mjyounie
Club Champion
This is a situation I know all of you have found yourselves in before...Your standing on about the 8th tee and you know already there is no chance you can play to handicap because the score has already gotten away from you.. your thinking "I wish I could go back and start again"...There is a reason this happens and why the majority of rounds of golf are ruined beyond repair by the time you get onto the back 9..
Every golfer wants to play well and shoot below handicap. However, it is this very idea that is more than likely ruining your round so early. Typically what happens is you get onto the first tee and your so concious and worried about getting off to a good start you play tight and tentative. Your not swinging freely. As a result the ball doesn't go where you want and you start dropping shots. Because of this you try to steer the ball even more, thinking it will increase the chance of a good shot however this again leads to another bad shot. All of a sudden your stood on the 8th tee having played awful for the opening holes. The round is gone and out of no where you start playing well and how you know you can..before you know it you play the back 9 really well but your left annoyed about how you started.
There is an explanation for this...
The brain and body work together, If your nervous you body stiffens up, you lose your timing and rhythm. You begin to try and steer the ball rather than just hitting it and letting the shot go. You feel that if you play cautiously then you have the best chance of a steady start. But this doesn't happen. It does the opposite. Because you playing tight and 'scared' you make bad swings and hit bad shots. The more bad shots you hit in a row the worse it gets. You get the 8th tee and because you know the round is essentially over scoring wise you relax, play carefree and guess what...you start playing well!
The key is to understand what happens when you get nervous or put too much importance on getting off to a good start. Therefore you can step onto the first tee and play as though you do when your stood on the 8th when the round over. You have to play loose and relaxed. Let the score happen rather than trying to make it happen. You will play your best golf when you are confident, chilled and carefree. You need to start the round with the same attitude you play the back 9 with. In order to play well its actually better to play as though you don't care about what happens than if you care too much. It might sound like the completely wrong thing to do... but trust me, it works.
Every golfer wants to play well and shoot below handicap. However, it is this very idea that is more than likely ruining your round so early. Typically what happens is you get onto the first tee and your so concious and worried about getting off to a good start you play tight and tentative. Your not swinging freely. As a result the ball doesn't go where you want and you start dropping shots. Because of this you try to steer the ball even more, thinking it will increase the chance of a good shot however this again leads to another bad shot. All of a sudden your stood on the 8th tee having played awful for the opening holes. The round is gone and out of no where you start playing well and how you know you can..before you know it you play the back 9 really well but your left annoyed about how you started.
There is an explanation for this...
The brain and body work together, If your nervous you body stiffens up, you lose your timing and rhythm. You begin to try and steer the ball rather than just hitting it and letting the shot go. You feel that if you play cautiously then you have the best chance of a steady start. But this doesn't happen. It does the opposite. Because you playing tight and 'scared' you make bad swings and hit bad shots. The more bad shots you hit in a row the worse it gets. You get the 8th tee and because you know the round is essentially over scoring wise you relax, play carefree and guess what...you start playing well!
The key is to understand what happens when you get nervous or put too much importance on getting off to a good start. Therefore you can step onto the first tee and play as though you do when your stood on the 8th when the round over. You have to play loose and relaxed. Let the score happen rather than trying to make it happen. You will play your best golf when you are confident, chilled and carefree. You need to start the round with the same attitude you play the back 9 with. In order to play well its actually better to play as though you don't care about what happens than if you care too much. It might sound like the completely wrong thing to do... but trust me, it works.
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its very true however and I can relate to it as I play good golf when Im relaxed and chilled and swig a lot easier. Its not rocket science that suggests that if you are relaxed you swing the shoulders and gain more rhythm easier but the point perhaps thats missing here is being able to adopt this approach and make it happen..... its not easy for a competitive sportsman to tee up in a medal, matchplay club champs or match and not have any nerves or apprehension. Easier said than done. If I could find a way to manage that better and in deed the red mist when it goes all wrong, Id be a lot lower as I'm sure would many of others on here. Until that days comes Ill continue to hunt for the holy grail and via the book beside toilet! :thup:
