At what index (hcap) did you shoot your first round of Par or better?

[jibbs1082]

Just curious how far away I am from shooting a round of even par or if it will ever happen? I am down to a 6 but really usually shoot 80-85 almost every round, with a few 78-79s mixed in throughout the season that keep the number way down. Pretty much all of the courses I play have ratings above par (72.2-73) and slopes north of 135-143 based on the tee's that fit my distance... so those 78's have gone in as a 3-4 differential etc. I've never sniffed even par on 18 (have on 9).

 

Would love to know at what true hcap did you break through and shoot par (normal course, par 71 or 71... 6400+ yards).

 

As a side, I hear the school of thought that says you need to "learn to score" and can do that by playing a bunch of fun rounds from the fwd tees which I might try. My brain simply isn't wired to expect to shoot par. I feel like my expectation is if I play well, I will shoot 76-78 and leave some errors out there. Birdies are a bonus to me, and I don't ever tee up on a hole expecting a good look at bird.

 

 

 

 

[Hawkeye77]

For 18? I was around a 10 at the time I first shot one over par (never shot even for 18) and it was in the club tournament and completely a stars aligning kind of day - not sure what "true" means, but that's as close as I can get by memory, stats don't go back that far.  Choked up a 44 on the first nine the next day, but shot 1 over on the back and . . . lost by a stroke. Closest I ever got. Oh well. Thanks for making me relive all of that! 

 

Had many even or under par 9s as I got better, shot one over again just under a year ago same course as a 5.5 at the time, never been under for 18.  But our course isn't nearly as strong as yours in terms of rating.    

 

But honesty, they're outliers - like you, I don't expect to shoot par, if I did I'd have a lot lower handicap.  It's more a stars align thing and those two 18 hole rounds are many years apart.  Playing up can be fun, I recommend it.  I also suggest playing "regular" tees on easier courses - you still have to plot your way around.  IMO, just get a little bit better at all parts of your game and it will happen, and not just one over, haha, sorry I can't do better.  

 

[DaveLeeNC]

I never really considered "shooting par" as a logical goal as it is too vague (the TIPS on a tournament level course vs. the senior tees on a local course as an example). My equivalent is/was to shoot the Course Rating and I did that once when my index was around 5 (at age 75 those days are now long gone). I was 2 under for the day, BTW. And full disclosure - I shot 70 and the CR was 69.7.

 

dave

[oiler45]

My index is 13.2 and my best ever score up until last year was a 76. Last May I had an unreal round - 6 bogeys, 6 pars and 6 birdies for an even par 72. I know 13's aren't supposed to shoot even par but it can happen.

[b.mattay]

I first broke par as a 3 handicap with a 67 (-5). Funny enough, my first time shooting even par, I was also -5 through 17 and tried an ultra aggressive play on 18 to make a potential eagle and ended up hitting 2 OB and 3-putting for even par 😂

[Moved]

How long did it take to go down like 6? 

 

[SNIPERBBB]

I think I was a 5 when I first shot even for 18. Between 5 and 9 i had several 9 hole league rounds at even or better

Edited March 27 by SNIPERBBB

[DArnie]

Was 14 and a 3-4 hdcp. Shot 70 from the men's tees. Bunch of 73s and 74s before the 70. But not a single 72. Back then when you turned 12 you started playing the men's tees. Under 12 you played the Red ( ladies/jr. tees).  Nowadays there are at least 5 or 6 or more tees to choose from. Different era. 

Playing up tees is a fun way to learn how to go low and get past shooting low score jitters and ceilings. Makes for a fun and different competition too, if your club has one. Or just betting with your buddies. 👍

[Ghostwedge]

Your last line tells me a lot. Every time I tee it up on a par 3 I expect a birdie look on 2 of the 4 par 3's. A couple at least on the par 4's and a couple on the par 5's and that's without going for the green in two. Does it happen every round? No.

Depending on how much you play you should only beat your cap 1-2 times out of 20 rds I'm guessing, but be within 3-4 strokes most rds as a single digit cap.

 

 

 

 

 

[30putts]

3 cap I think, shot 71 at a course around here from the tips (6700 par 71). Got really hot and went -4 through 9 with a eagle hole out and 3 birdies. Then it all came apart on the back 😄

[Golfbeat]

I shot my first 72 when I was a 10 hcp. My lowest score ever was 69 and I was a 5 hcp then. 

[iceman1118]

3.5 handicap range when I shot even par for the first time. 7100 yard course. Have shot even par a handful of times for 18 holes

 

Been under par on 9 holes many times

 

Was down to a 1.5 playing super steady golf when I broke par for the first time and shot 70 on a 6900 yard course. Only time I have broke par over 18 holes. 

[Rbsiedsc]

I have come close to par on 9 holes (39) however my best 18 still far off (86) 18 cap. 

[GullLakeMi]

I was probably an 8 when I shot 69 on a par 72.  Course rating 69.7, slope 113.  Easiest 6,300 yards I know of.  Per GHIN, an 8 index would get 6 strokes.  That's generous with maybe 5 bunkers on entire course and 1 small pond adjacent to a par 3.  Hard to hit OB.  Context matters.

[Tpbiker]

My best ever round in a comp was level par playing off 6. Was 3 under with 3 to play and missed 3 x 5 footers on the trot. 15 years later I'm still smarting.

 

Now off 5, regularly shoot par off the member tees (course rating is 2 under par) in bounce games. Never once have I broken par. Had a 6 footer on 18 to achieve it a few weeks back and predictably manged to leave it short....

 

 

[jibbs1082]

15 hours ago, Moved said:

How long did it take to go down like 6? 

 

 

I'm trying to remember exactly, but probably started really getting back into golf around 2014.... I've played my whole life but never really cared or played that much until within the last 10 years. I would say I started back as a 12-14 (keep in mind I certainly was NEVER lower than this as a Jr)... Did take my first couple lessons in 2020 (still to this day, collectively have had maybe 5-6 lessons total... but have definitely watch a ton of youtube and probably have learnt "too much" about the swing, and subsequently tinker, a LOT). Definitely recommend at least a couple lessons though.

 

I think I went from around a 10-12 in 2020 to single digit (9's) in 2021. Didn't have a membership, but did beat balls at the range probably 2-3 nights a week. By the end of the 2023 year I snuck down to a 7.5 with a couple good scores (shot my first ever 79 at Tobacco Road on a trip).... 2024 I actually stalled and hovered most of the year and went back up to an 8 and then dropped to a 6.4 at the end of the season with two good scores (78's that went in as 3.1 differentials)... now at a 6.1 after decent rounds in the low 80's in the spring. I would say my game in 2 years has drastically changed... going from 9-10 to 6-7. 40-50 rounds a year... and range at least twice a year. I've probably havent gone more than 4 days of not touching a club maybe once or twice in the last couple years.

 

I feel like I am a true 8, but if ability to shoot a score is the gauge of index, then I certainly think I am a 6. Feel settled enough now that I will not blimp up... but am definitely curious how hard it will be for me to go from a 6 to say a 2-3-4. I know I will need to card a bunch of low 70s and honestly I feel like I don't even sniff those rounds. If I am really fair with my game, I probably hemorrhages too many strokes greenside. 

 

Maybe I am not but I feel like I have to be a rare anomaly of a mid-low cap that has a mental block to shoot in the 70's... It's almost strange at this point.

 

 

 

 

[jibbs1082]

3 hours ago, GullLakeMi said:

I was probably an 8 when I shot 69 on a par 72.  Course rating 69.7, slope 113.  Easiest 6,300 yards I know of.  Per GHIN, an 8 index would get 6 strokes.  That's generous with maybe 5 bunkers on entire course and 1 small pond adjacent to a par 3.  Hard to hit OB.  Context matters.

 

Absolutely and that's definitely why I am a 6 and have never gone lower than 78 😆 .... ratings/slope 

[jibbs1082]

14 hours ago, Ghostwedge said:

Your last line tells me a lot. Every time I tee it up on a par 3 I expect a birdie look on 2 of the 4 par 3's. A couple at least on the par 4's and a couple on the par 5's and that's without going for the green in two. Does it happen every round? No.

Depending on how much you play you should only beat your cap 1-2 times out of 20 rds I'm guessing, but be within 3-4 strokes most rds as a single digit cap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For sure... I need to learn to score, that's pretty clear in my mind. Feel like I have done enough work on the swing... very much can hoof it around a course. Might need to look at some mental coaching 😄

[KevCannon]

The first time I was able to shoot under par for 18 holes, I didn’t keep an actual handicap. Typical average score during that time was somewhere between 74-77. After i was able to shoot even par a handful of times, seemed almost like a mental barrier was knocked down. It happened fairly soon after that.

[st1800e]

-4 off a 5 cap.  

[PaulCar65]

Shot my first even par at 8 index. Couple of months later shot -1 at the same index. Both were in tournaments so I was the sandbagger!!!

 

[Nels55]

My index was 10.5 when I shot a one under par 70 at my course which is just over 6000 yards with slope of 122.  It was a random early Sunday morning round with some friends and I have no explanation for it other the random chance.  After I posted my score my index was 7.2.  LOL I shot a 91 a week and a half after that.  I never touched the ball and holed every putt so it was a legit score.

[JP87]

Just did it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Shot 71 as a 7.5 index. Course is 70.8/130/6300 yards. For context, I shot 87 on the same course 3 weeks before.

 

Was truly an out of body experience kind of day though. I made the turn at 2-over and bogeyed 10, but then had a 3-hole stretch where I holed out for eagle from 99 yards, hit it inside a foot from 80 yards, and then hit it to 6-inches from 185. Went from 3-over to 1-under in 3 holes. Have never had a 3-hole stretch like it.