Keeping Score

This has been the summer of hitting off the tee.

I made the decision to devote the entire summer to hitting drives in the fairway.

Last year I was lucky to end up in the fairway once every nine holes, so a goal of hitting half the fairways seemed pretty optimistic.

This goal has also changed the way I've played golf this summer.

I've been hitting multiple balls off the tee. I've gotten to the point where I can re-load and hit 3 balls faster than most people can hit one.

Look, no one hates slow play more than me. I don't like waiting to hit, especially if I've just hit a bad shot, so I only hit multiple tee shots if:
a. there's no one behind us, or
b. the group in front of us is still too close for my boys to hit.

This strategy allows me to hit twice as many tee shots and work on my game while we're playing.

I've also changed the way I keep score.

Using the empty rows of the score card I put an "F" under each hole where I end up in the fairway along with the distance. Once I get on the green I write either "PFP" (Putting for Par) or "PFB" (Putting for birdie) or just "P" or "B". If I'm putting for bogey or worse I just leave the box blank.

I still write down the score, and I still get pissed off if I miss a par or birdie putt - but, I'm not working on my short game this summer so I don't get too worked up about it.

Now when I'm having a beer after the round I can see:
a. how many fairways I hit,
b. calculate the average length of my drives,
c. note my long and short drives.

I feel this method gives me a better indication of my progress.