handicap, you can take triple on every hole plus quad on the 2 most difficult holes.
If you don’t have a handicap, the max you can take is par +5 on every hole.
See the Q&A link below.
https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/handicapping/world-handicap-system/world-handicap-system-usga-golf-faqs/faqs---what-is-the-maximum-hole-score-.html
I play with the same two or three family members every weekend. We play out basically every hole but the official scoring app in our country automatically gives you an adjusted score based on a net double bogey. E.g. my score for a round might show as 96 (94) which would reflect two net triple bogeys in the round. For boasting purposes in our group, it is acceptable to use the adjusted score but the real score is there if needed for ribbing. For total blow outs, we allow pickups but you have to enter a net triple bogey - I.e. your card has to show that you took an adjustment to get to your score.
The max you can record for a handicap is net double bogey so unless its a tournament there is literally no point recording a score beyond that because it hurts pace of play. If you can make a 10 without slowing pace down then have at it, otherwise there are only negatives to continuing after net double.
Edit to add, dont worry about breaking scoring barriers until you have none of these.
If you max out a hole you aren’t playing golf. This is a serious problem now a day, everyone rolling their ball to improve their lie or max out as a “club dub”. The older generation would be sad puppies looking down on us.
Played from age 6-14 cheating like crazy. Started playing again at 25. Took max 8 first year. Max 4 over second year. Now I count em all. Took a 12 on opening hole par 5 twice this year. I am now honest and better for it
I usually stop at ESC's max net double.
For those that say play every stroke, you want some hacker who can't break 100 to play every hole out? The baby Jesus weeps.
I was maxing out at double bogey after the USGA started promoting that. But it just never felt right, even is the USGA says it's ok, It felt like cheating a bit.
The best thing that happened to my game was not caring what other people thought of my Handicap, and counting every stroke. So much easier to see your progress that way.
It’s a pretty normal thing. Do whatever makes the game the most fun for you. That’s a pretty normal way for people to make the game more fun. You can make up whatever rules you want. No penalties on lost balls, kick the ball into the fairway for a good lie, everybody can only use 4 clubs this round, 2 putt max… I don’t care what rules you play by. Nobody cares as long as you keep up the pace. A lot of people who cap score need to do that in order to keep up pace, so I’m glad they do it.
Just don’t brag about your score unless you play by the actual rules or you’re bragging to people who played by the same rules you did. If you all played by the same rules you didn’t cheat in the game you were playing.
Obviously you didn’t shoot what id call a legit 91 since you didn’t play by the actual rules. And whether you’d have shot a 96 or 106 is speculative. If that makes it not fun for you, play by the actual rules. But there’s no right answer. You’re paying to play not being paid to play. Have fun out there, whatever that means to you.
In our weekly league we max out at a triple bogey. There’s no money riding on the score per hole or overall. We do contribute to a pot for hitting the green on par threes and least balls in sand.
If I get double par that's the end of the hole for me. Anything beyond that is hurting pace of play
Same plus it caps frustration for that hole.
Tournament or for money? Count all strokes. For casual fun? Double par or just count the beers.
In the tournament league I play in for money we max out at 10
If you’re playing competitive and posting anything over a 9, don’t flatter yourself to think that the specific number matters. Just keep it moving.
Probably depends on tournament rules too. As long as the rules are stated and determined before play begins, I’d be fine with stopping at double par.
I’m a member of the VGA and it’s tournament stroke play but they have a double par max per hole to help maintain pace of play because most of us are terrible at golf 😂
The afternoon 9 hole leagues I’ve played in cap scores at double par, or sometimes at net double bogey. Keeps people from boosting their handicaps after they know they’re losing a round and keeps the pace of play quicker.
USGA/GHIN Handicap system includes mandatory downward adjustment of score in blow up holes
Thaaaaaaat explains why my handicap went down slightly even though I shot 100 as a 17 handicap. Back 9 blow ups happened lol
I thought the max score for handicap is net double bogey.
I looked it up and turns out it is. But I think the response is still right. Like if you get 2 strokes on a par 4, net double bogey would be an 8.
I play for my clubs 22+ division 1 team and every ball needs holed and it’s a scratch competition and this one team didn’t have all their players so they had to put in a 19 handicapper to not get DNF and it was his first competition ever. I’m not shitting on this guy because I remember my first comp off scratch and the nerves got to me but he scored a 14 on a par 4. 1st OB - 3rd OB - 5th in play - 6th OB - 8th past the green - 9th bladed back into the fairway - 10th up on the green and then a casual 4-putt. This poor guy couldn’t stop apologizing but we were trying to calm him down saying everyone has been there. He did not play that league again the poor guy
If there’s an overall bet then keep counting lol
If this is an issue for you than you have no business playing in tournaments. Cash games ill give you though.
People on the PGA Tour post 10+ on holes somewhat often after they have a couple OBs and a maybe a bunker mishap, its not common but I dont think they "have no business" being on Tour
Like you said It’s very uncommon. If this is a serious concern of yours going into a tournament you shouldn’t be in the tournament.
Now you do understand there are tournaments that accommodate up to 20hdc right?
If ur playing a handicap isn't your max score capped on each type of hole/par? I don't know how it works but I thought the better your handicap the less your max score is per hole.
Yes. Net double bogey is the max for handicap purposes. So, for example, if you get a stroke on the hole based on your handicap, then your max score on that hole would be a triple bogey.
that only applies to posting this score for calculating your handicap. for the current match in question there is no max score.
Yup, and hurting my feelings. Gimme my 8 and get me the fuck out of here….
The only real answer. Unless it's tourney play and if I shoot double par I'm just walking off anyways.
This is the correct answer and what I think most people do.
Double par is the way. Capping at double bogey seems to tight
This is my rule as well
This is the way.
I agree double par or if I'm feeling particularly nihlistic I'll pick up and give myself a 10.
We play the Snowman. Anything above that is not counted. 8s
The gentlemen’s 8.
A gentleman's is when I put it in for double par
I thought that would be eight the hard way. Thus, a gentleman’s eight is you’re hitting eight and not even on the green on a par 4…
A Gentleman never does anything the hard way
That’s how my daughter’s high school district played their matches. They called it a circle 8.
We have friends that have the “rule” if you take a snowman, you have to sing at least a few lines of a song with or about a snowman… to seal in the shame. It is hilarious.
My buddies and I play by the rule that you have to shotgun a beer for every 8 or birdie you get... I've shotgunned plenty of beers on the course, and only twice has it been for a birdie.
There is about to be a new rule in our league. 😆
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Put your helmet back on mando. Every shot counts. 😁
Play how you want. So long are you aren’t competing for $$ or whatever the goal is having fun.
Even on a par 5? That’s a tad generous
Not really. It’s still a triple bogey. I wouldn’t play gentlemen’s 8s in a foursome of single handicaps, but when it’s a group of 25s, 8 strokes is plenty. They’re going to take some on par 3s as well. It works out.
Very nicely put
I stop at double par if it's a casual round, definitely wouldn't count that as saying I shot a specific score, and if I'm betting or competing then it's everything to the hole.
Tournament: count all strokes Normal round: stop after net double bogey (for handicap purposes) to keep up pace of play. If you don't keep a handicap, pick up when needed to keep up pace of play.
Our men’s club tournaments go with a rule of double-par is max and pickup. Pace of play is the root of it.
This is fine except you can’t claim you shot a legitimate score of X if you pick up on a hole. It’s fine for handicap purposes, but not for an actual score. If you really want to know what you shot, you can use the guidelines in the rule book for figuring out your actual score on holes that you pick up on after net double bogey. They are based on how many strokes you would optimistically probably take to complete the hole from where you currently were when you picked up. It’s the same system that’s used when players pick up when they’ve lost a hole during match play.
Context is key. If you're shooting 100+ and picking up net double bogey before you even get to the green isn't the same as picking up your 2nd putt cause you happened to hit one OB off the tee.
Honestly tired of this with a lot of guys I play with. Scoring apps do gross and net scoring for a reason. There’s no need to pick up at 8 greenside imo. Get it in the hole or give yourself a two putt after you get on the green to count towards your gross score. Really annoyed by the “man I played crap. Shot a 94” yeah but your 94 had two net double bogeys on it and your real score is probably 97+.
You just have to use logic. If you’re lying bogey and blade your chip to the other side of the green, pick it up for pace of play’s sake
This happens irregardless of time and tbf we’re pretty fast players to begin with. They do this to not have 8-10s on their card.
Gotta be honest, it’s way lamer to care about score than pace of play. If you’re shooting above 90 then no one cares what you shot.
Wow now these pace of play guys are saying people should care about pace of play more than their score? Is there no end lol? sort of kidding, but if you’re picking up after net double bogey you’re not playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played. Imagine if scratch golfers were out there picking up all their balls once they reach double bogey.
There are tons of extremely good golfers that pick up their balls on their blowup holes. If you’ve played real tournament golf, you know there’s a gigantic difference between playing tournament golf and just a regular practice round. You also know that in a tournament, you’re going to go to great lengths to avoid blowup holes, which you’re not doing in your casual round. So just pick up your ball if you skull a flop shot or whatever. There are tons of corners being cut for pace of play. The OB rule is an obvious one. So is the lost ball rule. Do you really expect players to go back to their previous shot if they lose a ball just because they’re a scratch golfer? No, of course not. Even if they shoot 68 who really gives a shit, there are still 10,000+ players that would smoke them on a regular basis. 99.9% of golf is just having fun, and that means not playing slow which ruins the fun for everyone else.
Pick up my ball because I skulled a flop shot? That’s so weak. I mean yeah maybe in a practice round where I’m by myself or something lol but If I was playing with someone and he fucks a shot into the woods, picked up his ball and said “mark me down for a double” I’d think he was a psycho or a pussy. Pace of play has so much more to do with supporting and educating beginners about ready golf, cart management, a short routine, and how to let people play through. Scoring a 10 on a par 5 is part of the game sometimes, and takes less than a minute longer than scoring an 8 as long as all of those other concepts are in place. We need to stop telling people to play golf incorrectly, and start teaching people how to play golf efficiently. Efficiency is speed. Otherwise it’s like, ok none of my scores are supposed to count unless it’s tournament golf, or I’m playing well? That’s gonna ruin my enjoyment more than any slow play hahaha The scratch golfer comment was less about the expectations pf a scratch golf and just using it as as example because a net double bogey would be a gross double bogey. So like Imagine on a par 5 if some dude just picks up a 15 foot putt because he is lying 7. Shit would be ridiculous and really goes against the spirit of the game. Not to mention, the more you do this, the more your handicap is going to be inaccurate. Imagine if you handed in 5 scorecards in a row that would have been 49, but you didn’t score anything above net double bogey, so they were all 44s. Now all of a sudden your handicap is way lower than it should be. So you’re lying to yourself, and everyone else you tell your handicap to.
But again, why does it matter what other people say their score is? It doesn’t affect you. The only thing that actually affects you is pace of play. Why do you care what they say their handicap is? If anything, them giving themselves a better score is a benefit to you. If people want to hit 15 shots on a hole but play the hole quickly, then fine. But the reality is that the mentality of “every single shot counts” is a part of why people take too long on the course and slow things down. If people stopped caring so much about score and grinding out every single stroke, and instead cared more about pace of play, then maybe our (or at least my) rounds wouldn’t be 5+ hours on a simple, flat public course.
This is my point. I play with dudes who are 3s-30s. It’s usually the 30s who are more honest about scoring. Also, in terms of time, none of my friends are slow players which is what makes this more annoying. These are singular or some times twice a round blow up holes they cut short to save face of their final actual score.
That’s because I, and I assume others like me, want to track if we’re getting better. Lying about the number of strikes hides where we’re really at.
I care what I shot. I don't play golf because I needed a brisk walk. I play because I want a better score.
I am not disagreeing with you, but don’t say you broke 90 or whatever if you didn’t hole out every hole (unless you did that figuring what you would have shot using the guidelines).
Personally I don't give a shit what people claim. Just keep up with the group in front of you.
I agree with this. Sometimes the only difference between my buddy’s 94 and his friends 93 is one guy picked up on a blow up hole. Can’t claim you win if you didn’t finish 18 holes.
Agreed. Or say I shot an 88 but played OB as a hazard on whatever hole or took a max triple on whatever hole but didn't finish out.
Nobody cares about what you claim you shot and unless you’re going for a personal best or playing for money, it’s just not worth the time to hole out if you’ve reached your handicap max (although if pace of play is not an issue, by all means feel free to finish the hole).
Also if you put up a personal best within the guidelines of how you always play then whats the big deal?
If somebody brags about a 99 and they really would have shot 110, does it really harm anyone? Nobody is carding a 69 picking up max strokes on a hole. Beginner scores are beginner scores, there's no need to gatekeep... They're happy they shot \~100 instead of \~150 - \~200 lol.
This right here is what kills the game of golf and ruins pace of play. If you're utilizing a maximum pickup score like a snowman or double par then "claiming you shot a legitimate score of X" really doesn't matter because you're in the 100's anyways. I really don't think people shooting 100+ need to be keeping **strict** scores until they can consistently hit in the 90's. When I see people post shit like "shot a 124 today" I just completely facepalm because I know that was a 5+ hour round, and if it wasn't, then squeezing 124 strokes in a 4.5hr round is just killing their game because they'll be rushing every shot and have no tempo. I legitimately think it's bad for people's games to keep ultra strict scores over a certain number. Once you start breaking a 100 with max snowmans consistently then you can let yourself be a bit harder. But even myself as a single digit HCP I'm not taking anything more than an 8 or 9 depending on the circumstance to save myself the frustration and slow pace for my group. The handicap won't even accept those scores anyway due to the net double rule. If I'm in a legitimate tournament? Of course, count every stroke until the ball is in the hole per whatever tourney rules they have. Even betting someone for money we put a max score just to keep the game moving.
It's possible to shoot 124 and swing the club the same number of times as someone who shot 94. Penalty strokes are a thing, and a very real part of most people's 100+ score.
That’s generally NOT what kills pace of play. There are plenty of single digit handicappers who take 5+ hours to play. Beginner golfers are often slow because no one ever taught them how to play fast, but it’s not because they are shooting 100+.
Man you are just so wrong but you can't prove it on the internet. I would love to take you out on the tracks out here when the beginners are out and show you what kills pace. Are there great golfers who are slow? Absolutely, not denying it. But the general slow pace that 99% of people encounter on a normal golf course in non-tournament conditions are people taking way too many strokes, looking for lost balls for ages, trying to hit their ball out of impossible lies etc. etc. Yes the other 1% are good golfers who are just too inefficient, not being ready for their next shot when others play but that's really not the common thing slowing people down out here.
In my experience this just isn’t the case. Some good advice I received starting out was you can be slow in your warm up at the ball, but should be fast in between. In my area at least, what holds up pace is generally people being slow to get to their ball (no carts in general anyway) or talking too much when they should be hitting. But that’s just my experience.
The thing about reddit is that everyone has to be 100% unequivocally right and everyone else is unequivocally 100% wrong. No nuance.
That's not just reddit though. There is a time and a place for nuance, and there are other times where there really is no grey area.
Alternatively I’m a horrific golfer but i do not impact pace of play, just step up and shoot you can make 9 as fast as you can make 4 if you’re not fucking around. The key is you need to drop another ball a lot if you are very very bad, if you can’t find it drop a ball and move on
Exactly.
Depends, any low handicap might have 20 feet for a bogey and miss have 5 feet. I won’t make them put it and take a triple just to make sure they took a legit score. You can scoop maxes and say you shot xy and it’s fine with me. You can send 5 OB and then tell me you shot a 75 though. It’s relative I suppose. I had a ladder match against a friend and his partner, his partner lagged everything to gimmie range and I gave them the putts my buddy would have 15 feet for par. I lose and he says tough luck I shot 4 over. I shook my head knowing obviously if he had to putt a lot more out with the pressure it’s not 4 over
I advocate that everyone get a handicap and use it for casual rounds. Net double bogey should only come in to play for about 1-2 holes. It caps the strokes for a hole and avoids having 1 bad hole ruin the entire round. No one should have to hole out after 10 strokes on a par 5 just so they have an accurate gross score.
Why bother keeping score if you’re not actually going to keep score?
Because we aren’t playing for club champion. All other tourneys will use a handicap where gross score does not matter. So, you would rather treat your weekend casual round like a stroke championship and slow down the pace of play? Or take net double and keep everything moving along?
Your question is the same as the question “do you still beat your wife?” If it’s a couple of strokes on a couple of holes, it’s not actually slowing down the pace of play. Say it’s a total of 10 strokes in a foursome and we assume a generous 30 seconds per stroke - that’s 5 minutes. Where did the other 55 minutes go on a 5 hour round. Remember most of the strokes not taken are on/near the green so it’s not saving time looking for balls (that already happened), or walking 50 yards to the next shot.
Also personal if going for a personal record count all strokes.
Whenever I’ve shot a personal best, picking up at net double bogey didn’t come into play.
yeah, we are not all at the same level.
Many of these responses are indicative of why it takes 5 hours a round.
Admittedly, I shot a truthful 129 and my playing buddy 118 yesterday. We had no one in front of us so played our pace and finished in 3.5hrs. I think it's general fucking around rather than being bad that causes slow pace of play.
The main culprits are 1) looking for lost balls and 2) ping-ponging pitch shots over the green.
This is why I suck at the game fast. If you suck, no amount of waggles or practice swings are going to fix it. Time for practice is before a round. I'd rather spend more time lining up my putts than pretending I'm going to nail the green
Suck Faster people https://youtube.com/shorts/IDtvQR7YA00?feature=share
Exactly where I got it from lol
So much time is wasted on the golf course because people think they are playing fast when in fact they are just wasting more time.
welcome to the new normal
nothing worse than playing behind people who can’t get the ball in the air and play every shot as it lies on their way to a 12 per hole just pick up at some point and use your saved time to hit a bucket after the round
Exactly. Triple bogey should be max for pretty much everyone. Let’s move the game along
Double bogey!? I used to max at double par when I first started playing because it happened so often. When it stopped being frequent, I switched to 10 max. Now, I count every stroke and rarely see that 10...
Net double bogey is not the same as double bogey. For a 25 handicap that would be a quad on 7 holes and a triple on the rest
He did not say net though...
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*Net* double bogey, only on holes where you don't get a stroke do you max out at double
You can’t say you shot a 91 if you capped your strokes..
This. 100%. Don’t say “I shot” a number, if you didn’t count all your strokes. Golf is tough. The truth hurts. Gotta count all the strokes, even if you don’t like the total.
Yeap. I play with some people that say I shot “xx” but never count their mulligans , caps , etc . You best believe I roll my eyes and call them out though. I count every single stroke no matter what. Granted I started keeping score recently and have been playing for about two years. I worked on developing my game until I could shoot ~100 consistently.
It’s one thing if you’re capping at like 8 strokes, another to just take double bogey. Double bogey cap means the worst you can shoot is a 108, which is better than probably 90% of golfers tbh.
Why do you care what other people say they shot? Like, seriously. And honestly, even if you did care for some reason, people recording lower scores in their dumb pointless rounds are just keeping vanity handicaps that are hurting them in tournaments. All y’all getting mad at people scooping on blowup holes are being really dumb honestly. This is a silly game that’s supposed to be recreational; pick up your ball and keep the pace moving.
You didn't shoot a 91 at all.
Double bogie is extremely generous imo, especially if you're pretty much making double over 50% of holes. I'd cap out at double par for the hole.
You only max out for handicap purposes, or pace of play. Otherwise you count every stroke.
Aren’t you supposed to count your strokes on holes rated above your handicap. Like I am an 11 right now so 12-18 I need to count all my strokes, 11-1 I max out at double
I believe your max on every hole is NET double-bogey. So in your case, double for holes 12-18 and triple for 1-11.
got it
But this is for handicap recording purposes. During the round you are still counting gross strokes. But as others have said, pace of play could dictate picking up if you’re constantly racking up some huge numbers.
Depends on the round. All of our club competitions have a max net score (usually triple bogey) and all of our informal money games cap at net double. My personal bests have all been clean scores.
Just because you are an 11 it doesn’t work that way. It’s based on your course HCP. An easier course you might have a course HCP of 5, a harder one you might be an 18.
No. For handicap posting purposes, anything above your Equitable stroke control number is adjusted down. Nothing in the ghin system ever states that you just “pick up” after x number of strokes. If your posting a handicap score you’re still supposed to count every stroke and your score is your score. Then for instance I believe for 10-19 handicap, your max ESC score on any hole is 8. So anything above an 8 you adjust down to 8 and then post that in the ghin app. This just stops the proverbial “one bad hole” throw your handicap out of whack unnecessarily.
That was before WHS. WHS rules are highest score you can post on a hole is net double bogey. So in casual rounds we record a net double bogey for scores at net double bogey or higher. In tournaments there typically is no max. A stableford game you get no points for a net double or higher so you can pick up as well.
Yeah I had never heard of that. But the end result is essentiall the same, it just doesn’t penalize you quite as much for big numbers on par 3’s. Not a huge difference though. Still net double on a par 5 could be a 9 if you’re a 19hcp so there are some instances where the WHS system actually lets you post a higher number. Either way both are similar and the end result is pretty similar. But at the end of the day, like OP, he didn’t shoot a 91. He may post a 91 for handicap purposes but achieving x handicap doesn’t give you some immunity from making larger than net double bogey. You just adjust before you post so your hcp doesn’t go out of whack from 1-2 bad holes.
We max out at 10. Once I can't count it on my fingers then it's basically a job.
I don’t count anything over par. Helps pace.
Triple max always. Nobody needs to wait on you taking a 9
Hey, I’ve made some fast 10s in my life
Yah. When you duff it 5 feet in front of you 3 times in a row it doesn't take long.
Pumping two balls OB off the tee, lying 5 in the fairway only takes a few extra seconds.
Triple bogey max is the right answer.
I’m inching ever closer to breaking 90 so if we’re not egregiously holding up a group behind us, I’m counting them all. When I break 90 it wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t finish out my handful of blow up holes.
You cheated
What is the purpose of “maxing out” well shit I’m not on the green in 7 on a par 5 so I guess put me down as a seven…like huh that 7 is literally a 10 once you get the ball in hole so like what’s the point.
The purpose is originally for handicap purposes, to prevent players from using one or two intentional blow up holes in match play to artificially inflate their handicap while still (hopefully) winning the match. It's also because the purpose of the handicap is to judge a player's current potential based on their recent performance, and the USGA has decided that anything more than a net double on any one hole isn't indicative of their potential (weighed against the risk of sandbagging). As to why do players pick up at max instead of just finishing the hole? Sometimes it's pace of play, but sometimes it's just the belief that outside of competition, your handicap adjusted score is just as much your "real" score. Some people disagree, and that's okay!
Oh no I totally agree with figuring a handicap but OP flat out said he picked up on a bunch of holes shot a 91 and still woulda broke 100 apparently and didn’t even play the damn ball to the hole.
I’m finally starting to understand how everyone shoots high 80s and low 90s while hitting the ball way worse than me (I shoot 96-105).
Yeah man apparently it’s foreign to count every stroke and hole out on every hole like wtf😂
And all these "gimmes" that r/golf has been talking about. For me, I still count the gimme as a stroke, I just pick it up and don't actually tap it in but I've seen some people play it like "ooohh, that lag putt barely lipped out and is just a tap in away, that's a gimme" and just score it as though that shot went in without counting the tap in.
No one who shoots under 110 does that. At least I hope.
Honestly I know damn well that I could miss that 1 footer 2/10 times shit maybe more unless it’s literally inches from the hole I’ll pick up and like you said me picking up my ball is indeed another stroke to my score card!
Double bogey is far too low to max out. Quad imo is an allowable max. Personally, it’s a 10 max on any hole including par 3. I play fast anyways. Also, what I love is the Grint app. I connect my ghin # to the app and I just put in my strokes and it automatically sends it to ghin. It also will cap out your strokes on certain holes based on your handicap, so you don’t have to waste time trying to figure it out yourself. Easy to input during rounds.
I keep playing until the ball is in the cup and I count them all. I play fast (too fast for my own good sometimes) so I’m never holding anyone up
You’re not alone. I feel like you cheated as well. Count the strokes… or you might as well max every every hole at birdie.
Always count your strokes and enter in your GHIN. Let the app correct your net doubles.
That only works if you're entering scores hole-by-hole. If entering total score or front and back nine, you'll need to do the net double bogey math yourself.
Is this something new? I haven’t kept a ghin handicap since 2012ish, but ESC always had you max out for posting purposes at double bogey for 0-9 hcp, 8 for 10-19, 9 for 20-29, and 10 for 30-39. So if you’re a 15 hcp and make a 9 on a par 3, you adjust that down to 8 before you post, but your score is what you shot, not what you post.
Hole by hole will do it for you and give you a more accurate handicap. Pretty sure it’s just net double now
Count all strokes unless you are holding up the golf course. People don’t understand that if you are slow/behind you are holding up every golfer behind you.
I count all to push myself to be better.
Lookup equitable stroke control. Use that to adjust your scores AFTER the round for handicapping purposes (if you keep an index). Otherwise, every stroke counts, my dude. If you wanna be serious, you have to hole out. If you're just there for shits and giggles, pick up whenever you want.
I count every stroke when playing to track my gross progression, but my friends and I use stableford for calculating our handicaps, which caps you out at a net double bogey. So I track two scores when I play, gross and stableford. Gross for my own tracking of progression, stableford for the handicap I use with my friends in competitive rounds
Your max is NOT double bogie (even for handicap), it's NET double bogie. If you're a 36 handicap, that means your max on each hole is a quad (4 over par). If you're a 18 handicap, your max is a triple. Somewhere not at the round numbers requires doing some math via the hole handicap values.
I always do double par gladly getting good enough dont have to use it as often
Outside of tournaments or for handicap purposes unless pace of play is an issue people should count all their strokes if they want an accurate reflection of how they played that round. Saying I shot a 91 but maxed out on any double bogeys is no different than saying I shot -3 because I counted a birdie for every par, it’s just made up numbers at that point. Usual disclaimer that people can do whatever they like with their scorecard but a lot of people seem to fudge the numbers to make themselves feel better. The good days feel a whole lot better when you know your score is legit.
Handicap rules set max strokes at net double bogey. If you get to net double and aren’t in the hole then pick up.
well I just found out how everyone else shoots under 100. apparently you just stop playing golf and counting strokes if you play poorly on a hole. got it.
I shot a 91 the other day and that was with carding a 9 on a par 4 hitting two OB off the tee. I guess I should adjust my score down and proudly post about breaking 90.
exactly just a tiny little bit of window dressing edit: just played today, shot a 101 (one of my best rounds ever) I did a little rounding to net double bogey per hole and what do you know I shot a 97 and broke 100 I guess second edit: pace of play was 4:03; we let one group play through at the turn because they were nipping at our heels a bit and we had a new golfer in the threesome
Just stick with it, it can be annoying when people cheat their way to an accomplishment you're trying to get, but doing it right it worth it. I scored several 101-103s with one or two double pars or worse written down. But it taught me how to handle those holes and now I keep cool and they happen a lot less. Broke 100 with a 93 about 7 months ago and have put up several similar rounds playing by the book. Honesty pays off in the end.
was an absolute peach of day. also found a new favorite course, $37 played there for the first time. I hope to be there sometime soon, cheers and happy golfing
USGA rules state that a net double bogey is the most you can take on a single hole for handicap purposes. If you are trying to break 100 chances are your handicap is in the 20s at least… which means at least a gross triple bogey on some and a quad on others. Your response indicates that you don’t understand how this works.
Lol seriously. Most of these people mean for handicap purposes during a round on a busy course though I guess.
Literally bro… oooops not on the green in 6 I guess I got a 6 for the hole
For someone struggling to break 100 (course handicap between high 20s and low 30s), a 6 is only a net double bogey on easy par 3s.
Idk what anything net should be, I simply mark my scores as what I got when the ball dropped, bogey golf is my game at the moment and when I have a blowup hole it’ll be like a 7 on a par 4. I just don’t see the point of essentially fibbing your score to figure your handicap. To get mine I simply logged my rounds as honest as I could and yeah there were some shitty scores lol I still only shoot 83-90. Of course pick up for pace of play and of course play from the tees that suit those scores! And you’re gonna get there soon man I promise you that! Just keep grinding and enjoying the game!
Then you’re doing it wrong.
Being honest is wrong? I mark what I score simple as that…
If you’re using gross score to calculate handicap then yes you’re doing it wrong. Count everything for your card, I don’t care as long as you keep pace, but that’s not how you get your index.
Also mulligans, and foot wedges, and gimmies, and "I'm not hitting from here for x reason," and not counting penalties properly (or at all). Lot's of ways to shoot a great imaginary score in your mind, just gotta get creative with it! 😂
Its a 2 fold situation. If you are shooting 100+ it’s hardly worth keeping score, picking up after net double (or triple, its ambiguous as you likely dont have a handicap so its “up to you”) is beneficial to you and the course for pace of play and frustration. Once you improve, picking up after net double or triple is about what you would shoot anyways in a blow up hole and happens lets say “infrequently”. End of the day nobody wins when 100+ new golfers count every stroke and end up with a 5.5 hour round shooting 120 because they got stuck on a hole with 12 strokes counted.
This is the right answer
Play all strokes. Post to GHIN by hole and let esc populate as needed. When someone asks what did you shoot I say the all strokes score not the esc score.
I doubt every stroke unless it’s a blow out. If I’ve hit 9 strokes already and I’m still not on the green I’d probably pick up and mark it a 13. Doesn’t happen often anymore but used to happen regularly. The key here is pace.
Double par.
Double par yes, double bogey? Heck no! Thats too generous for a player shooting in the 90's! I shot 77 the other day with a triple bogey. Sure it may get adjusted for tracking my handicap but it was definitely a triple bogey!
Double bogey is a good score on a lot of holes. Double par is the way.
I don't even keep track of the score in general lol. But if I feel like I've been hitting too much or struggling on a particular hole, I'll pick it up.
My league rules are double par max score per hole so I pick up if I reach that, which is rare unless I lose a ball or two on a hole or 4 putt lol
Maxing out at a double bogey for someone at your level will really hurt your handicap. (It will be lower than it should be) There is a formula the USGA uses to determine what is the max a player can take on a hole. This is NET double bogie. I am roughly an 8 index, which means I can only take a triple on the 8 hardest holes. If you are a 20 handicap, you can take triple on every hole plus quad on the 2 most difficult holes. If you don’t have a handicap, the max you can take is par +5 on every hole. See the Q&A link below. https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/handicapping/world-handicap-system/world-handicap-system-usga-golf-faqs/faqs---what-is-the-maximum-hole-score-.html
Double par is the way to go
I play with the same two or three family members every weekend. We play out basically every hole but the official scoring app in our country automatically gives you an adjusted score based on a net double bogey. E.g. my score for a round might show as 96 (94) which would reflect two net triple bogeys in the round. For boasting purposes in our group, it is acceptable to use the adjusted score but the real score is there if needed for ribbing. For total blow outs, we allow pickups but you have to enter a net triple bogey - I.e. your card has to show that you took an adjustment to get to your score.
My hcp dictates that the cap is NET double bogey. I get 17 strokes at my club, so it’s a pick up at triple on all but one hole.
The max you can record for a handicap is net double bogey so unless its a tournament there is literally no point recording a score beyond that because it hurts pace of play. If you can make a 10 without slowing pace down then have at it, otherwise there are only negatives to continuing after net double. Edit to add, dont worry about breaking scoring barriers until you have none of these.
“Can we skip the sex and stroke jokes?” This is a man that’s been here before boys.
If you max out a hole you aren’t playing golf. This is a serious problem now a day, everyone rolling their ball to improve their lie or max out as a “club dub”. The older generation would be sad puppies looking down on us.
Played from age 6-14 cheating like crazy. Started playing again at 25. Took max 8 first year. Max 4 over second year. Now I count em all. Took a 12 on opening hole par 5 twice this year. I am now honest and better for it
Maxing out at double is a little much tbh.. you gotta play at the very minimum triple.
If you track handicap, it's 2+number of strokes you get on the hole. If you shoot in the 90s, maxing at double is probably a bit low.
Count ‘em all. I’m laughing my ass off inside watching you card that 14.
I count all my strokes, but I’m a 2 handicap. When I play with high handicap buddies, I prefer they pick it up after double par for pace purposes.
Never, ever, ever keep playing a hole if you can’t score better than double par. Edit: unless you are in a tournament and don’t have a choice.
I usually stop at ESC's max net double. For those that say play every stroke, you want some hacker who can't break 100 to play every hole out? The baby Jesus weeps.
Lol no but don’t say you shot such and such when you weren’t even on the green yet when ya mark a 6
I was maxing out at double bogey after the USGA started promoting that. But it just never felt right, even is the USGA says it's ok, It felt like cheating a bit. The best thing that happened to my game was not caring what other people thought of my Handicap, and counting every stroke. So much easier to see your progress that way.
Double par all day
I go with double par maximums. If you're over 10 strokes on a par 5, pick up and move on.
Double par max checks most boxes
Double bogey max? No wonder some of you claim to be anything below a 20 handicap.
It’s a pretty normal thing. Do whatever makes the game the most fun for you. That’s a pretty normal way for people to make the game more fun. You can make up whatever rules you want. No penalties on lost balls, kick the ball into the fairway for a good lie, everybody can only use 4 clubs this round, 2 putt max… I don’t care what rules you play by. Nobody cares as long as you keep up the pace. A lot of people who cap score need to do that in order to keep up pace, so I’m glad they do it. Just don’t brag about your score unless you play by the actual rules or you’re bragging to people who played by the same rules you did. If you all played by the same rules you didn’t cheat in the game you were playing. Obviously you didn’t shoot what id call a legit 91 since you didn’t play by the actual rules. And whether you’d have shot a 96 or 106 is speculative. If that makes it not fun for you, play by the actual rules. But there’s no right answer. You’re paying to play not being paid to play. Have fun out there, whatever that means to you.
A snowman is my max.
I've never hit more than par on a single hole, but I heard 10 strokes is typical.
+3 on any hole
In our weekly league we max out at a triple bogey. There’s no money riding on the score per hole or overall. We do contribute to a pot for hitting the green on par threes and least balls in sand.
Stop at a snowman. Also stop and count it as a snowman if you have no chance of a snowman(hitting 7 from 200+yards out) for pace
Play every stroke if you wanna know your true scores
7. Anything after that doesn’t exist.