A Strange and Omninous Golfing Day

[luchnia]

So me and a buddy went to play Monday since we were both off. I think I wound up around 115 and what felt like a most embarrassing and horrid round of golf.

Ok, maybe not as bad as it could have been, but for me, I think it was horrible as I usually hover around 100 give or take a few strokes either side of that. Before the round we knocked some balls on the range, practiced some chips, and some puts, and all in all was well pleased feeling like a good round was coming. Did a little shot shaping on the range too which was super cool. 

Got to the first hole and played the hole well. I think I was one over. Second hole, completely blew to pieces and have no clue what happened. It was as if I became possessed by the horrid golfer syndrome. I had no idea how to swing the club and lost all fundamentals. What the heck happened? I can honestly state that I have NO clue.

I felt so disconnected and un-synched. I have read about this happening to golfers before and they say it is simply because you lose focus or something. It even gets weirder as it did not happen on all the holes. I even birdied a hole during the round from a chip shot and made some really nice puts. It was as if some ominous black horrid golfer cloud would only hover over me on certain holes.

I was plus one on the 3rd hole a par 3 and after the second hole I was well pleased with that. Fourth hole was double bogey, still fine in my book. Fifth hole hit the ball off the tee box probably a hundred yds left and was unplayable. Ok, so I figure a mis-hit, so I took a second shot off the tee and was straight down the fairway dead in the middle with a slight fade. I think I bogied that hole which was fine.

Here is where it got beyond crazy. I walk up to the tee box on one hole and set up my ball as normal. I swing and hit the ball and my swing feels nice and solid and I am thinking this one is good and will set me up a sweet second shot. I was looking down the fairway trying to track the ball where I think the ball is going, but I don't see it. My buddy said you hit up on the hill over to the left. I thought he meant a little left and I could probably get back safely. Nope, this ball went about 175 yds and at least 100 yds left. I tee'd up another ball and to be safe I checked my aim, etc., and all was fine. Swung hit the ball and lo and behold, the exact same thing happened again if not worse than the first hit.

I am thinking what in the heck is going on and my buddy says this ain't like you, you rarely ever hit a second ball off the tee. So I tee up again and hit the ball again and this time I top it left into the creek. Finally I hit a fourth ball and it is still a horrid shot but does make it down the fair way with not much distance at all. I think I wound up with an 11 on that hole.

Did my body and brain take a complete vacay on that hole? At this point, I am ready to simply load my equipment up, hang my head in shame, and just watch my buddy play. If I did not want to play so bad and a determined person, I would have thrown in the towel and sold out.

I am sure none of you have had this happen to you, but if by chance any of you have, please share how it can be prevented, or at least minimized.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2019 by luchnia

[Bonvivant]

@luchnia, this type of round seems to happen to me on unfamiliar courses. It isn't that these courses are much tougher than my usual tracks, just new. I'll have a couple of holes where things come together, but mostly, I just can't do what I usually do. For me it is almost always fat iron shots that plague the round. I can be fine off the tee all day, with my usual distance, but instead of 1 or 2 decent iron shots per hole, I start hitting 4 inches behind the ball resulting in shots that are half the distance that they should be. Nothing to do for it but to plug through and remember it is just a game.

Edited December 26, 2019 by Bonvivant

[billchao]

I had one of those rounds this year, playing at @jsgolfer's course with him, @DaveP043, and Dave's wife. I literally stood over the ball at address and felt like I had no feel for the swing - felt like it was the first time I ever played golf.

I have no explanation for it and it hasn't happened again since that round.

[RWC]

29 minutes ago, Bonvivant said:

@luchnia, this type of round seems to happen to me on unfamiliar courses. It isn't that these courses are much tougher than my usual tracks, just new. I'll have a couple of holes where things come together, but mostly, I just can't do what I usually do. For me it is almost always fat iron shots that plague the round. I can be fine off the tee all day, with my usual distance, but instead of 1 or 2 decent iron shots per hole, I start hitting 4 inches behind the ball resulting in shots that are half the distance that they should be. Nothing to do for it but to plug through and remember it is just a game.

I tend to have a similar problem with new courses as well. My miss tends to be steering the driver and then pulling my irons - both misses that seldom appear on my regular course. After I've played a new course 3 or 4 rounds, I seem to relax more and my old swing tends to return. Unfortunately by then, I've lost a few beers and lunch bets :-(.

[Carl3]

23 minutes ago, billchao said:

I had one of those rounds this year, playing at @jsgolfer's course with him, @DaveP043, and Dave's wife. I literally stood over the ball at address and felt like I had no feel for the swing - felt like it was the first time I ever played golf.

I have no explanation for it and it hasn't happened again since that round.

That happened to me twice this past summer. Both times I was under par after 16 to 17 holes. Ended up one or two over par each time. LOL

[luchnia]

40 minutes ago, billchao said:

I had one of those rounds this year, playing at @jsgolfer's course with him, @DaveP043, and Dave's wife. I literally stood over the ball at address and felt like I had no feel for the swing - felt like it was the first time I ever played golf.

I have no explanation for it and it hasn't happened again since that round.

I had played this course probably 6-8 times and never this poorly, except maybe the first time I played it. It is a difficult course with some major gullies, hills, ponds, creeks, etc. There are drives off some tees that you can only see the first hill and not where the ball will land. You have to go by guess.

It was much like you posted, I literally stood over the ball at address and in my case felt completely out of sync. It was as if my internal machine had no concept at all of the swing and simply decided to vacate on certain holes. I just hope that it won't happen again as in your case.

I plan to play a different course tomorrow and will chime back in with the results. I was hoping I could blame this on being 65 years old, but I know that won't cut it 🙂

[uitar9]

44 minutes ago, luchnia said:

I had played this course probably 6-8 times and never this poorly, except maybe the first time I played it. It is a difficult course with some major gullies, hills, ponds, creeks, etc. There are drives off some tees that you can only see the first hill and not where the ball will land. You have to go by guess.

It was much like you posted, I literally stood over the ball at address and in my case felt completely out of sync. It was as if my internal machine had no concept at all of the swing and simply decided to vacate on certain holes. I just hope that it won't happen again as in your case.

I plan to play a different course tomorrow and will chime back in with the results. I was hoping I could blame this on being 65 years old, but I know that won't cut it 🙂

66 here. I now believe  "bad score excuses" are another form of course management techniques and should be added to your golf notes.

You have full permission to use "Age". Its not an excuse, its a reason, when you need it.

 

 

[Missouri Swede]

Welcome to my world.