Performing with confidence

[Elvisliveson]

Frequently. I always try to commit to the shot, but occassionally some doubt will creep in.

[golfro]

Amen. In my opinion, false confidence leads to overconfidence, and that tempts a player to try shots that he shouldn't even consider. Be confident, but acknowledge your limitations too.

For me, confidence doesn't determine my actual decision on what shot to take. AFTER making the decision to either play aggressive or play safe, I walk up to the ball with the club in hand, and I believe that this shot will do exactly what I want it to.

If I don't have that confidence...then I shouldn't be hitting that club.

[bwdial]

Seriously, I'm in a place right now with my swing where I'm not really sure how far I hit each club. I'm working through some swing changes, so I'm not sure what any club will (or will not) do right now. This is also why I'm spending my time on the range and not on an actual course.
Once I'm confident that I've built a repeatable, reliable swing, I'll get back to you.

[Fourputt]

For me, confidence doesn't determine my actual decision on what shot to take. AFTER making the decision to either play aggressive or play safe, I walk up to the ball with the club in hand, and I believe that this shot will do exactly what I want it to.

And as a 5 handicap that is what you should be able to say. But for a 15 or 20 handicapper overconfidence is a score killer. Even for me with a home course handicap of 12, I have to be careful not to fall into that trap. I may be facing a risky shot when I know I've made it before, but it's still not a high percentage shot, so I have to remember to ask myself "How badly so I need to make this?" or "What is the impact if I miss?" before I make a decision. Once I make that decision then like you, I'm going to put the best swing I can on the ball.

Although my best probably isn't going to be as good as your best, I'm still going to approach it with all the confidence I can muster...

[The Recreational Golfer]

I started this thread because of a recent experience of my own. I would hit a good shot, I hit a number of good shots during a round, but have no idea why I was doing it. I would stand over the ball and not know if I would get that nice ball flight I had been getting most of the time today, or yuck. So I went to a pro and told him exactly that. I had a one-hour lesson, and a half-hour follow-up two weeks later. I also practiced, a LOT, and continue to practice those points he taught me.

Now I know what I'm doing. I step up to the ball and KNOW that if I do x, y, and z, I'll get a real nice shot out of it. That's a nice feeling.

[Paradox]

having confidence when addressing the ball doesn't have anything to do with perfect. It means you are confident that the shot you've chosen to play is the right one for you. If it means you're in the rough and you are gonna chip onto the fairway...then you should have confidence that you can execute that shot. As that one guy said earlier, if you don't have confidence in the shot you're about to play being "right" then you've already lost.

I would like to add that even though you've chosen a shot and are confident in that shot..it doesn't make it the right choice, either. Whole different matter in making the right choices.

[sean_miller]

I voted "frequently" because there are some holes I don't care for. I try my best to take the best route to the hole for my game, but there's probably at least one "hit and hope" shot per round. Guess I should quit now.