1st competition... Got to start somewhere!

[Grieve14]

So after properly taking up golf in June and getting a handicap of 19 I thought I would enter my clubs winter medal. It is my first ever comp so I just wanted to get used to it and give myself a bench mark for next year where I hope to enter more comps.

it started terribly... After the first tee introductions I scuffed my first drive 40 yards towards the trees on the left, on a dogleg left par 4 hole, leaving no shot but to play away from the hole. Great. I managed to scrape a 6.

stepped up to the 2nd tee, a long par 5. 1st drive o.o.b, 2nd drive behind a tree where I had to bump one out into the fairway. I then topped a hybrid about 70 yards, and a skanky 7 iron to leave me 40 short of the green. I then thinned a wedge through the green and into a bush where I could just get a shot on it. I tried a SW out the bush and the ball just plugged where I play it! I ended up with a 12 on a par 5 that I normally bogey. I have never had a score so high!!!

after a shocking start I then hit my drive on the 3rd straight down the middle about 230 yards. I settled down a bit after scoring the 12 and actually played some nice shots, getting myself into a few birdie opportunities and and quite a lot of par opportunities, but my putting was really poor so I never capitalised. I lost count of the amount of 3 putts I had. So many putts left massively short or really long, never anything in between. Clearly something I need to work on.

I ended up posting a slightly embarrassing 109 after continuously posting mid 90's for the last few weeks. The competition really got into my head. For some reason I was really nervous before the round, and playing with people I had never met before made me even more nervous after my crap start! after my shocking start I tried too hard to try and claw back shots and like I say, my putting was terrible.

its safe to say I'm glad my first ever comp is finished and done with and hopefully I can learn from it and be a bit more calm next time! I guess we all have to start somewhere!

 

[bladeplayer]

Well done & congrats on getting 1st comp over , don't be fretting over the scores or the quality of the golf for now , use the winter to get comfortable in comp conditions & learn a bit about whats required when u have a proper card in ur hand .

No friendly knocks can prepare your for real comps .. your aim now is to break a hundred consistently , then 95 then 90 & so one

Good luck with it , look forward to hear your posts of posting PB's & looking forward to big comps ,,

 

[Pin-seeker]

Onwards & upwards.
Not bad going getting to 19h/c so quick.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Now the first one is over, relax. Nerves are a good sign on the first tee but try not to let them get in the way and try not to worry about embarrassing yourself. Two things that came over in the OP. Everyone hits bad shots. 19 is a good starting point so play as many comps as you can, it will get easier, and look forward to getting cut, if not in 2015 then definitely in 2016

 

[MC72]

So after properly taking up golf in June and getting a handicap of 19 I thought I would enter my clubs winter medal. It is my first ever comp so I just wanted to get used to it and give myself a bench mark for next year where I hope to enter more comps.

it started terribly... After the first tee introductions I scuffed my first drive 40 yards towards the trees on the left, on a dogleg left par 4 hole, leaving no shot but to play away from the hole. Great. I managed to scrape a 6.

stepped up to the 2nd tee, a long par 5. 1st drive o.o.b, 2nd drive behind a tree where I had to bump one out into the fairway. I then topped a hybrid about 70 yards, and a skanky 7 iron to leave me 40 short of the green. I then thinned a wedge through the green and into a bush where I could just get a shot on it. I tried a SW out the bush and the ball just plugged where I play it! I ended up with a 12 on a par 5 that I normally bogey. I have never had a score so high!!!

after a shocking start I then hit my drive on the 3rd straight down the middle about 230 yards. I settled down a bit after scoring the 12 and actually played some nice shots, getting myself into a few birdie opportunities and and quite a lot of par opportunities, but my putting was really poor so I never capitalised. I lost count of the amount of 3 putts I had. So many putts left massively short or really long, never anything in between. Clearly something I need to work on.

I ended up posting a slightly embarrassing 109 after continuously posting mid 90's for the last few weeks. The competition really got into my head. For some reason I was really nervous before the round, and playing with people I had never met before made me even more nervous after my crap start! after my shocking start I tried too hard to try and claw back shots and like I say, my putting was terrible.

its safe to say I'm glad my first ever comp is finished and done with and hopefully I can learn from it and be a bit more calm next time! I guess we all have to start somewhere!

Takes balls to come on here and go through a bad round with double figure scores on some holes. It shows that there's a world of a difference between what you score in bounce games and what you score with a card in your hand.

Use your performance and score today as a learning experience, eg you now know you can get a drive 230 down the middle on the 3rd, so have that in your mind next time you play it.

I would also recommend hitting some balls on a range/practice area/nets prior to playing. Also have 10mins practice putting before you start.

In terms of nerves on the tee, most people have that to a certain extent. Theres a video somewhere where Jack Nicklaus talked through any tee shot where he felt nerves. The way he approached it was to slow things down a bit and swing the same speed back and the same speed through to guarantee he hit the fairway, accepting it might not be as long as usual but would almost certainly be on the fairway.

Hope this helps, well done completing your first comp and good luck in your next.

 

[louise_a]

Well done for getting the first one out of the way, you nerves should be better next time.

 

[GG26]

I entered my first comp in August and my first drive was exactly like yours. I relaxed as I got into the round and played my best back nine up to then. In my second comp got only my second sub-100 round, including by far my best ever back nine.

I think that most of us can get nervous on the first tee, but once that initial shot is out of the way I tend to relax. Hopefully with the first competition completed your second competition round will be a better reflection of your ability.

 

[Grieve14]

Thanks for all the words of encouragement. I'm looking forward to the next one now as I feel I should be a bit more settled. Like MC72 said, there is a huge difference in playing in bounce games and in a proper comp, it would be great if i could forget it was a comp and play like I normally do!

I would also recommend hitting some balls on a range/practice area/nets prior to playing. Also have 10mins practice putting before you start.

I always hit on the range before playing purely just to warm up a bit and loosen up. I was hitting it great on the range, then walked 200m over to the first and duffed it haha.
I have never gone on the putting green before playing though, this is something I should definitely start doing I think. In fact I barely practise my putting - Its normally a fairly good part of my game (average of 1.9 putts/hole on GG), but after the amount of 3 putts I had I am going to put some work in here.

 

[ShankyBoy]

I could have wrote that same post a few months back! I got 19.7 hc, and then shot 108 in my first medal...horrific. It does settle down, I actually won a comp yesterday and a nice cut also, so keep at it, it just gets better!

The best bit of advice I've benefited from was not to chase shots or scores if some has slipped through. Just put all your focus into each and every shot and the good scores should come. This also helps with the nerves, concentrate on the process not the outcome.

 

[patricks148]

That's golf for you.

everyone has bad rounds, no matter what handicap they are, despite what you read on this forum. my last two rounds chalk and cheese. i would be surprised if id even broken 100 during the midweek better ball game i had. Came out on Sat 68 gross (par 71) 4 birdies and one bogie. I don't expect much from my next round

Just put it behind you and look forward to the next comp.

 

[Curls]

Good man and good post, it really is the true test when the card is in your hands!

Things to remember for next time out

1. You're doing well to start on 19, good stuff. Every comp you score higher than that will gain you 0.1. However, go under by a few shots and you'll get cut at a rate of knots. What you will probably find is that you gain several 0.1s, buffer the odd time, and then go under. The cut will be far greater than the net gain. But get used to racking up more 0.1s, we all do it all the time, that's just the way handicaps work. So don't fret about a 0.1. Some days everything clicks and you smash it. The rest you struggle with the putter, or the big stick, or something else. It's a numbers game, if you are actually improving at the game then the result will come naturally, the only thing you should be trying to do it improving. It's like passing a driving test, the best way to pass is to be a good driver, not focussing all your energy on the test.

2. When you stand on the first tee do everything in your power to imagine you are on your local driving range. Pick a spot in the fairway, absolutely, but when you stand up aligned correctly to that point then the only thing in your mind should be "I'm at the driving range, place to myself, just teed up a ball, send it away".

If you can put yourself in that place you'll not be as tense, and its the tense muscles that lead to the poor shots through jerky movements or quickened rhythm.