Realistic Expectations

[iacas]

Realistic expectations speak to the mental game, and are one of the things that people struggle with the most.

Hit a wedge from 90 yards to 12 feet, and you're ticked because it's not a tap-in? Then miss the 12-footer, and walk off the green feeling bad about yourself?

WHY?

You hit a world class wedge shot to 12 feet, and then you had only about a one in three chance of making it… if you're playing on PGA Tour-quality greens.

So rather than feeling good about himself, a lot of golfers will leave that green feeling badly for missing an opportunity… WHY?

[GolfLug]

44 minutes ago, iacas said:

Realistic expectations speak to the mental game, and are one of the things that people struggle with the most.

Hit a wedge from 90 yards to 12 feet, and you're ticked because it's not a tap-in? Then miss the 12-footer, and walk off the green feeling bad about yourself?

WHY?

You hit a world class wedge shot to 12 feet, and then you had only about a one in three chance of making it… if you're playing on PGA Tour-quality greens.

So rather than feeling good about himself, a lot of golfers will leave that green feeling badly for missing an opportunity… WHY?

I think folks get influenced by what they do i the last 30 minutes or less a lot more over what they have been doing in the last 20 rounds. I can't lie though; I catch myself acting out a bit over shots I would have been grateful to pull off in general - like getting nGIR from 155 out. 

Of course there are folks that are just genuinely delusional. It is not life or death (in 99.99% of cases) so I guess you just gotta let them be. Golf ain't for everybody.  

Edited August 31, 2017 by GolfLug

[billchao]

2 hours ago, iacas said:

So rather than feeling good about himself, a lot of golfers will leave that green feeling badly for missing an opportunity… WHY?

I think most golfers don't know what the real numbers are. So many people think tour players hit the ball within 6' of the hole from inside 100 yards and make 90% of 12 footers or something and they translate that a little into their own game.

They don't understand the percentages so they think "I can make a 12' putt" and feel like they lost something when they miss, despite the fact that they are more likely to miss than make it.

[lastings]

3 hours ago, iacas said:

So rather than feeling good about himself, a lot of golfers will leave that green feeling badly for missing an opportunity… WHY?

because golfers at most of our level can't score well without a birdie or two on the scorecard.   And the opportunities to get them are few and far between, so not converting opportunities sucks.  This may be an unrealistic expectation, and I admit that.  but, I'm simply not going to shoot in the 70's with 11 pars and 7 bogeys.   just isn't going to happen.  not a good enough golfer to keep (multiple) doubles off the card.   So, us 10+ handicappers know we have to do something special to get us over the hump.   So, whether or not it's unrealistic to expect ourselves to put that 90 yard wedge to 7 feet, it's just something that has to happen if we're going to achieve our goal.  

That said, the above paragraph might suggest that it is unrealistic of me to have a goal of shooting in the 70s.  not a goal I plan on giving up on anytime soon, though.  

 

 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2017 by lastings

[coachjimsc]

3 hours ago, iacas said:

You hit a world class wedge shot to 12 feet, and then you had only about a one in three chance of making it… if you're playing on PGA Tour-quality greens.

So rather than feeling good about himself, a lot of golfers will leave that green feeling badly for missing an opportunity… WHY?

That's pretty much how I feel about it. I know it was a good shot and realize I might not get that opportunity again and want ot take advanced of it. When I don't, dang it...missed out on that one there.

I give myself a 10 second rule. Feel bad for 10 sec then move on.

[iacas]

23 minutes ago, lastings said:

That said, the above paragraph might suggest that it is unrealistic of me to have a goal of shooting in the 70s.  not a goal I plan on giving up on anytime soon, though.

If you're a 10.3 index, it is unrealistic playing as a 10 to expect to shoot in the 70s. Yes.

22 minutes ago, coachjimsc said:

That's pretty much how I feel about it. I know it was a good shot and realize I might not get that opportunity again and want ot take advanced of it. When I don't, dang it...missed out on that one there.

I give myself a 10 second rule. Feel bad for 10 sec then move on.

Both of you should change your mental outlook. That was a hole WELL PLAYED. I get that it's a "missed opportunity" but you also "missed" out on having to work your ass off for a bogey or a double, too…

[lastings]

Just now, iacas said:

If you're a 10.3 index, it is unrealistic playing as a 10 to expect to shoot in the 70s. Yes.

Expect to shoot in the 70's consistently?  yes.  beyond unrealistic.  

expect that I should be able to shoot in the 70s just once?   one time?   considering that I have now shot 80 five times, it doesn't seem unrealistic that this could/should happen once. 

 

[billchao]

57 minutes ago, lastings said:

because golfers at most of our level can't score well without a birdie or two on the scorecard.   And the opportunities to get them are few and far between, so not converting opportunities sucks.  This may be an unrealistic expectation, and I admit that.  but, I'm simply not going to shoot in the 70's with 11 pars and 7 bogeys.   just isn't going to happen.  not a good enough golfer to keep (multiple) doubles off the card.

Birdies are a bonus for me. They're nice to have but I'm not going to count on them for my score. The biggest part for scoring low for me really is about keeping the high scores to a minimum.

An opportunity is just that, if I miss it then I missed it. It takes nothing away from hitting a good drive and a wedge that set me up in the first place.

[DaveP043]

I think many players set their standards based on what they see on TV on the weekend.  They top pros who are actually playing at the top of the field that week probably are hitting it closer than the average of their peers.  They're probably making a few more putts.  They're probably gaining strokes in most aspects of the game, as compared to the remainder of the field.  And the announcers feed into that, they set pretty high standards when describing what a player "should" do with a full swing.  And of course every amateur golfer thinks he "should" hit it close like the best pros each week seem to do, and make the same putts as the guy who's putting his best that particular week.

I agree, I know 15 handicappers who are disgusted when they leave a 30-foot putt 3 inches short.  I tell them it was a fine putt, easy 2-putt from 30 feet is excellent.  I TRY to take the same attitude with my own shots.  Any shot that is generally forward and not in trouble is acceptable.  I still get irritated at times, everyone does, but I do my best to stay "medium" through both really bad and really excellent shots.  I didn't know the numbers and averages before I read LSW, but my "attempted attitude" has only been reinforced by reading it.

[NCGolfer]

5 hours ago, iacas said:

Realistic expectations speak to the mental game, and are one of the things that people struggle with the most.

Hit a wedge from 90 yards to 12 feet, and you're ticked because it's not a tap-in? Then miss the 12-footer, and walk off the green feeling bad about yourself?

WHY?

You hit a world class wedge shot to 12 feet, and then you had only about a one in three chance of making it… if you're playing on PGA Tour-quality greens.

So rather than feeling good about himself, a lot of golfers will leave that green feeling badly for missing an opportunity… WHY?

For me, the thought is that I won't have many opportunities from that close during the round and I feel like I need to capitalize on each one.  From 90 yards, in my mind, if I hit it to 12 feet I'm actually happy.  I think that is a good shot.  I'm probably more disappointed if I miss the putt.

From 90 yards it is about opportunities.  There are only a handful of holes I might have a wedge in and I want to make them count.

[iacas]

3 hours ago, lastings said:

Expect to shoot in the 70's consistently?  yes.  beyond unrealistic.  

expect that I should be able to shoot in the 70s just once?   one time?   considering that I have now shot 80 five times, it doesn't seem unrealistic that this could/should happen once. 

So be happy you had a tap-in par.

2 hours ago, NCGolfer said:

For me, the thought is that I won't have many opportunities from that close during the round and I feel like I need to capitalize on each one.  From 90 yards, in my mind, if I hit it to 12 feet I'm actually happy.  I think that is a good shot.  I'm probably more disappointed if I miss the putt.

From 90 yards it is about opportunities.  There are only a handful of holes I might have a wedge in and I want to make them count.

Ditto. Be happy about the tap-in par. It means you're playing well. Miss one or two from 12' and "you're due" on the next one.

[dennyjones]

4 hours ago, coachjimsc said:

I give myself a 10 second rule. Feel bad for 10 sec then move on.

I love this!

[onthehunt526]

In my opinion, hitting a 90 yard wedge to 12 feet is a great shot... I'd be happy with on the green, somewhere within comfortable 2 putt range. 

My expectations actually are pretty realistic. On all my nGIR, I don't try to get too cute, just get it on the green somewhere.

Do I occasionally three-putt after doing that? Sure. Usually by doing that exact thing, I take doubles and triples out of play... (I occasionally make double after a three-putt) 

My goal by the end of this year is to average 6 GIRs a round and to get to 15 nGIR. People ask me when I shoot my better rounds, (I shot 77 with 7 GIR this year) or even low 80s rounds, how in the hell I score so low missing so many greens. I tell them, I get it in a relatively safe location in par minus two and chip on the green and either make the damn putt for par or two-putt for bogey.

Usually I have one or two big screw-ups a round and it costs me triple or worse (don't want to talk about the 16th hole last Saturday). But the book has helped me eliminate a lot of those.

So I'd gladly take 25 feet from 60 yards or 40 yards let alone 90.

[onthehunt526]

On 8/31/2017 at 1:22 PM, iacas said:

Realistic expectations speak to the mental game, and are one of the things that people struggle with the most.

Hit a wedge from 90 yards to 12 feet, and you're ticked because it's not a tap-in? Then miss the 12-footer, and walk off the green feeling bad about yourself?

WHY?

You hit a world class wedge shot to 12 feet, and then you had only about a one in three chance of making it… if you're playing on PGA Tour-quality greens.

So rather than feeling good about himself, a lot of golfers will leave that green feeling badly for missing an opportunity… WHY?

Though they kick themselves for missing the putt. The truth is if you take 2 to hole out even 1 out of 4 from 90 yards (and 3 the other three times) you are better than the tour average by .02 strokes.

Why in the hell do people kick themselves when they do that? The best players in the world take 3 to get down more often than not from 75 to 100 yards.

I'd be thrilled with taking 3 every time from 75 to 100 yards. Because averaging 3.00 from that range is pretty damn good.

[iacas]

1 hour ago, onthehunt526 said:

Why in the hell do people kick themselves when they do that? The best players in the world take 3 to get down more often than not from 75 to 100 yards.

1. Some people answered that above. I don't really like the answers but they're there.
2. I don't like their answers because I think it hurts their attitude and ultimately their game.

[phillyk]

My unrealistic expectation is not the distance it ends from the hole, but if I hit the shot the way I intended to. Sometimes what I wanted to do was wrong and its 20ft, other times I get what I thought and I have 5ft.  Yeah I'd love to be close and I guess I use that as a measure of how much I need to work on a certain shot, but ultimately if I hit it well and what I intended, I can't be mad if its far from the hole.

12 footers for birdie, yep I pissed for about 10sec if I miss or until I start thinking about my next shot. 

I know score is the point but I want my good rounds or holes to be intentional not getting a lucky break. I'll take them, no doubt (my albatross was from a skulled 7iron that rolled 60ft). So yea I know its super unrealistic to not hit a miss the whole round, but I don't like hitting misses. But that's what keeps me going and keeps me practicing. 

[dennyjones]

I don't even know what my expectation really are.    I hope to hit good shot after good shot with each advancing toward the green.   Over the last 20 rounds, I'm averaging 6.6 GIR and 14 nGIR (combined with GIR).   I don't expect to shoot 70 but do expect to shoot in the 80s.    I don't get upset if I miss my target but just realize I'm currently a bogie golfer working to get better.  

[JonMA1]

I'm not sure why I have unrealistic expectations, but I often do. All I know is when I'm able look at my game logically - before, throughout and after a round - the game is more enjoyable.

Easier said than done.

On most days, I go out and hope for a personal best. While I know I have the skill to make many of the types of shots that better players make, I'm also keenly aware that I lack the ability to execute not only the difficult skills, but the simplest of them at the level or frequency needed to shoot lower scores.

Despite this knowledge, I still get pissed when that 1 out of ?? wedge mishit rears its ugly head and I miss a green badly from 80 yards.