With travel off the cards at the moment, you might feel a little stuck playing your regular local golf course week in and week out. If you’re starting to feel a little bored and stale from playing the same holes all the time, maybe it’s time you looked at your local golf course through new eyes. Here are some ways to make your time on the local more fun, challenging and interesting.
Play at a different time of day
Regular morning golfers might find the course to be a totally different place in the afternoon – and vice versa. If you appear at the golf course as regularly as clockwork, consider changing the time you play every now and then. Not only will the lighting and the conditions be different, there’s also likely to be a different crowd on the course, rather than the regulars you’re used to. This might make it just that bit more interesting and different, and give an entirely new feel to your golfing routine.
What’s the best time of day to play golf? Find out here.
Play with a different partner
If you usually play with the same person (or people) every week, consider changing this as well. While you can only play with one other person at the moment, think laterally as to who this person could be. Could you invite your boss or workmate to play around with you? Your grandparent or grandchild? Perhaps take your partner or child and give them a lesson on how to play (which might also give them a new appreciation and understanding of your passion for golf). Playing with someone new will definitely help you see the course (and the game) through new eyes – and will probably give you an added appreciation of the course as well.
Have a golf lesson – and then apply what you learned out on the course
Rather than following the same old routine, change it up. Book in for a lesson with a professional before your round, to help you hone your game and learn some new techniques. Then apply what you learn straight away as you play your round, while it’s still fresh in your mind. Focussing on different things and new strategies will help your game feel fresh and more challenging (and will probably improve your results as well).
Don’t play with all your clubs
This can certainly make your round interesting – next time you hit the course, try leaving some of your clubs at home (for example, a few of your irons). This will challenge you to think (and play) more creatively, and may also lead to the development of some new skills and strategies that you can use in your regular game.
Play match play
Rather than always playing stroke play, switch it up every so often and play match play. In this scenario, each hole becomes its own separate battle, rather than playing an 18-hole marathon. Now each hole is equally important, and you may find the lead switches back and forth fairly often. This will definitely make it more interesting – and probably more competitive as well!
Speed things up
Golf can be a slow and steady game, but you can always speed it up a little. Try playing ready golf, where players play when they are ready to do so, rather than sticking to the “farthest from the hole plays first” stipulation.
Change things up and play some games
There are some great and fun games that you can play on a golf course, rather than always playing a regular round, and will definitely add some spice to your play. Here are some good ones to try.
Bag Raid
In this game, you play match play as outlined above (where every hole is a battle to be won). However, when you win a hole, you then get to raid your opponent’s bad and remove a club from play for the rest of the round (the putter is usually the first to go!). If you’re feeling generous, you could allow the club to be put back into play as a reward for a birdie or better result.
Bingo, Bango, Bongo
This game of points is both challenging and fun. The first player to get their ball on the green gets a point (bingo). Once all balls are on the green, the player closest to the pin receives a point (bango); and the first player to put the ball in the cup also gets a point (bongo).
Strike Three
When you play this game, each player gets to strike out his or her three worse holes from the scorecard, with the best 15-hole score becoming the winner.
Alternate shot
One partner will tee off on the odd-numbered holes and the other will tee off on the even-numbered holes. Once one person tees off, you then alternate shots until the ball is in the hole.
Catch the rabbit
This one’s a little complicated – but fun. The lowest scoring player at the first hole “captures the rabbit” (you can use anything you like to denote the rabbit). If the next hole is won by someone other than the rabbit-holder, the rabbit is then set free. Then the rabbit can be won by the player who earns the lowest score at the next hole. Before a player can win the rabbit, it has to be set free by someone beating the rabbit holder on a hole.
Play nine holes
It doesn’t always have to be an 18-hole marathon – try playing a 9-hole round occasionally and see how that changes your play and experience of the course. If you want to play with a few different people, playing 9 holes can allow you to play more rounds.
Throw out the scorecard
Alternatively, you don’t have to play with a scorecard at all. Just hit the ball and have some fun, removing the pressure of competing. Enjoy the outdoors and the company of your playing partner, and use the time to really catch up. You might find this causes an improvement in your shots, as you’re only focussed on having fun.
Invent your own rules
When you’re playing a casual round, there’s no real reason you have to stick to the official rules – so why not invent a few of your own? Consider a scenario where you earn points for certain things (such as holes-in-one, birdies, sandies, closest to the pin etc.) and lose points for other things (such as hitting the water, two or more bunker shots or three or more putts to sink the ball). It’s all a bit of fun – and you’re really only limited by your imagination!
Play cross country
You can only do this when the course is fairly empty, such as late in the evening or on a rainy day. This involves playing from the tee of one hole to the green of another hole. This will add interest to your local course, as you’re essentially playing new holes. Plus, you’ll need some creative stroke play, as you aim over trees and come into greens from completely new angles.
You may not be able to travel much at the moment, so make the most of your local golf course. Even if you’ve played it a hundred times before, you can still find a way to make the game a little more interesting and different. Have fun – because after all, isn’t that the main objective of golf?
