only golf well in competition?

[maraca2020]

Am I the only one who can only golf decently under competition? I shot a 40 during tryouts, and a 41 during a matchplay with my friend during school golf practice. But then I go out and play matchplay against someone bad and shoot 50 (I still won) and shot a 52 today just practicing for school with 3 other guys? Am I the only one? And how should I counteract this? Thanks

[Kcas77]

Play for money doesnt have to be much but it seems as if you lose your concentration when it doesnt matter.

[maraca2020]

k thanks that's what I was thinking. Any other ideas?

[clubchamp]

Well a 40, 41, 50, and 52 doesn't come off like you are consistent. Maybe you should work on your consistency and try to keep all your scores in the low 40s. Then come back and talk about how you are the only good player during competition. If you say you only play well in competition maybe you need to find ways to challenge yourself.

[maraca2020]

that's the thing though. In the lower scores, my ballstriking and driving was poor. But in the higher scores, ballstriking was excelent and driving was better. Putting and chipping were the same.

[clubchamp]

That doesn't even make any sense... how could your scores be lower if your ball striking was worse and higher scores you hit the ball well plus you chipped and putted the same?

[maraca2020]

exactly. That's why I'm thinking something happens in competition. I may just kind of waste shots and not really care in practice.

[clubchamp]

I'm saying its not possible...

if you are hitting it well than you are probably hitting more greens and fairways...

if you are hitting bad you're not hitting greens and fairways...

you putt the same on both rounds so you would have to score better on the round hit it better


theres no way you could score higher when you are hitting the ball better... unless you missed a lot of putts

[maraca2020]

lol. Even though I was striking the ball better, I wasn't exactly clear with a target. They were purely struck, but less focused. Not because of the ballstriking, but because of my focus. So what I'm trying to say is; how to I get that focus in regular practice? Sorry if I was unclear.

[trog2233]

I'm sorta the same way. When i go out myself i shoot high 80s and low 90s. But when i play against a friend for some money i shoot low 80s everytime. I guess its just better concentration or something. Not sure.

[denver_nuggs_15]

I'm confused. If you strike the ball well in practice (or meaningless rounds), but poorly during competition, wouldn't you want to take your practice ballstriking to your competition? I'd say taking your good ballstriking to your competitive rounds, that'd be more important than taking your concentration to your practice rounds.

And take your practice rounds more seriously. During golf season, if our coach saw us slacking off during practice, we'd get taken out of the starting line up. You should practice harder than you play, not just screw around during practice.

[maraca2020]

I'm confused. If you strike the ball well in practice (or meaningless rounds), but poorly during competition, wouldn't you want to take your practice ballstriking to your competition? I'd say taking your good ballstriking to your competitive rounds, that'd be more important than taking your concentration to your practice rounds.

that was just a coincidence. I guess I just have to find something to play for each time.

[out_in_30]

I find that when I play with people that arent quite at the same level if not better... i struggle to post a decent score myself. I strongly feel that it is important to play with people that are at least at your level of play if not better. Preferably play all the time with golfers that are better than you, that way you will be able to concentrate more and most likely lower your own score

[live4u120]

I tend to play better when I just imagine there is pressure on me. I like to imagine I have a crowd of people watching me, and Tiger is right behind me, just like I'm at the masters or something. I tend to do much better. And also, I like to have people watch, because it tends to make me a little nervous, and slows my swing down just enough to keep me from making mistakes.

[imtomtomim]

I am actually pretty similar to you in the sense that I react well to pressure. Yesterday, I played the worst 9 holes of the season, but on the last hole, I made a 15 foot putt for par just because it was for money and my partners were giving me crap and putting pressure on me. Even when I was a competitive swimmer, I always swam better in meets that meant more. I tend to thrive in competition so I try to create competition even without telling anyone. Having a good playing partner definitely helps. I'll try to be competitive every single shot. Tell yourself, I can hit this shot better than he can. I can sink this putt and pretend that it's to close him out or something like that. Don't get too caught up in it and remember to have fun, but little mental cues at competition helps me a great deal.

[ddalet]

I'm saying its not possible...

such arrogance.

Of course it is possible. When he competes he focuses on specific targets or lining up to them better and paying more attention to the line on the greens thereby sinking more putts. Happens to me all the time.

[maraca2020]

^^ Exactly thank you

[Parker0065]

lol. Even though I was striking the ball better, I wasn't exactly clear with a target. They were purely struck,

I think you've basically said it all yourself!

Everyones mental makeup is a little different and the mental keys that work well for me may not for you but here are my thoughts on tournament play! When I tee it up I'm thinking of two things, "Be Patient", and "Stay Focused" on the shot at hand. Staying focused means not worrying about score, or thinking ahead to the next hole. It's simply puting all your thought and attention into that one shot. The patience part comes into play when either I find myself in trouble or if I just made a couple birdies in a row. For example, If I hit a bad tee shot under a tree I want to take a deep breath and analyze all possible options, make a choice and commit to that choice completely. If I start off playing well it's human nature to start thinking about score too much. I tell myself to be patient because it's too easy to get ahead of yourself. You just need to find a couple mental thoughts that will help put you in that zone to score well. I don't think your problem is all that uncommon. I play most casual rounds with my son and my father inlaw and there are times I find myself just going through the motions. Usually those rounds turn out to not be my best, but in tournament play I know I have to be completely commited to the task at hand. Here's a little test, if you play 18 holes be it for fun or in competition, and you don't feel a little mentally fatigued afterwards, then you probably didn't put enough focus into the round. Good Luck