Ethical question for Planet Golfers
 

Alright, here is the question. If you normally start off by hitting a bucket of balls before a round, but instead of hitting a bucket of balls, you decide to play 27 [the front, the back, and the front again] can you take your back nine and your second front nine score together? What if you stipulated before the round that the first front nine was your warm-up session? [which I did not do]

I am trying to justify my first "round" in the 70's. I shot 46 on the front, and 38 on the back. I followed that up with a 40 on the front. Normally I would warm up, but it was raining a little, and I wanted to start before it had a chance to get bad. But it became beautiful, and I played 27.

84 would still be my best round ever, but I would love to tell people I shot a 78.

As far as I'm concerned you can mix either the first two or the last two nines. If you had shot a 38 on the first nine and a 38 on the last nine you couldn't put those scores together for a 76. I would have a problem with that.

Your first 18 is your score.

I would say the first 18 too.

So, as long as the 18 are consecutive?

IMO, but then what do I know?

I don't know everything about golf, but I do play my ball where it lies. I mark my penalty strokes. I don't carry 18 clubs. I don't walk on my playing partners' lines. I replace my divots and repair my ball marks.

I could be mistaken about the etiquette for scoring your 18 when you played 27. It's entirely possible but I don't have an ethical problem with it.

yup, I would say that's ok, you are not a scratch player, not a professional - you are a "weekend" golfer (like many of us).

I say, because of this, it's not your occupation, that it is ok to bend the rules slightly, as long as it's not to win money from others.... you should be able to say the best round of 18 holes was a 78.

good job....


my best round ever was a 79, about 10 years ago, I hit the bucket of balls first then played 18, ate lunch and played 18 more, the second 18 was the 78. I played that course all summer long, it was Heidelberg Germany.

I would agree.

As long as it's 18 consecutive holes, I personally don't see a problem.

Are you wanting to use the score towards your handicap? I'd check the USGA website.

Phil, you and I need to hit the links next time I'm in town.....

Congrats on the 78 and screw anyone that says otherwise.

I say count your lowest 18 and let that be your score even if they are not back to back. Heck count your best 9, times it by 2 and say thats it. Anything more than that is taking it wayyyyyyyyyy too far. But this is also coming from someone who has kicked the ball into the fairway a time or two and teed up on second shots.

You also moon people.

But Bob Dole digresses... Bob Dole would agree that any consecutive 18 is acceptable.

The first 18 should be your score, unless the people you were playing with and you both acknowledged the first nine was for fun and a warm up, and that your back and front nine score was going to count for your 18 hole score no matter what. I don't think you can pick and chose what nine's you should be able to use. But if you are playing for fun, and you can justify it to yourself without any guilt..who cares.

I used to play nine holes all the time when I was younger and really into golf. I never had time, nor wanted to spent 5 hours in a day on golf for 18 so I would just play nine holes. I few times I would of shot in the 60's or low 70's if you based consecutive nine holes. The best score I've ever shot was a 69, but it was on a 58000 yard joke par 70 track. But I've shot 34 on nine holes before on consecutive days but alas I could not get myself to count it for 18 holes,...and none of my golfer friends would recognize my 68 either as a real 18 hole score.

I have always felt the first 18 is your score.

You don't want to play with me. I played 9 today before calling it a day due to overcrowding on the course. I'm sure I shot a 50. First time I've played since a scramble last fall. I'm as bad at golf right now as I was the first day I fell in love with the game.

Your first 18...no doubt with me or the guys I play with how we would handle that. Nice round no matter how you stack it,though.

Using your preference, a guy could always go back out on the front 9 if he had a good back 9 in an attempt to better his score for the day. I can not see how that would be ethical.

P.S. As far as your handicap is concerned, you would have to record all 27 holes anyway.