# Advice on mental golf



## mattjpa (Nov 27, 2015)

Hello all. This is my first post so apologies for starting with seeking advice but was hoping to get some impartial advice and thought this would be a good place to start.

I have been playing on and off for 10years with relatively little success, stopping through the winter and starting again in the summer, ive had a few lessons with coaches here and there but have invariably gone backwards as a result of different advice. 
I am making a concerted effort to improve my game and maybe get to the stage of a handicap, visiting the range a couple of times a week and playing as much as i can through the winter but I am struggling, usually getting round in 110-120.

My issue is a mental one. I can stand there at the driving range and run through my full range of clubs and hit 96 completely clean shots out of 100. I know I have a good, relaxed swing, hit it far and barely feel like ive connected with the ball. I get to the course and will be doing ok until I have a really bad shot/hole and will then usually go through a period of holes where I completely forget how to swing and can barely hit the ball. Its quite pathetic to watch! In my head the pressure consumes me and im convinced im going to shank or fluff it every shot. This can take over half of my round. I guess I just start to think im a bad golfer.

Has anyone else been through anything like this? It doesnt seem to happen to my friends when playing. Does anyone have any advice or articles that may help? I dont want to give up on the sport but am getting close


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## the_coach (Nov 27, 2015)

my take (given my experience playing/coaching) would be looking at the scores it probably isn't just a 'mental thought process during play' issue although that will play into it

for sure it will still be to a large extent some issues with technique - a ways easy to strike a reasonable ball off of a mat as that assists a not so clean strike anyways

also if there's a 'drag & hit' routine of number of balls same club from same stance - that's not good practice doesn't replicate what happens out in play
psr is important & having within one (pre shot routine) starting behind every ball (or at least on the range picking target then aligning properly with at least every say 4th ball)
plus random practice of never using the same club twice to the same target play imaginary holes - tee to green, shot to green, pitch, chip etc

folks will always struggle to some extent following a lesson - even during a series of lessons (takes a series of lessons spaced so good practice with some rigorous monitoring during practice can be done in-between)
as it's down to first off good interpretation of what they really have covered in a lesson session but crucially then the 'feel to real' during in-between practice & monitoring the practice with rigor by vid recording to see what is actually happening in regard to vid taken during coaching so you got some good reference points

most folks 'feel' they making the changes but often times they are not, fully, but slipped back into old patterns primarily because 'old' feels comfortable
so it's not really through bad or misplaced advice by any PGA Pro sure some you may find easier to gel with due to personalities - pupil & Pro.

would advise booking a series of lessons with the above in mind

out on course - never think of what you might score - one shot at a time - let go mentally of the not to good outcomes
only ways to play decent golf is staying in the present - having a good workable not too long psr that is repeated each time takes approx the same time to complete say around 10 secs as a guide

a big problem with practice is not doing good practice & ingraining further bad habits


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## davemc1 (Nov 27, 2015)

I really think half of my problems are in the head. But with me its not only confined to the course.

I never take a practice swing but do line my shot up. Deep breath then hit it. Or at least thats the plan. When its not working I stand over the ball for what feels like an age, running through the many swing thoughts. Then invariably rush the shot leading to a big duff.

 for not helping, but be assured youSosyouret the only one with mind problems


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## HomerJSimpson (Nov 27, 2015)

mattjpa said:



			Hello all. This is my first post so apologies for starting with seeking advice but was hoping to get some impartial advice and thought this would be a good place to start.

I have been playing on and off for 10years with relatively little success, stopping through the winter and starting again in the summer, ive had a few lessons with coaches here and there but have invariably gone backwards as a result of different advice. 
I am making a concerted effort to improve my game and maybe get to the stage of a handicap, visiting the range a couple of times a week and playing as much as i can through the winter but I am struggling, usually getting round in 110-120.

My issue is a mental one. I can stand there at the driving range and run through my full range of clubs and hit 96 completely clean shots out of 100. I know I have a good, relaxed swing, hit it far and barely feel like ive connected with the ball. I get to the course and will be doing ok until I have a really bad shot/hole and will then usually go through a period of holes where I completely forget how to swing and can barely hit the ball. Its quite pathetic to watch! In my head the pressure consumes me and im convinced im going to shank or fluff it every shot. This can take over half of my round. I guess I just start to think im a bad golfer.

Has anyone else been through anything like this? It doesnt seem to happen to my friends when playing. Does anyone have any advice or articles that may help? I dont want to give up on the sport but am getting close

Click to expand...

Welcome along.What do you play off? I'm going to give you my obvious answer but have a look on Kindle for a book called New Golf Thinking. Some very good stuff, written in a very good way. Has helped me. A few on here went to the Grove for a seminar with the author (John O'Keeffe) and a round after to put it in effect. 

Also, it seems like you are hitting balls at the range but without structure or any risk on each ball. Maybe look at making the practice more realistic and representative of what happens on the course.


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## mattjpa (Nov 27, 2015)

Thanks a lot for taking the time to reply, I've never played off a handicap, next summer will be my first effort to get one! I'm certainly going to try the book you recommended


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## ScienceBoy (Nov 28, 2015)

Pm sent


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## chrisd (Nov 28, 2015)

mattjpa said:



			Thanks a lot for taking the time to reply, I've never played off a handicap, next summer will be my first effort to get one! I'm certainly going to try the book you recommended
		
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Best of luck when you do, but I'd certainly look for different books as I think that particular one is pretty poor compared to the ones I've read.

Welcome to the forum !


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## louise_a (Nov 28, 2015)

One thing that helped me mentally is not dwelling on bad shots,  I used be still thinking about them when I played my next which inevitably led to another poor one. Now if I hit a poor one, I just shake my head and laugh it off.


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## Huwey12 (Nov 28, 2015)

Hi & welcome
I think I know how you feel, you start well and then go through a period of duffs before you correct your flaws and finish not to bad, sounds like my bad old days

My mind used to get scrambled after the first third of the round so I had to tell myself to stick to basics, I used to get jerky in my backswing for instance causing fats and thins

My best advice when you feel a duff period coming on is to really slow down the backswing, keeping the club head as low as possible,  with a really good pause at the top. This usually puts things back in sync


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## JustOne (Nov 28, 2015)

mattjpa said:



			visiting the range a couple of times a week and playing as much as i can through the winter but I am struggling, usually getting round in 110-120.
		
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If you can (apparently) hit 96/100 balls well at the range then I'd be playing golf with just a 7 iron, 9 iron and putter in my bag if I wanted to break 100. No point using a full set if the 'pressure' gets to you.


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## mattjpa (Nov 28, 2015)

Thanks so much for the advice all. I played today and (unbelievably) went round in 88, 24over par which considering I have never had a  round under 30 is a big achievement. A couple of bad shots here and there but I tried to bear in mind the advice on laughing them off and leaving them on the last hole and keep the pressure off, taking each hole one at a time. The advice on keeping the backswing low and pausing slightly at the top was invaluable, it meant I didn't hit two bad shots together the whole round. Anyway onwards and upwards, thanks again all


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## HomerJSimpson (Nov 29, 2015)

mattjpa said:



			Thanks so much for the advice all. I played today and (unbelievably) went round in 88, 24over par which considering I have never had a  round under 30 is a big achievement. A couple of bad shots here and there but I tried to bear in mind the advice on laughing them off and leaving them on the last hole and keep the pressure off, taking each hole one at a time. The advice on keeping the backswing low and pausing slightly at the top was invaluable, it meant I didn't hit two bad shots together the whole round. Anyway onwards and upwards, thanks again all
		
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Top man. Great effort. Now keep it going


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## Huwey12 (Nov 30, 2015)

mattjpa said:



			Thanks so much for the advice all. I played today and (unbelievably) went round in 88, 24over par which considering I have never had a  round under 30 is a big achievement. A couple of bad shots here and there but I tried to bear in mind the advice on laughing them off and leaving them on the last hole and keep the pressure off, taking each hole one at a time. The advice on keeping the backswing low and pausing slightly at the top was invaluable, it meant I didn't hit two bad shots together the whole round. Anyway onwards and upwards, thanks again all
		
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Great stuff, glad to hear you're on the up. Just to add a bit more to the deliberate slow low takeaway and pause, remember the ball's going nowhere till you hit it so practise the golf shot in 2 halves until you get a bit more fluent with you're hip turn ie. up to the top, stop, hip forward and turn, keeping head just behind the ball

When you're at the top, as a drill, forget the ball and just check everything such as posture, back elbow in line with your body, grip not tight, full shoulder turn, front arm as straight as you can without creating tension

Another good tip which I still use now is to lift the chin so that the top of the arm fits underneath, this prevents the lead arm getting blocked, just look down your nose at the ball

I reckon this is enough to think about for the time being. Enjoy


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## AMcC (Dec 2, 2015)

Welcome along and you seem to be making progress already.

One book I would recommend is Every Shot Must Have a Purpose by Pia Nillson and Lynn Marriott.


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## srixon 1 (Dec 2, 2015)

When you are playing a shot think *positively*. i.e. when you have a shot over water/bunker think about where you want the ball to go/land rather than where you don't want the ball to go if you hit a poor shot.


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