Why do i choke in tournaments! Wtf!

[Aaronsrix17]

K I normally shoot in the low 80s mid 80s at worst in a average round. But I can't break 90 in tournaments. Mostly out of club tournaments like why CPGA district. But even in our junior club championship. I break 80 sometimes in normal rounds. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? My short game is never great but its decent. But in tournament rounds it just sucks. WHAT CAN I DO TO CHANGE THIS!!?

[CarlSpackler]

Do you find yourself pressing during the competitive rounds our going in to it thinking about your score beforehand? Also, have you ever read any books on the mental game? I (still) recommend Zen Golf to help get you in the right mindset. I must admit here that I do not play competitively yet, but it sounds like your brain might be getting in your way.

[Aaronsrix17]

Yes I do think about my scores before tournaments.

[ks8829]

Play in more tournaments and become seasoned. make sure that you have a pre-shot routine for every shot in your bag and stick too it, it helps under pressure. when you play non-tournament rounds trick yourself to think that it is a tournament.

Let things happen and do not be so hard on yourself, the more you play the more comfortable you will become under tournaments situations and learn to manage your game under pressure situations just like the pros.

Sometimes you have to mentally prepare for tournaments where you might visualize yourself having a good and great round like you are capable of.

The majority of teenager are at home playing video games and not even considering playing competitive sport, and to play tournament golf at 15 years old is fantastic, you should stop and appreciate your parents or relative that introduced you to golf in a way that you are passionate enough to enter golf tournaments.

In summary enjoy the game and let your golf development take it course, everyone develops at different rates and I will promise you that if you stay with golf and tournament golf that one day things will simple click and everything will come together and you will play one of your best round during a competitive golf tournament.

[jaragon126]

Here's my 2 cents: I started out playing friendly rounds of golf & then joined a league where we have weekly tournaments. I used to also play crappy in the tournaments because I was putting so much stress on myself to play well that I was completely consumed with thoughts that broke my concentration.

CarlSpackler is right ... the mental game is a big big part of golf.

My advice is to KEEP playing in your tournaments & try (if you can) to not think of the tournament as the biggest event in your life. Try to go out & play as if it was a casual weekend round. Your brain might be more relaxed in your "normal" non-tournament rounds ... but in the tournaments you get so worked up that you "paralyze" yourself.

I did just get the Zen Golf book off ebay & am about 1/2 way through it ... so far so good.

This weekend I played in one of my tournaments, and I hadn't played in many lately due to a swing change that left me playing poorly for a while. The first things that went through my head on the first tee box was "don't shank it ... don't embarrass youself in front of all these people ...", and I bet you can guess what happened. I did EXACTLY what I was trying NOT to do. So for me, instead of putting thoughts inside my head of what I DON'T want to do (like hitting it OB or in the water), I need to get better at thinking about what I DO want to do. The mind is very powerful!

[Aaronsrix17]

Play in more tournaments and become seasoned. make sure that you have a pre-shot routine for every shot in your bag and stick too it, it helps under pressure. when you play non-tournament rounds trick yourself to think that it is a tournament.

Thanks for the tips. I think I am expecting to post a certain number. Like yesterday in a tournament granted a very very small event (just a club junior event) not the very competitive ones like the city wide tournaments I do and I shot a 96 !!!!!! But before the round I was saying I better break 80 today. NO one played well because the winning score was 84 and I tied for 5th lol

[ks8829]

Thanks for the tips. I think I am expecting to post a certain number. Like yesterday in a tournament granted a very very small event (just a club junior event) not the very competitive ones like the city wide tournaments I do and I shot a 96 !!!!!! But before the round I was saying I better break 80 today. NO one played well because the winning score was 84 and I tied for 5th lol

sometimes its the small things......... when you said I better break 80........ instead of saying........... I will shoot in the 70s today.....small but maybe mentally produces a different result, try it next time and see what happens. My son golf team listened to classic music on their way to a tournament and they all played well, give it a try and beat the other team with their overall score.

[CarlSpackler]

I tell myself before teeing off that I will take whatever the course is willing to give up. That is not to say that I am going to give in if things are not working well, but that I will dance with the beast or beauty that I brought that day. This seems to help he keep a bad round from being REAL bad and a good round even better. Focus on each shot, not the outcome (i.e. - it is not a birdie or bogie putt, it is a putt of x feet uphill with a break to the right). If you don't already, incorporate visualization of the perfect shot into your preshot routine and then approach the shot with 100% faith in yourself. The shot is all that matters whether you are shooting great or not so good. When the shot doesn't come off like you pictured it, let it go and start to focus on the next one and how you can best get from that position into the hole in the fewest # of strokes. You can NOT change the past or future, so do not dwell there. You must live in the present.

:Does Samurai bow:

[CG031]

I actually have a similar problem. I never seem to play very well in tournaments, but that's not the case all the time. I've posted my fair share of 37's in H.S. matches (they are only 9 holes here), but I've also had some really bad rounds. It's just a matter of putting it all together. Your only 15, with more practice and more experience it will come - I wouldn't stress over it. Not putting much pressure on myself seems to help - If you go in there thinking about a score you want to shoot, you're almost guaranteed not to shoot it.

[deronsizemore]

It's just the stress of expecting to shoot a certain score. If I go into a round expecting to shoot even, it almost never happens. You just have to go out and play and let the chips fall where they may. Just keep telling yourself that it's just a round of golf and in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter if you shoot and 80 or 100. You have to play as if it doesn't matter and you really don't care what you shoot. It's easier said than done because all golfers care what they shoot even if it's just a casual round, but you'll play much better I'm guessing.

[CarlSpackler]

I actually have a similar problem. I never seem to play very well in tournaments, but that's not the case all the time. I've posted my fair share of 37's in H.S. matches (they are only 9 holes here), but I've also had some really bad rounds. It's just a matter of putting it all together. Your only 15, with more practice and more experience it will come - I wouldn't stress over it. Not putting much pressure on myself seems to help - If you go in there thinking about a score you want to shoot, you're almost guaranteed not to shoot it.

I think it is good to have a goal, so perhaps some different wording would help. Instead of saying, "I have to shoot...", say, "I would like to shoot XX or better". It is a way of setting a goal without tension or pressuring yourself.

No matter what the situation is, I try to keep my emotions and thoughts on an even keel. If I hit a great shot, I might pose on it and take it in, but fist pumps are out for me since I still need to make the putt or play the next hole(s). More importantly, when I hit a bad shot, I just say, "Hmmm" and start thinking about my next best move.

[David in FL]

Play in more tournaments.

Great advice! Along similar lines, the other thing that I'd offer is to play your casual rounds exactly like you do tournament rounds. Play by the rules, apply the same mental focus, plan your round, set expectations/goals for the round, and generally get out of the "I'm just out here to have fun today" mindset. The closer your tournament rounds feel to your ordinary casual rounds, the less pressure you'll feel during the tournament and the more consistent your performance will be.

[Zeph]

Playing more ofte definately helps, you will also grow into getting more comfortable. I'm like that myself when playing with people I don't know. First time I went on a trip with 30 or so people, knowing 2 of them, I played terribly in the beginning. I always picked up my game after a couple of holes and posted decent results. The more of these situations you get into, the more used to them you'll get. It's like a person being afraid of speaking to a large audience, the only way to conquer it is by doing it a lot.

Not saying you are afraid, but the mind works on its own sometimes, regardless of what you are thinking. Even though you feel perfectly comfortable and relaxed, the mind will subconsiously make you play bad.

A friend of mine who just dropped to single hcp last week played a tournament this weekend. First day he shot 118. On one hole me posted a score of... 18! He's probably never had that amount of shots in his entire life, and he does it at this tournament, being single hcp.

[Leftygolfer]

Make your casual rounds worth something. Put pressure on yourself. Putt everything out. Play against your buddies and really try to crush them.

If you aren't used to playing under pressure, you will not play as well when everything is tense.

[kevin.chan]

i had one bad experience lately and i had flu on the day of the tournaments.

Not sure it is the flu or me ?

sigh !

[inthecup]

You mentioned your short game suffers in a tournament. If you are using the small muscles of your hands and arms in your short game when you are stressed you will get mixed results. In Dave Pelz's book The Short Game Bible he suggests hitting less then full swing wedges with dead hands to take those muscles out of play. It gives you consistency under pressure. You may want to read the book. He beats everything to death as if he was paid per page but it is informative.

Good luck

Bill

[alf174]

Each and every shot is as important as another, one at a time. Religiously perform your pre-shot routine and focus on the task (swing/shot) at hand (not ahead and not behind). Thinking ahead diverts your focus so don't worry about the overall score, it will come in fine if you stay in the moment. At as far as the competition, they've got their own troubles so don't spend energy concerned about their game, think about how good of a time you are having playing yours.

This helped me get runner-up in the '04 GAH trap championship against 4000 other competitors.

[SubPar]

To hit good golf shots we need to be relaxed and confident. As soon as you are concerned about the result tension creeps in and you can't execute your best shot.

When I am goofing around practicing on my own I can chip 1 out of 6 balls in the hole and get to kick-in distance 2 out of 3 times. But as soon as I am under any pressure at all I feel tension and self doubt creep in and I may ony knock 1 of 20 chips in the hole and get up and down 1 out of 4 times.

The toughest aspect of competitive golf is that you have to think through the variables, pick a club, pick a line and then hit the shot with "no mind", as a Zen master might say.

mushin no shin
SubPar