Play with the game you have, not the game you think you should have

[golfaddiction]

Recently there have been some topics on Golf Psychology, which I'm starting to come around on. One piece of advice that I'm going to start to follow is playing with the game I have, not the game I think I should have.

I haven't hit a ball "straight" in years. Usually, my irons come in with a bit of fade, or start left and stay there. I can hit somewhat of a draw if I need to (especially with my driver and 3 wood), but it's not my stock shot.

Yet, I find myself on the course thinking, ok, just hit this ball straight and get it close. Of course, I should be thinking, hit a natural fade cause it's ok to miss right, or aim further right because you don't want to miss left.

One thing I have learned about my game is that it's not perfect. And getting onto the course thinking it has to be perfect always leaves me disappointed. So starting tomorrow it's not "you weren't slicing balls this badly on the range yesterday" but instead "a nice fade will work well into this green."

[sean_miller]

. . . getting onto the course thinking it has to be perfect always leaves me disappointed

+1. Words to live by!!

[LIgolfer]

Read Golf is Not a game of perfect by Dr. Bob Rottella. It's a great book and goes along with what your talking about. Its really helping me with the pscychology of the game.

[JWL1957]

My thoughts are : Accept the game that you have and play with it ....... while keeping mental notes on what to improve on. Dont beat yourself to death over improving right away.

[Sherlockian]

AMEN, makes the round much more fun when we play with what we have.

[alomar123]

I purposely aim to the left of the fairway, because no matter what the ball with travel from left to right every time whether it is a slice or a fade.

[IcemanYVR]

Recently there have been some topics on Golf Psychology, which I'm starting to come around on. One piece of advice that I'm going to start to follow is playing with the game I have, not the game I think I should have.

...follow this logic on the golf course and I wouldn't be surprised if you see your handicap fall in half

[Brakkus]

My mental issue has always been when to hold back and when to push the boat out,a fine line for me in all sports.When I get it right it's fantastic.Golf is proving to be quite a challenge on this level as it's the lie of the ball that constantly changes,dictating the shot.However I played this weekend determined to play within my capabilities,refusing shots that I knew I could take on.Funnily enough I shot a similar score but I never felt so great after finishing.I experienced control of my game and myself.
In fact I'm going to continue with this approach simply because it builds confidence.Hitting a 5 iron in the fairway when I could have smashed a 17" hybrid.Chipping out of rough with a wedge,instead of smashing a 7 iron,shots like that with a higher risk of failure and making them a simpler shot.Get distance out of the equation and think about position.

I know I can't shoot worse numbers giving up distance so improvement is bound to happen

[avguy]

My last 18 holes are living proof of the thread's theme. Right now, my biggest issue on the course is I am push-fading or slicing 80 per. of my drives. The last outing had several tree-lined right rough areas. My drives landed typical 230 yds down in there, under the trees. For several of those par 4,5 holes, I at first grabbed my normal 2nd club from the bag, one of the hybrids.
Well, I saw a hole in the trees fwd towards the green, why not?

Bad idea, I have no finesse/control game, and even though I hit flush solid balls - they smacked right into trees anywhere from 10-30 yds in front of me and bounced haywire. Later in the round on the back nine, things actually became more manageable when I just accepted those lies. Looking at my sig. with the clubs, I grabbed that Adams 37 deg. chipper and just punched the ball back out in the fairway - sometimes gaining some forward progress.
That is the game I have. I can't hit it flush often, nor can I hit it flush solid on a narrow path under trees. But small control chips around the green are working, and they work as a better "out" from my too familiar right treeland rough I live in most days on the course.
I need to find more driving holes that resemble the wide open driving range!

[doctork]

Strange, isn't it, that everyone from Tiger Woods on down knows that golf can't be mastered, and yet... We all expect to execute every shot perfectly, and get upset when we don't.

Controlling expectations is key to enjoying golf, and a lot of other things in life. How many times have you watched a movie with great anticipation based on reviews, friend's recommendation, etc... and come away thinking, eh, it wasn't that great. On the other hand, how many times have you watched a movie you had no interest in, and come out thinking hey, that was actually pretty good...

OK, digressed a little there, just trying to make a point about the power of expectations. Hope it made sense to someone.

Cheers,
DoctorK

[microcrayfish]

I agree that playing with what you have is the best way to golf. No only will your scores drop but more than that you can just have so much more fun on the course. I play regularly with a friend who's constantly getting frustrated and upset when he messes up shots, he's stuck between taking golf too seriously for his ability level and not taking it seriously enough to put the work in to get better; often times he'll complain to me during a round that he's not enjoying himself. A simple change in attitude to realise that a lot of the time his shots aren't going to work out how he planned would do wonders for him, he'd not only enjoy himself more he'd probably shoot lower as a result. I think we've all been there when we think we can hit shots better than we actually can but sometimes it's hard to bite the bullet and admit it.

[Doctorfro]

I have struggled with the mental aspect of my game. Trying to get over the hump as it were. Because I'm so close to being where I could be at peace with my game. But try this on for size: Our handicap. Our handicaps are based on our POTENTIAL and not our average. So when we play tournaments, have games with our buddies, etc. we are always being reminded of our POTENTIAL. But more often than not, if we are honest players, we shoot closer to our average than our potential and feel somewhat inadequate (maybe this is not you). But what I have finally concluded is that unless I put a ton of time, money, effort, ...whatever into my game, it's going to be what it is. Just very close to where I'd like to be. Somedays I'll get hot, make a few putts and score low but more often than not, I'm going to shoot in the low 80's. But when I do have a great day, I'm going to soak in every shot and enjoy just that much more.

[mattttt25]

I think I do a good job at this. My playing partner is a much better golfer than me, but one or two bad shots gets in his head and he starts trying to fix everything all at once. I'll hit a bad drive and as I approach my ball, he'll tell me to relax, forget about it, etc. I often look at him and think, "I'm fine bro, not worried about it." I'll then hit a perfect approach, then 3 putt. As we walk off the green, he'll tell me again to forget about it. I respond, "Did you see that approach shot? Great hole, who cares about the score."

I can hit a 110, but if a part of my game was on, especially something I was working on, I'm ok with the day.

[shortstop20]

I had to do this alot yesterday. I was hitting fades, pushes, push-fades. Just couldn't eliminate the right side of the course, so I just started aiming left however much I thought I needed to on every shot.