My best but most frustrating round

[sandwedge]

Saturday I had my best but most frustrating round. My previous low was 99 and I did that twice. Saturday I shot a 97. I played a course that I have never played before.

Par 5 1st hole. I missed the green on my 3rd shot and was about 25 yards from the pin. I hit a nice pitch that ended up about 16 inches from the hole. My buddy tells me "that's good, nice par". Well I don't take gimme's and told him I would finish out my par. I missed my tap in and finished the hole with a bogie.

I par the next hole and run off a couple of more bogies which is good for me. I end up going into the par 5 9th with a 40. After a good tee shot I topped my second shot and hit it into a fairway bunker. That is when it all went to hell on this hole. I had a bad lie and tried to play a hero shot to get it to the green. I ended up in the woods and had to take a drop. Next shot was a pitch over a bunker to a tight pin. I hit it in the bunker and it took me 2 strokes to get out. I ended up shooting a 10 on that hole and finished the front with a 50.

I started the back 9 with an 8 on a par 4 after taking a couple of more strokes to get out of a bunker. I settled down after that and made a bogie followed by 3 straight pars and a couple of more bogies.

Going into the par 4 18th I was at 90 for the round. I hit a great drive and followed it up with a shot that was about 10 yards off the green. The ball hit the cart parth and rolled about 50 yards. I ended up with a 7 on the 18th and shot 97.

This was my best score yet but I am frustrated because I thought I could have shot 89 or 90. It kills me that I shot a 10 on the 9th and 7 on the 18th after carrying a 40 on the first 8 holes of the front and back.

With a little better course management and some practice out of the sand I think I should be shooting high 80's to low 90's.

Has anyone else put up a personal best score but was unhappy about it afterwards? I could probably shoot par for the round and I would still not be satisfied with it afterwards. I guess that is what keeps me coming back.

[ezra76]

That's the game man. It giveth and taketh away. The key is not how good the good the good ones are but how bad the bad ones are.

Short game is what will get you under 90. I've had many mediocre full swing rounds but the up and downs get me down into the 80's. It will come with time.

[demon]

It will get better over time, I was the same way 25+ years ago.

[artfulgolfer]

Nobody finishes a round feeling like they made every shot and every putt. I shot one my best-ever rounds yesterday (+2) and missed 4 putts from within 3 feet. I played with a guy who once shot 64 and was pissed off after the round because he felt he could have gone lower. I felt bad for the guy - that he couldn't even enjoy a 64.

[warbirdlover]

Practice those sand shots. Sounds like that's your problem.

I used to be terrified of landing in traps. Now I just hit it out. Confidence is half the battle.

[JEFF4i]

Chea, boo hoo!

Hehehe, one of my best rounds in my first 2 years of gold included a 12.
It was a good round though, because that hole was surrounded by 2 pars, on each side.