Blow up holes

[gasfreak]

How or what do you guys do to get those bad blow up holes out of you head and not let them ruin the next 3 or 4 holes,or maybe the rest of your game.I went yesterday with a guy that I have never been with before we work together and have been kinda going back and forth about who was going to kick whos a$$ (just friendly)for about a month.So through the first 7 holes I had him down 2.number 8 tee box is where it all went wrong on me, shot a 8 on a par 4 and 9 was a par 3 and i shot a 6,you see where I am going with this,I lost,94 to 90.Just wondering if there is something that you use to put it behind you and it works

[Craig Mac]

For me I just try to get back in my routine and focus forward, one or two bad shots on a hole should not effect the next hole mentally. I always found after a bad hole I would either play real aggresive or try to swing out of my shoes. I now try not to make stupid decissions, like when I duck hook in the trees of the tee, I don't try the 50 yard hook around the trees from 200 yards, just pitch out take my medicine and stay focused.

[skipsaw]

Happens to me quite often. What I've developed over time is a little mental trigger or queue. After a blowup hole, when I'm in my pre-shot routine for the next hole (usually when I'm lining up the tee shot), I think (or depending on who I'm playing with, say aloud) "Okay, Reset". I know it sounds very simple, but that mental queue allows me to forget the last hole, "forgives" me (for lack of a better word) for hacking it up, and prepares me to move forward and get back into focus.

Not sure if other players would agree with this or not, but another thing you might consider is playing a little more conservatively, in terms of club selection and strategy, on the next couple of holes. For example, if you're faced with a tight driving hole or there are hazards that could come into play with driver, hit your 3-wood (or 5-wood, or hybrid) and try to land in a relatively safe landing zone. This is not to say that you should *swing* conservatively - you should still take a confident swing - just think more in terms of "conservative strategy, aggressive swing". Do this for a couple of holes until you're in rhythm again and have rehained that all-important confidence again.

Hope that helps.

[Big_M]

Actually for me... I usually play great the rest of the way. Why, because now the round is blown so I have no pressure to shoot well and don't care. It's not bad holes that do me in, but usually a series of dropped shots that bug me.

[Dent]

I dwell on that one bad hole for the rest of the round. But somehow even though im thinking about that hole, I still have my current game focused in and I still shoot well.

[RX Phoenix]

One good shot is all you need to put it behind you, but don't try to make that shot a spectacular one. Just concentrate on a solid strike. Maybe take 3W or 5W off the next tee.

[Shindig]

If you're still on the hole in the midst of a blowup, do not think about ESC or any such things. Realize that the fewest number of strokes still produces a better score. If you're greenside, try to recall something you did in practice during a situation like this: see if you can make the up and down, even if it is for a triple bogey.

If you're done with the blowup hole, tell yourself that one blowup hole happens to all of us at some point. Remember Palmer's 12? Daly's 18? Tom Watson made a big number at some point. You can't really hold yourself to a higher standard than Palmer? He sure played some good golf after that 12.

Thinking of that makes me feel better. Besides, once I hole out, regardless score, there is no reason that I can't make a birdie on the next hole.

[golf_junkie27]

For me, it depends on the course. If it's a course that I'm not familiar with, I'll just choke it up to inexperience.

If it's a course that I have played, I will just curse at myself and then take a slow walk to the next tee. I'll slow down a bit and just re-focus and try to get re-energized.

Blow up holes, stink. However, I have yet to play with someone who has not had one EVERY SINGLE round.

[x-forged]

looks like woody austin just had a blow up hole on 18.

[TheGolfingDetective]

In my first full summer back at this game, I'm happy with the progress I've made, and I've knocked on the door of the 80's a couple of times, but it won't let me in yet. Seems that two things are keeping me back: putting (according to Scorecard) and the inevitable 8 or worse on a single hole. How do you avoid this? I've had runs of 3 or four consecutive pars, fairways hit and greens hit, even a few up and downs, but then, I'll post the huge number that ruins my chance of finally breaking 90.

Yesterday for example. I bogey the third toughest hole on the course, and promptly shoot an 8 on an easy, short Par 4. Mishit tee shot leaves me a 5-iron into the green. Shank my second into the woods, definitely lost, rehitting four from the same spot, top it to 80 yards out, hit a wedge to the fringe, chip on and two putt. Eight. ARGH.

Any advice on how to stop holes like these, when I am able to play bogey golf for 80% of the round?

[NI4NI]

My "advice" is more on the mental part of the blow-up (as I have plenty of experience in that regard). Now that I'm playing more, I find myself in situations where, after it has happened, it's very easy to stay there if you don't re-fresh the psyche, and anticipate that it will continue unless you do something to change it.

If you can't just wipe it from the memory banks, then on the subsequent hole, pick a "comfort" club from the bag - the one you are most comfortable with (excluding the putter, of course), and trust the swing to stay true. If you are still spraying it, at least recognize it, and try to recover safely from a bad lie (safe shot back into the fairway, for example), rather trying to make up for the bad hole(s) by being overly aggressive.


Let the mood pass, get back to your "happy place" (minus the cowboy midget - Happy Gilmore reference), and enjoy your walk.

[glebert]

I think it was in Golf is Not a Game of Perfect where I read about a pro who assumed he would hit 7 bad shots a round (or something like that). In a way he was budgeting in some room for his mistakes, and didn't beat himself over them because he had accepted that they would probably happen. I don't think this is the same as planning to fail.

[tjy355]

A one on one should be match play. If you have a blow-up hole, then you only lose one hole!

[AlCzervik]

I had a whole day of blowup holes. I suck. I want to quit and snap every club in my bag.

[ks8829]

When you blow up what part of the games goes bad?

putting?
chipping?
pitching?

I played today and started with a double boogie on the first hole and did the following

double boogie - Chipping/ hit fat and 3 putt / long putt was short
par
par
par
par
boogie - bad drive, long approach, long chip and good one putt
par
birdie
birdie
37 front nine

boogie - approach shot push, long chip and missed putt for par
birdie
boogie - par three missed short left, chipped long and missed par putt
par
par
boogie - par 3, 3 putted, first putt too long
birdie
boogie - 3 putted the hole, missed a 3 footer for par, distracted with noise
par
38 back nine
75 total

11 fairways hit out of 14 or 78.5%
13 greens out of 18 or 72%
32 putts
4 up and down out of 9 tries or 44%

I can look back and analysis my boogie holes and see that I need to work on the following:

1) chipping around the green and improve my up and down percentage to 60-70%
2) putting, had three 3 putts and distance control was the problem plus missed a short 3 footer.

[AlCzervik]

If i try to chip the ball and It flies over the green: It's a blowup hole.

[Redbird]

the 1st and 2nd holes at my course are the hardest on the front and during matches i usually blow up with a triple or double...but if i can go par-par i can easily shoot less than 3 over for the front...

[Smallville]

I had a whole day of blowup holes. I suck. I want to quit and snap every club in my bag.

If i try to chip the ball and It flies over the green: It's a blowup hole.

Funny stuff there, I don't care who you are. I just know I am going to have one or two holes that are gonna bite me in the butt. I also know (or hope) that I am going to get at least a few pars to offset those blowup holes. And if one of those is a birdie, then it really doesn't matter to me what I shoot at that point because, I got a birdie that round! (I've only had 2 all summer, so please, let me enjoy my birdies when I get them!)