Mental game

[Johnnyr4]

Needing some advice on the mental side of the game. I have numerous books on the mental side of golf which i find interesting and helpful. But I'm unable to find a solution to my current issue this season.
I started the season at 15.0 and have crept up to 15.7.
Two weeks ago was our May monthly medal and play was to be off the black tees at our course, a formidable challenge, especially with the length of the course.
Anyway after my front nine i was only 4 over par, had no real bad swings and was hitting the ball okay. Starting the back nine i knew i had 12 shots to play with, also the fact that the back nine is seen as the easier nine on the course, so my confidence was high. 10th hole is a par 3 playing round about 220 yards off the black tees. Decided to go with my three wood and hit it straight left into trees. Played provisional ball and same swing again. Straight left. Found both balls and managed to escape with a 6. Then on in it got worse, finished the back nine 15 over, 19 over in total, managed to hit my buffer to protect the handicap.
This Wednesday was the same story again. 5 over for front 9 and then back nine managed a couple of pars but mostly double bogey or worse.
Checked my stats for my year so far with Howdidido and every round has the same story scoring well on the front 9 and then going to pot on the back 9.

Tried thinking that its just a new 9 holes nothing to worry about, but that has not helped.
Even thought well maybe my fitness is poor and i'm getting tired.
Any advice on where i'm going wrong?

 

[TheSilverFox89]

Hey buddy, welcome to the forum!

One of Bob Rotella's first examples is that if you know you're playing well, don't worry about the score. Just know you're playing well and keep playing well. The only thing that matters is the score when you come off 18. Seems to work ok for me, now I ask my marker to not tell me my score after 9 so I'm not worrying that i'm over/under and have to bring it back etc.

On another practical level, maybe go out and play a few 9 holes on the back 9 for practice. Many of us will most likely practice more on the front 9 but get better on the back and it can only help!?

 

[drew83]

I'm the flipside. I start poorly & flourish on the back.

It may be as you say "Starting the back nine i knew i had 12 shots to play with, also the fact that the back nine is seen as the easier nine on the course, so my confidence was high"

It may be a little too "carefree"? It may be subconsciously you have done well & the front 7 the mind is trying too hard to keep it together on the back?

Have you always played this way or is it a recent change?

 

[MendieGK]

I'm the flipside. I start poorly & flourish on the back.

It may be as you say "Starting the back nine i knew i had 12 shots to play with, also the fact that the back nine is seen as the easier nine on the course, so my confidence was high"

It may be a little too "carefree"? It may be subconsciously you have done well & the front 7 the mind is trying too hard to keep it together on the back?

Have you always played this way or is it a recent change?

#

The comment about having 12 shots to play with was the bit i picked up on. Thats almost an expectation that you only want to shoot your handicap....

 

[Johnnyr4]

Just this season. last season i saw my self easily go 4 over through 5 and then hit the final three holes which are two long par 4's followed by a par 5. I always play the 17th as a par five as im not a big hitter and the wind can change in a blink of an eye. So i expect to maybe par one of them and bogey the other two. This year though the holes which are easy i can see my self walking off with an 8.
So not sure what has changed

 

[drew83]

Go back to basics is what I hear around here a lot.

Play the shots for a bogey....don't pull out the big guns going for birdie? Just simple (borderline boring) golf?

Maybe you have an injury or twinge? It could be fatigue. Sounds a bit daft, but are you eating properly before going out? Do you have snacks with you? Keeping hydrated?

 

[Johnnyr4]

Maybe thats one of the thoughts i have to cut from my game

 

[drew83]

Maybe not forever, but just to get you over this hump?

I can't talk. I will always go for it when I really shouldn't. One of many things I am working on.

 

[bobmac]

Give someone 28 shots for 18 holes and he will use them.
Give someone 18 shots for 18 holes and he will use them.
Give someone 8 shots for 18 holes and he will use them.

If you score 5 over on the front 9, only allow yourself 5 over on the back 9 and see how close you can get to it.

 

[socky]

Just sounds like you are keen to do well, knowing that you've got a chance to get a good cut has caused you to lose focus. Go back to the "one shot at a time" way of thinking. Tee shot on 10, just put 100% of all of your effort in to making that a good shot and then same with the next shot.... soon you'll be half way round the back 9 and you'll have forgotten all about the score you "could" post.

 

[G_Mulligan]

What did you think when you hit the ball in the trees on the 10th? What were you thinking when you got to your ball and preparing to take your next shot? What were you thinking after you made a 6?

You said you protected your handicap, is that something you think on the course or just a phrase while writing the post?

Do you feel or think differently on the back nine when you have a chance to score well?

Lastly, you mentioned the course is a formidable challenge, is that different for you or could others perceive it the same way? Is there anything you can think instead to make it seem like an advantage?

 

[Doh]

You could also be thinking to far ahead of yourself, break your round into smaller bits. Don't get in your own way, the time to add your score up is at the end of the round.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Welcome along. I'm in a similar boat having gone from 11.7-12.3 this year and struggling to put a whole round together. I thing the obvious thing is your comment about standing on the 10th tee and thinking you had so many shots to play with. That has to lead you to trying to play conservatively and steer it round (even sub-consciously) and you stop playing with the same freedom you had to post such a good front nine.

 

[Nashy]

Try to stop putting pressure on yourself, a lot of people will Totally change there game plan if they have had a good front nine and go all defensive on the back. I am sure everyone has done it, and we all know it doesn't work. Play the game the way it suits you and what your most comfortable with. Forget about winning or getting a nice cut in your handicap, just enjoy that you playing well and what will be will be.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Sounds to me the you were playing reactively for the front 9, laying uninhibited good golf. You hit one bad shot, it happens.

It takes time, experience and practice to build up mental resilience to bad shots a key times.

What happens next is best termed as "getting in your own way". You think so much you lose rah ability to play reactively.

If you develop a game plan, prepare your resilience, you can better handle those times you are playing well, knowing you have a game plan, leaving you free to not get in your own way. You build momentum from achieve your game plan targets rather than birdies and nett birdies.

 

[SaintHacker]

I tried something different last week, I wrote down the score that I wanted to make, and knew I was capable of making easily for each hole, then just concentrated on that during the round, hole by hole. When I added up the projected scores it came to 12 over. OK I didn't get that low but I still shot a PB 86, so not that far off.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

If its tough off the black tees try playing off your front tees more often as you'll likely score a few shots better and the more you do it the more it becomes the norm in your head. I don't think we play off the front tees enough as i believe doing so is really good for your game.

 

[c_greengrass]

Hey there,

Just keep sticking at it - the more you put yourself in the position (of having a score to keep going) the better you'll get at it. From what you say though it maybe points to a lack of concentration, perhaps your mind wanders from the job immediately at hand to dreaming of what the end result will be? Really is a cliché but one hole at a time, all the whilst not forgetting or losing awareness of your overall score/position. Really make the effort to stay focussed on the current shot/hole at hand.

At least you're having a good front nine, time to worry is if your card is normally blown by then.

All the best