I can't keep it together. help?

[KyleAnthony]

So i just realized that my front 9 score is usually better than my back 9 and yesterday was an extreme example. front 9 i shot a 40 back 9 i shot a 49. on the back 9 i just could not hit the ball straight for the life of me, but on the front i was doing great. does anyone else have this issue? any advice for keeping it together for a full round?

[Wardy]

Could be fatigue?

Alternatively, your course's back 9 could be harder.

[KyleAnthony]

Could be fatigue?

Alternatively, your course's back 9 could be harder.

Im not feeling tired or anything really. sometimes i feel like I'm rushing on the back just cuz i kinda lost interest. idk why. i was ready a couple other threads on here. could it be lack of food. usually i eat very little or nothing at all before a round and rarely eat during one. sometimes i might grab a hot dog before. as far as why my back 9 is terrible. My swing just goes away after the first 9. i really don't understand that. usually my shoulders stay open at impact and i hit the ball with the shaft or slice it something crazy. should i take more time before shots?

[bkuehn1952]

Eating or drinking the wrong things can create problems.  I am no nutritionist but there are plenty of articles that lay out good foods and beverages for peak performance.

I find when my legs get tired I swing more with my arms and fail to take a full turn.  That leads me to slice and pull the ball.  I may not feel tired but my game is sending me a message that my legs need a rest.

If you suspect you start focusing too much on the final score and not enough on the shot at hand, you need to change the way you think.  Dwelling on the potential great score you might have during the back nine is a common affliction and one to which I occasionally succumb. The old, and on point advice I always hear is forget the total score, concentrate on the next shot and play the hole you are on.  Write down the score and begin the process again on the next hole.  When I am able to just play each shot without regard to what final score I might have, most often the total turns out to be pretty good.

[Wardy]

Im not feeling tired or anything really. sometimes i feel like I'm rushing on the back just cuz i kinda lost interest. idk why. i was ready a couple other threads on here. could it be lack of food. usually i eat very little or nothing at all before a round and rarely eat during one. sometimes i might grab a hot dog before. as far as why my back 9 is terrible. My swing just goes away after the first 9. i really don't understand that. usually my shoulders stay open at impact and i hit the ball with the shaft or slice it something crazy. should i take more time before shots?

Thing with golf is, you won't notice that your fatigued as you expend energy at a much slower rate over a longer period of time. Guess if it were that, you'd be absolutely knackered after the round? Feel the need to sleep straight away after a round?

Could just be your concentration. Sometimes I find my best golf is played when I'm totally relaxed and not 'trying too hard', but this normally only happens when playing with mates. Competition always brings out a different side in people though!

[KyleAnthony]

Do you always or almost always play the same course?  Perhaps the 2nd nine is harder or less suited to your game.

Sometimes fatigue sets in on the back nine with me when walking particularly hilly courses.  You might think about ways to rest if that is a possibility for you.  Also, drink lots of water and watch what you eat and drink during the round.

Finally, if you suspect you start focusing too much on the final score and not enough on the shot at hand, you need to change the way you think.  Dwelling on the potential great score you might have during the back nine is a common affliction and one to which I occasionally succumb. The old, and on point advice I always hear is forget the total score, concentrate on the next shot and play the hole you are on.  Write down the score and begin the process again on the next hole.  When I am able to just play each shot without regard to what final score I might have, most often the total turns out to be pretty good.

Ok that makes total sense to me. I'm not going to lie the 40 on the front 9 got me kinda excited for the potential score in the 70's. I know that when i enter my score in my phone i forget what I'm shooting. maybe i'll try this next time i go out. As far as the courses i golf. i golf everywhere. the course i golf regularly i do the same back and front. I usually buy 2 gatorades for the round and if i drink them i fill them up with water during the round. so i think I'm good there. yesterday it was 85 degrees when i started, after 3 weeks in the 50's so that kinda drained me to

[flopster]

After the front nine be sure to fold the card over so you don't see the front score when you start the back. Sometimes I like to let my partner keep score just so I don't know and it will help.

[AveoBigandTall]

Without question i suffer from this but for me its not always the back 9 - sometimes i play well on front and horrible on back or the opposite

I very rarely can put together an entire 18 holes of good golf

I wish there was a pill i could take

[KyleAnthony]

Without question i suffer from this but for me its not always the back 9 - sometimes i play well on front and horrible on back or the opposite

I very rarely can put together an entire 18 holes of good golf

I wish there was a pill i could take

i'd buy that pill lol. so what exactly is different for you between the front and back 9?

[WUTiger]

I teach on the college level, and some of my academic advisees have played on the golf team. These guys say they have the most trouble with drives on the second nine, mostly from overswinging and trying for extra power.

You had mentioned taking more time . As for time, my advice would be to keep using your full pre-shot routine. When I start rushing my pre-shot, wild things happen.

As for nutrition, eat a decent power (not a candy bar) at the turn. Also, you might want to have sports drink on the back nine to replenish electrolytes. Training studies show that water only during extended exertion can start to flush electrolytes out of the system, leading to jumpiness or mild cramping.

[Robersk]

This is a big problem for me, last weekend I did almost the same thing, 43 on the front and 50 on the back. I have breakfast before playling, cereal bars or bananas on the course as well as the aforementioned two bottles of Gatorade. For me it feels like on the front nine I didn't have to think so hard, maybe one swing thought (loosen grip to help release) and I play very sensibly and strategically. The back 9 it feels like I've just learnt a new swing, it's uncomfortable, I 'have' to think of more swing mechanics, I 'have' to swing harder and I 'have' to reach the green in 2. All goes to pot. It's all obviously in my head. Weirdly I play best when I don't care so much about the score because I think it will be terrible, if I'm hungover or something ll. How to care less is my problem, seeing as I'm a little obsessed lol

[Kelzzy]

I used to have this problem, until I got more focused. What I mean is, if I make a birdie, I don't think "Yay, birdie". Instantly you should start thinking about the next hole... some pros say they don't even keep score, while we all know that's impossible, that's the attitude you should. I think we're all guilty of going "Okay, if I can get another birdie and then a couple more pars and one bogey I'll have a 78" or something like that ... but you shouldn't. My game really took off when I was able to move on from a birdie or bogey, just by thinking about the next hole's strategy.

[mdl]

If you suspect you start focusing too much on the final score and not enough on the shot at hand, you need to change the way you think.  Dwelling on the potential great score you might have during the back nine is a common affliction and one to which I occasionally succumb. The old, and on point advice I always hear is forget the total score, concentrate on the next shot and play the hole you are on.  Write down the score and begin the process again on the next hole.  When I am able to just play each shot without regard to what final score I might have, most often the total turns out to be pretty good.

I definitely struggle with this.  One thing that's helped me get better at this mental aspect of the game (though I don't use it all the time), is to sort of take a half step from my (and many people's) general competitiveness and desire to score well and the zen golf mind state of no regard for past or future, just the present.  One way I do that is to split the round into six 3-hole "games".  For me, a great day is breaking 80.  So when using this approach, I'll let myself worry about score just for each 3-hole stretch.  I want to shoot +1 or better on holes 1-3, +1 or better on holes 4-6, and so on.  It helps me cause it's a more discrete obvious mental marker for not worrying too much about past or future holes/scores/shots than the vaguer "only think about this stroke, don't think about scoring".

It could also help if your problem is really just that you're getting bored (though honestly I can't even really imagine what that feels like!).  If you walk up to the 13th tee feeling bored about another 6 holes, maybe it would make things more exciting to have two more "games" to play, trying to match or beat your +/- goal for the hole 13-15 stretch and the hole 16-18 stretch.

[KyleAnthony]

I'm going to try to eat a little healthier before and during rounds to maybe keep the energy levels up and i will try the 3 hole thing too tomorrow. pretty pumped cuz i got a tee time at Desert Dunes for $24 lol love golf now. any who anyone thing some consistency will come with practice? i've only been back playing for about 3 months after a 2 year break

[Hammer 4]

I'm  sure more practice will help. heck I've been back at it for about 2 months from a 10 yr. lay off, and I haven't had the nerve to hit the course yet, maybe in Feb.

Have fun tomorrow.

[KyleAnthony]

I'm  sure more practice will help. heck I've been back at it for about 2 months from a 10 yr. lay off, and I haven't had the nerve to hit the course yet, maybe in Feb.

Have fun tomorrow.

thank you.

one thing i just realized is on my approach shots i tend to speed up everything to get it there and thats when i get into trouble. anyone have advice on slowing your tempo?

[Hammer 4]

What I find is helpful is to count down my swing, i.e. from the beginning of my takeaway, I start at 1001, at 1002 I'm at the top, then I start my down swing with out any more counting, but you can depending on your tempo. I just find that if my takeaway is slowish, my attack on the ball seems to be just about the speed I like. I should point out that I'm rebuilding my swing from a fast tempo swing to a much slower swing, so that it looks like Fred Couples 3/4 swing. I make much better contact and my distance while not as long as before I stopped playing is still respectable, i.e. PW @ 47* loft is ab out 135 yds on a solid hit. I hope that helps some.

[KyleAnthony]

What I find is helpful is to count down my swing, i.e. from the beginning of my takeaway, I start at 1001, at 1002 I'm at the top, then I start my down swing with out any more counting, but you can depending on your tempo. I just find that if my takeaway is slowish, my attack on the ball seems to be just about the speed I like. I should point out that I'm rebuilding my swing from a fast tempo swing to a much slower swing, so that it looks like Fred Couples 3/4 swing. I make much better contact and my distance while not as long as before I stopped playing is still respectable, i.e. PW @ 47* loft is about 135 yds on a solid hit. I hope that helps some.

thats exactly what i hit my 46* PW i will try that thank you