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How to maintain momentum / consistency in a round.

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garethw

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I am currently shooting low to mid 90's for the majority of my rounds however I am struggling to break that 90 barrier. I am now able to string 7 - 9 holes of good golf together (i.e. 3 over par through 7 holes). Then step up to the next hole hit my drive and the wheels totally fall off and have been walking away with triples or worse. This can and has happened on a whole back nine, or 7 out of the next 9 then the good golf comes back again for the last remaining holes.

Nothing feels like it changes, no set up change, no mental changes I have stopped thinking of my score, no attitude changes. When I play a bad shot I am trying to forget it and work out how to minimise the mistake and get the ball back in play. Other than greenside bunkers I am starting to hit recovery shots to get me back in play well.

I just do not understand how I can string those holes together then mishit the ball as if I have never picked up a club before. What do you do to get back on track again during a round or how do you maintain that consistency through the round?
 
I'm bound to hit a few bad shots in a round. Or maybe I get a bad break or bad luck, just a yard too much or too little. My goal there is damage control, to keep the score on that hole as low as possible. Essentially, scrambling.

I aspire to play bogey golf, so if I get a double or higher, I'm looking for another hole to make par to offset that double - I try to find scoring opportunities so I can "take back" that double.
 
One thing I underestimated is how important hydration and nutrition can be in maintaining your game. I always took more shots after the turn. Eating some fruit during my round and having a few sips of water/sports drink really helped lower my scores.

Another thing for me is taking it one hole at a time. I don't think about the hole before or the hole after. So often I see people still raging about their 3-jack from 10 feet on the hole before... I think that kills your focus as well. We're not pro's, so stupid mistakes happen.
 
It is a very mental thing to be cruising along and then BAM!! I try to just forget the hole, I don't think about making it up later, you can only play the hole you are playing and play it the best you can. If you think about it in any way, whether reviewing the hole, or saying to yourself I can make it up later in the round it will be on your mind and effects your play.
 
First you have to have short memory. Put the bad hole behind you and move forward. Accept that bad shots are going to happen and don't let it mess with your head. Course management helps, if you hit a poor drive into the trees make getting back onto the fairway your first goal. It doesn't help your score if you try a hero shot out of the trees if you end up with the same shot again. Another thing with course management is it starts with off the tee. Try to look at what trouble you can get yourself into and take that out of play (mostly for those who have issues with the driver).

Another thing you can do is have someone else keep your score and focus only on your next shot. Look at what you shot after the round. If you find you play better without knowing what you are shooting then you are likely pressing too much.

I had three blow up holes last time out that kept me out of the 80s so I can sympathize with you. I also had some good shots that just had some bad luck. Another thing is work on your short game, get to the point that when you have a wedge in your hand you have confidence you are going to get it close enough to make your putt. Right now if I have an 8I or less in my hand I am expecting to get within 10 feet and with my wedges my goal is 5 feet. Practice bunkers (since you mention you have trouble with those), again the first goal should be to get out and once you confidence you can do that then start working on how to get it close. Finally, putting. That has been a low point of my game so I finally asked my instructor to work with me. He immediately identified multiple things I was doing wrong and last time out I putted pretty well even though I choked on a birdie putt after a great tee shot on a par 3. You erase a lot of bad with good putting.
 
I notice that the amount of swing oil consumed throughout the round is directly proportional to my blow up holes. Strangely, I try to address the blow up holes with even more swing oil in an attempt to fix it, and that never works, either.


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fozzy said:
I notice that the amount of swing oil consumed throughout the round is directly proportional to my blow up holes. Strangely, I try to address the blow up holes with even more swing oil in an attempt to fix it, and that never works, either.


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Funny, a guy we play with has a very aggressive and quirky swing. His first 9 holes he was terrible, shot a 52. So he ordered a couple of small bottles of rum and a Coke and shot 41 on the back 9. I do find a beer or two can help me relax but more than that and it is counter productive.
 
Den60 said:
Funny, a guy we play with has a very aggressive and quirky swing. His first 9 holes he was terrible, shot a 52. So he ordered a couple of small bottles of rum and a Coke and shot 41 on the back 9. I do find a beer or two can help me relax but more than that and it is counter productive.
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I can be the same way, it's just finding the balance. A few weeks back at my local, I shot a 60somethingerother on the front, had a few, and shot a 44 on the back. Half a beer can be the difference between death and glory!


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fozzy said:
I can be the same way, it's just finding the balance. A few weeks back at my local, I shot a 60somethingerother on the front, had a few, and shot a 44 on the back. Half a beer can be the difference between death and glory!


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The nice thing about beer is that I can't drink many of them without feeling bloated, of course I now drink real beer, none of that Coors stuff. :D I used to drink 4 or 5 in a round when I was younger. Now 2 or 2.5 is all that I can drink during a round.
 
I agree with den. Don't compound a bad drive with a bad decision. Take your medicine and save bogey. Avoid the doubles and triples and breaking 90 is almost a given.
 
I don't know if it applies to everyone but I need to just think about the next shot and not about the possibility of what I might shoot. Easier said than done though!
 
I always say that the mental state of a player is more fragile than his physical state. For me it can be as simple as one phone call or a remark one of my flight mates made.

If I've made a mistake, but had made a few good swings before, I need to put that mistake out of my head before the next shot and take faith in my ability to perform better on the next one.

If bad luck happens I tell myself that was a good swing, only bad luck interrupted.
 
It's tough for sure, for me if I get on a roll sometimes I get lax. I may still think I'm focused on the shot/hole and I may be but my swing gets lax. I get long and then it's death till I reel the swing in. Fortunately I know this now and can reel it in quicker than in the past but I'd like not to loose it at all.

Not getting over confident because things are hitting on all cylinders is something I try to avoid. Hitting driver ropes doesn't mean I should take on that corner carry, flushing irons also doesn't mean I need to take on that tucked pin. Hitting a solid shot to the middle of the fairway or middle of the green will keep that momentum rolling.


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golfinFF said:
It's tough for sure, for me if I get on a roll sometimes I get lax. I may still think I'm focused on the shot/hole and I may be but my swing gets lax. I get long and then it's death till I reel the swing in. Fortunately I know this now and can reel it in quicker than in the past but I'd like not to loose it at all.

Not getting over confident because things are hitting on all cylinders is something I try to avoid. Hitting driver ropes doesn't mean I should take on that corner carry, flushing irons also doesn't mean I need to take on that tucked pin. Hitting a solid shot to the middle of the fairway or middle of the green will keep that momentum rolling.


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My instructor really hammered into my head keeping my backswing short because of my limited flexibility. I took a month off due to weather and skiing from just before Christmas until the mid portion of January and came back and really emphasized a shorter (not past 10 o'clock) backswing and I have been very solid with my ball striking, especially with my irons. Even with a shortened backswing my distances with my irons has not decreased. My driver distance was a bit less than expected last time out but I don't think I'm clearing my left hip (which is why I think I'm fading the ball with it as well).
 
I never look ahead. Play one shot at a time. Let go of the shot you just hit if it is a bad one. You can't change what is already done. I don't get too high when it is good or too low when it is bad.
 
When I have a struggling round I will get defensive in the Tee box and hit a club that will keep me in the fairway with ease. Sometimes that meant hitting a 6 or 7 iron. Sure I'm left a longer iron into the green but I have eliminated the penalty stroke. Next shot might be short but now I'm chipping up to the hole. I still have a chance at saving par. For me in the past, this put the wheels back on the wagon after a big number.
 
I really struggled on this yesterday. Hit the driver great on the front and then it completely left me on the back. And I couldn't hit an iron off a tee for some stupid reason - 2 of them I straight up topped and 1 I sh***ed. Oh, and of course, I tee up another and then hit a perfectly fine shot.

I just don't know what I need to do to eliminate the stupid shots off the tee. Whenever I have a round without them, I shoot mid 80's or better without fail.

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Mash said:
One thing I underestimated is how important hydration and nutrition can be in maintaining your game. I always took more shots after the turn. Eating some fruit during my round and having a few sips of water/sports drink really helped lower my scores.

Another thing for me is taking it one hole at a time. I don't think about the hole before or the hole after. So often I see people still raging about their 3-jack from 10 feet on the hole before... I think that kills your focus as well. We're not pro's, so stupid mistakes happen.
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Hydration starts 24 hours before the event you need to be hydrated for. That said walking 18 isn't running a marathon so a bottle of water every 5-9 holes should be good assuming you aren't starting the round dehydrated.
 
garethw said:
What do you do to get back on track again during a round or how do you maintain that consistency through the round?
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Fireball works pretty good. Sometimes.
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
I really struggled on this yesterday. Hit the driver great on the front and then it completely left me on the back. And I couldn't hit an iron off a tee for some stupid reason - 2 of them I straight up topped and 1 I sh***ed. Oh, and of course, I tee up another and then hit a perfectly fine shot.

I just don't know what I need to do to eliminate the stupid shots off the tee. Whenever I have a round without them, I shoot mid 80's or better without fail.

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I too can't seem to hit an iron off a tee very well. It's to the point that I'm just going to stop teeing the ball up regardless of the iron in hand because it's gotta be a mental hitch.
 
ArmyGolf said:
I too can't seem to hit an iron off a tee very well. It's to the point that I'm just going to stop teeing the ball up regardless of the iron in hand because it's gotta be a mental hitch.
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I'm seriously thinking about doing the same thing.

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I have a similar problem, especially if I have a very strong round going. Once the thought of scoring well creeps into my head I lose focus on a shot and I spiral out on that hole and usually the next. The amount of rounds I've been staring down breaking 70 only to finish double double is uncountable.
 
I can relate. I need to improve consistency. I have streaks where every shot is solid and I am a par machine hole after hole. And then boom.

For me the main thing I (think I) need to do is continue to entrain the swing. Simple, repeatable, over and over. In the heat of the moment if I have to think about the swing, I'm looking for trouble. And that's still where I am at. Bad habits creep or jump back in. I realize I am overlooking the mental aspect, but if I can take thinking about the swing in such detail out of things, I will take a huge source of tension off my game.
 
You really need to have discipline to not try and force a hero shot unless you have practiced that shot many times and you can repeat it under pressure. Focus on getting the ball back into play and try to scramble to save par or bogie. If you roll one off the tee into the rough, take your medicine and wedge to the fairway instead of trying to force a wood through the tall stuff. If your FW woods just aren't working for you that day, hit the longest iron you feel comfortable with. Sometimes you just have to take your medicine, put the bad shot behind you and press on.
 
Concentrate on your misses. Keep track of your stats. See how many FW's, GIR's, etc. Then you will see where you need to concentrate. I can bet if your putts & GIR misses are high, then that's what you need to work on. Strokes add up quickly in those areas. I understand we can have a brain cramp once in a while but there has to be something that has taken your mind of the task at hand. Just get back on the wagon & do it again .... one shot at a time.
 
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