So good one day, so bad the next..Why?

[Golfing Dad]

Yesterday I tied my best front nine and my second best score for the back 9. I shot a 51 and 52 respectfully. Today I shot a 60 for nine holes and gave up. Why does this happen? Does anyone have any idea how to prevent it?

[GolfBear]

The only way to prevent it is to stop playing golf. It's just the nature of the game!

[Shripe]

I second that thought. Just keep at it. Maybe there's an inconsistency you could even out (this statement coming from a non-handicapper as of right now LOL), though it could just be the nature of the game.

[enis750]

for me it was beer this long weekend
...really.... hahahah!

played an easier course at the lake - 67.8/113 Par 69 5700 yds

day 1 - i played ok...not great but still managed a 72
day 2 - hit every fwy jusy about, but had 3 beer on the back and shot 82

when i play w my uncle and cousin, i dont really try as hard
they dont take golf to seriously, so i try not too w them either

so we had a few beers, had some laughs and had a great round....even w an 82!! hahahah!!!!

[Shanks A Million]

It's just timing. As you get better, and you eliminate more and more timing from the game, the scores will be more closely bunched. Even so, the best in the world still have ups and downs. If they didn't, the best golfer would win every week, no matter what. But they don't, and Byron Nelson's 11 wins in a row is so unbelievable because of this very reason. If there was no day to day inconsistency, the best would be expected to win every tournament, every time.

[Forest]

Yeah, I've got this issue with my game. NCGA says I'm a 12.0, but I shoot from 86-92. My scores fluctuate weekly, and it's hard to keep my game down. I'm just hoping in time scores will start getting better.

[Ash1974]

Yeah, I've got this issue with my game. NCGA says I'm a 12.0, but I shoot from 86-92. My scores fluctuate weekly, and it's hard to keep my game down. I'm just hoping in time scores will start getting better.

I am the same at the moment, my GONGU handicap is 13.7 so playing off 14, my last few stableford scores have been 25/20/24/25 and my low score for the year is an 88, the last score near this handicap was last November when I shot 86 so I am playing nowhere near 14 at the moment, I am more like a 17/18 but have made several changes in the last 6 months, my swing, new irons and only now am I playing 2 times a week as we finally have some decent weather in the UK.

I am just sticking with it and will keep putting in cards and hopefully as the handicap goes up by 0.1 every time I overshoot, my game will get better and I will match my game with my handicap somewhere in the middle, hoping around 16 Stick with it dude!

[CWHolland]

Early in the Morning I am so excited waiting to tee off!! I love golf!!! Halfway through, I have never hated something so much in my life. I vow to never swing a club again. I go home fuming mad. By that night I am thinking about golf, the next day I am excited waiting to tee off. I love golf!!! For me its a vicious cycle!!

[jetsknicks1]

The only way to prevent it is to stop playing golf. It's just the nature of the game!

Yup. Just sounds like golf to me!

[CarlSpackler]

Lessons, practice, lessons, practice...

At one point, I realized that I was giving up after a bad hole or round thinking my "perfect round" had escaped me. After reading some books on the mental side of the game, I realized that one bad hole/shot does not ruin the whole round. I'm not sure if this is the case with you, but something you might look at.

[jetsknicks1]

Lessons, practice, lessons, practice...

As a high handicapper, the hardest thing to do is putting a bad hole behind me. Last time I played I was having a good round and then missed an 18" putt for par & several skins on hole 16. I played the last 2 holes in 6 over. I just kept thinking about that missed putt....... Very frustrating.

[nevets88]

Go look at a past leaderboard, PGA, LPGA, any leaderboard. You'll see rounds of 68 followed by 78 and such ranges of disparity are not uncommon. Then you have Dustin Johnson who went from high 60s to low 80s in one day, although he had alot of pressure to deal with. This is the nature of the beast.

[Ash1974]

Lessons, practice, lessons, practice...

This is something that I suffer with, one bad shot or bad hole can screw me up for the next few holes/round, I am getting better by the week and reading "Golf is not a game of perfect" has helped me big time.

[nuck81]

If it was easy I guess we'd all be scratch golfers....

[tee2green]

trying to get back into golf this year , have a match lined up for this week so went to the range.
Started off hitting a few straight shots then my old habit comes back. Left , left left of left . I shoulda been a hooker.
This game can be the best or the worst . Recall one day coming in at 34 front 9 ... my brother said we have to go to church , no! we went to church . I returned and the course was so busy , I got paired with 3 not so serious golfers and I came in 49 .
One day I will see the middle of the fairway .

[sean_miller]

Yesterday I tied my best front nine and my second best score for the back 9. I shot a 51 and 52 respectfully. Today I shot a 60 for nine holes and gave up. Why does this happen? Does anyone have any idea how to prevent it?

Sounds like you played a round where you scored below typical and followed it up with one above average. It happens. I'm assuming of course your listed handicap is estimated, and at higher handicaps the scores do swing a bit more.

[CarlSpackler]

This is something that I suffer with, one bad shot or bad hole can screw me up for the next few holes/round, I am getting better by the week and reading "Golf is not a game of perfect" has helped me big time.

That is a great book. I went to tap in for a double yesterday and missed. I put down a triple even though I wasn't trying and in essence gave myself the 2.5' putt. I wanted to teach myself not to take things for granted. Even though I had that triple and another double for that nine, I still ended up with a 43. I think one of the fundamental lessons in mental game is not to associate your self worth to your golf score. My Grandpa (RIP) was horrible at golf, but he kept pace and enjoyed the game. I think that enjoying the game no matter what the scorecard says is very important, not that I don't want a low score.

[Mizzoujohn]

Get this...
last week, played a par 71 6232 yard 68.1 / 124 , and shot a 77. First time playing.

Today, i played a par 72, 6407 yards – 69.2 rating, 125 slope, Par 72, and shot a 102. Have played 10ish times.

25 stroke difference!

John