Turning around a bad round

[Layton]

I've only posted here a few times, but I'm always lurking and trying to pick up any tips I can find

That being said, I play golf for a Division III golf team and I've been working hard on keeping scores low, but it always seems like if I start off a round poorly, I struggle to get myself back in it. A few bogies in a row and its all downhill from there.

I was wondering what you guys do to get yourselves out of a slump like that mid round and turn it all around to card a decent score.

[isukgolf]

I drink profusely ...

Actually a good question, as a not so good golfer I struggle with this a lot.  I sometimes just start hitting clubs I hit well, makes me feel good.

I also stop looking at the score ... looking at the score makes me think about what I do not want to do, and not getting in trouble ... more than on the shot its self and making it

Good post ... keep them coming!

[whatwoodtigerdo]

I've only posted here a few times, but I'm always lurking and trying to pick up any tips I can find That being said, I play golf for a Division III golf team and I've been working hard on keeping scores low, but it always seems like if I start off a round poorly, I struggle to get myself back in it. A few bogies in a row and its all downhill from there. I was wondering what you guys do to get yourselves out of a slump like that mid round and turn it all around to card a decent score.

I think every shot is a new shot. Good score, bad score last hole means nothing to the next tee shot. Nothing. If it's a physical thing just focus on your swing thought or two, whatever you are working on, and focus on that on your practice swings.

[Layton]

I drink profusely ...

Actually a good question, as a not so good golfer I struggle with this a lot.  I sometimes just start hitting clubs I hit well, makes me feel good.

I also stop looking at the score ... looking at the score makes me think about what I do not want to do, and not getting in trouble ... more than on the shot its self and making it

Good post ... keep them coming!

I've definitely tried to do both of these things, the only problem is when I take the club I know I can always turn to and hit it like garbage that definitely makes things worse haha

Quote:

I think every shot is a new shot. Good score, bad score last hole means nothing to the next tee shot. Nothing.

If it's a physical thing just focus on your swing thought or two, whatever you are working on, and focus on that on your practice swings.

I am definitely going to try and take this tip out with me next time, thanks. I think I start to get too many swing thoughts into my head when I'm missing greens and it just ruins that shot.

[Strandly]

I've only posted here a few times, but I'm always lurking and trying to pick up any tips I can find

That being said, I play golf for a Division III golf team and I've been working hard on keeping scores low, but it always seems like if I start off a round poorly, I struggle to get myself back in it. A few bogies in a row and its all downhill from there.

I was wondering what you guys do to get yourselves out of a slump like that mid round and turn it all around to card a decent score.

Yeah I'm horrible about this except with double bogeys, regular bogies I feel like I have a chance of coming back from.  I tend to think of the round as two sets of 9 holes rather than one set of 18.  If I'm sucking hind tit on the front 9 I tend to write it off and hit the 10th tee like it's a whole new round, and oddly a lot of the time it seems to help and I play a little bit better ball.

[kpaulhus]

Like you, my second 9 is always worse than my front 9. I try to break the bogey train and start with a par. Get back on track and pick up a birdie or two.

[Pancho Lefty]

I've only posted here a few times, but I'm always lurking and trying to pick up any tips I can find

That being said, I play golf for a Division III golf team and I've been working hard on keeping scores low, but it always seems like if I start off a round poorly, I struggle to get myself back in it. A few bogies in a row and its all downhill from there.

I was wondering what you guys do to get yourselves out of a slump like that mid round and turn it all around to card a decent score.

While there's no doubt in my mind that you'll beat me every day and twice on Sunday in strokes, this pertains to the mental aspect of the game, which I feel I hold my weight at.

You've heard of the definition of insanity, right? Doing the same thing over and and over again, expecting a different result. Quite simply, if you're not getting the results you desire, or know you're capable of, it ain't the equipment. That's why the best players (in any sport for that matter) are the ones who make the most adequate adjustments.

Since you're clearly a good golfer, I'm confident that the solution to your plaguing snowball effect is 100% mental. It sounds like you're getting in your own way. I've always viewed positive thinking as mumbo jumbo nonsense.... until I started golfing. It's the difference between getting that train back on the tracks, or being better off swinging a tree branch at the ball.

Remember what got you to where you are and go back to the basics. If it means talking to yourself, so be it. You know what you have to do. So do it. Sounds easy, right? I know it's not. But not everyone is a college golfer and you are. Confidence!

[dbrock504]

I would like to hear an honest answer to this. Just had the worst round I have had in months upon months. I didn't even know I knew how to suck that bad anymore. Not only did I play terrible, but the course was in awful shape and the people I was playing with were not creating a fun environment to be a part of.

Clubs shall remain in the closet for a few weeks.

[MS256]

I seldom play a round where I don't get better as I go along (good thing because I start out like crap way too often lately).

I suppose I'm stubborn enough to always think I'll get it figured out and get in a groove on the next shot or the next hole. Every shot is a separate contest with myself to hit the shot I'm happy with and I really don't care what I did on the last shot.

Maybe I'm 0 for 4 on the day but I still always think I'm going to hit a home run the next time up.

[boogielicious]

You cannot change what happened in the past, so you need to leave it there.

I just try to relax, let all the negative go and focus on the next shot.  Usually when the next good one happens, it is a release for me and I play better.

[RH31]

First of all, I never keep track of how I am in relation to par throughout the round. I write the scores down and total them up at the end. I beat myself up after a bad shot or hole and then start over

before the next shot or hole. If I start off 5 over after 3 holes, I'll just say to myself "ok you stink! now calm down and play 15 decent holes!". I saved some really crappy rounds by just hanging in there and telling myself " just play 6 good holes, one shot at a time". If I make a double or worse sometimes i'll just say to myself I got my bad hole out of the way, now go make some birdies. If I'm playing really really bad, I'll just try to look at it as a practice round and hope to get something, anything positive out of it.

[saevel25]

I've only posted here a few times, but I'm always lurking and trying to pick up any tips I can find

That being said, I play golf for a Division III golf team and I've been working hard on keeping scores low, but it always seems like if I start off a round poorly, I struggle to get myself back in it. A few bogies in a row and its all downhill from there.

I was wondering what you guys do to get yourselves out of a slump like that mid round and turn it all around to card a decent score.

Well if you start off poorly, what is your pre-round routine? Do you hit a bucket of balls before a round? How are you making these bogeys, is it something like three putting, or just common not getting up and down?

If you are consistently having trouble at the beginning of a round, then something must be happening that is different. Here's what I would. On the first 3-4 holes, hit your approach shots so that the end result is in the middle of the green. Don't even think about pins, just middle of the green. Go get pars. Try to change up something, to get your focus away from failure and more on the process of achieving a goal. Right now it sounds like your mind is stuck in trying not to do something, when it should be trying to achieve something. So focusing on getting one par at a time, and focus on the process of doing that might help clear your head.

[MikeRanaldo]

I've only posted here a few times, but I'm always lurking and trying to pick up any tips I can find

That being said, I play golf for a Division III golf team and I've been working hard on keeping scores low, but it always seems like if I start off a round poorly, I struggle to get myself back in it. A few bogies in a row and its all downhill from there.

I was wondering what you guys do to get yourselves out of a slump like that mid round and turn it all around to card a decent score.

good question man. usually i just try as best as i can to forget what happened on the last few holes, and pretend like i'm starting on #1. it's easy to let the previous holes affect you, that's why golf is such a mind game. when i played in college it used to bother me more, because i didn't wanna come in with a bad score, but you'll learn to move on and start fresh. hope this helps

[Layton]

Well if you start off poorly, what is your pre-round routine? Do you hit a bucket of balls before a round? How are you making these bogeys, is it something like three putting, or just common not getting up and down?

If you are consistently having trouble at the beginning of a round, then something must be happening that is different. Here's what I would. On the first 3-4 holes, hit your approach shots so that the end result is in the middle of the green. Don't even think about pins, just middle of the green. Go get pars. Try to change up something, to get your focus away from failure and more on the process of achieving a goal. Right now it sounds like your mind is stuck in trying not to do something, when it should be trying to achieve something. So focusing on getting one par at a time, and focus on the process of doing that might help clear your head.

I seriously think this is exactly what I need to do. I always try to get out there and start off the round on a birdie. On a lot of courses its not unreasonable to think that, but the course that seems to give me the most trouble with this is my teams home course Bethpage Red.

If you know anything about the first hole there you know how hard it is. I guess going pin seeking on a 470 yard par four is just a mistake that I continue to make and set myself up for disaster.

[lumpuckeroo]

From Last Samurai:

Nobutada : Please forgive, too many mind.

Nathan Algren : Too many mind?

Nobutada : Hai. Mind the sword, mind the people watch, mind the enemy, too many mind... [pause] No mind.

Easier said than done, but if you can make it happen, it works....