Mind games

[Lord Tyrion]

I just aim for a score to see any developement.

Right now, it seems to be stagnating at a very low level.

Maybe break your round down into smaller blocks. Say 3 holes at a time. Trying to be consistent over 18 holes in tough. Do smaller chunks, it makes targets more achievable.

 

[irip]

Maybe break your round down into smaller blocks. Say 3 holes at a time. Trying to be consistent over 18 holes in tough. Do smaller chunks, it makes targets more achievable.

When I first started out I tried to score 5 on every hole.
The par 5 and par 3 often equaled each other out.
It meant that a bad shot wouldn’t necessarily be the end of the world and wouldn’t be a problem as in my head it was the bad shot I was allowed on the hole.

I ignored what my total score was until the end and when I finished a hole I just concentrated on trying to get down in 5 shots on the next,
It made it easier to just concentrate on that hole.

It meant at the end I had 2 scores.
The first was my total score and the second was how many holes I had scored 5 (or better).

It helped me not worry about the previous holes or my total score.

 

[Rlburnside]

It’s only a game and I try to enjoy it, I played with a 5 h/c the other day and he was full of compliments about my game , then I had a bad hole hit 3 terrible shots and told him I’m going to hit some bad shots during a round so better to just accept it and move on.
But it’s down to personality if you are the type to get angry and in a bad frame of mind it will be a harder and less enjoyable game.

 

[jim8flog]

When I was a 6 handicap I took Ben Hogan's advice - always expect to have 2 bad holes in a round and only get worried when you had 3.

I am very much a laid back player when it comes to golf, I am there for enjoyment and not to get paid when I play golf. These days as an 18 handicap golfer I expect a lot more bad shots than I use to have and just try to laugh them off.

 

[Hobbit]

A bad shot would usually be accompanied by, “c’mon Bri.” Then I think about the next shot, my reasoning being I can’t do anything about the shot just hit but I can influence the next one. No sense in dwelling negatively, it only hurts the next shot.

 

[Oops!]

A bad shot would usually be accompanied by, “c’mon Bri.” Then I think about the next shot, my reasoning being I can’t do anything about the shot just hit but I can influence the next one. No sense in dwelling negatively, it only hurts the next shot.

That‘s what I‘m still working on (among others) … !

 

[kp17]

Perspective, it’s a golf shot. Who the hell cares, you could wake up tomorrow unwell and never swing a club again in your life. So love the fact you’re out on a course playing golf, and bad shots are nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Took me a long time to get to that mindset by the way. Used to be the worlds worst for beating myself up over golf.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

When I hit a bad shot nothing within 50 yards is safe...I can't chuck a club any further than that.....

I’ll vouch for that
#immatureclubchuckingpsychopath

 

[Oops!]

Perspective, it’s a golf shot. Who the hell cares, you could wake up tomorrow unwell and never swing a club again in your life. So love the fact you’re out on a course playing golf, and bad shots are nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Took me a long time to get to that mindset by the way. Used to be the worlds worst for beating myself up over golf.

Well, let me put it this way: Right now, it’s definitely easier to count the (really) good shots! The bad ones are the norm, and some are just so-so.

And no, I don’t “lose my cool” (well, only very rarely… ), but it frustrates me that I can’t see any progress. But I’m having a hard time letting it go.

Right now, I’m trying to focus on the (few) good shots, be happy about them and allow myself to be proud of them - even if it was only 1 or 2 out of 9 holes.

Okay, I still gotta work on that, too.

 

[NearHull]

About the only part of Tiger Woods’ game that I could successfully use, is his way of letting off steam after a bad shot without totally ruining his next shot - he allowed himself 20 seconds to beat himself up, then he could clear his mind and move onto the next shot. Being an amateur not wanting to play a five hour round, I limit myself to 10 seconds.

 

[Backache]

I certainly accept that with my skill level I'm going to hit my share of bad shots.
Now that doesn't mean I don't get irritated if I hit a bad one. I suspect most people do , I don't though generally let it bother me when it comes to hitting the next shot. I rarely dwell on my bad shots. The one thing that does get me down though is when I never seem to be able to hit a good shot. Bad shots are part of the game but so should good shots be and when occasionally I stop hitting any good shots I do find it a little depressing.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I find a bad putt hurts me more than a bad other shot. Maybe because it feels like the simplest shot, I'm not sure. They are the ones that linger in my head though.

 

[Hobbit]

I find a bad putt hurts me more than a bad other shot. Maybe because it feels like the simplest shot, I'm not sure. They are the ones that linger in my head though.

It’s the 2’ putt that niggles me, that and one carved way out in the jungle.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

I’ve got a Ted Lasso sticker on my work laptop of his quote “Be a Goldfish” to remind me to forget anything that’s gone on and focus what I’m doing there and then.

My middle daughter (14) absolutely terrible at golf, hitting balls yesterday at the range with her brother and sister trying to rib her when she’d have an air shot. Every time they did it she laughed with them and just said well the next one’s bound to be better now though isn’t it. It wasn’t always better but she just let go and wasn’t bothered by the crap and just got on with having fun on the next shot.

That perfectly sums up the “Be a Goldfish” mantra, she couldn’t change what happened on the previous shot only look forward to trying her best on the next one. When we left the range despite all the bad shots, she just said that she’d had fun. We can learn a lot from kids in just letting things go, if we can change it and it’s not going to affect our lives then there really is no point beating ourselves up about it. Enjoy the the good, let go of the bad and just be a goldfish, good words to take on life as well I think

 

[Orikoru]

I played a scramble today. They are perfect for this mindset. I hit a couple of God-awful shots but my partner bailed me out so I forgot about them instantly! Walked away thinking I'd played really well, but if I'd have been playing alone I'd have certainly remembered those bad shots a bit more prominently.

 

[Oops!]

(..) Enjoy the the good, let go of the bad and just be a goldfish, good words to take on life as well I think

Maybe I should consider to rename myself to „Blubb !“ … ?

 

[r0wly86]

a couple tips, not sure how well they may work, but read them ages ago and they seem to help.

After every shot undo your glove, this is your signal to forget the last show (even if it was good) as you walk to your ball, on that walk you're not golfing you're walking, enjoy it.

Before you hit your next shot, make sure you have an established pre-shot routine. This isn't just to make the shot better, but it's also a signal to your brain to shut down and let the unconscious mind do the work, so you should then not be thinking about the last shot