Golfin in the valley!

[ArizonaDave]

Good Evening everyone!  I am new to forums but not to golf.  I have been playing most of my life and look forward to sharing resources as well as asking questions in the quest for the ever elusive perfect round!

To start off, can anyone share ideas or sympathize with frustrations on getting hot right out of the gate?  Let me explain.  Often, I can play a good first hole, but then it takes me about five more holes to warm up and play good.  Is that a common problem?  If so, what have you done to get hot from the start and stay that way?

Thanks for any input!

[tristanhilton85]

I get the problem as it often happens to me... I'll have a good one or two holes to start and then fall apart for a while and then end up finishing ok... no idea how to solve this problem yet though.

[Uber$winG]

I abide by a ritual in routine so that I don’t have to worry about my brain getting in the way when I golf.

I have the same routine before every round:

• Get to the course at least an hour before I tee-off (so that I don’t feel rushed in any aspect of my pre-round routine)
• Practice putting for 15 minutes
• Practice chipping for 15 minutes
• Practice full shots on the range for 30 minutes (the first half of the session is truly just warm-up – I’ll then consider the course scorecard to determine if there are any shots that might give me trouble, e.g., certain doglegs where I’m really going to have to shape the shot – I then go about the business of working the ball left to right, right to left, high, and low)
• Get my act together and make my way to the first tee

I consider each round of the game of golf to be a contest composed of 18 mini-competitions; meaning, each hole is a game unto itself. I don’t think about my score or the previous hole, and I certainly don’t think about the next hole. I really try to focus on the ever-present moment.

A note on routine: just as my pre-round routine is the same every time so is my pre-shot routine. Routine is the glue that keeps my round together.