Self-imposed pressure - Are you guilty?

huds1475

huds1475

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Interesting interview with Rory in The Times this morning;


http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/magazine/article4451587.ece


Striking how often he attributes his implosions to self imposed pressure and interesting how he is obviously trying hard to balance his life / golf.


I know I'm guilty of the same, albeit on a slightly different scale!


I chase a cut all the time and am also guilty of putting to much pressure on at practice, chasing a perfect ball striking session for example. Both are stopping my progress.


Are you guilty of the same and could your game benefit from a new approach?
 
huds1475 said:
Interesting interview with Rory in The Times this morning;


http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/magazine/article4451587.ece


Striking how often he attributes his implosions to self imposed pressure and interesting how he is obviously trying hard to balance his life / golf.


I know I'm guilty of the same, albeit on a slightly different scale!


I chase a cut all the time and am also guilty of putting to much pressure on at practice, chasing a perfect ball striking session for example. Both are stopping my progress.


Are you guilty of the same and could your game benefit from a new approach?
Click to expand...

Think my exploits on here would definitely suggest yes and yes to your last question
 
I would say expectation rather than pressure for me, I played on Tuesday after a couple of decent rounds and think I expected to play well and get cut. Nope I managed a whole 18 points! Worst round in years. Nothing was working and a bout of the unmentionables! Today with no expectations I shot a 92, 7 under hcp.
 
I can only ask - why do people feel pressure ?

It's only a game yes ? We don't need to score well to make a living

Try and remind yourself that tomorrow there is always another game , another swindle or medal or scramble etc

If you hit a bad drive - oh well , you can just hit the next one better finish the game , go home , slap the wife on the buttocks demand dinner and then back out the next day.

Enjoy the banter with your mates , laugh at yourself when you have a bad hole , keep smiling :thup:
 
huds1475 said:
I chase a cut all the time and am also guilty of putting to much pressure on at practice, chasing a perfect ball striking session for example. Both are stopping my progress.


Are you guilty of the same and could your game benefit from a new approach?
Click to expand...

I use to chase cuts. Too much pressure and I use to forget to have fun. I still believe I can get to single figures and will do at some point but these days if I get 0.1 back then so be it. I try and look at what I did right each round. As for too much pressure in practice, that seems silly. You are there to work on the game. Practice constructively and don't be afraid to make mistakes and hit bad shots. That's what practice is about
 
If I did it for a living, I'd worry. But I don't, so why 'feel' pressured to perform. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I know that I don't put in the time for practice, and only playing a few times a month mean I won't shoot the lights out very often. It is only a game, which we do for fun. If its a little off on the day, accept it and enjoy the walk/company.
 
Liverpoolphil said:
I can only ask - why do people feel pressure ?

It's only a game yes ? We don't need to score well to make a living

Try and remind yourself that tomorrow there is always another game , another swindle or medal or scramble etc

If you hit a bad drive - oh well , you can just hit the next one better finish the game , go home , slap the wife on the buttocks demand dinner and then back out the next day.

Enjoy the banter with your mates , laugh at yourself when you have a bad hole , keep smiling :thup:
Click to expand...

Used to implode but now this is pretty much it. Improving over the last 5 seasons I have seen a simple clear patter:

Expect to play well whether it's a medal or a knock out and your screwed, I have some good examples to!

Expect good batter and a great giggle..... Rip the course to bits.

I've had some of my worst golf during purple patches, where I've gone on with sub hc expectations, and I've torn the course up 5/6/7 under hc and finished the round with aching sides through laughing to much.
 
I do feel the pressure, when playing social golf normally I am quite consistent scoring 30+ points off 14 and often leaving a lot of points out there as my putting is hit and miss. Put me in a comp and its a different matter I do feel the pressure and normally score in mid 20's yesterday being a great example in a medal 97 for a nett 83 and included 2 8's and 3 7's, normally starting badly on the start of each 9 and finishing badly but in between play ok, but think that is because I realise damage is done and am more relaxed. Got to the stage where I am not enjoying comps so going to give them a miss for a month or so !
 
Not sure if I would describe it as self-imposed pressure, but will tend to play well and as I get closer to the next round start dreaming off playing even better shooting a great score. When this happens I tend to play crap compared to when I don't think about it
 
There seems to be a pattern that if your a single handicapper you don't worry or put pressure on yourself, well that's all well and good when your at that level but when your at the other end of the spectrum I personally strive to improve in each round and as such its very easy to chase a bad hole and sometimes implode as the cuts to the handicap are very important, well they are for me anyway.

So to answer the OP's question, Yes, guilty as charged.
 
Put by putting pressure on yourself to get the HC cut its going to counter act

Just play the game and don't worry about HC , don't chase them , just enjoy the game and they will happen naturally

Chasing the HC won't help IMO
 
Fish said:
There seems to be a pattern that if your a single handicapper you don't worry or put pressure on yourself, well that's all well and good when your at that level but when your at the other end of the spectrum I personally strive to improve in each round and as such its very easy to chase a bad hole and sometimes implode as the cuts to the handicap are very important, well they are for me anyway.

So to answer the OP's question, Yes, guilty as charged.
Click to expand...

I agree. I'm always trying to improve and while the low figure guys have a lot more consistency and so will (should) shoot around buffer more often than not I haven't reached that level and so go out wanting to play better and better each time. At the end of the day though as long as I have fun, hit a few good shots and have a beer after it's been a good day
 
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