Sport psychologists help required for my Golf

[davidandrew123]

Hello All !
I have played golf all my life,im now 50 and still love the game. I fell into the trap of going to many different coaches looking for the perfect swing. I have gone from scratch to 10 in a few years. Recently I have stopped analysing my swing to death and just kept it simple.Im playing much better than what my scores are.I have kept a track of my stats and scores for the last 20 rounds. Best score was 10 over worst 20 over. Yesterday I got invited to play a Texas scramble with 2 others. Most holes they used my t shot and I was able to work out roughly what my own score would have been. I didn't feel as though I played great but I was level par.
The only thing I can this is there was no pressure, I didn't know my score, and if this is the case how can I get into this mode when playing a tournament myself.Im sure there's an expert out there who can help me.Thanks all and good golfing

 

[Hosel Fade]

Define playing better than your scores are. Where are you losing shots?

 

[davidandrew123]

Hello,Thanks for reply,
don't feel its just one part of my game which costs me shots.i hit about 10 fairways a round,about 7 greens,putts av 35, will hit a couple wayward tee shots and make double,will have couple of 3 putts,and suddenly im 10 over.

 

[bobmac]

Did you say you used to be off scratch?

 

[davidandrew123]

yes about 6 years ago

 

[bobmac]

If your missing 11 greens and still having 35 putts, your short game/putting must be quite poor

 

[davidandrew123]

yes you may right,but what im trying to work out is how can I go round yesterday in level par,even though I felt I didn't play great,but hit 11 fairways and 13 greens.I know it was a texas scramble with no pressure,but I still scored so much better.

 

[the_coach]

.... what im trying to work out is how can I go round yesterday in level par,even though I felt I didn't play great,but hit 11 fairways and 13 greens.I know it was a texas scramble with no pressure,but I still scored so much better.

welcome to the crazy house

if off scratch & cat 1 for sometime even if a while back the short game must have been in pretty reasonable shape during that time

few folks have seen with similar issues the short game tends to deteriorate with the extra pressure the overall game comes under

for sure it's all around overall 'mindset' during play often & often times these issues/difficulties arise in the pursuit of 'perfect' as that's a ways impossible to achieve

as the folks game can only for real be about making the best decision to give the best opportunity to put the best possible swing motion - at the time - on the current shot - in relation to target - not in relation to the end score after 18

although much easier to say than do maybes, causes have observed with folks in similar circumstances more or less totally down to the pressure the individual puts upon themselves in 'trying' to get competition scores home when mostly focussed on the overall end result - how many shots down during the round when trying to 'win' or trying to 'beat' index or trying to 'keep/save' score to index - constant thoughts over this starting with 'win' then once an imagined point has been reached during play that this no longer likely - then trying to 'beat' index - then 'keep/save' as the kinda final global overall goal of any round -

thus puts a tremendous amount of constant extra pressure and the focus is completely removed from what it really should be - the one situation facing the player with the shot that's up next so should be around what is the best mental decision with good course management can folks make for the 'present' task given the present circumstances of 'lie', 'angle of shot to target' - 'what that target 'should' be - 'weather conditions' say wind &/or ... - 'club selection'
then picking (from behind the ball always) the smallest defined target possible as opposed to a vague one - brain works best when this is closely defined - have found that any rehearsal swing/s of a PRS tend to work out best if done also from behind the ball while the eyes (so brain) in a direct line ball to target (rehearsal swings at the ball tend to mean folks lose focus on the line to the defined target

so all of this stuff tends to work out best if say there's an imagined box or line some feet behind the ball that's a thinking area but a thinking area only about that particular shot to target
then once the 'box' at the ball or the 'line' been stepped into the area to 'execute' the swing motion this all then is just purely about a repeatable PRS with all the time (few seconds that in real time it would be) the mindset in just on target in exactly where that is & the line to it - when the PRS of the 'step in' to set-up address made tend to find that couple looks to target with the last look then the eyes draw back to ball as the 'trigger' for motion - this last piece prior to strike has all been semi-automatic (as it's what happens with every shot in good practice) when the 'eyes return' to ball it's more or less totally automatic

but real important that for all of the time this takes (the 10,15 secs or so) it's all been about focus on target both through the 'thinking area' and the 'execute area' & all completely over that one task one shot in isolation - not how this one task 'relates' to any 'future' overall result at the end of play

the scramble format of the match being played allowed this more focussed approach on one shot as there was no self made pressure about playing to index as a single player so the 'dots of putting an overall score' together was not foremost in the mind as the play developed no "4 over after 6' kinda stuff or the pressure in 'got to pick shots up'

plus of equal importance is whatever the result of the shot that there's no intense emotional judgement of the outcome sure watch the shot take 10/15 secs to 'objectively' learn what may help the next decision but then 'let go' of the particular result it's over done no do-overs available so don't carry the emotional baggage/pressure along as it's only goin to be negative overall

for the time going forwards for stuff to improve the mindset has to change/evolve away from overall result away from a complete focus on how everything affects index
sure with card in hand score gotta to be marked down but turn that into more of an automatic event without emotional involvement - write it down put it away don't count up totals - just like putting a tee peg in the ground something thats more an automatic response

so no internalization of overall performance as the game progresses as emotional control gets lost then focus goes into a 'haze' of different mistakes
make the focus about individual defined shot target followed by short time objective review of result (what can help the next shot) not emotional judgement

practice gotta to be more about 'random sessions' as opposed to always 'block technique practice' around searching for the perfect swing motion

most of any practice time given the issues being experienced in the game should be around this random practice - this is time spent always totally target oriented always switch clubs, distances, targets, never the same shots with same club to same target the the focus on how or where the club 'should' be moved
sure maybes necessary to spend small amount of time on technique block practice but would be better to shift practice focus most of the time aways from this kind of search of 'perfect'

if think maybes I can help further feel free to PM
good luck going forwards

 

[davidandrew123]

Interesting... yes could be that my short game used to be better. Its funny because I used to spend hours a day on my short game, using the Dave Pelz scoring system.
I did it for years, but then gave up as I felt the time I was putting in,was not making much of an improvement in my game. Even though I was playing lots of pressure games during practice. So maybe i did have a better short game before. Going to work more on the short game from now on and if that doesn't help im going to take up Fishing...

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Interesting... yes could be that my short game used to be better. Its funny because I used to spend hours a day on my short game, using the Dave Pelz scoring system.
I did it for years, but then gave up as I felt the time I was putting in,was not making much of an improvement in my game. Even though I was playing lots of pressure games during practice. So maybe i did have a better short game before. Going to work more on the short game from now on and if that doesn't help im going to take up Fishing...

Sounds like you're trying to recreate the past. It may not be possible to get back to scratch or even low single figures and even if you can, you'll need a stellar short game and good putting. Personally it reads as simply trying too hard to push for a good score and creating too much pressure

 

[Andy]

I don't get this "I didn't know my score", no matter how good or bad im playing without trying I know how I'm doing against par.

If you were scratch what has changed in your game to get to 10? I'm assuming a few things to warrant such a rise in handicap.