Golfer 1: I got to play Pebble Beach last week!
Golfer 2: Really, what did you shoot?
Only in America would you hear these words. We Americans are obsessed with score. Sadly, we reduce a four-hour experience into a single number and, even more sadly, we use that number to measure the value of the experience. As much as I recognize the pitfall of this way of approaching the game, I fall victim to the score “trap” as much as the next person. The good news is, I am aware of it and am working to wise up.
The idea of playing golf for the joy of each shot and not for the total score is nothing new. Bobby Jones famously said, "The real way to play golf is to take pleasure not in the score, but in the execution of strokes." While the wisdom of these words is undeniable, adopting that spirit is not easy. The gravitational pull of score is perpetuated by the ever-present “scorecard”. Most courses prominently display the course scorecard at the point of sale, on the first tee, on the steering wheel of the cart, and, even on the 2nd tee if, God forbid, you forgot to pick one up at any one of those locations.
Score is essential to the World Handicap System (WHS) and ultimately determines our handicap index which is the ultimate measure of our “worth” as a golfer. Don’t get me wrong, the handicap system is one of the greatest assets of our sport. It allows us to compete against golfers of differing abilities, bridges the gap between ages, genders, and skill levels, and adapts beautifully when golfers are playing different tees.
So, by all means, feel free to keep your score, but don’t let that score define your experience, and don’t let your handicap define you as a golfer. There is nothing less enjoyable than playing with a scratch player who plays slowly and sulks after poor shots. There is nothing more enjoyable than playing with a 36 handicapper who plays fast, has encouraging words for everyone, and has a self-deprecating spirit.
The Pebble Beach example is a real conversation I had recently, and I had the good fortune of being Golfer #1. Golfer #2 will remain nameless as it could have been any number of friends and golf colleagues. The answer to the question posed by Golfer Number 2 is “80.” As a 2-handicapper, 80 is not a “good” score for me. But my 80 at Pebble Beach does not even begin to describe the many good shots I hit over the course of the round. It does not reflect the birdie I made on the final hole or one of the best bunker shots of my life on 17. It doesn’t capture the euphoria of hitting two great shots on number 8 and walking off that green feeling as if I had just won the U.S. Open.
So, when my first-ever round at Pebble Beach was over I posted my 80 on the GHIN App, but I did so with a smile on my face. I set aside how that score would impact my handicap and what it might say about my self-worth as a golfer. Instead, I relived the shots I played over the course of the round—some good, some bad, and a few that I will never forget. Bobby Jones was right, the real pleasure of golf doesn’t come from score, but in the “execution of strokes.”