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Playing golf when your very tired or sick or.........

Spivey said:
As long as I can stay hydrated, I don't mind playing hung over. Sick - a completely different story. Lack of sleep - I go play anyway.
I wish my golf buddies had the same mentality - they never play hung over, or if they do, they leave at the turn.
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This is what is good about playing as a single with no reservation. Hang overs or simply rough late nights on the weekends for others means I show up at the course and get out quickly and early on a Sat or Sun morning. I can always count on the previous nights alcohol leaving openings the next morning for me to play early :)
 
Sometimes I wake up with back pain. I know it is temporary, but if I've made a golf commitment its too late to bow out. All the guys I play with are retired and we all have some kind of ache or pain that we play through. I laugh sometimes in the morning as we discuss our various ailments. We could open a pharmacy! LOL
 
Yesterday I headed out to the course with a sore throat, little energy, and a hangover and played some great golf.

Figures.
 
Tired usually isn't a problem for me for a nine hole round, but if I'm playing 18 the back nine can sometimes get guy because I start to lose focus.
 
mpeterson said:
Tired usually isn't a problem for me for a nine hole round, but if I'm playing 18 the back nine can sometimes get guy because I start to lose focus.
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I would agree. The mind gets through the first half or so when overly tired and drags the body along but ultimately the body at some point just says "hey, that's it I had enough".
 
This happened for me today. I'm dog tired exhausted after driving to/from Seattle last night and getting very little sleep, but my son asked me to play 9 so I went. I didn't worry about the golf and just tried to enjoy the experience.
 
Sometimes you just go through your whole life tired. You just adapt. You say "hey, if I am my car is veering intro the other lane I need to either focus more or drive slower". Same thing with golf. When your game sucks you either need to up your game or swing shorter.
 
Thanks to Addison's Disease I feel like that a lot. Intestinal fortitude is what it takes. Your body listens to you and the more you convince yourself you feel good or bad the more good or bad you will feel. When you decide to go do it youwill get it done.
 
grathan said:
Sometimes you just go through your whole life tired. You just adapt. You say "hey, if I am my car is veering intro the other lane I need to either focus more or drive slower". Same thing with golf. When your game sucks you either need to up your game or swing shorter.
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I'm sorry but that is a terrible comparison imo. Truth is we shouldn't adapt to driving overly tired, we don't belong doing that at all. You can slow down and focus all you want and trick yourself all you want into thinking your ok to drive if you just try harder and focus. People do it all the time and unfortunately they also crash because of it.

Tedfroop said:
Thanks to Addison's Disease I feel like that a lot. Intestinal fortitude is what it takes. Your body listens to you and the more you convince yourself you feel good or bad the more good or bad you will feel. When you decide to go do it youwill get it done.
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Your talking about mind over matter and while a strong thing and a good thought that does help there is also a point where the body plain and simple needs its rest. Dealing with your disease (and I am sorry you have it) is a different thing. It unfortunately is part of your life. You are probably feeling tired when your not so you then must find a way to battle that. But for the average person that is not the case. One can convince themselves to get through and when more is on the line they can do it even better but regardless one can only fool themselves so far. The body is overly tired and its hot and one is not so young anymore the swing is going to suffer even if just a little and even if the mind tries to keep it together. Besides , golf is just not that important in most of our lives. We realize we are there to enjoy abut when its a battle against being overly tired or not feeling well and the result is that the better ball striking is just not there because of it, it can take some of the enjoyment out of it because its just not that important.
 
Usually about once a week I go through this. Working a full time and a part time job (both shift work) there's usually once a week where I'll end up being awake 36-40 hours straight and then I'll go out and play. Most times I play poorly, but there are the rounds where I just go out and play mindless and end up scoring pretty well. I'm definitely not a fan of it, but I've found more I'll end up skipping a round and end up doing something like short game practice that doesn't use a whole lot of physical strength.
 
rollin said:
Your talking about mind over matter and while a strong thing and a good thought that does help there is also a point where the body plain and simple needs its rest. Dealing with your disease (and I am sorry you have it) is a different thing. It unfortunately is part of your life. You are probably feeling tired when your not so you then must find a way to battle that. But for the average person that is not the case. One can convince themselves to get through and when more is on the line they can do it even better but regardless one can only fool themselves so far. The body is overly tired and its hot and one is not so young anymore the swing is going to suffer even if just a little and even if the mind tries to keep it together. Besides , golf is just not that important in most of our lives. We realize we are there to enjoy abut when its a battle against being overly tired or not feeling well and the result is that the better ball striking is just not there because of it, it can take some of the enjoyment out of it because its just not that important.
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Your mind is more powerful than you would like to admit and it feeds on what is put into it. It can mute pain, it can focus when tired, and apart from strength your game could be as sharp in those conditions as it can in any other conditions. If you have trained and grooved a decent swing your ball striking can be just a sharp as your best day and dare I say you could score better due to the fact you are not using your conscious mind as much as usual.

About the only thing you metioned that may really affect you is a hangover, due to the physical and mental effects that over consuming creates.
 
Tedfroop said:
Your mind is more powerful than you would like to admit and it feeds on what is put into it. It can mute pain, it can focus when tired, and apart from strength your game could be as sharp in those conditions as it can in any other conditions. If you have trained and grooved a decent swing your ball striking can be just a sharp as your best day and dare I say you could score better due to the fact you are not using your conscious mind as much as usual.

About the only thing you metioned that may really affect you is a hangover, due to the physical and mental effects that over consuming creates.
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I hear what your saying and I do believe there is a lot to that. Its like what makes a football player a pro vs one who may be as talented but just doesn't have the strong mind, desire, driving edge, that the other has to push himself to the top. Like people who frequent gyms or work out daily. They will often find a way to get it done even when tired but that's because its life changing for them and part of what makes them feel better about themselves afterwards but again golf for most just doesn't hold that same value and is just not that important, not life changing, not where we earn our living, doesn't play a role in our success or towards our obligations and responsibilities. Most of us are getting away from those things when we golf so the desire to demand extra from our bodies is simply not there for golf the way it may be for other things we do. There may be some exceptions to this.

another key you mention is to be trained and developed with a grooved and consistent swing. This is a huge factor. One who is very good at this game and either has natural ability or has trained his swing well enough to be somewhat second natured will find playing in less desirable physical conditions somewhat easier as he can still go through the motions much easier and almost subconsciously.

A higher capper who's swing is not so sound or second natured and who varies from swing to swing will not find this as easy. Always trying to find a sound consistent swing to begin with and being overly tired or ill feeling, whatever will most probably cause even more inconsistency. He is also taking many more swings. People might laugh at that thought but one taking 104 strokes in the heat, doing more walking, more preshots, having to rush more often, places more demand on the body too vs one who is consistent and shooting a 79 and walking less. Its funny but that does take its toll too. Especially later in the round. Being on hole 14 and one is hitting his 60th stroke while the other his 80th along with that much more preshot strokes, a lot more zigzag walking through each hole in additon to more mental thinking and frustrations all adds up too. lol :)
 
rollin said:
Always trying to find a sound consistent swing to begin with and being overly tired or ill feeling, whatever will most probably cause even more inconsistency. He is also taking many more swings. People might laugh at that thought but one taking 104 strokes in the heat, doing more walking, more preshots, having to rush more often, places more demand on the body too vs one who is consistent and shooting a 79 and walking less. Its funny but that does take its toll too. Especially later in the round. Being on hole 14 and one is hitting his 60th stroke while the other his 80th along with that much more preshot strokes, a lot more zigzag walking through each hole in additon to more mental thinking and frustrations all adds up too. lol :)
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The mental part of the game is as important as the physical part. Something you will learn as your handicap comes down.

That is if you decide to find reasons why it should instead of reasons it shouldn't.
 
Tedfroop said:
The mental part of the game is as important as the physical part. Something you will learn as your handicap comes down.

That is if you decide to find reasons why it should instead of reasons it shouldn't.
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Think its getting a tad off track here. This isnt about the mental approach we take to play rounds throughout the course of the season. I'm surre most of us battle through rounds all the time when we dont feel 100% and are tired and have gotten through them just fine and even very well and enjoyed them. I know i have done it plenty just like my job and other things I/we do on a daily basis. But this was just about that more rare ocassional time when we are just much too tired and/or feeling much to ill. Doesnt happen often and may not happen at all in a given season. Would be that same kind of ocassional day when we must consider and/or do stay home from work if we can. Nothing to do with ones daily mental approach to his game.

I dont quit and give up just because I'm a bit tired or a bit under the weather. But on an ocassion there could be a round or two during the season where I simply should have not went out to play. This recent round i speak of was the first one like this I can remember in quite some time. I have been tired or a bit ill through plenty rounds through the years but once in a while those feelings are worse and functioning well is not going to happen and was better off staying home. That doesnt mean i have the wrong mental approach to my game at all.

I think your putting too much stock in what i have brought up as though it is the mental atitude I take with just any round where I may feel tierd or less than 100%. That happens often enough and is not what I refer too. I was up for 32 hrs prior to even playing, worked a double shift, not to mention about 6hrs sleep the day before. Thats 24 hrs of labor in 2 and 1/3 days and only 6hrs sleep in that time and all prior to even playing.
I was completely exhausted, Do i need to find a way to play well on 6 hrs sleep in 2 and 1/3 days that included 24 hrs of manual labor? If i dont that means I have the wrong mental approach? and i am looking for reasons not to lower my cap? Your over doing the thought process here or misunderstanding where i am comming from with this thread.

I am not yelling with the bold, Simply hilighting as the main points of the post to be understood :)
 
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Did this a little yesterday. I've been trying to get Strep and was feeling pretty good yesterday morning so I figured some range time would be nice.
First bucket and I was seeing the results of my lesson and feeling good about it. Then I over did it and could just feel the bad swings coming. I left the majority of the 2nd large bucket on the range and went home.
 
Matthew said:
Did this a little yesterday. I've been trying to get Strep and was feeling pretty good yesterday morning so I figured some range time would be nice.
First bucket and I was seeing the results of my lesson and feeling good about it. Then I over did it and could just feel the bad swings coming. I left the majority of the 2nd large bucket on the range and went home.
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The range can get tricky, Too many too fast is something i learned a long time ago. Need some pace at the range and some break in between. In can get tiring and that usually results in bad technique. I'd rather take 100 good controlled swings in an hour and a half than a 150 in 45 minutes
 
If being well rested and clear in the head was a necessity, I'd never play golf. Between trying to live a somewhat entertaining life and the human sleep robbers I am a father to - it's a given I'm going to be a little blurry on the course. I played fine yesterday on about 5 hours of sleep with a little hangover action.
 
The only thing that ever really effects my golf game is if I haven't ate food in a while. Happens to me sometimes when I just forget to eat as I don't feel hungry, but then I'll get to the back 9 and just lose all my energy and focus.
 
The only sport I've participated in where I felt I needed to be on the top of things in terms of sleep, rest, etc was when I ran cross country and track. More in the X-C aspect because anyone can IMHO run a decent 400m while hungover. With other sports, in particular golf, you can slow things down to ensure that your mechanics are as close to "good" as you can muster. Plus there is the ability to boost your performance via caffeine, a good meal, etc. I always try to make sure that I eat well before a round of golf because a hot dog sitting in my gut after the turn is bound to cause me gastric issues by the 12th or 13th hole. I just try to stay hydrated, it keeps the mind clear.
 
Mulligan9111 said:
The only thing that ever really effects my golf game is if I haven't ate food in a while. Happens to me sometimes when I just forget to eat as I don't feel hungry, but then I'll get to the back 9 and just lose all my energy and focus.
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Yeah, the thing I need to remember, especially if it's a first thing in the AM tee time, is to have a snack and keep hydrated. That gets me more than a lack of sleep (the penalty for that comes in the afternoon/night after).
 
For me its this simple:

1. Ball in the back of the stance
2. Over club
3. Swing easy



Low and straight and easy on the body/mind.


TTing
 
Hawk said:
If being well rested and clear in the head was a necessity, I'd never play golf. Between trying to live a somewhat entertaining life and the human sleep robbers I am a father to - it's a given I'm going to be a little blurry on the course. I played fine yesterday on about 5 hours of sleep with a little hangover action.
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Yea i here that. I dont think I'm ever truely well rested or very clear headed. Most of us try to squeeze the golf in when we can between and in additon to our life's obligations and reponsibilities and it almost becomes a chore in itself sometimes lol.
 
If I'm tired or sick, the round isn't going well and I'm just not feeling it, I usually just change the game. By that I mean I quit keeping score and just try to have fun hitting shots. I'll try hitting knockdowns, bump-and-runs, and other types of shots I don't usually hit. If I've got a particularly bad lie or something, I'll throw the ball out in the fairway. Doesn't matter if I make a 10. I'm just playing around and trying to extract some fun out of the day.
 
I've done this before, a few times. I can usually overcome the issues, but there have been times where I wasn't able to. State of mind and actual energy was sooooo far apart that it wasn't even funny. There really wasn't (at that time) a way to break the funk other than sleep. Not even Red Bull or any other energy drink would pull me up. I don't usually skip golf, and that's only happened once, other times I've tried to power through it with no much success...for what it's worth.
 
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