How mad do you get?

[TXRains]

If the shot is really bad, I just say to myself "Come on ____ (my name)!!!" and move on. I am not good enough to get mad at every bad shot.

I do this too, glad I'm not alone in talking to myself. I still get mad from time to time and swear, but after doing that awhile back and realizing that a father and younger son were on the fairway over and might have heard I've tried to dial that back as well, or at least mutter the words and not out-and-out say them. In the end, like many have already said, its supposed to be a fun game and i don't want to take that away from myself or anyone else around me.

[hendog]

I have also learned to play 6 small 3 hole rounds rather than 1 long 18 hole round. On each 3 hole round I try to be no worse than +1 but that will be different for everyone. The point is that at the 4th, 7th etc I "start over" and keep track of how I am doing per my goal. If I go +2 in the opening 3 then I know I am +1 for my goal. If I then play the next 3 even then I am even for my goal and so on. I am only ever concerned with the current 3 hole round I am on. Helps me to stay focused and not get ahead of myself and of course not get as upset.

[darkhunter139]

I get pretty mad sometimes it's the nature of the game. I don't think anyone that plays seriously and tries to score well can say they never get angry playing golf. I am able to control my anger well on the outside but it usually makes me start playing worse so I try and contain it as much as possible. And to be clear I suck so it takes more than one bad shot to get me mad. Usually it goes 1 bad shot: ahh no big deal I'll get em next time 2nd (in a row): damnit there's always next hole 3 terrible holes in a row: screw this stupid game!! I'm about to rage storm off the course. 6 awful holes: realization that this just isn't my day so I stop keeping score and enjoy the rest of the round.

[NuclearMike]

After a lot of years of getting angry I finally decided that I'm just not good enough to get mad about golf.  One little flash of anger followed by a smile nowadays when something goes wrong.

[teeitup22]

One day I got really mad after a shot, dropped a couple f bombs. I didn't know it, but some guy was in his backyard watching me the whole time. As I started to put my club back in my bag I heard him say, "Golf is supposed to be fun". I learned my lesson. But I was really embarrassed. You never know who's watching.

[onesome]

Originally Posted by iacas

The better you get, the less mad you get, despite your tighter tolerances for what you consider a "bad shot."

Seems to apply to most people.

I agree because the thing that seems to get people the most mad are just simple mental mistakes, at least that's the way I feel.

[SloverUT]

I think there is something to the theory that the better you are the less mad you get over bad shots.  I haven't been playing long but have played quite a few tempermental sports in my time.  I think what makes people get mad, more than the bad shot itself, is realization that you aren't as good as you want to be.  Golf is just one of those sports where everything you do is on you and you can't blame anyone else for your level of play.

[BuckeyeNut]

When I play golf with strangers, they never know when I play poorly because I keep my cool.  At the very most, I may laugh at a terrible shot and say something like...... "Oh, that's a good one!!" after hitting a bad one.  I can go out and shoot in the 80s, and they'll congratulate me on my good round as we finish.  I just shake hands and thank them for the kind words even though I completely butchered the round by my standards.

[Leftygolfer]

I have little bad emotions on the course.  This isn't the way I used to be.  I'd get so mad at myself but going through a huge period of bad play ended that.  I figure this is what I do for fun, and I will have fun.  Even if I'm just playing terrible I look for things that I enjoy in the game.  I love putting and getting up and in.  So for me I focus on that when I can hardly play from tee to green.  It really has made the game more fun.  Hopefully I can always keep my care free attitude on the course.  People that get that angry really shouldn't play.  How can that be fun and they aren't that good.

[Jimdangles]

Immideately after might follow with some cussing or an occasional club drop but I basically react with just checkin out. Til I finally look down at the score card and go how did I get 3 triples? the follow that with 1 good shot that just boosts my confidence and my attitude. I have hit 300 yarders or a sweet flop shot or long putt to bring me out of that mood.

[GaijinGolfer]

I dont ever get mad.  I play golf for fun, not for a living, so whats there to get all mad about?  If I hit a bad shot, so what?  Who cares?  Just load up another ball and try again.

[AmazingWhacker]

I do get annoyed with myself when I'm playing poorly but only my wife can tell.

[JP1111]

Originally Posted by Valleygolfer

Sadly I get pathetically mad, but only when I play by myself. Usually for repeated crap during a round like the day I was hitting thin the whole time or inability to control the driver every drive. I know I am not great but I usually get bothered by out of the ordinary or previously repaired issues that resurfaced. I get embarrassed after though. I am going to try to control it more.

You're like me. I can control myself when I'm playing with others but when I have a bad round and I'm by myself I get really mad. I've broken 2 clubs and lost another.

I missed a 2 footer for par once and just winged my putter over my shoulder (I knew there was no one out there, unless they were living in the forrest) and turned around to see it in a tree 30 foot in the air. A couple of the tees at my home course have wooden sleepers as steps and after hitting a big pull once I grabbed the driver near the head and hit the grip against one of the sleepers and put it back in the bag. It was only when I got it out a couple of holes later and it flopped about in my hands that I realised it had snapped under the grip about 5 inches from the end. The 3rd time was when I duffed one trying to chip out of some trees and wrapped my 9 iron around a tree. Theres always lots of expletives being muttered too.

I'm quite good at not letting bad shots affect the rest of my game, but sometimes I just have to unleash some of my frustration.

[evan]

A single bad shot usually doesn't phase me too much, however if I do a couple shockers in a row then I do get a bit angry which tends to put me on a bit of a bad streak. No throwing clubs though - I've spent too much hard earned money buying them to ruin them just because I have messed up a shot.

[jlt73]

I get a little mad, but overall I'm just able to laugh it off and forget about whatever dumb thing I did.

But it is always nice when the phrase of the hole I'm playing is "**** my life"

[gwlee7]

If any of you ever talked as ugly to me as I talk to myself on the course, we'd be fighting in the fairway.  That said, I am a tee pot and not a pressure cooker.  I tell myself what I think and then move on to the next shot.  I won't be taking about the missed putt from # 1 on # 15.

[Bye Bye Ball]

I used to be terrible for club throwing and allowing one bad shot to ruin my mood and subsequently, my round. One of my favourites was if I'd missed an easy putt or had a bad end to the hole I'd throw my ball away, just chuck or kick it into the nearest bush/hedge and leave it there.

Lately I've got a lot better, I've had a few injuries that have kept me from playing the game that I love so I've kind of come to realise that it's a privilege to be able to play.

I still sometimes get mad and I'll drop my club in despair if I hit a bad shot (usually a drive) but I'm much better.

Saying that I did lose it recently at a course I was visiting, I was playing fairly well but landed in a greenside bunker to find my ball was sat right down in someone's footprint. After thinning my bunker shot I turned and threw my lob wedge 10feet in the other direction to turn around and see people on 2 of the surrounding tees watching me. That was slightly embarrassing.

[NM Golf]

Bad shots don't anger me too much anymore, call it maturity or maybe that I finally realized that my temper was killing my golf game. The one thing that will get me heated though is bad breaks on the course. I can take it when I screw up but I get pissed big time when I hit it right down the middle of the fairway into a 3 inch deep divot that some idiot didn't fix, or into a footprint in a bunker that someone didn't rake. I am getting better but it can be hard to take when someone else's ignorance affects my score.