Holding your emotions in check.

[Kurt92]

For starters, it doesn't help that the person I round with is really immature and it's hard to concentrate. However whenever I start really well and I make a mistake. I just can't bring myself back down from riot mode. Take a round I had the other day for example..

1st Hole - 200y drive, 60y pitch and 2 putt for par
2nd Hole - Nailed drive into trees, topped 2nd shot, lost 3rd shot. Ended up with an 8 on par 5 (anger started here)
3rd Hole - 200y 3w, 90y pitch to 2ft and birdie.
4th Hole - Average par 5
5th Hole - thinned 3 chips one after the other and putted for an 8 on par 4
6th Hole - Lost a ball in a mountain of leaves at the side of the green. Thinned again and got a 7 on par 3
7th Hole - Gave up on counting my scores from being too angered at myself.


I had a spell of the Shermans for a month and recently cured them. Right now I feel I can do so much better. I ended up getting home and remembering my score to find I actually got an 83. (Par 67).


Help me out, How can I stop wanting to throw all of my clubs into the woods on every bad shot?

 

[JustOne]

Learn when to play for a bogie.... and also when to just 'find the green'. Poor decisions generally lead to poor shots.

 

[WideEyedFox]

Is it their attitude that keeps you down, or yours? If it's theirs then play your game, not your theirs. If it's yours then try playing each shot like it's your first.

Positive attitudes can be infectious, as can be negative. Sometimes even though their a friend they may actually be bad for you in certain situations. Try playing alone a few times, or hook up with a golfer with a better game and attitude which will help yours.

It may help to get a good pre-shot routine that fills you with confidence. Remember a good memory of a hole/shot/event that makes you feel really confident of playing a good shot. Try to boost the feelings in your body. If you see the memory make it as vivid and encompassing as possible, if you hear it, turn up the volume, taste it, amplify the taste and keep doubling the memory intensity until you can feel the changes in you body. It is not good enough to think it, you must “FEEL” it with as much intensity as possible.

Once you have that, calmly work some shots at the range. Get a pre-shot "waggle", "shuffle" etc. while recalling your good memory. Try and "attach" that feeling to your grips. Every time you handle a club that feeling will ignite inside and trigger it with a waggle of the club (for example) before you take your shot.

It can be too easy to be self critical, especially when those you're with are not particularly supportive. The whole thing can stop being fun.

Out of 7 holes above you walked off with par after 3 of them. You have the game inside you to play well, your score proves that, hold on to that feeling and the emotions that game brings and tell the old turbulent player in you to stand aside.

 

[Doh]

You have just got to break the game down one shot at a time and give that shot your full concentration. learn when to switch on and off you cannot concentrate for a full round. Getting angry means your getting in your own way, you are putting up a barrier to what you want to achieve. Learn to learn, even from the bad shots.

 

[chrisd]

The mistakes will occur, more if your a high handicapper and less if low. The mistakes, bad luck and odd good luck thrown in - that is the game of golf! It is a frustrating game that sometimes can also be wonderful.

Getting angry after shots is so self defeating, you hit a bad shot, get angry, hit another bad shot because you arn't relaxed and stood no chance of playing a good shot!

Why get angry? you hit the shot, no one else made you do that, getting angry doesn't help the next shot so anger isn't the antidote to to help the next shot. A bad shot is frustrating but most angry people I have played with think that they have a devine right to hit every shot well and, believe me, I have been to enough pro tournaments to see that even the top pro's foul up more than you would think. I also believe that the anger comes from the feeling that you look a fool to your mates and that they are judging you - the truth is that, whatever their level, they also hit shots that they arn't content with.

You, me and 99.99% of golfers arn't going to play the game for anything else but fun so go out and have a round, say to yourself that whatever happens you are just going to enjoy the walk, enjoy showing how you can recover from something bad and turn it into something good and that you will count to 20 after a bad shot and keep your emotions in check - it will become a better game and , more importantly, an enjoyable one! And, more than anything, you won't look a pillock by throwing clubs around

 

[Hacker Khan]

a) Take a chill pill man, it's only a game, a leisure pursuit, something you do for fun.
b) I wish I could have a bad round and shoot 83. It's all relative.

 

[thecraw]

Launch a club or two 45 yards down the fairway after your stupid wee ball. You may look like a tit but it gets it out of the system!

 

[One Planer]

Somebody on here has a saying in their sig' panel. Something like:

"Many a good round has contained a bad shot. I've yet to see one that contains a bad attitude"

Or words to that effect.

Would seem apt' here.

Hit it, find it, hit it again...... School of Snelly :thup:

 

[pokerjoke]

What your really doing is blaming someone else for your inabiitys to control your emotions.
As has been said you play the shots not your mate.
The key is to get into a zone of concentration before you get to your ball.
Have a bit of banter between shots,but as you approach your ball start to switch on.
Take all thing into account,wind,slope etc and concentrate.
Your mate i presume doesnt take it too seriously,everyones different.
I have played with someone who throws clubs and straight away i know his rounds over,heads gone.
You will learn in the end,it might take a little time.

 

[SocketRocket]

Quite a lot of Thinned and Topped shots in there! I can understand why you are getting frustrated with your game.

If you could improve that part of your game you would be returning a very tidy card.

 

[AmandaJR]

Read "The Chimp Paradox" by Dr Steve Peters. I've found it a very powerful book and can still lose it a bit (especially on my own) but am much more able to calm down, analyse the facts and tell my chip to shut up and do one!!

 

[bladeplayer]

to me its a case of get your priorities in order then you should be able to control your emotions accordingly ..

Golf for most is a relaxing past time away from the stresse of life.. at our lever how ever competitive , we play it for fun & enjoyment .. treat it as such ..

Also if you play a bad shot & cant just see it as that , the frustration is going to lead to another then another & so on ..

Build a good pre shot routine , short & simple , stick with this time after time and the bad shots should become less & less & so will the frustration ..

 

[Holty]

I go for the internalise Happy Gilmore approach, grit my teeth and swallow, and then remember that it's quite nice not to be sat behind my desk and look forward to the beer waiting at the clubhouse!

 

[Doon frae Troon]

One of the best ways to improve your golf is to only hit one bad shot at a time.
Stop the bad shot begats bad shot routine [three thinned chips in a row] and you will improve very quickly.
To do that you have to adopt a more mature attitude and blame yourself for the mistake [not imature mates], forget about it, and concentrate positively on the next one.
It is a learning process which some golfers never achieve.

 

[Hacker Khan]

Read "The Chimp Paradox" by Dr Steve Peters.

I've watched Planet of the Apes. Does that count? The only danger is if they send us to that terrible Planet of the Apes. Wait a minute... statue of liberty... that was our planet. You maniacs, you blew it up. Damn you! Damn you all to hell!

 

[HotDogAssassin]

Nurse Nurse! He's got out again!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I like the old Tiger ten yard rule. Hit a bad one, and you've ten yard to rant and moan and then its done and over. You'll bound to hit a few bad ones and it is how you deal with it that dictates whether you compound the bad shot or find a way to keep the score down. Think Rotella calls it keeping out of your own way

 

[SocketRocket]

I like the old Tiger ten yard rule. Hit a bad one, and you've ten yard to rant and moan and then its done and over. You'll bound to hit a few bad ones and it is how you deal with it that dictates whether you compound the bad shot or find a way to keep the score down. Think Rotella calls it keeping out of your own way

Tiger never cheers up.

 

[williamalex1]

bach's herbal remedy can help calm you down . but so can a few brandys

 

[malek988]

i used to get soooo worked up, and boy when i was younger, ill hold my hands up to throwing my clubs, till one day comon sense kicked in that i was throwing my dads money about, and that one day im going to buy my own good clubs at x amount of ££'s and im not going to do that so that knocked that on the head, as for now days now im older and surely no wiser if i feel anger setting in, i finish the hole, go and sit down at the tee box (usually a bench at each tee) have a ciggie, have a drink, just relax remember the positives thus far (usually not many) and then get up and continue.

We all get angry but when i did throw clubs walk off in anger, i never felt any better at all.,

Your bad round was a score in the 80's thats a damn good round for me so, im sure im not alone on the forums in saying i wish i could hit that constantly, so keep that in your head, might help??