How do i get over a a really bad high school match and focus on the next one?

[islandersfan1]

So I am on a high school golf team, and we had a tri-match today... I was in the two hole up from my normal 3 spot. But I am not quite sure what happened or how it really happened, but I played the worst round of gold in my life. I was confident (but not cocky) that I would have a good round. I ended up shooting an 59 ( YEP, A FREAKING 59) on the front. By then I knew a good round was well out of reach. And I didn't do good on the back either with a 48. I shot a 107, the worst round of golf I have ever played in my life. I was more concerned with the front though. I don't use a driver, I don't like the risk. So I was hitting my 3-wood. And it seemed like anything that could go wrong went wrong. I would slice it or pull it left or hit it 10 yards. This was only my second match (i am a freshman), and we were 1 and 1 going into this against one odd the teams that beat us. We knew we could beat the one, but the other would be tough. We knew we would have to play well. Plus, the kid who was 4th who is usually behind me, shot a 100 which Is good for him, so now I'm in jeopardy in belong number 4 on my next , match on Thursday. I know I can play golf, and I know I can shoot an 85 on a good day, but how do I put this in the back of my head and go in with a fresh attitude on Thursday, away at a course I know. Thanks..

[islandersfan1]

Btw I usually shoot like a 92..

[Golfingdad]

Keep your head up, kid ... it could be worse.  You could be this guy: http://thesandtrap.com/t/60622/my-swing-golfingdad/120_30#post_884983

What an idiot!  Can you believe him?  101 ... after a 76 in his previous tournament?!?!!

All I can say is that this game is crazy ... you play well some days, bad others, and just like any other sport, you have to try your best to have a selective memory.  Put the bad days out of your mind as quickly as possible, and cherish the good days as much as possible.

[PerthLefty]

They way I normally get myself out of it is to remember that I play this for fun.

If you don't have fun when you play then why play at all?

Find a couple of guys you get alone with good and go and have a "Hackers" Round.

Don't keep score and just have fun.

[Pretzel]

In my first tournament the summer before my freshman year, I went 116-108 after having been shooting in the low 90's in that summer. A lot of it just comes from practice in tournament situations. This summer/spring I went out and played in probably 15 tournaments though the RMJGT (Rocky Mountain Junior Golf Tour, runs along the Rocky Mountains) and the CJGA (Colorado Junior Golf Association). See if your state/area has any of these junior tournaments, as well as a junior city tournament you may be able to play in next year.

After having played in those 10-15 tournaments a year for the previous three summers my tournament golf has vastly improved. My lowest round ever came in a tournament and I find that now I will often play better in tournaments than in practice rounds just because I've learned to focus more in them.

Just remember one key thing: Relax (check your grip as well) and just have fun. Take pride in your good shots, and forget the bad ones.

[islandersfan1]

Yeah, I play tourneys, and am in a league so I'm used to the tournament play...

[geauxforbroke]

Originally Posted by islandersfan1

So I am on a high school golf team, and we had a tri-match today... I was in the two hole up from my normal 3 spot. But I am not quite sure what happened or how it really happened, but I played the worst round of gold in my life. I was confident (but not cocky) that I would have a good round. I ended up shooting an 59 ( YEP, A FREAKING 59) on the front. By then I knew a good round was well out of reach. And I didn't do good on the back either with a 48. I shot a 107, the worst round of golf I have ever played in my life. I was more concerned with the front though. I don't use a driver, I don't like the risk. So I was hitting my 3-wood. And it seemed like anything that could go wrong went wrong. I would slice it or pull it left or hit it 10 yards. This was only my second match (i am a freshman), and we were 1 and 1 going into this against one odd the teams that beat us. We knew we could beat the one, but the other would be tough. We knew we would have to play well. Plus, the kid who was 4th who is usually behind me, shot a 100 which Is good for him, so now I'm in jeopardy in belong number 4 on my next , match on Thursday. I know I can play golf, and I know I can shoot an 85 on a good day, but how do I put this in the back of my head and go in with a fresh attitude on Thursday, away at a course I know. Thanks..

A few things:

1. Don't get hung up on what number you play on the team. All the scores add up, no matter what group you're in. Play your best regardless if you are the number 1 or number 5.
2. You improved 11 shots. That's really impressive, even if the total score was bad. A lot of players will let a front nine like that get in their heads and will end up shooting a similar number on the back. You should take a big positive from that. If you had shot 48 on both nines, you wouldn't have been far behind your average score.
3. If you get dropped down to 4th, see it as an opportunity to bounce back. Even the best players in the world have off days, so why can't we mere mortals have bad days too?

Best of luck to you on Thursday and the rest of the season!

[islandersfan1]

A few things: [LIST=1] [*] Don't get hung up on what number you play on the team. All the scores add up, no matter what group you're in. Play your best regardless if you are the number 1 or number 5. [*] You improved 11 shots. That's really impressive, even if the total score was bad. A lot of players will let a front nine like that get in their heads and will end up shooting a similar number on the back. You should take a big positive from that. If you had shot 48 on both nines, you wouldn't have been far behind your average score. [*] If you get dropped down to 4th, see it as an opportunity to bounce back. Even the best players in the world have off days, so why can't we mere mortals have bad days too? [/LIST] Best of luck to you on Thursday and the rest of the season!

Thanks

[dfreuter415]

Hey islandersfan1,

I agree with Golfingdad, who said, "You play well some days, bad others, and just like any other sport, you have to try your best to have a selective memory.  Put the bad days out of your mind as quickly as possible..."

I am a retired golf coach and if one of my players shot an uncharacteristically poor round, I would not be too concerned.

My suggestion is to go back to basics at the range on Wednesday, before you play your Thursday match.  Find the swing that has been successful for you in the past without trying something new. Then when you are on the tee in your match, forget about the bad round, and just play one shot at a time, focusing on the swing fundamentals that you know will give you a successful result.

[islandersfan1]

Plus I think part of it could have been that within 5 minutes of getting off the bus we were golfing, because we were late..

[Pretzel]

Originally Posted by islandersfan1

Plus I think part of it could have been that within 5 minutes of getting off the bus we were golfing, because we were late..

What was your focus on in those five minutes? Did you worry about how you didn't have time to warm up? If so, you started out the day with a mindset that something was completely wrong. When my team gets there late, I make a beeline to the putting green to try to get a feel for the speed of them, then will hit one or two pitch shots onto that green to get the feeling of solid contact before I tee off. After that, just make a couple extra practice swings and do a few stretches before you tee off. You don't have to start exactly when the horn blows, and you can ask the others to go first while you stretch.

Just don't start off your round by worrying about your lack of warmup, because that will for sure throw you off your game.

[islandersfan1]

What was your focus on in those five minutes? Did you worry about how you didn't have time to warm up? If so, you started out the day with a mindset that something was completely wrong. When my team gets there late, I make a beeline to the putting green to try to get a feel for the speed of them, then will hit one or two pitch shots onto that green to get the feeling of solid contact before I tee off. After that, just make a couple extra practice swings and do a few stretches before you tee off. You don't have to start exactly when the horn blows, and you can ask the others to go first while you stretch. Just don't start off your round by worrying about your lack of warmup, because that will for sure throw you off your game.

Oh nothing like that, I got a feel for the greens and hit a few chips. My first hole was ok but it was downhill from there..,

[theworldengine]

you cant lower your handicap overnight. at a 20 hcp you are going to have blowup days, if you plan on remaining a 20 hcp expect this to happen in the future. the best advice is to improve your ballstriking, which would mean overhauling your swing. good luck

[krupa]

You're always going to have a "worst round ever" just like you'll always have a "best round ever".  The thing to remember after a bad day is that there is always going to be "another round" to play.

I'm a hack at golf, but have played pool in competitive leagues for a while and I use this approach for both pool and golf:

Personally, when I play poorly, I try not to forget it right away.  I try to analyze it.  What did I do wrong?  What did I do right?  What was going on in my head?  Did I follow my preshot routine?  What did I think when I hit a bad shot?  Did I follow it up with a worse shot?  What I can I work on to make me better next time?

I don't do any of that during play, but afterward (like a day or two when I've had a chance to calm down), I dissect and try to identify things that I can correct.

[islandersfan1]

Than to everyone for the advice.. I've evaluated the round,and really, what went wrong was that I let a bad hole/shot get to me.  A positive thing that I will take from this is that although my back was bad, I dropped 11 strokes.. I didn't let the bad front get to me..  I worked all week to try and get rid of a slice in my drive, and I didn't focus on my fundamentals, I sliced alot of balls, and I three putted quite frequently... So I will walk onto the first tee tomorrow with the confidence that I know how to golf, on a nine where I once shot a 39 and I WILL play well.  Thanks to all.

[geauxforbroke]

Originally Posted by islandersfan1

I WILL play well.

That's the spirit. Good luck!

[tefunk]

As with anything in life, accept that the past is the past, and decide what to do going forward. Whether the past is one round ago, or one shot ago... Think forward. A winner is going to give it their best shot with what they have to work with. When I hit a bad shot, I don't dwell on it... I turn my focus to what is the best outcome I can achieve from where I'm currently sitting. Good luck Thursday, and let us know how it goes!

[islandersfan1]

Thanks guys, it wasn't my best round but it certainly wasn't a 107.  I shot a 92.  It felt like a much better round though, I only tree putted I think twice, and that was on the first and second..  Thanks..