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The Struggles of Golf

Horton

Horton

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Indianapolis, IN
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Ever had one of those days on the course when you just didn't play your best? Maybe you didn't have as much fun because you just couldn't get your swing together? Ever start to feel like you aren't improving anymore and that you might even be going backwards?

I'm sure most of us have had these moments and I'd like to hear about yours.

I had a particularly rough day on the course today and I'm becoming a little frustrated. I'd like to just relax and play golf but it's tough when I feel like the quality of my game has fallen off a cliff. How do you deal with days like this? Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

They say life is about persevering through the bad times... it would seem golf is the same way.

I think it might make myself and others feel better if we read about some of your struggles and realize that golf isn't all 300 yard drives and birdie putts...
 
Sometimes I have a really bad golf day it sucks when the day before I was hitting beautiful 300 yard drives straight and perfect solid shots and then the first tee comes up and bam a nasty snap hook! honestly when I start a day like that and I can't seem to recover, I move to the forward tees and start dropping balls if I can't find them. This really keeps me going and keeps the fun in the game. That's what golf is about to me, fun, I am mainly a recreational player and I don't want to lose the recreation part of it. Some times if my misses are really bad, I just put the driver away and play conservatively and the extreme is seriously hitting a hybrid off the tee on a long hole because on those bad days I'd rather be 250 down the fairway or the rough then 300 in the desert or forest or water. Sometimes I will seriously just hit my second shot from the 150 marker just to get back to being relaxed. But usually moving up to the forward tees saves my confidence and I don't feel so mad. I don't care if the people I'm playing with criticize me for "not being man enough to play from the championship" tees on a day like this but I don't really care, it makes me play better on a sucky day.
 
I do get like this at times but let me say this.. I witnessed it for the first time from the other point of view today when my friend was struggling and really getting frustrated. I realized that him, and myself, are being way too selfish to be getting frustrated over a game like this as being beginners.

Enjoy it :)
 
Yeah man, it is a killer game. Shot 80 on Friday and then shot 93 today. My putter killed me today. The greens are aerated but still holy crap.....
 
Joshzilla said:
Yeah man, it is a killer game. Shot 80 on Friday and then shot 93 today. My putter killed me today. The greens are aerated but still holy crap.....
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Good to know I'm not the only one with a putter that goes totally cold at times. :banghead:
 
Joshzilla said:
Yeah man, it is a killer game. Shot 80 on Friday and then shot 93 today. My putter killed me today. The greens are aerated but still holy crap.....
Click to expand...

That happened to me last week the holes had been aerated that morning and hitting the green was seriously like hitting into a sand bunker there was loads of sand on the green and I could not get the right green speed cause there was no green, try hitting a putter in the sand it sucks!!!:at-wits-end:
 
Funny this thread should of been started today. About the time it was created I was just getting back from one of my most excruciating rounds in recent memory. Today was a day when simply put, all the wheels fell off in my golf game. It seemed at times I had turned the clock back to when I first started playing the game and was hitting the ball all over the place and topping balls and just playing terrible when I would get out on a course. What has me most troubled is that today's round comes after a decent round earlier this week with my boss and a great lesson with my instructor where we spent the entire time playing on the course with me doing most things correctly. I was mad initially but now I am over and past it, at least until the next round...LOL
 
Had one a little over a week ago. Just sucked it everywhere on the course. Probably as bad as I'd played in a year or more. I still had a pretty good day though. The guys I played with were cool and we had some laughs. It was pretty nice out too.
 
I had this type of day yesterday. Shot 83 on Saturday on a difficult track that was new to me and I was pretty happy with the round. Played it again yesterday and shot a horrific 90 with 40 putts and below average ball striking. Just chalking up to one of those days and looking forward to the next time out. Never gonna play this game for a living so I have learned not to take it too seriously.
 
Golf is an evil beast. I used to get really upset when things weren't going right, but I learned to let it go and enjoy being on the course, no matter my score. I can shoot low 40s and threated to break 40 some nights in my league. Then other nights I am scrambling to make doubles. The game is a process, and that process is what is fun to me.

Once I realized that the expecetation to break par was excessive and to be happy to have a hobby, I started to enjoy the game more.

A few years ago, when I was a hothead on the course, my father in law looked at me after I threw my driver and said, "Why are you so upset? You're not good enough to get upset." That struck home and really settled me down.

My father is not a good golfer, but he always enjoys himself. After shooting a 63 over 9 holes one night, he looked at me and said, "It could be worse, I could be dead." That put everything in perspective. Once I learned to not focus on my score, but to instead focus on how lucky I am just to be golfing, I relaxed and didn't get angry. And wouldn't you know it, I started to shoot better scores.
 
Its tough when you have one of those days. Sometimes you can force yourself to think about other more important stuff and sometimes nothing you try helps, you just have to tough it out. I tried to play the last 9 holes with the wrong clubs, just to get a laugh. It was last autumn towards the end of the season and it was pretty fun starting a par 5 with a 9-iron - It sure was easier to hit the fairway and a nice change since I missed just about every fairway on the opening 9 holes.....

Just played my first rounds of the season this last weekend divided into two 9 hole rounds, so I´ve got a couple of crappy rounds ahead of me before things start to loosen up, but its great to be back out on a course.
 
Good post, bg. I've started to realize that I'm just the golfer I am. Time and playing more will probably make me better, but I'm not desperate to become a single digit cap or angry when I hit some loose shots. Not to say that I don't get annoyed at times, but it's not some huge deal. I want to improve, but I accepted that it's not going to be an immediate thing.

One thing that helped me was looking at all the handicaps listed at our club. Turns out, most of the guys are really similar to me. Some better, and some are actually worse. They still show up, play, and have a good time. No reason I can't do the same.
 
Good post Hawk. Being an average golfer(like me) means your in good company - why not enjoy it?!
 
I have to take the good with the bad.
Thank goodness I don't need to win to pay the bills.
If we all shot lights out every time it might get a bit boring.
Then what would we have to nag about? hehe
 
Horton said:
Ever had one of those days on the course when you just didn't play your best? *** How do you deal with days like this? Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
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Otherwise known as a day of golf. Yep, we all have them.

If we are just having a bad day or bad stretch, maybe take a break to clear your mind. Come back relaxed and refreshed. (I had a bad practice session yesterday on the heels of a late night the night before and should have just stayed home; rather than be completely frustrated I treated it as a learning experience - if I'm really not there mentally and physically just stay home).

If we are having a bad stretch, it isn't getting any better and we can't figure it out ourselves, take it up with a pro. It is amazing how unwilling people are to do this, but think of it in a new way...there are these people just waiting for us at the golf course with the knowledge and skill to help us. What other sport can say that? For a relatively nominal fee they can accurately assess our problem and put us on a path to fixing it - i.e., providing more enjoyable golf - in relatively short order.
 
Lots of good advice here guys. I certainly agree that I'm not good enough to get mad about it. :act-up:
 
Yep. Two weeks ago, I was hitting a little shorter, but very accurate drives. And my irons were playing about a club longer on higher trajectory. I felt like my game was at its peak. Last week, I duck hooked all my long irons, caught them on the toe occasionally, was all over the place (but longer) with the driver, and my short game went to crap.

However, this year, I've accepted the fact that I'm a weekend warrior, and my game will fluctuate. Or at least so far, we'll see if I still feel that way when League starts.

~Rock
 
Yep- I try to remember the positive stuff as best I can on days like that. Even if it's only one shot, I try to take that away rather than dwell on all the negative stuff. Particularly if it's things that are easily fixable (putting, etc)

Horton said:
Ever had one of those days on the course when you just didn't play your best? Maybe you didn't have as much fun because you just couldn't get your swing together? Ever start to feel like you aren't improving anymore and that you might even be going backwards?

.
Click to expand...
 
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