Parmo
Tour Winner
Is this a trick question?
Number 3
Golf Pyschology
- Thread starter Alex_narey
- Start date
Is this a trick question?
Number 3
stevewilko
Medal Winner
Me.
It does not matter what i hit on the last hole every shot is a new shot, a new thought, and a new challenge.
forget the last hole its gone lol lol replay it in the club house while laughing at player 1, 2, & 3 who have just dumped all their shots in the water cos they thought about it tooooooo much.
Sorry i know were you are coming from, but i have played with people who have walked off the course after just a few holes because things were not being hit perfect.
I am like Murph and Robobum i work 12 hrs a day 5 days a week and get to play once a week. my handicap has come down from 18 to 13.7 in a year and i am looking at single figures by this time next hopefully.
I take it serious but also am realistic to know that i will never be TW
It does not matter what i hit on the last hole every shot is a new shot, a new thought, and a new challenge.
forget the last hole its gone lol lol replay it in the club house while laughing at player 1, 2, & 3 who have just dumped all their shots in the water cos they thought about it tooooooo much.
Sorry i know were you are coming from, but i have played with people who have walked off the course after just a few holes because things were not being hit perfect.
I am like Murph and Robobum i work 12 hrs a day 5 days a week and get to play once a week. my handicap has come down from 18 to 13.7 in a year and i am looking at single figures by this time next hopefully.
I take it serious but also am realistic to know that i will never be TW
Robobum
Money List Winner
Any one or two or all of them.
AliB
Q-School Graduate
Excellent example, oh wise one. Do you practice what you preach?
AliB
Robobum
Money List Winner
So are we talking course management or psychology??
Alex_narey
GM Staff
AuburnWarrior, really liked you points (problems). Would you mind emailing them to me at alex_narey@ipcmedia.com and I will forward a few onto Gary?
Many thanks
Many thanks
AuburnWarrior
Tour Winner
E-mail sent.
Thanks
I think the two are inextricably interlinked as you have to be thinking poorly to make bad course management decisions
AliB
Q-School Graduate
I agree absolutely. Psychology in golf is huge, whoever you are. Those who 'stay in the moment','visualise the shot' and only throw their sticks (if they do)at the end of a round are rare as hen's teeth. If we could get our heads straight we would all be better. My only real discovery (after about 7 years) is that golf requires patience. If things go wrong (this shot, this hole, this round) you have to tell yourself that this is not your whole life going down the drain, there will be another shot/hole/round that will sooner or later be better. that's particularly hard for those like Murph (and most others on this forum) who have to squeeze golf in around lots of other things and for whom every round is an opportunity that has to be grabbed because the next might be a while in coming.
Here endeth - looking forward to lots more psychobabble. In golf it matters.
PS visualising shot is good, watching shot is bad!
AliB
Parmo
Tour Winner
I had a huge problem last season. The problem was I would shoot a 20+ pointer on the front nine (nine hole course) and the back nine I would collapse. This happened week in and out but seems to have faded a little but at times reappears and not doubt this coming season will see it raise its head again.
Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
I'm with Robo on this. I've a very laid-back personality and on the course it shows. I might hit a poor shot and cuss a bit but then its gone - onto the next one. During the summer I was playing horrendously but kept on going, knowing that it would eventually work itself out. I didn't stop being a half-decent player overnight.
And being a Driving Instructor I have infinite patience. I can wait all day for things to get better and rarely get wound up or worry about the next shot.
We all think about golf far too much on the course. Yes you've got to think about what you're doing but too much thought leads to poor results in my book
And being a Driving Instructor I have infinite patience. I can wait all day for things to get better and rarely get wound up or worry about the next shot.
We all think about golf far too much on the course. Yes you've got to think about what you're doing but too much thought leads to poor results in my book
rickg
Money List Winner
Can I phone a friend???
jammydodger
Tour Winner
If i've hit a couple to the right/left, I then find it hard to ignore the fact i've done it. It will come in and out of focus and nag at me. Just the act of thinking about ignoring it puts it back into my mind. Consequently I find it hard to narrow my focus on the target/shot to be played and the cycle repeats itself.
Then instead of birdie putts its pressure on the up and down game. Make bogie a couple of times and frustration creeps in , How do break this cycle and let your game flow ?
Then instead of birdie putts its pressure on the up and down game. Make bogie a couple of times and frustration creeps in , How do break this cycle and let your game flow ?
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
Perhaps you should play me?
B
birdieman
Guest
It's got to be the 3rd guy. He's the only one of the three who has picked a specific target and has visualised the shot in his mind. He's committed and ready to play.
AuburnWarrior
Tour Winner
Perhaps you should play me?
No way!! I've heard all about you..
RGDave
Money List Winner
Is golf pyschology really for us mere mortals?? Can we really get any benefit from "mind exercises" when we only do it half arsed once a week??
If the best players in the world need their "mind guy" by their side during a tournament, how the hell are we going to benefit from reading a short article in a magazine??
I'm healthy, I'm out in the fresh air, lovely scenery and what will be will be, whether that is 68 or 98 there are a lot worse things to be doing. No need to over analyse that.
Nice
I don't even know what Psychology is. (?)
Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner reckons we are all affected by the negative comments of TV golf commentators. I never listen to them anyway.....
Swinger
Journeyman Pro
I'm thinking the 3rd guy has the best chance because he is thinking of the task at hand in a productive way as opposed to the first two who are both thinking about things that have happened previously. Although the second guys attitude is positive at the time there is only so long you can keep thinking about that 4 iron!!
HomerJSimpson
Hall of Famer
Its interesting. I'm going to be delving into golf psychology in April as part of my blog so its been fascinating to see the reaction on here. As with a lot of things there seems to be a clear for and against. As a reader of the Rotella books I've had a keen interest in this for a while.
Like a lot of people I think I tend to get too far ahead of myself. A couple of times last year I went out in only a few over par gross so was well ahead of the game. I'd make a mistake at 10 or 11 and then I'm into thinking, just get a net par here, you can get three points here etc. Suddenly a potential 40+ round (nett 66 etc) has become a level par round.
The other side of the same coin is that if I extend the good run deep into the round I then start to defend. Several times I was on the 16th +5 and +7 gross. Both times I went OB left at 16 and 17 and played the last poorly. Why did I suddenly only see trouble when I'd been hitting well for 15 holes?
I'd also like Gary to give some pointers on how to deal with negativity when we aren't playing well. I understand about managing expectation and playing with the swing you have on a particular day, but what can be done to tell yourself you can still score well if the ball striking isn't there. There is nothing worse than having two bad holes to start with and effectively playing yourself (at least mentally) out of the competition. The pros seem adept at still finding a way to get round in close to par and some of that must come down to their mental fortitude
Like a lot of people I think I tend to get too far ahead of myself. A couple of times last year I went out in only a few over par gross so was well ahead of the game. I'd make a mistake at 10 or 11 and then I'm into thinking, just get a net par here, you can get three points here etc. Suddenly a potential 40+ round (nett 66 etc) has become a level par round.
The other side of the same coin is that if I extend the good run deep into the round I then start to defend. Several times I was on the 16th +5 and +7 gross. Both times I went OB left at 16 and 17 and played the last poorly. Why did I suddenly only see trouble when I'd been hitting well for 15 holes?
I'd also like Gary to give some pointers on how to deal with negativity when we aren't playing well. I understand about managing expectation and playing with the swing you have on a particular day, but what can be done to tell yourself you can still score well if the ball striking isn't there. There is nothing worse than having two bad holes to start with and effectively playing yourself (at least mentally) out of the competition. The pros seem adept at still finding a way to get round in close to par and some of that must come down to their mental fortitude
Tiger
Money List Winner
Interesting thread. I've read two Rotella and found 'Not a Game of Perfect' most relevant to me. Biggest challenge I have as a beginner is visualisation. In most cases it should stem from remembering positive past experiences, but I've only just started playing so have none. Even playing a percentage game trying to visualise a shot, and have confidence in your ability to play it, is really hard. My question is how do I overcome this vicious circle?
