Why can't I finish off a round?

[drawboy]

I recently cannot seem to finish off a round and it's doing my head in. Last 5 weeks I set off like a train averaging over 20 points for the front 9 and around 14-15 for the back 9. The back is no more difficult than the front but my game goes to pieces. I hit shots that are totally out of character. I cannot get off the tee, can't hit the green and cannot buy a put. I do not know if it's down to a lack of concentration or fatigue. I should be winning everything but I am nowhere near in the end. It's really frustrating.

 

[JustOne]

Pressure of knowing you're on a good round?

What happens if you have a lousy front 9?

 

[Imurg]

Try not adding up your score at halfway - or tell whoever's marking your card that you don't want to know until the end. Try to forget your score - concentrate on each hole and then let it pass.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Might be a bit of fatigue especilly now the warmer weather is getting here and maybe you're just putting too much pressure on yourself over the last few holes. You need to play one hole at a time and not start second guessing what you might score or what you need on the next or the 17th etc

 

[Spinn77]

I'd say it was the 'knowing' you've got a good score going. Like Imurg said, dont count or ask about it till the end and just look at each shot you've got to play one at a time

 

[HRC99]

Start ticking off the things you can definitely control first like nutrition and hydration.

Make sure you have something inside you before teeing off and take on plenty of fluids during the round. Take some bananas or something with you - avoid those sugary goodies!

If that doesn't make any difference, well at least you've eliminated that.

Next thing that I would suggest is review your course strategy for the back nine.

Where do you lose shots?
Is there a particular shot that costs you? If so, don't play it for a while.
Is there a simpler and safer way to play each hole?

Have a really good think about your approach and try something different with it.

Let us know how you get on!

 

[drawboy]

Thanks lads some good advise there as always.

 

[richart]

Try not adding up your score at halfway - or tell whoever's marking your card that you don't want to know until the end. Try to forget your score - concentrate on each hole and then let it pass.

Must admit i know exactly how many over par, or how many stableford points i have at any time on the course. Not sure it is that easy to forget your score.

If you score poorly on the back nine at all times, it might be fitness. If only when you have a good score going it must be nerves.

 

[haplesshacker]

As another suggestion. On a quiet day, start at the 10th, and then play all the holes. Just reverse the front and back nine. It'll be interesting to see what happens to your respective 9 hole scores.

Just a thought.

Disclaimer.
I am no expect and would always defer to Bob.

PS. Hope the putter is still producing the goods.

 

[GasMan]

If you're like me you'll probably only drink when you're thirsty - BAD move and you'll be ruining you're ability to concentrate before the back 9. Taken to having 2 500ml bottles of water in the bag and must have finished the 1st bottle by the end of the front and must finish the 2nd by end of the back.

Next is food and I take 3 bananas out there. Eat 1 before teeing off, 1 after the 6th, 1 after the 12th.

Both of the above are because I'm a lazy forgetful git and if if don't have a set routine I won't do it at all.

Next up is course management - I sat down with the course planner not long ago and tried to work out how to play each hole with a headwind, tailwind and no wind. Really helps on the par 4s and 5s to break them down into 2 x par 3s for the par 4s and 3 x par 3s for the par 5s (unless they're easily reachable). Realised I played certainly holes like a dumb American launching massive risky bombs for very little reward over and above a well placed 3 wood/long iron with card wrecking penalties awaiting mishits.

After the session with the course planner and a biro it turns out I can add an extra 12 shots EASILY just by being a macho nob off've the tee and into the par 5s with the potential of gaining maybe 3 shots ....... go figure!

 

[gash]

are you a coffin dodger? They tend to deteriorate on the back 9 by all account...... just a thought....

 

[golfing_man]

Sounds like the dreaded comfort zone... Especially if those rounds when you play lousy on the front 9, you turn around and play well on the back. End up scoring in the same neighborhood every time.

Never have figured out, personally, how to defeat this mental phenomenon. The times I have broken out of the comfort zone happened almost by accident, on those days when the mind is just right and the self-doubt at bay. Unfortunately, it's impossible to induce that mindset.

Best mental approach is the in-vogue "process, not outcome" method. Works like a charm, if you can stay focused on the moment at hand.

Sean

 

[USER1999]

I have the opposite problem. Why do I shoot my entire handicap in the first 5 holes, and then knuckle down and par in? If I can do this for 13 holes, surely I can do it for 18? And no, I don't relax because it is going badly, I refocus after every hole, and try to par the next one, and get back on track.

 

[funkyfred]

If you're like me you'll probably only drink when you're thirsty - BAD move and you'll be ruining you're ability to concentrate before the back 9. Taken to having 2 500ml bottles of water in the bag and must have finished the 1st bottle by the end of the front and must finish the 2nd by end of the back.

Next is food and I take 3 bananas out there. Eat 1 before teeing off, 1 after the 6th, 1 after the 12th.

Both of the above are because I'm a lazy forgetful git and if if don't have a set routine I won't do it at all.

Next up is course management - I sat down with the course planner not long ago and tried to work out how to play each hole with a headwind, tailwind and no wind. Really helps on the par 4s and 5s to break them down into 2 x par 3s for the par 4s and 3 x par 3s for the par 5s (unless they're easily reachable). Realised I played certainly holes like a dumb American launching massive risky bombs for very little reward over and above a well placed 3 wood/long iron with card wrecking penalties awaiting mishits.

After the session with the course planner and a biro it turns out I can add an extra 12 shots EASILY just by being a macho nob off've the tee and into the par 5s with the potential of gaining maybe 3 shots ....... go figure!

Some good advice there, especially making sure that you drink all the water. I normally take two 500ml bottles out with me and come back with one un touched because I have only drained the first one on the 16th.

Funny thing about the course planner, i'm playing a guy in our summer KO this saturday and he has got to give me 13 shots. I know it sounds a lot but he is a very good steady player and I blow hot and cold. So I thought that I would try and make him win the holes as opposed to giving holes to him, so I got out the course planner on wednesday and hopefully devised away around the course which is slightly different from the way I normally play.
This will mean 4irons of the tee and laying up as opposed to trying to hit fairways and greens in regulation and giving away penalty shots (we have water on about 15 holes), I'm not bothered if it comes to a putting competition as I am quite happy how this part of my game is going at the moment.

 

[freddielong]

You know the answer - next

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I used to have the same problem and it was incedibly frustrating, eventually I established two things. First, I started thinking about not making a mistake, for instance, I start hitting 3-wood off the tee instead of driver to try to protect my score, as a result, I wasn't comitting to the shot as I had been and I'd start hitting it badly. To add to this, with the nerves I started to strangle the club whihc just compounded the bad shots. Hitting 3-wood off the tee isn't necessarily a bad thing but I was doing it to not make a mistake and anytime you are hitting a golf ball thinking about not messing up, you can be sure as hell you'll mess up.

 

[slugger]

think of something really funny just before you play your shot... it takes away the nerves and calms you down. not too funny though, cause you'll piss yourself and that would be even more embarrassing than getting beat at golf

 

[BrianDamage]

Sounds like the dreaded comfort zone... Especially if those rounds when you play lousy on the front 9, you turn around and play well on the back. End up scoring in the same neighborhood every time.

My regular playing partner has this problem almost every week now. At first it was one great nine one not so great nine now it's 15 good holes and 3 blow ups. It's uncanny the amount of times he has exactly the same score.

I'd never thought he could be subconciously forcing the result by staying in his comfort zone.

 

[drawboy]

After following the advise in the replies I can confirm a much better round today. I made sure I ate a cereal for breakfast, took a banana and an energy bar and a litre of dilute juice. I did flag a little on the 17th but for me that's a 50% improvement. thanks guy's. I will make sure I don't fall into old habits from now on.