The "Stop Conning Yourself" Thread

[LagShaft]

Cheers JP

[Gator Hazard]

How do I con myself?  I think I know more than I do.  I don't know a lot of technicalities, I've built my swing on a few small fundamentals and feel.  I try to think logically and understand why I do what I do... but then I saw my swing on video...   I clearly don't swing like I thought I did and certainly don't do what it feels like I'm doing...  So, I admit I don't know what I thought I knew about my own swing.  I feel better already!!!

  Cheers! 

Yup, seeing myself swing on video was a real eye opener.  So many things I am not doing right, that I hit the ball in that instance where I wanted it too was a mini miracle all things considered.

[JonMA1]

I'm not sure this qualifies as a con, but I took some video last night with a slo-mo feature on my new phone. With the increased frames I could clearly see the bend in my wrist where I started to flip just at impact. All this time I thought I had pretty good control of key #3.

[CoachB25]

Watch a player's short game and you will have a great idea of whether they are attempting to con themselves about their handicap or their abilities.  100 yards in is the key to a good game. 

[iacas]

Watch a player's short game and you will have a great idea of whether they are attempting to con themselves about their handicap or their abilities.  100 yards in is the key to a good game. 

Off topic for this thread, but stick around… you may learn that 100 yards and in doesn't matter nearly as much as outside of 100 yards.

[CoachB25]

Off topic for this thread, but stick around… you may learn that 100 yards and in doesn't matter nearly as much as outside of 100 yards.

Ok.  Thanks!  Don't want to hijack your thread. 

[mvmac]

Watch a player's short game and you will have a great idea of whether they are attempting to con themselves about their handicap or their abilities.  100 yards in is the key to a good game. 

Welcome to the site. Good thread for you to check out. If you have any questions or want to discuss, please post in that thread, thanks.

[Mike Boatright]

I rate my game from what I shoot on average unfortunately I play alone and not competitively a lot. I never cheat myself sure iv'e taken mulligans and generally don't get to hard on myself but I know the way I hit the ball at my best I should be a +5 at my home course. I'm just so inconsistent I range from scoring as a 9 handicap to a 3 it fluctuates. I play from the tips and use a handicap calculator online to figure where I'm at.

[saevel25]

I never cheat myself sure iv'e taken mulligans 

These counter each other
 

I know the way I hit the ball at my best I should be a +5 at my home course. 

Do you realize if you say you are a +5 you would be averaging about 66 to 67. Yet you say you shoot from a 9 to a 3 over. Yea, that's not happening for ya. 

 

[mvmac]

I know the way I hit the ball at my best I should be a +5 at my home course. I'm just so inconsistent I range from scoring as a 9 handicap to a 3 it fluctuates. 

This is an example of you conning yourself. I could say the same thing, when I hit the ball at my best I should be a plus something handicap but that's not the reality of golf. Golf is about how "good" your average and bad shots are. It's like the example of the 16 handicap in Lowest Score Wins, the guy that sees himself as the golfer that hit the perfect shot and believes he should be able to repeat it 99% of the time. You're doing the same thing, you're conning yourself into believing that your lack of consistency is masking your "+5 ball striking". Those couple of holes or shots where you're "at your best" is the anomaly. Same for me or any golfer.

[Jeremie Boop]

This is an example of you conning yourself. I could say the same thing, when I hit the ball at my best I should be a plus something handicap but that's not the reality of golf. Golf is about how "good" your average and bad shots are. It's like the example of the 16 handicap in Lowest Score Wins, the guy that sees himself as the golfer that hit the perfect shot and believes he should be able to repeat it 99% of the time. You're doing the same thing, you're conning yourself into believing that your lack of consistency is masking your "+5 ball striking". Those couple of holes or shots where you're "at your best" is the anomaly. Same for me or any golfer.

This is definitely something a lot of us fall into. You get into a groove and you think "this is really how I should be playing". I know at any point I could start on a streak of pars with a birdie or 2, but I also know that's not my typically level of play right now. I know I have the ability to get there but just because I do it now and then doesn't mean it's my norm. It is, however, becoming more and more frequent to string pars together and score a birdie now and then. That's just how I know that I am actually improving.

[Mike Boatright]

These counter each other
 

Do you realize if you say you are a +5 you would be averaging about 66 to 67. Yet you say you shoot from a 9 to a 3 over. Yea, that's not happening for ya. 

 

 

There is a lpga teaching pro who isn't a tour player and isn't a kid either, but shot if I remember about a 63 or something here at the ridge in Auburn Ca. I think here name was Carol French. It's about scoring mac not some magical playing ability. I hit the ball well enough to shoot a 65 yes just inconsistently. The people who con themselves are the toppers and duffers who think they are a 10 handicap because one time they made a few putts and broke 45 on 9 holes.

[Lihu]

There is a lpga teaching pro who isn't a tour player and isn't a kid either, but shot if I remember about a 63 or something here at the ridge in Auburn Ca. I think here name was Carol French. It's about scoring mac not some magical playing ability. I hit the ball well enough to shoot a 65 yes just inconsistently. The people who con themselves are the toppers and duffers who think they are a 10 handicap because one time they made a few putts and broke 45 on 9 holes.

At 6700 yards and a rating of 73/140, this doesn't look like a trivially easy course. Isn't it the inconsistency part that makes you a 5 instead of a +5?

Also, I don't see how someone prone to topping and duffing can think they are a 10 HC? That seems to be pushing the bounds of reason?

[Mike Boatright]

No li hu I believe I can be a  +5 and don't think i'm conning myself. Greatness is always in the face of naysayers I never give up and wan't to keep getting better, but Get i'm an 80's shooter and sometimes a low 70's guy because,well maybe I need to work harder. The people who have a vanity 10 handicap like the thread implied are kinda funny cause they can't even hit the ball.

[mvmac]

This is definitely something a lot of us fall into. You get into a groove and you think "this is really how I should be playing". I know at any point I could start on a streak of pars with a birdie or 2, but I also know that's not my typically level of play right now. I know I have the ability to get there but just because I do it now and then doesn't mean it's my norm. It is, however, becoming more and more frequent to string pars together and score a birdie now and then. That's just how I know that I am actually improving.

I've certainly conned myself a few times playing this game but for whatever reason I never thought I "should" be better because I hit a few good shots. Just made sense to me that you'll over-achieve on a few shots just as you'll under-achieve.

I hit the ball well enough to shoot a 65 yes just inconsistently. 

That doesn't make any sense. You either do or you don't. If you hit the ball well enough to shoot 65 you would be consistently shooting in the 60's. 

[Mike Boatright]

This is definitely something a lot of us fall into. You get into a groove and you think "this is really how I should be playing". I know at any point I could start on a streak of pars with a birdie or 2, but I also know that's not my typically level of play right now. I know I have the ability to get there but just because I do it now and then doesn't mean it's my norm. It is, however, becoming more and more frequent to string pars together and score a birdie now and then. That's just how I know that I am actually improving.

 

Well that's a good point guy but your a 20 handicap miles from my level; Iv'e been playing since I was 9 years old and have play professional and collegiality. If you shoot a 100 and hit 2 great shots per round thinking I can go pro might have your head in the clouds a bit I will agree with that. 

[Lihu]

Well that's a good point guy but your a 20 handicap miles from my level; Iv'e been playing since I was 9 years old and have play professional and collegiality. If you shoot a 100 and hit 2 great shots per round thinking I can go pro might have your head in the clouds a bit I will agree with that. 

Is the difference between a +5HC and a 5HC much larger than the difference between an 18HC and a 5HC?

[Mike Boatright]

Is the difference between a +5HC and a 5HC much larger than the difference between an 18HC and a 5HC

 

 

It depends li hu some guys hit it 235 yards are seniors and play to a scratch and others guy's are pro athletes who hit it 320 yards and look like pro's and play to a legitimate 11 handicap.