Carditis - anyone have a cure?

[BornSlippy1994]

I had this issue for a while then realised that when I wasn't filling out a card I was telling myself my score was a lot better than it was if I was striking the ball well.

Hit a great drive, reached greenside bunker for two on a par 5? 'That'll do me, 100% par or better if this was a comp' is what would go through my head, ignoring that it took me two to get out of the bunker before a horrid three putt. If I had actually done that in a comp I'd be foaming for a good few holes.

So... nowadays I've had to change my attitude in social rounds to fix my attitude in comps. Yes, it means that some social rounds aren't as enjoyable (genuinely once walked off believing that 'if I had been marking a card' I would have shot about 77 when it fact it was closer to 85) but I also don't become so frustrated when I'm playing poorly in a comp as I'm aware that it's reflective of my actual ability. Made a double? Yep, that's part of my game. Made two birdies in a row? Yep, I also do that.

 

[Orikoru]

This might not be the answer (and I haven't read through the other replies yet to be honest so apologies if it's been said) but my thoughts on it come from a different angle maybe:

When people say "I can't play well with a card in my hand" do you literally mean that in your friendly/practise rounds you don't note down your score?? Personally for every single round I ever play I always keep score. Nothing really deliberate about it, but I just always have because I want to know exactly how well I did when I add the scores up at the end. But here's the thing - I reckon that by process of always doing that, maybe there's an accidental knock-on effect that when I am playing a competition, the whole "having a card in my hand" doesn't feel as significant because I always have a card in my hand. You just get on with it the same way as always.

So maybe the answer is have a card in your hand all the time until it loses it's significance. (Note: if you just mean the 'card in my hand' thing metaphorically then this whole post becomes irrelevant, lol.)

 

[ScienceBoy]

No other cure than match practice.

Same goes for any sport.

Can't beat match practice.

 

[lex!]

You might be being a bit too harsh on yourself. I think if you score in the 30's in a comp then you've had a decent day, and you mentioned that you buffered in any case. We can all leave short putts and duffed chips out there. I reckon it's more likely down to technical frailty that carditis. If you've got a weakness then you have to practice in that area. My pro told me to count 1. Fairways hit 2. Greens in regulation 3. Putts. Then at next lesson we can review and see what needs looking at.