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What makes you play well?

C

Carey

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Location
Surrey, BC
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We've seen the what makes you play bad thread and it got me wondering about what makes you play well.

For me I've noticed that there are some people I seem to play better with and some courses that I have more confidence playing but other than that I really can't pinpoint it.
 
If I knew I would do it all the time.
 
Taking it one hole at a time. I have a blow up hole, but containing the frustration to that hole, and not letting it slip to the next tee keeps my playing well and level headed for 17 holes per round

Dan
 
I had my PB on Saturday. I took it one shot at a time and accepted whatever results came from each shot and played what I had.
 
Staying calm, not getting rushed, and maintaining somewhat of a routine before hitting the ball. I also seem to play better when I'm not waiting on a group in front of me.
 
Apparently being at a THP event
 
Playing on the weekend (and in particular Sundays) with THPers. Doesn't get better than that for me and how I play.
 
The exact same thing that makes me play bad.....Mental. Keeping my mindset positive and not letting the bad shots get to me. Its the biggest thing I need to work on. Which in the past few weeks has become very evident. I can shoot 6-7 out of nine holes par or bogey but those 2-3 blow up holes kill my scores and keep putting me in the high 40's low/mid 50's for 9 holes. A quick nine holes on Sunday made it very apparent. shot par or bogey for 6 holes but had 3 blow up holes with a 7 on a par 4, and then a 9 and a 10 on the two par fives. Yet After each blow up holes I was able to get myself mentally back into the game and stay positive.
 
For some reason I play better on courses other then my home course. Courses where I have to think about my shots a bit more, where I don't know exactly what I'm getting. It's not that I don't take risks, it's the fact that I have to consciencly think about every shot and be aware that I don't know the dangers that await.
Also: if I'm not in the right state of mind, maybe because I'm worried about things outside the course or because I'm irritated by the people in my flight, by slow play or other things I don't have direct control over.. Things will turn ugly.
 
Happy thoughts and cigars. I do remember to relax and take it a hole at a time. Pace of play also helps me so if the game is moving quicker I tend to play better
 
Hitting fairway's, hitting GIR and no 3 putts.......
 
Peace of mind. Plain and simple. When my mind is not on the next big "problem" I play very good.
 
New courses, and the more difficult, the better. Some kind of focus seems to kick in, which is why my 9 and 18 hole PB's were shot at pretty tough tracks.
 
Not sucking...
 
Fast pace of play. I am literally probably a good 3-4 strokes better when I play fast and don't have to wait. And a course that sets up well for a left to right tee shot!
 
What makes you play well?

Whatever it is that doesn't happen when I play badly.
 
I know the answer and know the fix. The problem is I'm a better teacher than player. If I could do what I know, I'd be playing for a living.
 
Keeping a rhythm. Not over swinging.

Putting unconsciously.
 
What helps me play better is a good sense of rhythm and balance. The days that I have a smooth slow take away with a solid foundation to swing around is my best days. Problem being good balance is a struggle for me every single day.
 
For some reason, I play my best when I'm walking alone in the evenings. When there's absolutely no distractions. I often talk to myself about the shot that I just hit and how it sets me up for the next shot. I have the time in between shots to really think about what's going on and I'm usually thinking about nothing but the next shot.

It just shows how weak my mental game is. When I'm in a cart with a group of friends, I'm having a great time and enjoy every minute of it, but I do not stay in my game at all and my scores show that.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk
 
If I can eliminate the left side of the course, and have my misses all be playable, I can relax and start thinking about scoring. If either of those things aren't happening, I'm just holding on and grinding out the best I can.
 
I have to be swinging my swing without thinking, in the zone, alert attitude of indifference, whatever you want to call it. I have to be target oriented, line up and swing. If I start thinking about mechanics it's all over but the crying. The bad thing is that a couple of bad shots, for whatever reason, throws me right out of this mode for at least another hole or two. For this this reason I've had many great "strings of holes", 5 or 6 at most, but never a great round of 9 or 18.
 
For me it is usually slowing things down and just trying to make solid contact with the ball. Also, not paying attention to what my golf partners are doing. Most I play with are longer than me so if I pay too much attention to that it throws me off my game. Another thing that helps is managing the course, figuring out if using a particular club brings in more risk than I should accept for that particular shot. Finally, I have made a point of working on my short game, really starting to work on my wedges. I used to be very reliant on having a feel for my PW and using that for all shots 110 yards or less.
 
Feeling strong, a desire to compress the ball. I am usually on the other side of things though, feeling weak and afraid I'll hurt my wrists if the club hits the ground.
 
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