Mental State During PB

When you shot your personal best round, did you know what number you were shooting as you played?  Or did you just have a general idea, but didn't know for sure that it was a PB until you were done and added it up?  Or were you totally clueless as to score until after the round?

The first time I shot 80, I had no idea I was shooting that low.  I knew I was having a good day and getting some good breaks, but I wasn't aware of the 80 until the clubhouse.

The most recent time, I actually thought I needed bogey on 18 for a 79.  Hit my 3W too well and ran it through the fairway and up against a tree, hacked left-handed to get it away from there, pitched to ~25 feet, left myself a 5-foot slider for bogey, waited for everyone else to putt out, then drained it.  Only to then tally things up and remember that I'd had a bogey on 10 and actually needed par for the sub-80.  Still, I was happy that I responded and scored when I thought I needed it.

Do you write down hole scores as you go?  I prefer to just give my hole scores to someone else, and let the tallying occur post-round.

If I'm playing good, I don't talk about it or think about it.  I'm too dumb to remember my scores so I just jot them down quickly and move on.  If I just pulled in a couple over par after 9, my partners usually know to not whoop it up.  The pressure does mount a bit towards the end but ya just grind on and play smart.

Doesn't happen often but when it does, it's sweet to close it out.

I definitely know how I'm doing.

Probably not a good thing

I'm the guy who ends up having to keep the scores for everyone. Go figure... I've got less mathmatical skills than your average eggplant but somehow I can always know my total score without adding. The few times I've been on a PB round I ALWAYS know about what I need without wanting to. I psyche myself out more times because of that.

Fortunately, I've recently re-discovered my ineptitude so I don't have to worry much about PB's these days.

I've broke 80 only once, the day I did, I had no clue.  During a best ball 2 man tournament there were two 9 hole matches against different teams.  I was rolling in everything I looked at, including 2 birdies of over 30 feet.  We started the last match (it was a 2 day tournament, 4 matches total) in 3rd place in our flight, wound up winning the flight and winning the horse race to take it all.  It wasn't until the pro added the scores for posting that I knew.

Just about each time out, I see improvement in my game.  I, generally, have an idea of how I'm shooting.  Not a full tally, but, if I care to think about it, a good approximation.  That said, I usually don't even think about score until the end of the round.  Even so, I can tell if I'm going for a low score.  However, I will not allow myself to think of just how low.

When you get that feeling that you might post a 'score'....my personal MO is to try and shut it out of your mind and not think about the card other than recording the score for each hole. Thankfully, my brain isn't the sharpest tool in the shed so the actual totals don't compute automatically as I progress through the round.

No needless pressure!  Unless you want the pressure!