Anger management on the course????

[imran_ali]

Hi all, its a very simple question I have, how do I control my anger on the course??? over the last few weeks I have been throwing a few clubs around!!! In all honesty I have been playing some good golf and I think thats where I loose it. If I am on to a good score and I have a bad few shots you can be rest assured A club may fly to the bag or hit into the ground with LOVE lol.

 

[Bratty]

Do you throw things at work when something goes wrong? Do you throw things in a supermarket when things go wrong? Do you throw things in the car when things go wrong?

Probably not, so don't do it on the golf course! Just accept that you'll hit bad shots and get on with it.

There's no excuse for this at all. If you must do something, just drop the club out of your hands and scream inwardly.

 

[chrisd]

Read some golf psychology books. they will tell you why you shouldnt lose it. In any event its childish and makes you look a pratt as well as the likelyhood that it will wind up your playing partners.

Those who do it when I play make me think that the round is only "about them" and I often just say to them " dont think that cos I am not chucking my clubs around that I dont care about my bad shots"

The main thing is that "losing it" doesn't help you play the next shots as you will still be tense and wound up and, face facts, all the childish tantrums in the world cant put right what has already gone wrong, you can only do that with the next shot!


Chris

 

[imran_ali]

Not for 1 moment do i defend my actions, eg yesterday I was invited to play at a course by a fellow member of our society. In all honesty I did not have a good round but not once did I share my frustration out of respect for my fellow golfer. It may be that I put too much pressure on myself to do well all the time!!!

 

[One Planer]

This book helped me.

I am a self cofessed perfectionist, so I understand where you're coming from (although I cannot condone throwing clubs!)

 

[imran_ali]

When I have a moment of madness I will always appologise instantly to my fellow golfer. what I am trying to get at is are there any exercises that can be done on the course to keep the frustration down???

 

[granters]

There's a bloke i have the occassional round with who screams, shouts, flings clubs around, whines about everything and i can tell you honestly i avoid playing with him as much as possible.

The way i deal with it is just to take a deep breath and focus on the next shot. once the ball's in the air it's at the mercy of the golfing gods and there's nothing us mere mortals can do to change it. So accept it and find a way of getting on with it

 

[Aztecs27]

I don't let stuff get to me now (well, not normally ). You have to accept that you're not a professional golfer and as such WILL hit bad shots in a round. That's why you are a club golfer.

Accept it, forget about it and move onto the next shot. Don't let it ruin your round or cost you £300 because you snapped your driver in half.

 

[john0]

what I am trying to get at is are there any exercises that can be done on the course to keep the frustration down???

Theres one method that I can think of......

 

[chrisd]

Yes - accept whats happened good or bad - simple really!

You hit the shot so go find it and hit it again

To be fair, you may apologise, but after the first or second time I would be looking to avoid playing with you if you start to ruin my round with childish tantrums!


Chris

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Are you an adult - if yes, you should know better & if no, you should know better.

It's very poor etiquette, and I bet you moan like mad about other forms of bad etiquette ie, slow play, not shouting fore, not letting people through etc, hell you probably through something (be it a club or a hissy fit.

 

[Doh]

You have to start with the attitued your going out with why are you there (to enjoy yourself) so why get angry do you enjoy getting angry?

If you play a bad shot just deal with it. if there is something you cannot change then change your attitued towards it.

As has been mentioned people don't want to play with club throwers it does't matter how many times you appologise to them they will start to avoid you like the plague.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I used to be a very angry golfer when I hit bad shots but I have since come to realise that no matter how well I play I will hit bad shots and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. I still talk to myself and swear at myself but I now realise that the last shot has no bearing on the next one unless I let it. By that I mean the only way the last shot can affect the next one is if you carry with you mentally.

I'm starting to think of my golf as a series of shots throughout the year which make up rounds of golf. Some of those shots will be bad ones but when they happen is unknown. Sometimes I'll have rounds where the bad shots don't get me in too much bother, those are the good rounds. Some rounds I won't hit any bad shots at all, those are the great rounds. Some rounds I'll slap it all over the place, those are the rounds that keep my feet on the ground.

You're only as good as your next shot is my motto.

 

[imran_ali]

Things like course etiquette i am very calm with. I am not a raving lunatic on the course!!! Its the odd moment during a round that I might throw a club a few yards. I am not one of these that slings it in the air! I dont hit it in the ground and take chunks out of it. By the way 99% of the time I dont even swear whether on or off the course. eg of a moment of madness is if I have not hit the green from 100 yards and it is in the bunker I will have signs of frustration on my face and a one handed hit on the ground with the club (obviously not causing the course any damage). This is generally no different to what most golfers do when they hit a bad shot(i do not do a HAPPY GILMORE). Due to the build up of frustration I do not find it acceptable to my self so thats why I always appologise to a fellow golfer regardless.

 

[thecraw]

I used to be able to throw a 9 iron further that I could hit it!!!!!!!!!


I still have the odd tantrum, christ I snapped my driver at Dundonald last year when I slammed it into the ground. Again I don't defend my actions however if its in your genetic make up its hard to stop it. Sometimes you (well I) just need a release and I don't buy into this count to 10 pish.

I don't know what age you are but I have found that as I get older I have chilled a hell of a lot.

I for one don't get annoyed by a club chucker, I gererally find it funny unless of course the club flies in my direction.

Helicopters are good!!!!

 

[hovis]

i play in a 4 ball. anger is kept down by a constant bombardment of abuse and piss taking on every bad shot. as its all in high spirit it takes the edge off. every time i take the tee i ask 'in the tree's or into the lake lads?'.

take bad shots serious enough to improve but not serious enough to ruin your day.

 

[19thagain]

There is no excuse for creating a problem for your playing partners ... so, childish tantrums are for the nursery not the course!

I remember playing, I think it is Kilspindie or maybe the club next door, south of Edinburgh and the 18th has an old wall running down the left side intruding, at an angle, onto the fairway and a field on the right - I think it is only a par three.

Anyway, my playing partner stood on the tee, which was hard against the field and his drive hit the wall and the ball rebounded into the field on the other side of the fairway.

He did not say a word .... walked across to his bag and trolley... and slung them, in one movement, right over the tee and the fence into the farmers field, rather like the Hulk and then he strode down the fairway into the clubhouse!

Two pints later he returned to the scene and retrieved his gear!

Worst I have ever witnessed BUT he never said a word!

 

[imran_ali]

I am 27, 10 years ago I use to have serious temprement issues but with age I have calm down. I am not a nasty person but I think what winds me up is I no my ability and if I am not playing to it or near it then that starts to build the frustration in me. I use to play alot of football a few years ago and regardless of ability I would not expect anything less then 100% commitment from others and specialy myself. The other issue is when I am passionate about something I can not tollerate mistakes and 2nd best. Thats the truth lads.

 

[lobthewedge]

Agree with craw, helicopters are good, the odd outburst of emotion on the course is healthy and can be highly amusing.

After his 3rd sh**k in a row, my cousin once emptied the entire contents of his bag into a burn and stormed straight to the clubhouse bar, bloody hysterical!

Dont know about behaving like that with strangers, but you need to vent the steam somehow. Im not one that can count to 10 and relax, just gives me heartburn!

 

[chrisd]

The other issue is when I am passionate about something I can not tollerate mistakes and 2nd best. Thats the truth lads.

You dont say what h/cap you play off but if you cant tolerate mistakes golf is not the game for you.

Even Lee Westwood said recently that top pro's lose more competitions than they win and so you have to get used to losing. They hit bad shots. Nick Faldo said in his prime that he rarely hit more than 3 perfect shots per round.

If you "lose it" when you hit a bad shot it will do nothing to improve a future shot and will just pee your playing partners off. If you hit a bad shot and keep cool there is a greater chance that the recovery shot will be better and may put you back where you need to be on the hole.

As said before I cant see why you get angry - you hit the bad shot!

Chris