How well do you play in practice vs competition

[TreeSeeker]

I've had two rounds recently where I've just been practising, and each time I've played significantly better than my handicap (10 under h/c and today 14 under h/c). Now I expect to play better when I'm relaxed and not under any pressure but it feels a pretty big gap.

How much better do you find that you play when you're just practising / how long did it take for your competitive performance to catch up with your best play.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I've had two rounds recently where I've just been practising, and each time I've played significantly better than my handicap (10 under h/c and today 14 under h/c). Now I expect to play better when I'm relaxed and not under any pressure but it feels a pretty big gap.

How much better do you find that you play when you're just practising / how long did it take for your competitive performance to catch up with your best play.

It's a tricky question. Performance in competitions is much harder due to a number of things, especially expectation and that can be heightened if you are playing well in practice. Try the Practice Manual by Adam Young. Very informative and may help

 

[User101]

The mental side of the game. When just out having a knock you don't think about the next hole or even how well you're playing you just trot on, put a card in your hand then it becomes between the ears.

 

[garyinderry]

Pretty much always better with a card in hand.

I will grind a score out and play much safer and smarter.

Practice rounds and games with mates i will just point and shoot at flags which usually means i am loose. More doubles than birdies as i am not that good. Lol

 

[brendy]

I thought practice is cheating?
Gotta turn up 10 mins before tee time at most to have time to run in and pay then sprinting to the 1st tee, 1 waggle and Boooom, hook it down the left.

 

[Deleted member 23344]

I always play worse in competition ... no doubt due to the weight of expectation and playing with guys I don’t know. I know that it’s all in the mind and I really must read up on how I might deal with it.

 

[duncan mackie]

Bigger the competition, or important the match, the better I play.

Can't be arsed to concentrate for hours on end when it doesn't matter; in fact I extremely rarely play a single ball with any seriousness on the course. Can't remember the last 'social game' wherenthere was any concept of having a score to compare in this context.

I will go out on the course to work on an aspect, but again there's no concept of a score to compare as a result.

 

[Capella]

Unfortunately, I play my very best golf when no one is watching. When I go out for a quiet nine holes after work, I play much better than I do when I play in a comp or even just in a social round. I just find it easier to take my time and concentrate on every shot when I am on my own.

 

[garyinderry]

Unfortunately, I play my very best golf when no one is watching. When I go out for a quiet nine holes after work, I play much better than I do when I play in a comp or even just in a social round. I just find it easier to take my time and concentrate on every shot when I am on my own.

Is that you in the picture at the top of your swing? very G-Mac of you. :thup:

 

[Capella]

Is that you in the picture at the top of your swing? very G-Mac of you. :thup:

It is, but the picture is a few years old now. I don't bow my wrist quite as much anymore (it was great for power, but difficult to control). Actually, the pic is a grabbed frame from a short instagram video Peter Finch took during my first ever playing lesson. I remember, because it was pretty much the only good shot I hit all day (and it took me about 2 years to catch another fairway wood that well) and I got a lot of likes and nice comments on that video at the time.

 

[TreeSeeker]

Had a more serious game today, although it was social... performance did not translate! couldn't hit my driver, and was putting for 3 more than 2, very painful. I might well actually grab that book haha.

Interesting mentioning the lesson issues, I haven't been able to recreate any of my problem shots with my pro, i've actually considering recording my tee shots so I have some material for the next lesson!

 

[NorwichBanana]

I often play better in comps, as I concentrate a little more over the ball/on each shot.

When im just having a practice round I do exactly that, try new things, test different shots, so the score is 2nd priority in my mind.

 

[Orikoru]

I don't think I play enough competitions to really compare. I've been cut a couple of times from competitions, buffered a few times last year as well, and got 0.1's a lot more times. Had some great rounds and poor ones in friendlies too. The ratio is probably about the same.

Actually, I have recorded all my scores at my home course so I can work it out... This is for the last 12 months (June 2017 to now) for my home course only.

Competition Rounds
no of rounds: 15
average gross: 97.06

Non-Comp Rounds
no of rounds: 10
average gross: 91.1

Ok it turns out I'm much worse in comps, haha. They would be off the white tees though, and non-comps I play off the yellows so that makes a bit of a difference.

 

[azazel]

I'm definitely better in competitions. I don't have the patience or attention span to really concentrate for 3.5 hours on a bounce game so it's inevitable that some experimentation starts to happen as the round goes on.

 

[thesheriff]

I often play better in comps because I usually have a better attitude and there is reason to stay focussed to the end.

For example, if I start a bounce/practice game with a few bad holes, I might write off the score and stop caring. If that happens in a comp, I'm immediately thinking how I can pull it back and trying hard to score well.

Not a universal rule, but a few PPs have commented that I've played much better during the comps.