In a blue funk

[blackxpress]

I doubt if you guys can help me. I probably need to see a mental health professional. This is a lot cheaper though, so here goes.

Yesterday I played really well through the first 12 holes. Then on the par 3 13th I hit my tee shot short, chipped to the back side of the green and 4 putted for a triple bogey 6. I'm generally a very good putter. I honestly don't remember my last 4 putt. In fact, I don't even 3 putt all that often. In just a matter of a few seconds I went from being in a great mood, enjoying a beautiful day on the golf course to being so down on myself I couldn't do anything right the rest of the day. We played 27 holes but I should have gone home after 18. By the end of the day I was so down on myself that I was sure I'm the worst golfer to ever play the game. Last night I was so depressed I couldn't watch the Masters and was seriously contemplating selling every piece of golf equipment I own and never picking up a club ever again. I'm not doing much better today. It's Friday afternoon and, ordinarily I would be at the golf course. Instead I'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself, still not sure if I ever want to play again.

A lot of guys have trouble putting a bad shot or a bad hole behind them but I take it to the extreme. I'm in hell and I can't understand why. We weren't playing for anything. In fact, even after my round went south I was still playing better than 2 of the other guys in the foursome and yet I was convinced I was really stinking it up. I didn't have anything worse than a 2 putt the rest of the day (including a couple of 15 footers that I missed by inches) but in my mind I was the worst putter that ever lived.

Where's Dr. Phil when you really need him?

[iPutt]

Trust me man, I understand exactly what you're going through. I don't think I get quite as bad as you explained, but I still get pretty upset. What I do after a round like that is just take a week off. I know that I'll start off hating the game and threatening to quit, but after a week or so my competitive drive gets me back out playing again cause I can't stand not playing.

[Dr_Fu_Manchu]

I have certainly been there as well. I left the course depressed and dejected thinking I have spent way too much time and money over 3 years to play as poorly as when I started. I think I shot a 100something, but don't know because I refused to keep score. I took a short vacation and bought a couple of books that helped me out a lot:

Bob rotella's Golf is not a Game of Perfect
and
Dr. Gio Valiante's Fearless Golf

A week later I found myself back out there 1. because I am addicted and 2. because I wasn't going to let a bad round knock me out. After that round I went on a tear, shooting in the 80's and a 90 my next 3 out.



Both helped a ton and of the two I would get Rotella's.

[JCDot33]

... Where's Dr. Phil when you really need him?

He's out playing golf ... and when he gets home, humbled by the game, he'll be sitting around crying in his beer thinking that he should sell every piece of equipment that he owns.

We've all been there my friend, we've all been there!

[sam004]

We weren't playing for anything. In fact, even after my round went south I was still playing better than 2 of the other guys in the foursome and yet I was convinced I was really stinking it up.

Do what everybody else does blame it on someone else

Actually I found that I play worse myself when people in my group, are playing poorly. It drags me down. I'm not sure why that is. Take a few days off, don't think about golf, don't watch it on TV. If you have a park or forrest preserve, go for a walk or ride a bike. Then, once you have the negative thoughts out of your head go to the range and/or the putting green and practice until the shots feel good.

[GaijinGolfer]

You need to learn to not take this game so seriously. You are gonna hit good shots and bad shots, even the pros hit bad shots every now and then.
All you can do is put the bad shots behind you, focus on the shot you are about to hit and stay positive.
Focus on the path ahead, not the road behind...

[ks8829]

Kenny Perry should feel terrible after losing the Masters, but he said at an interview after the playing that if this is the worst thing that happens to him in his life then life been good to him. He keeps the game of golf in perspective. He will think about losing two majors for the rest of his life but you know he will be alright.

Scott Hock missed a down hill 2 foot putt on number 10 at Augusta to lose to Nick Faldo in 1989 in a play off.

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/colum...=GOLFHeadlines

I always tell my mom if you have your health and you don't have to go to prison you really don't have anything to complain about, life's good!

[beachbreak]

Relax. There will be other rounds. Being a 15, you are probably a good player. When you hit some bad shots, do not doubt your game. You are doing many things correctly. You are a good player that hit a few bad shots. Pros hit bad shots during a round, just not as bad as ours. When it goes sour, take pride in battling until the round is over. Just try to keep the wheels on. There is a great satisfaction in hitting a few good shots when your game goes south. Feel good about not quitting.

[HSip]

Can't let a "bad" round get you down anymore than you should let a bad shot get you down. It doesn't sound as if you really played that bad and you're CERTAINLY not the worst putter in the world. Maybe your next "good" round will make you feel like you're the best putter in the world. Here's to dreamin'

[goblue107501]

The best thing I have found is always to have a goal for the round. I go out every time and have a goal to break 80. The goal for each hole is to hit the fairway, hit the green, then two putt for par. If I start out the first 6 holes 5-over, that just makes me focus more on the next few holes to make pars and maybe a birdie to get back on track. Some days you just don't have it, so you might have to adjust the goal as you go to keep yourself in a positive mind frame. If I were to find myself 10-over through 14, I would think that despite my troubles today, I can still shoot 82 or 83, which wouldn't be too bad. Maybe I can get a birdie out of one the last holes and finish with a 81.

If you have a bad hole, you have until the next tee box to erase it. Then you go to the next hole with positive thoughts and forget about what just happened. It is like what they say about a cornerback in the NFL, you have to have a short memory. At the end of the round you can look back and think that those one or two holes killed you, but other than that, it was a good round. That gets you in the right mindset for the next round that if you eliminate those bad holes you will be right where you want to be.

Some say to take time off. I am a believer in getting right back on the horse. If I have a really bad day, I want to get out again as soon as possible so that my most current memory is not of a bad day. I played in a three day event with some friends and last summer on the first day I shot a 90. I was just horrible. I came back the next day with an erased mind and I shot an 80. My goal for the third day was to shoot 70 (90-80-70 would have been a neat story), but I only managed a 79. The funny thing is, I remember most of the last two days, but can't hardly remember anything about the first day, other than the two or three really good shots I hit.

So forget about the triple bogey six, get back out there and make some pars!! You know you can do it. Plus you would miss playing if you gave up and quit, and nobody likes a quitter. It is just a game that we play for fun, don't be so hard on yourself.