• We'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas from all at Golf Monthly. Thank you for sharing your 2025 with us!

Had my best qualifier round of the year, but I'm absolutely gutted

One Planer

Global Moderator
Joined
Feb 11, 2011
Messages
13,430
Location
Modsville
Visit site
Played in the monthly medal today.

Played pretty well over all, but walked off the course gutted.

7 over for the front 9. Happy enough with that.

Hit an ok drive on 10' then a worldy of a 9 iron to 4 feet. Convert for birdie.

Par the 11th.

Slightly pull my tee shot on 12, then hit a 58 degree wedge to 3 feet. Roll it in for birdie.

2 under through 12 holes. Follow that with 2 bogeys to take me back to level par back 9 after 14.

I knew I was playing well and knew my back 9 score had me on for a good, overall score, and to be honest I bottled it :(

Double followed by par, followed by double, followed by a good par on 18. Finishing 4 over for the back 9 and 11 over total.

Very nearly my best round ever but ho hum,, there's always next week.

How do you take your mind off your score when you know you're having a good round?
 
To help me keep my round on track i dont count my score as im going along or count how many shots ive got left etc. I feel its adds un-necessary pressure and its all about just hitting every shot the best you can.

Sometimes i do get a bit giddy as you just know when your having a stormer but the more times you do then the easier it will become (i reckon :) )
 
To be fair Birchy, I don't usually count up until me end. The only reason I counted my front 9 was we had to wait for a 3 ball to tee off on 10 so I just killed a bit of time by trotting mine, and my partners score up.

To be fair, when I went birdie, par, birdie to start the back 9 it was hard not to notice my score.

I think I just lost focus.
 
There is no way you can avoid knowing that you are scoring well.

So try to relax and focus on what you were doing earlier in the round - that got you into the good position.

Adrenalin and emotional control is a major part of the challenge of Golf!

I've been in a few stressful situations umpiring Tennis, but the pressure of the final shot over water into the 18th at Les Bordes to get into the 'Golden Book' had as much as I've ever felt!
 
Break the round into groups of 3 holes. Aim is two bogeys and a par for each set.

Works well as I I was 4 over after 7 holes, on handicap so round going well. I then played 8-18 in +1 gross using that method.

I did think a few times that things were going well, especially when I saved par on 9 to go out in +3 gross (3 under handicap). On 16, a tough par 3 I had to control myself as that is a hole many rounds get undone in the stream that bisects the hole.

It takes practice to learn to deal with playing well, you are outside what you know your normal golf, if you don't believe you can play well then it is most likely you will twitch in your swing and take your score back to your "expected" level.

I firmly believed I could play that well and I did, I know I can do it again too, maybe not this week or next but soon.
 
I always try to remember 2 things when playing well and also when playing badly:

You cannot change the strokes you've already taken.
You cannot take your next stroke until you taken this one.

So, if you are having a bad day then remembering number 1 means you can always take some positives from hitting a good shot at some point in the round.
And if you are having a good day, remembering number two will make sure you focus on hitting this shot as well as you can before you start planning what you are going to do with it next. Sort of don't think about the putt until you've got it on the green.
 
I'm always thinking about my score between shots. You have to be able to forget about it when you have to play the next one, and that's what a solid routine does for you.
 
I'm always thinking about my score between shots. You have to be able to forget about it when you have to play the next one, and that's what a solid routine does for you.

This is where I think my problem is Gary. I don't have a set routine.

Maybe I should?

Science boy. I like that idea of breaking it down into 3's. I'll give that a bash :thup:
 
Played in the monthly medal today.

Played pretty well over all, but walked off the course gutted.

7 over for the front 9. Happy enough with that.

Hit an ok drive on 10' then a worldy of a 9 iron to 4 feet. Convert for birdie.

Par the 11th.

Slightly pull my tee shot on 12, then hit a 58 degree wedge to 3 feet. Roll it in for birdie.

2 under through 12 holes. Follow that with 2 bogeys to take me back to level par back 9 after 14.

I knew I was playing well and knew my back 9 score had me on for a good, overall score, and to be honest I bottled it :(

Double followed by par, followed by double, followed by a good par on 18. Finishing 4 over for the back 9 and 11 over total.

Very nearly my best round ever but ho hum,, there's always next week.

How do you take your mind off your score when you know you're having a good round?


you cant! so my 'trick' is two fold.........

either I absolutely dont add up until the end (but it can go against you if you know a par at the last for example will save buffer)

or

I 'start' the round 5 over par in my head:smirk: (or whatever your h/cap is) then if/when it's going well I dont get nervous when I'm 3 under par after 7 as in my head I'm 2 over par and play accordingly..........


works a dream............my h/cap hasn't changed in 2 years :whistle: :rofl:
 
Started off indifferently in club champs making some unforced errors and not swinging the club with any freedom. Felt very tight and tense but concentrated on going through my pre-shot routine on every shot. Made a birdie two n our 6th (178 yard par 3) which is usually a nemesis hole. Hit a shocking tee shot if truth be told but it went close. After that I just relaxed. Out one over handicap and went par, birdie to get back on track and hen chucked in two horror holes from nowhere.

Wasn't ever going to shoot a PB but the point is there is no point worrying about what you've done, what you need to do or how to play future holes as you have no control on how these will pan out until you play each and every shot. Great to have a game plan, even better if you can stick to it, and superb if you have a pre-shot routine. It is that that's the "rod and staff" according to Bob Rotella to help you when you are playing well or struggling and to try and take the focus back to the one shot in hand
 
Break the round into groups of 3 holes. Aim is two bogeys and a par for each set.

Works well as I I was 4 over after 7 holes, on handicap so round going well. I then played 8-18 in +1 gross using that method.

I did think a few times that things were going well, especially when I saved par on 9 to go out in +3 gross (3 under handicap). On 16, a tough par 3 I had to control myself as that is a hole many rounds get undone in the stream that bisects the hole.

It takes practice to learn to deal with playing well, you are outside what you know your normal golf, if you don't believe you can play well then it is most likely you will twitch in your swing and take your score back to your "expected" level.

I firmly believed I could play that well and I did, I know I can do it again too, maybe not this week or next but soon.

^^^^^^^ This. It really works.
 
Doing a supplementary card on Thursday night I was one over par after nine with eight pars and a bogey. 25 points. I then pushed my tee shot on the 10th into the drink and subsequently blobbed the hole. I put it down to nothing more than expectation and tried to steady the ship but ended up "only" coming in with 18 points on the back nine. I definitely struggle to maintain form after a good front nine but it's something time is improving.
 
Good shooting well played! Some people are never happy -4 and cut on the way and you still want more ........ :lol:

Seriously it where you start thinking par in gives me such and such that trouble strike.
Dr Bobs book I found to be a great help and it's all about keeping focused on one shot at a time. I know we've all heard it and most probably said it but doing it is a different thing.
 
Top