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Broke 90 for the first time on Sunday carding an 85.  Solid but unspectacular round with no penalties, nothing worse than a double bogey and and four pars.  But does it count?

The reason I ask is that the course is only a Par 62, SSS 60.  There are 11 par 3's on the course, but four of them are between 205 and 240 yards and another is 186.  I can just drive the longest (usually missing the green to one side), which is also the SI1 hole. 

My view is that although I have shot below my handicap and had a cut to prove it, would I have broken 90 on a longer course?  Thoughts welcomed. 

Had all my good ones on Sunday.  Turned it round though and got as many points as you did on the back.  And you came third!

How many points did you get Tim? I thought I was in with a chance with 31 -- don't usually get above 25!

Chris, for what it's worth I would be proud of playing well and scoring 85 but it doesn't really count. The real satisfaction will be when you break 90 on a course with a par around 70.

35 Stuart.  18 out, 17 back I think.  Got off to a flyer with 8 points in the first 3 holes though which helped.  Lipped a couple of crucial putts as well, although very pleased overall with my game.

Chris has definately got a sub 90 in him, it showed when he got more and more used to his new clubs.  He would have been there or thereabouts but for some, er, eccentric putting....

I don't think it counts personally.  23 over may have been below my handicap but on a par 72 it's still a 95.  Didn't actually feel like I was playing particularly well, but didn't make too many mistakes.

And Tim, my putting yesterday was the kind of eccentric you only see in an upper middle class englishman with an engineering background an alternative view of what is normal.  How can I miss from 2 feet and then sink one from 25 feet two holes later?

It wouldn't count to me - SSS 60 isn't a proper golf course, not by a long-shot. It is a par 3 course (par 4's should be classified as par3's at those distances)

You still played 25 over par (SSS is what counts) - that's really only a shot under your handicap.

 Sorry

JP,

I personally don't think it counts (though psycologically it felt good), but my handicap was 27.2 at the time so it's two shots under not one!

Think you're being a bit over the top saying that some of the par 4's should be par 3's.  There's a couple of shorter ones at 290ish, but there's also 4 par 3's over 200, one of which is a par 4 off the whites and another is 240, blind and uphill.  I would venture there are a few people on here who wouldn't be able to drive that green - I can just make it with my driver. 

Par three courses can be just as challenging as full blown ones.

I remember arriving at my doublewide on Cypress Lakes golf course at Lakeland, Florida and the lady next door, on seeing my clubs, suggest we popped round to the par three course for a game. It was the best par three course I have ever played, all lakes and alligators and after the 18 holes I had totted up a score of 68, fourteen over par.

The following morning I shot the same score, a 68, four under par, on the main course, which was over 6500 yds long. Explain that. 

I agree with John - any par 3 course which has genuine par 3 holes is at least as challenging as any full blown course, and being an avid follower of the PGA European Tour website I can't fail to notice that generally it is long par 3 holes that prove to be amongst the most difficult that the pros on tour encounter.

So Chris - I think that it does count especially since it included 4 holes of 200+ yards, don't knock yourself. And as for that 200+ yard par-3 8th at Gloucester on Monday, I can't believe that it was stroke index 15! I had to look at the card twice to confirm, as it meant that I didn't get a shot on that hole but got a shot on other much easier holes - crazy.

Chris,

I presume you played Boldmere?? I always played well below my handicap on this course (think my best ever was a gross 72) as the course is a lot lot shorter & it is easier to hit greens with an 8-iron downwards than it is with a 5-iron upwards.

Still, on the day you have to play the course & only you know if you played it well?

john.

Yes it was Boldmere, but by far my best round there.  It's a course I always seem to have problems with for some reason.  Previous best was a 90 and that was 5 shots better than the best before it. 

Had a few bad shots like, 15 yards off the tee on the par 3 second, two thinned chips on the 18th, plus a couple of silly missed putts, but overall I would describe my round as 'steady'.  Brother-in-law thought he was having a stormer on the front but was only 1 shot ahead of me after 9. 

Could I have done better?  Definitely.  Should I have? Probably.  Overall though, I thought I'd had an OK round and was pleasantly surprised when I added up at the end.