Why can't I put 2 nine hole together

[bignev]

During the last month I find myself unable to put to decent 9 hole scores together.
This Saturday I had a decent 19 points on the front 9 playing some decent golf then only 10 points on the back 9 yet didn't feel that I had changed anything I just couldn't score. Damed anoying any advice welcome

 

[woody69]

That's handicap golf.

You will be changing something, but you won't know what.

Could be tiredness... could be .. anything.

Forget about 18 holes and your score. Just focus on where you make mistakes that can be worked on. Why are you dropping shots. Did you just miss silly short putts? Did you lose a few off the tee?

 

[patricks148]

if you find the answer, you will make a fortune

its a difficult game

 

[Deleted member 21258]

if you find the answer, you will make a fortune

its a difficult game

How true is that.:thup:

You only have to look at the pros to see it.

 

[pokerjoke]

Try smaller chunks like 3 x 6 or 3 holes at a time.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

During the last month I find myself unable to put to decent 9 hole scores together.
This Saturday I had a decent 19 points on the front 9 playing some decent golf then only 10 points on the back 9 yet didn't feel that I had changed anything I just couldn't score. Damed anoying any advice welcome

Is it always a good front 9 and a bad back 9? If so think about whether you're eating and drinking enough to fuel yourself for the back 9.

If it's random, then probably just the curse of handicap golf!

Forgetting about score to the greatest extent possible is the best advice I can think of. Which isn't very helpful, I know.

 

[IanM]

During the last month I find myself unable to put to decent 9 hole scores together.
This Saturday I had a decent 19 points on the front 9 playing some decent golf then only 10 points on the back 9 yet didn't feel that I had changed anything I just couldn't score. Damed anoying any advice welcome

My playing partner did a 22 out, 9 back last week! eeeek. Maybe he shouldn't count them up at half way? I went 15 - 20.... maybe we should have sellotaped our cards together!

 

[patricks148]

TBH with me its not always the back 9 i struggle. Ive had a few round s where my handicap has gone in the first 3 holes. was 10 over on the front nine a couple of weeks ago in an open off the blues (very back tee) and came hole 2 under gross to make buffer. its often the case of handicap gone relax and play well

 

[Coffey]

Try smaller chunks like 3 x 6 or 3 holes at a time.

This is a very good point.

Don't look at your round in two 9's. There is no reason to split the game up into two. If you have a good front 9, you will be more tentative on the back trying to 'protect' your score. Golf is not like other sports where you score a goal and then can protect a lead. You need to continue playing your game. Nothing is certain in golf and it can all be taken away from you.

Split the game into smaller chunks and play each chunk as it comes, don't think, 'If i net par the back i'll have x points'

 

[njrose51]

I quite often experience the same. 3-4 holes are terrible then I relax and the closing holes are normally ok.

I have certainly stopped checking my score card at 9th, try to spend as little time as I can at the halfway hut, and generally just try and relax. I certainly don't think about the 18th green and what my score could be. Just focus shot by shot and don't go for the miracle shot if in trouble.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Is it a 9 or a 6 or a 3 that is different?

18 holes is a long way, it just takes 2-3 mistakes early or late in a round to make a big difference. Even a bit of luck in the other does make a difference.

Look at individual holes, decisions, shots etc. This is where you can make a difference.

 

[GreggerKBR]

The simple answer is none of this is real... 3s, 6s, 9s, or 18s - it's all just perception.
You are simply getting in your own way and focussing on results/outcomes which will do you no good at all.
I'm still learning about this but trust me...

The reason - simply - is that you have not yet learned how to stay focused on ONLY the shot in front of you and playing each shot and therefore everu shot and therefore the whole game the best way you can play it. And that's it, end of story.

Accepting outcomes, not beating yourself up and not get too bothered when you make mistakes or don't get results/scores you want.
Imagine if you could just accept when signing off your score for the round that you tried your best and played the best you could at the time - that's it, done and dusted. And then what's the next shot or next thing to practice/learn?

It is a particularly difficult thing to do.
Even pro golfers can be 10-11 shots different between two rounds - but it doesn't mean they've lost their ability overnight does it?
That's why people get confused about "momentum" or "playing good/bad" or "nerves" etc.
None of it is real - just made up in your headspace.

here's a question - why do so many "provisional from the tee" shots land in the middle of the fairway?
ever noticed that when you "give up" a little and think less your body/mind tends to ignore the mistake you made and you hit a ripper...
when it means very little to you, do you tend to play better or worse than when you have an "important" card in your hand?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

The answer to a decent score. Our back nine is harder (imo) and so a good front nine is no guarantee of a good score

 

[the_coach]

OP gotta analyze real careful just where exactly the shots are goin in the main - once you get a handle on that can start to analyze the why - one reason will be around technique in some ways

as been said in posts so far big issue in general is the concern over overall score - splitting the course up into 2 9's or any other multiple's is not real productive as if the results at first are good the thinking is then about how to protect what happens thru the next 'set' of holes or how to repeat what's happened so far - what's happening in the present then gets diluted

all this does is eat into the focus that should just be on the shot facing you at the time - sure in the back of the mind subconsciously there will be an overall 'account' of what has happened up to .... lets say the 9th tee-box as the focus has been/is on having 2 'good' 9's ... but as soon as you bring that up & forwards to thinking with an emotional response what you then gotta to over the whole next 9 holes then most times the wheels will come off for sure

say i'm playing in a comp & say I've gone thru 5 holes & am 2 under in the back of my mind I will be kinda aware of that - but that's where it will stay - my sole focus will be on the next shot - so the target & just what the next shot is to get ball to target then it will be all about the process the psr both to engage the brain totally on the target & intention of the shot in hand but also to be precise over set-up posture & alignments & the key alignment of club face

once that's run through 'the process' then the last look to target back to ball is the trigger to execute the swing - no conscious though follows - just motion to that last mental picture of target - golf is a target game the motion of the swing will be a response to that target from how the player has set-up

often times playing during comps see bot h mid & higher index players being a ways too ambitious in the shot selection & often times also under-clubbing even if type of shot decision was pretty good

many folks I see majority of the time come up short - if that happens is that both a club decision a well a technique issue it tendency to catch it fat

if issues on the green so too many 3 putts then part of that may be about putting technique & the ability to have a consistent putting stroke tempo so too much of a variance in pace - part of it maybes about approach shots
is there anytime put into practice with the flat stick - if that is a biggish part of the issue
how much time is there realistically for practice .... if you do just how do you practice

is a big part of the issue trouble off of the tee-box left & right if so then big part of that will be club face control - so realistically what's the grip hold like - is it the ways it is because it's comfortable ?
what's set-up posture & body alignments to the target line like

- where do you pick the line of the shot from?

bottom line is at the index you are at you will have blow-ups - what's key to immediately starting to do a little better is what the very next decision is - and what the mental background hum in the head is - is it immediately about how this affects overall score - or is it constructively looking at what the next best shot decision should be

 

[Face breaker]

Dood, I couldn't muster up 1 decent hole this evening let alone 18 of'em yet last Thursday I played my socks off and nailed everything, s**t happens, just concentrate on one hole at a time, you may surprise yerself when you add them all together at the end of a round...