Curls
Journeyman Pro
How do you guys act on the course? Are you all ice-man/woman or do you fist pump the good stuff, club-throw the bad?
Reason I ask is I played against a guy midweek and despite being down all match and scrambling and scratching to stay within touching distance, the moment I knew I had a chance was when he rolled in a winning putt on 17 to go 1 up with 1 to play. He fist pumped that ball in like it was the 18th on Masters Sunday and he was off to get his jacket. I just thought to myself "it ain't over yet buddy, cool the jets".
Adrenaline pumping through his veins on 18 he leathered his drive into the cabbage and while he didn't gift me the hole my regulation par was enough to take it to extra time. He saved par with a long putt on the 1st while my birdie hung on the side lip. On the 2nd he was again in trouble and cursing himself, and when he bladed his greenside chip straight through the green first the club, and then the bag, went flying. I can honestly say from that moment on 17 I found a different gear, a calmness that allowed me to play my best and let him beat himself, which he duly did.
I watched a program recently about testosterone levels in athletes, and winners tend to be more in control of it. They can keep their levels at an elevated but constant height. Hot heads tend to get spikes, during which they are all guns blazing, and it can affect their judgement. They are also prone to dips because they can't maintain that level and during those despondency and club chucking is easily achieved.
How do you see yourself, and perhaps just as importantly, how do your playing partners see you? Do you think you would benefit from a caddy saying to you "calm down, it was a poor shot but you can recover", or "calm down, great birdie but this is a tricky tee shot coming up so keep the head".
If so, do you really need a caddy?
Reason I ask is I played against a guy midweek and despite being down all match and scrambling and scratching to stay within touching distance, the moment I knew I had a chance was when he rolled in a winning putt on 17 to go 1 up with 1 to play. He fist pumped that ball in like it was the 18th on Masters Sunday and he was off to get his jacket. I just thought to myself "it ain't over yet buddy, cool the jets".
Adrenaline pumping through his veins on 18 he leathered his drive into the cabbage and while he didn't gift me the hole my regulation par was enough to take it to extra time. He saved par with a long putt on the 1st while my birdie hung on the side lip. On the 2nd he was again in trouble and cursing himself, and when he bladed his greenside chip straight through the green first the club, and then the bag, went flying. I can honestly say from that moment on 17 I found a different gear, a calmness that allowed me to play my best and let him beat himself, which he duly did.
I watched a program recently about testosterone levels in athletes, and winners tend to be more in control of it. They can keep their levels at an elevated but constant height. Hot heads tend to get spikes, during which they are all guns blazing, and it can affect their judgement. They are also prone to dips because they can't maintain that level and during those despondency and club chucking is easily achieved.
How do you see yourself, and perhaps just as importantly, how do your playing partners see you? Do you think you would benefit from a caddy saying to you "calm down, it was a poor shot but you can recover", or "calm down, great birdie but this is a tricky tee shot coming up so keep the head".
If so, do you really need a caddy?
