Competition equals higher scores for me... any suggestions

[beamjb7917]

Playing with my mother and family I have shot some of my best scores, (76, 78, 79) and tend to enjoy the round much more.  Don't know if its because of the round I am shooting or the company.  But in the same weekend, I'll get in a game with a few foursomes and I can shoot in the upper 80s or low 90s and tend to not enjoy it as much. ( The company is good as well) Is my competing with others effecting my scores?  Any tips to not compete and just shoot my game.  It sounds easy but I have come up blank.

[plum]

I tend to be the opposite. I shoot better scores with strangers or when i am competing. I gave up looking at my score till the end of the round, I stopped worrying about what the other person is doing and just started to enjoy the game and outdoors only worrying about the shot i hav to hit NOW.

[Tifosinumerouno]

I'm with plum on this one. I played by myself on the front nine on Thursday and shot a 49 on the par 35 front. Then when I made the turn, my club pro was gettin ready to play, so he agreed to play with me and we decided to play for a dollar a hole, and he gave me 6 strokes. I ended up shooting a 44 on the par 36 back nine and won $2 while making some pretty good shots along the way. My putting was vastly improved and I nearly holed out for birdie on 2 holes from off the green. And it's consistently that way for me. Whenever I have someone to play with who's above or near my own level, I play leaps and bounds better. I think it's just the focus. It may be the opposite for you. Where I go from unfocused to focused, perhaps you go from focused to overthinking. Something to try for next round would be to go with your gut instinct, commit to the shot, and play it quickly before any doubt comes in. Clearly from those scores you have the talent to play at a high level, you just haven't started to trust your instincts.

[canadianpro]

Relaxed hands, relaxed jaw (feel as though you are about to yawn)....and beer

[Quinn07]

I shot my first 76 (which was my career low at the time) in my club championship.  I did it because I stayed out of my own way.  I find once people get into competitive golf they change the way they normally play.  When playing golf I like to chat because it keeps my head out of the way between shots, so its important for me to try and do that when I am playing competitively. I find it helps significantly...but it isn't always easy to do.

[DeanS]

For me what you are refering to is performance anxiety. The classic example is to place a 2x4 on the ground and ask someone to walk across it. Not a problem. Place that same 2x4 four stories in the air and most people won't even attempt it. So nowadays when I play tounaments I just think of it as just another round of golf. This settles my nerves and keeps me from overthinking shots.

[tristanhilton85]

You just gotta find a way to relax a bit... Make sure that your pre-shot routine is the same in competition as it is when you normally play and try not to put too much pressure on yourself.  Me and a buddy of mine normally have a bet on something when we play and normally under the pressure I play like crap... this last time after the front I felt like I'd already lost and the pressure went away... ended coming back to tie.

[ks8829]

pre-shot routine will help you under pressure along with pre-putting routine.

when you play competitively what part of your game lets you down?

[beamjb7917]

That's it... I'm putting pressure on myself and I'm not responding well.  How to take the pressure off?  Any suggestions?

[weavej2]

Play more competitions