We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Have you played under Tournament Pressure?

Have you played under Tournament Pressure?

  • Yes I have

    Votes: 77 62.6%

  • No I have not

    Votes: 46 37.4%
  • Total voters
    123
LOVE playing tournament golf. Won 5 times in 3 different flights on the Golf Channel Am tour my first year of playing tounrey golf. Have since won several other events at my club and on the Golfweek Amateur Tour.
 
ive played in a few because friends needed an extra man an i was it
tourney pressure is nothing like the pressure my brothers put when we play each other even in a casual round hahaha
 
Highschool matches have been it. Scrambles are all I play in now. They put absolutely no pressure on me other than don't look like an idiot and top it on the first hole.

I play in skins games ever so often but its like any other round just no do-overs and gimmies.
 
kokogirl said:
I was scared to play in tournaments since I am a newer golfer and I don't know all the rules. I am also afraid of accidentally breaking some kind of etiquette rule. But I've played in some member guest tourneys and member -member and some scrambles. Playing in those has made me more comfortable playing with different people. (I get nervous playing with new people). I may even play in the Women's club championship this year.
Click to expand...

Hey there neighbor! Long time no see around here - one of these days we need to figure out a time to get out and play.
 
Yes, quite a few times. Some of my fondest memories:

Nationals, regional qualifier (last stage before nationals), aged 15: Unexpectedly pulled out a win, there were 2-3 guys that were probably ranked ahead of me but I won by a stroke. With 3-4 holes left I knew I was in the hunt (top 2 went to the final) and managed to gut out pars on all holes, won by one.

Nationals, regional qualifier, aged 16: The regional final was on my home course, given that I'd won the year before the pressure was enormous. I didn't play great but was super-clutch from 8 feet and won by 2 or 3 strokes...even when carding a double on 18. I was furious, I was -1 after 17 with a bird and 17 pars. There was no single point of pressure, it felt like a constant amount of pressure for like an entire week until it was over.

Divisional play (club team vs other club teams, like a league) a few years ago: Played in the final group, only one or two separated us from the others all day. Lost my ball on 15, carded a double. Birdied 16, 17 and 18 to win by one. 15 footer downhill with a good 1.5 feet of break on 18 to win. Boom!

Q School last fall. Was t7 after first round, t5 after second and ended t4. Being up there all the time certainly both gave confidence as the tournament progressed and also added pressure (ie don't f- this up!). Relaxed a bit after my tee-shot on 18, hit a crappy layup and then another crappy approach into the bunker. Pin sitting back right, maybe 15 yard shot, water just behind the pin...full swing to 4 feet. Tricky putt downhill, but eventually middle of the cup. Huge relief.

Those're some of my fondest memories of pressure. It helps to have them stored in my head and quite vividly too. As cocky as it sounds, I don't really remember messing up under pressure, but that might also be the mental training!
 
thepete said:
Yes, quite a few times. Some of my fondest memories:

Nationals, regional qualifier (last stage before nationals), aged 15: Unexpectedly pulled out a win, there were 2-3 guys that were probably ranked ahead of me but I won by a stroke. With 3-4 holes left I knew I was in the hunt (top 2 went to the final) and managed to gut out pars on all holes, won by one.

Nationals, regional qualifier, aged 16: The regional final was on my home course, given that I'd won the year before the pressure was enormous. I didn't play great but was super-clutch from 8 feet and won by 2 or 3 strokes...even when carding a double on 18. I was furious, I was -1 after 17 with a bird and 17 pars. There was no single point of pressure, it felt like a constant amount of pressure for like an entire week until it was over.

Divisional play (club team vs other club teams, like a league) a few years ago: Played in the final group, only one or two separated us from the others all day. Lost my ball on 15, carded a double. Birdied 16, 17 and 18 to win by one. 15 footer downhill with a good 1.5 feet of break on 18 to win. Boom!

Q School last fall. Was t7 after first round, t5 after second and ended t4. Being up there all the time certainly both gave confidence as the tournament progressed and also added pressure (ie don't f- this up!). Relaxed a bit after my tee-shot on 18, hit a crappy layup and then another crappy approach into the bunker. Pin sitting back right, maybe 15 yard shot, water just behind the pin...full swing to 4 feet. Tricky putt downhill, but eventually middle of the cup. Huge relief.

Those're some of my fondest memories of pressure. It helps to have them stored in my head and quite vividly too. As cocky as it sounds, I don't really remember messing up under pressure, but that might also be the mental training!
Click to expand...

I'm impressed! Can you elaborate on your mental training? That's the one thing I have been lacking in tournament play and I'm working to change the way I think while I'm out there. Gotta get rid of the self-doubt, negative self-talk, etc. It's tough! I just read "Your 15th Club" by Bob Rotella which is helpful but I'm telling ya, the doubts I have are hard to overcome. My coach and I just had a good talk about my fears of playing on a team (best ball) with a low handicap player in our upcoming tournament and letting her down.
 
Last edited:
KellyBo said:
I'm impressed! Can you elaborate on your mental training? That's the one thing I have been lacking in tournament play and I'm working to change the way I think while I'm out there. Gotta get rid of the self-doubt, negative self-talk, etc. It's tough! I just read "Your 15th Club" by Bob Rotella which is helpful but I'm telling ya, the doubts I have are hard to overcome. My coach and I just had a good talk about my fears of playing with a low handicap player in our upcoming tournament and letting her down.
Click to expand...
I played in a match play event last year against a very low HI, who also hit the ball a mile. I was very nervous KB. I did get strokes, but still. Every shot he hit was pure. It was very intimidating. I ended up winning on the 18th hole by sinking a long putt. The look on his face was priceless. All I could do was focus on my game...inadequate as it was compared to his. I couldn't drive it nearly as far or as straight, my irons weren't nearly as good, but where I was close to him was in the short game and that's where I really gained traction. I pitched, chipped, and putted well and that made the difference. Still, it was nerve racking. :)
 
Sean said:
I played in a match play event last year against a very low HI, who also hit the ball a mile. I was very nervous KB. I did get strokes, but still. Every shot he hit was pure. It was very intimidating. I ended up winning on the 18th hole by sinking a long putt. The look on his face was priceless. All I could do was focus on my game...inadequate as it was compared to his. I couldn't drive it nearly as far or as straight, my irons weren't nearly as good, but where I was close to him was in the short game and that's where I really gained traction. I pitched, chipped, and putted well and that made the difference. Still, it was nerve racking. :)
Click to expand...

You know Sean, that short game may be the ticket here. That is one of the chapters in Bob Rotella's book. Here's a quote: "Give the proper priority to your short game. It is essential to your confidence." I've been working hard on the short game since my swing is limited by back problems right now. I can already see a big difference in ball striking and results. Maybe I will see my confidence grow as a result.
 
KellyBo said:
You know Sean, that short game may be the ticket here. That is one of the chapters in Bob Rotella's book. Here's a quote: "Give the proper priority to your short game. It is essential to your confidence." I've been working hard on the short game since my swing is limited by back problems right now. I can already see a big difference in ball striking and results. Maybe I will see my confidence grow as a result.
Click to expand...
I know it's essential to my confidence KB. I may not be able to hit it far and all that compared to the younger folks, but there is no reason I can't pitch, chip, and putt it well. I work on it incessantly...weather permitting. Plus it's fun. I put the ball in all kinds of funky places and see how it responds when I hit it.

I hope you back gets better soon. :)
 
KellyBo said:
I'm impressed! Can you elaborate on your mental training? That's the one thing I have been lacking in tournament play and I'm working to change the way I think while I'm out there. Gotta get rid of the self-doubt, negative self-talk, etc. It's tough! I just read "Your 15th Club" by Bob Rotella which is helpful but I'm telling ya, the doubts I have are hard to overcome. My coach and I just had a good talk about my fears of playing on a team (best ball) with a low handicap player in our upcoming tournament and letting her down.
Click to expand...

Might be going off topic from this thread, perhaps a new thread should be started for this...but here goes.

It's tough to elaborate on. My folks are psychotherapists and dad took special interest in the mental side of sports. I had some motivational tapes for relaxing before a round (basically learning to breathe properly, low down in your stomach) and it also had some motivational phrases, asked you to visualize positive images etc. I listened to that in my mid-to-late teens but haven't done it since. I believe it helped a fair bit. Also read some books by Pia Nilsson (coached the national team, also captained the Solheim Cup team) and more recently by Darren Clarke and Dr Karl Morris called The Mind Factor or somesuch. Some very good chapters in that one, especially the one called "Stop beating yourself up". I beat myself up a lot on course and the days when I don't, I play really well.

Another thing that's good is to 'store' good shots in your mind. I can vividly recall great shots from virtually any lie and triggering that kind of positive thinking and visualization is something every mental coach recommends. I've also heard a tip where you ask yourself "How would I feel if I was the best player in the world?", almost like role-playing or something (minus dragons and the dice of course). You have to believe you're the best before you can become the best.

My main problem isn't my mind when I get in contention, it's that it keeps from getting into contention. When I get into contention, my focus immediately shrinks and it's not about how, it's how many. Just keeping my head level more often would probably lead to me climbing the leaderboard more often, but it's easier said than done. One of my goals this year is to not beat myself up so damn much.

The key for me to not beat myself up is to have something to think about between shots, something not related to golf and something that makes me happy. You can't walk around thinking about what you've done or what you're about/have to do. For me personally it has to be something outside the realm of golf. I've thought about what players my hockey team should draft, seeing my girlfriend after the tournament (worked wonders during Q School, hadn't seen her for almost 3 weeks. I hit two in the drink on 14, made a double and had the dumbest grin on my face on the 15th tee, 'cause I realised I only had 4 more holes before I could drive home and see her).

IIRC Fanny Sunesson had a similar thing for Faldo during the Open at St Andrews when he won. He was tense and all that stuff early in the final round, then she asked him what curtains he'd put up in his new home and he immediately started thinking about something else between shots. He closed with 18 straight pars and won it.

Sorry, this ended being a bit long!
 
Great stuff Pete, I like a lot of the thoughts you have there.
 
Good stuff Pete and thanks so much for sharing. Sounds in line with the book "Your 15th Club" by Dr. Bob Rotella. Here are some quotes to summarize the book:

<quote>

• Understand that you own your attitude

• Take pride in your confidence, just as you take pride in the strongest part of your game.

• Monitor your thoughts about golf and stop lying to yourself in the negative

• Stop seeking perfection

• Reinforce your memory of good shots either by keeping a journal or replaying them in your mind's eye

• Let go of the memory of your bad shots

• Visualize the things you want to happen

• Write affirmations that stress positive aspects about your attitude toward golf and belief in yourself

• Perceive your golf experiences honestly.

• Be a cheerleader for yourself

• Give the proper priority to your short game. It is essential to your confidence.

</quote>

Since this topic is about tournament pressure, I think it's appropriate to discuss ways to better deal with it. :D
 
A golf shot is a golf shot is a golf shot. Let's say your at the practice green. Your "mindlessly" practicing chipping and knocking ball after ball close to the whole. Now, next scene, your on the 18th hole in an important match and your just off the green and you need to get up and down to win the tournament. This is a chip you've "mindlessly" done 100's of times with great results.

What's changed? You have the same club. You have the same lie. Your the same person. The only thing that's changed is your perception. There's the rub. If you can get yourself back in that "mindless" practice green chipping routine that may relieve some of the self imposed pressure.
 
ive played in a few tourneys and had a mental collapse on a par 3 before. Long 223 yd par 3 with narrow entry and ob on the left and right. I hit my first tee shot right. We didnt think it was ob, not a chance so we were looking for it. I had to go re tee it and why standing on the tee box looking at the group behind us and the group on the tee I was freaked out. For the first time I sat on the tee wondering am I ever gonna be able to keep it in bounds. The motivation to never be in that situation on a tee box is what I take with me every time I go out the range. I never want to be that uncomfortable again on a tee box
 
For several years just going to the first tee, right in front of the grill room, brought out the butterflies. Then trying to qualify for the championship flight of the club championship made the knees knock when I knew I had to shoot "a number".

Qualifying for a regional amateur championship ramped it up another notch. Winning a stroke play club championship was fun but the next year I was in a three hole play off and I choked to loose on the sixth playoff hole.

I have also played in many area team events which I found to be a lot of fun but also pressure packed because of the better ball team format; don't want to let the team down.

I can't say I rise to the occasion but I really do enjoy the competition.
 
The last ten years I've played in two member guest tournaments a year with my best friend. These have been pretty stressful at times as we've won quite a bit of money over the years and there are a ton of side bets. The most pressure from these was the year we were playing for the win against Elliot Sadler and his playing partner which was a VP from Topflite. There were several groups following us the entire day and everyone was was waiting and watching on the 17th and 18th. We managed to keep it close but lost by a stroke to two very good golfers.

For the last three years I've tried to arrange my travel schedule around my association's tournaments and a hand full of others. One of last years most pressure packed tournaments was the Jefferson Lakeside Invitational, where all of metro Richmonds clubs and associations qualify two teams and then you are randomly paired with three others for your round. I learned a lot from that round and look forward to qualifying and playing again this year!

The pressure we put on ourselves is a funny thing. Some people completely fall apart! I'd like to think my experience speaking in front of large groups helps me feel a little more comfortable playing golf in front of and with people I've never met before. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't!! Golf can easily become a four letter word when tournaments are concerned!!!
 
I've played some tournament golf. Four years of high school during which I was medalist in a handful of events, mostly weekly conference tournaments, and I won an invitational two years in a row. Disco was all the rage when those went down. I played in State Amateur qualifiers five or so times, but only qualified once. Missed the 36 hole cut in that one. I played in my club championship last year and lost the second flight in a nine hole match play final. We play events each Saturday with tournament seriousness, though I don't know whether those would be called tournaments. I usually don't get too nervous, maybe because I'm no longer the player I once was, I'm old, and my expectations usually aren't too high. I would imagine pressure in a Morgan Cup environment would be noticeable because of the team aspect.

I often play pretty well with a few bucks on the line.

Kevin
 
I have played in many tournaments. I usually play in 3-5 per year by myself and a lot of scrambles. I seem to excel in a partner format where there is someone else relying on me. If I need to be the straight hitter I can do that or if I need to be the bomber I can also do that.
I seem to benefit greatly from watching my partner putt.

I haven't won my club c's yet but I was only 5 shots back last year.
 
Ive played in many tournaments, pro ams and such. Its a great way to play. I love the competition of it. Its fun to see how you hold up under pressure. Ive won 4 club championships, a bunch of other tournaments. Ive also bombed in a bunch. But, there is nothing like the feeling of teeing it up on the first hole in a event that is important to you, whether its a club championship or a pro am or whatever.
 
KellyBo said:
Good stuff Pete and thanks so much for sharing. Sounds in line with the book "Your 15th Club" by Dr. Bob Rotella. Here are some quotes to summarize the book:

<quote>

• Understand that you own your attitude

• Take pride in your confidence, just as you take pride in the strongest part of your game.

• Monitor your thoughts about golf and stop lying to yourself in the negative

• Stop seeking perfection

• Reinforce your memory of good shots either by keeping a journal or replaying them in your mind's eye

• Let go of the memory of your bad shots

• Visualize the things you want to happen

• Write affirmations that stress positive aspects about your attitude toward golf and belief in yourself

• Perceive your golf experiences honestly.

• Be a cheerleader for yourself

• Give the proper priority to your short game. It is essential to your confidence.

</quote>

Since this topic is about tournament pressure, I think it's appropriate to discuss ways to better deal with it. :D
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good read! I bolded the ones that are the most important to me. Some of the others seemed a bit vague to me, but perhaps that's because I'm unfamiliar with them.
 
rbelbin said:
I have played in many tournaments. I usually play in 3-5 per year by myself and a lot of scrambles. I seem to excel in a partner format where there is someone else relying on me. If I need to be the straight hitter I can do that or if I need to be the bomber I can also do that.
I seem to benefit greatly from watching my partner putt.

I haven't won my club c's yet but I was only 5 shots back last year.
Click to expand...

Partner we will be working it together come scramble time come Saturday afternoon WPB :D... I got ya back bro :thumb:
 
I've played a few tournaments over the years but I have never really felt any pressure. I just will not allow my mind to go in that direction.
 
Played college golf my senior year. That was never racking, not to mention I was still learning the game.
 
During one of my matches, I HAD to make a putt to get a qualification round to go to sectionals. It was off a ridge, speedy downhill to the left. About 15 feet. I lined it up, stepped up, and drained it. I've also played in 2 Council matches, and a good sectionals performance in pouring rain last fall.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top