Found myself hitting range balls beside a college golfer......

[ericstamper]

Ok...my last range session i was hittin balls at the range and a college player came over to hit beside me......all of a sudden i started to pure every shot......perfect divots, distance, and direction....even with a breezy side wind.........i dont know what i was doing right all of a sudden but it was like what ever club i grabbed he grabbed the same stick to out do me??? This guy was a great player but i was showing him how it was done......im not tryin to brag but that was overall the best ball striking ive ever had during a range session. now only if i could have him play along at the course hahaha......anyone else ever had a story similar??? i almost felt pressure tryin to hit every shot.......it reminded me of the time i played three holes with kp (Kenny Perry) back home where i used to live. par par birdie.......

[tws1098]

Just yesterday I teed off solo in front of a foursome. It was my first outing with my new irons so I was very nervous on the opening par 3. Stuck it within 10 feet of the pin and made par. When I play with a group I always elevate my game for some reason. After i got ahead of the foursome my game went back to a thin shot here, a fat shot there...i dunno.

[saevel25]

Probably because you two were thinking about the other person than your own swings. So you left everything to muscle memory and feel. Then the foursome left and you started thinking about the swing again.

My best rounds are when i start off fast, because i just go with that feel. If i start off bad then i will start thinking about the swing, and it takes me the next 4-5 holes to get into the groove.

[Razz11]

It could be a lot of things... More focused, less swing thoughts, etc as said above. I too find myself playing a lot better golf when I play with good golfers. I have 2 friends who are training PGM pro's and 1 that is a college golfer that are all very good obviously. I have never played better golf than when I play with them. All of my best rounds have come when I was with them.

[Dominic]

I remember once in a summer tournaments I entered the event late so they shoved me into a tee time with the 16-18 division (when I was 13) and I was forced to play really well and keep up with these guys and ended up winning the tournament in my age group.

[billysandy]

Once, two friends and I were in a 3 ball and we were let through by a 2 ball ahead of us who were taking photos and videos, so they were taking more time than us. My friend then told me one of these players was playing off a 1 handicap, and the other didn't look much above a 5 handicap judging by there solid approaches on the last hole. They teed off on the next hole by our green as we finished off, and they then let us through. We played our tee shots as they watched, all perfect 250 yard drive right down the middle. Bearing in mind we were off 26, 18, and 5 at the time, this was pretty unfounded for us.

[Zeph]

I think tempo is something we can easily transfer just by looking at other players. If I hit balls behind Ernie Els or Fred Couples on the range, I'm sure I would take notice on their tempo and try mimicing it.

If I find that my swing is out of rhythm or I'm swinging too fast and hard, I imagine the swing of Ernie or Freddy, usually helps me get back on track.

[WUTiger]

In auto racing, it's called "drafting." A car gets in the leader's wind tunnel and uses the draft to slingshot around the leader and get into the first position.

It depends on your personality type. Some people get flustered when playing with a much better golfer. Others get a positive charge from it, and get positive motivation which helps their performance. Possibly the "role model" of a better golfer is a reminder of the little things which help a swing.

Years ago, I had joined a golf club on a military base. I showed up one morning to play, and the pro asked me to join him. I shot an 87 my first time ever playing this tight, challenging course. The pro hit decent strokes, and I just followed his example: set up each shot, and then hit it. Only broke 90 once more the rest of the first year.

Same way with pro-ams. I hit about twice the number of really good shots I normally do.

[senorchipotle]

i know what you mean. back in college, i played with a few of the guys on the university squad from time to time. those were some of the best rounds of my life. it forces you to take a more professional mindset to the course. you're not playing with hackers, and you don't want to be exposed as one. it's quite calming, actually. and it's a big confidence booster when you can match, or better, their tee shot.