Our feelings at start of every round, hole or stroke? getting ahead of ourselves?

rollin · Feb 7, 2014

Generaly speaking when i start my day I always feel (firstly of course) happy to be on the course but also like I'm going to have a good round. Staring every hole I always feel like I can par the hole. yea right!

I try to plan the route I would like to take for a given hole as i feel that is part of managing the hole but that doesnt have to mean you are getting ahead of yourself. I still try to only worry about the shot at hand one stroke at a time.

But no matter how much we may think we are taking things one stroke at a time, its those very thoughts just by nature (in back of our mind) that do put pressure on ourselves. We can try to fool ourselves about not getting ahead of ourselves but arent we always in some way still doing it?

When we dont make an intended shot then we have to replan the hole and now figure the best way to still save par or now maintain bogey, and help the round. Basically we replan the hole. But even if we take our medicine and stay humble in not being a hero and play the safer route to at least maintain bogey and still take things "one stroke at a time" there is still a natural pressure to complete as planned and still technically look ahead. Feeling good and confident starting a round, a hole, a shot yet trying to look only at one stroke at a time is certainly good vs having no confidence but can also be contradicting in a way.

Are we -
really fooling ourselves in thinking we are taking it one stroke at a time?
Still looking ahead regardless?
Putting pressure on ourselves that may be hurting us more than we believe?

DaBuckBoys · Feb 7, 2014

I go to sleep the night before planning my shots for the first hole and mentally thinking about the start of the round at my local course.

Then we show up and find out there's frost on the 1st hole fairway and we are starting on #10.... NOOOOO!!!!! It happened several times last year and while the tee shot on #10 isn't too bad, the approach is uphill and semi-blind, then #11 is the toughest tee shot on the course and one of the toughest holes.

It can completely throw a wrench into the start of the round.

Jank · Feb 7, 2014

I think it is near impossible to not look ahead and to not know that you are putting up a good score. I think it is how we handle that pressure that gets to most people in the long run and eventually leads to success or mediocrity.

If I started a round with 5 or 6 straight pars, you better believe that I know how I am shooting and I am trying my best to keep it up. I have never really played a round and been surprised at my score at the end because I constantly know where I am relative to par.

Erky · Feb 7, 2014

All I know is that my first drive of the day is almost always great. It tends to be hit or miss for the rest of the round, and I can't figure it out. Either I get too loose, or I just enjoy the pressure of the first tee.

mikedean441 · Feb 7, 2014

I try not to look ahead, but sometimes that "setting up for next shot" creeps in my head

mastapp · Feb 7, 2014

I think you MUST look at it from an entire hole perspective, instead of a shot by shot perspective. You can hit your next shot "perfect", but if it puts you behind a tree or with an odd angle into the green (or an awkward putt or being "shortsided" if a Par 3), then it was for naught.

golfdawg · Feb 7, 2014

Out side of course management, as in where do i need to be on my next shot, i try not to think much further.

I also make sure to never keep a score total in my head, and i don't add up the front nine, i wait until the end to tally my whole card.

when i can do all these things , i usually play a good round.

adamw238 · Feb 7, 2014

mikedean441 said:
I try not to look ahead, but sometimes that "setting up for next shot" creeps in my head

No doubt. I think the only next shots where I've tried to "set up" for are usually lay ups on a par 5. On some par 4s I know there are spots on some holes where I don't want to go, but if I go there I'm not afraid to take my medicine, and try to put the ball into a place where I can try and hit a good third shot that gives me a shot at a par, bogey at worst.

Golferbest · Feb 7, 2014

I tend to think abou too many shots all at one time. My mind welcomes as many thoughta as possible at times. Oddly enoigh I usally play better when im thinking ahead.

Trout Bum · Feb 7, 2014

I try not to think about anything honestly, For me the more I think about the shots I want to make the less I make them, and that's a no bueno. I get to the first tee, look at the score card, figure out the yardage I see in front of me and hit my tee shot. I try to leave myself a 7 or 8 iron in in most cases and anything more than that is too much minutia for me lol, I can't handle too much thought, my head will explode.

baldguy · Feb 7, 2014

for me, the "one shot at a time" concept means that I can't change the shots I've already hit. I can only make the one as good as possible. accomplishing that part means planning the rest of the hole. I quickly try to get a "best achievable way to complete this hole" for every shot in my head, then do my best to put that plan into action.

kc720 · Feb 7, 2014

To me one shot at a time means focus on the shot at hand and not think about the bad shot that you just hit. If it was a bad shot and it put you in a bad spot, try and forget about what I should have done to avoid it, and focus on how best to proceed.

Golf 'N Gator · Feb 7, 2014

I play each shot one at a time and never really think too far ahead other than planning for approach shots by playing to a certain number.

rollin · Feb 7, 2014

You know, much of it has to do with the anticipation of doing well which then becomes a big disappointment once you don't successfully execute the shots. You realize your not going to par this hole after all. You realize this is not going to be one of your better rounds after all.

While you still take the shot at hand as the only thing that matters, those other things still do way in on the mind. Just by nature makes you want to press even if just a bit and that's when it can get a bit worse. Its about the anticipation of doing well that can set itself up for its own fall.

baldguy · Feb 7, 2014

I get that sometimes, too. My last time out I was having a solid (for me) round at my home course. I got to the par 5 15th where just the day before I missed a chip-in eagle by maybe an inch. I thought to myself "if I can just make par here I'm cruising to a personal best." I sliced the drive. then topped the next shot. Then hit one fat. I'm sitting there thinking about my 4th shot and how I hadn't really been mishitting stuff all day, but then on this one hole I had three in a row. and I needed to make par or bogey, badly. I was 150 out, and I knew that a full 8i would put me in putting range for par. I put a lot of pressure on myself to make it happen. I gave it everything I had... hit it fat. A good 5th shot pitch saved the hole from becoming a disaster, leaving me an easy putt for bogey but still... I know I could have played that hole 1 or 2 strokes better if I wasn't thinking about the rest of the round, or the one before it. it also could have been a lot worse if I hadn't managed that one good shot. my mental game took a break on that hole for sure.

O'Carroll · Feb 7, 2014

I play so many of my rounds with no warmup (something I hope to change in 2014), most of the time I'm just concentrating on putting a good swing on the ball. If I have actually had time to hit some balls on the range, I'm more likely to think about where I want this tee shot to end up--to give me a good look at the green (depending on the hole/course, etc.).

rollin · Feb 8, 2014

baldguy said:
I get that sometimes, too. My last time out I was having a solid (for me) round at my home course. I got to the par 5 15th where just the day before I missed a chip-in eagle by maybe an inch. I thought to myself "if I can just make par here I'm cruising to a personal best." I sliced the drive. then topped the next shot. Then hit one fat. I'm sitting there thinking about my 4th shot and how I hadn't really been mishitting stuff all day, but then on this one hole I had three in a row. and I needed to make par or bogey, badly. I was 150 out, and I knew that a full 8i would put me in putting range for par. I put a lot of pressure on myself to make it happen. I gave it everything I had... hit it fat. A good 5th shot pitch saved the hole from becoming a disaster, leaving me an easy putt for bogey but still... I know I could have played that hole 1 or 2 strokes better if I wasn't thinking about the rest of the round, or the one before it. it also could have been a lot worse if I hadn't managed that one good shot. my mental game took a break on that hole for sure.

This sounds extremely familiar to me. Three complete shots in a row that just show an inability to even strike a friggin ball for no reason right in the midst of some good golf like as if you never hit a ball before in your life. Flop one then remain calm and cool and take your lump so now its "ok just hit this one". But then you chop another. then remain calm and everything again and "ok now lets hit this one" but again chop. Its just mind boggling! No other way to put it. may even go on to play the last three pretty good but it doesn't matter anymore, its too late. I know it all too well. All you can do is laugh it off otherwise it will just drive you insane.