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Can't hit the ball while dragging your lip!!

Tadashi70

Tadashi70

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These thoughts are coming from the number of negative or less than positive post I read on a daily basis about peoples games. I know that people are going to get down on themselves over the course of 18 holes, that is human nature. But the level of self guilt that carries over from hole to hole or even post round is staggering to me.

Golf, at it's core, is a game meant to be enjoyed. I see more people losing their sh*t on the course then I do smiles and high fives. This I understand but do not get. We pay good money to play this game that we love and to be upset over a missed shot or a missed putt is not doing anyone any good. When you get upset and hold onto the feeling it will effect your game. As you begin to unravel the anger will get greater and greater. Before you know it, you have no idea why you were angry or frustrated to begin with. So why not just let it go right after it happens.

I think a lot of it goes to managing your expectations and do not place unrealistic expectation on yourself. If you are a bogie golfer, embrace it and deal with it. One low round or PB doesn't mean that is the norm, it just means you had a great day. Once the round is over that great day on the course is over and everything resets. If you are lucky you will remember what made that last round your PB. More than likely that will not be the case.

Do you ever wonder why Jordan S. is able to bounce back. He has no short term memory and plays each shot as a new shot. He knows he has the skill set to make birdies and put himself into scoring opportunities. Weekend golfers have that same skill set. It may not be to make birds or even pars, it may be to make one shot less the next hole. Knowing what you are capable of on a consistent basis is key. If you don't make a ton of birdies then don't expect to get that shot back from the last hole. Look to make par and not give away more shots. Maybe its to make a double vs a triple. Play within yourself and stop dragging your lip to the next shot.
 
Absolutely true Freddie. All you do by getting angry and not focusing on the next shot is to make your bad score worse.
 
Good stuff Freddie!
 
Without my anger I am just a shell of a man!
 
I am guilty of doing this. There are times I will make a bad swing and I struggle to get my mindset back to give myself a chance to recover. Sometimes it even takes me a few holes to get my focus back causing a bad hole to turn into a bad day.
 
Some great advice that I certainly needed to read today. Wise panda is wise.
 
Really fantastic advice Freddie. That line of thinking can be applied to many other things in life as well. Great to get a reminder of that every now and then.
 
My focus and mental side of my game are pretty weak IMO. I've been really struggling lately and although I don't really get mad it can be frustrating and clouds my thinking from shot to shot. That being said, I still enjoy being out on the course but it has dampened my enthusiasm about getting out more often til I iron things out and get some confidence back.
 
As many people have said before - A bad day on the course is still better than a good day in the office

Be thankful of the time on the golf course while you can still manage it
 
I don't get angry at a bad shot, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry. I just see no sense in thinking about what has happened. Gotta keep your eyes down feild.
 
Good post Panda, golf is all about having fun for us mere mortals, Spieth is a great example in you post of just moving on to the next shot no matter what.
 
The only reason why I get upset at myself is because I know I can execute the shot and have done it many time before. I work on things on the range and when everything falls apart, then I get upset.
It's as if I know how to build a house, I built a house, but when I build THIS house like any other one and it falls apart, it frustrates me*.
I do try to forget about the last hole and move on, usually works out, but when the next hole starts off the same way, I know I am in for a long day.

*-Analogy only, I don't build houses.
 
It took me a while to actually be able to do it but I now use the time that it takes to walk or ride to the next shot/tee to get mad then get over it before the next shot or hole. The best golfers have the shortest memories.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
 
There's a flip side to this. Play with a guy that's 40 yds. longer off the tee and similar with his other clubs, decent golfer. If he doesn't get down on himself I may never beat him, as it is may get him one out of four. At my age just happy to be able to play.
 
Excellent post. Mental game is important. I'm leaving it at that.

~Rock
 
I struggle with the mental side because I know I can play pretty dang good, so it frustrates me when things are working. I start singing this to myself to get me back to my happy place --


I'm serious on that one. It actually helps me regain focus so the FU's stop flying.
 
This is a really great point, Freddie. Thanks for sharing, and something I need to remember at times. I find myself thinking about the "what could have been" more than the good after a round, even if it was a good one.
 
Good stuff Freddie. I do not think about my last shot, I only think about the next shot. (Guess that's how I got over my divorce so quick:D) Anyway, if you would have seen the three shot's in a row that just went horrible wrong yesterday( ask Jank or Woody) I would say 1/2 of golfers would have been so upset that they just could not play anymore that day. After finally getting off the green I just laughed and moved on and kept trying to hit a good next shot. There was no need to get upset as I was out there having a good time with THP'ers. For me it is just more important to be out there having fun. Do I want to play good? Sure I do and most of the time I make enough good shots to keep me coming back as I enjoy this game so much. I will have my bad rounds sure, but not so bad that I would get so upset that I would walk away from the game. I just want to hit the next shot good.:D
 
Great points all around. I was just saying Jordan Spieth's best attribute right now is supreme confidence. He's improved physically in all phases of his game over the last two seasons but he flat out believes he's going to hit every shot or drop every putt.

There are a lot of swing thoughts you can clutter you head with, but seeing the shot you want to hit, and making a swing you believe you WILL make a shot really differs from the guy who knows he's gonna slice a drive or flub a chip.

A good friend I just started playing golf with again after a 5 year break tells me I just look confident on the tee or over a putt. We joke that he has no idea where that came from but the results show. We used to play even, now its close to 20 stroke difference.

He's even been taking lessons and can't quite break through. Drives him nuts, we have good times but I knew it wears on him.
 
I accepted a VERY long time ago, that the world class players make up only 0.01% of all the worlds golfers. While I did get down to a 3 handicap in my younger days (with old balls & old equipment) I accepted the fact that "world class" I would never be.

At soon to be 54, with some health issues, I'm just happy to still be alive, let alone shoot even par. I know many guys that I play with, have expectations that they simply can not and will not ever be met. This keeps them from enjoying the game.

Of the guys I have the MOST FUN playing with, are the guys that are not very good, know it and accept it. Lots of laughs playing with those guys.

I don't have all the facts and figures in front of me, but I know anyone here chances of making a "tour" event are between little and zero. Being a scratch player for millions and millions will just never happen. Accept!
 
I went through a period where I thought I was actually good at this game, and got really upset when I didn't play to my expectations. At a certain point I realized I was being an @$$ and got over it.

I still get frustrated with myself, but try to enjoy playing golf for what it is: a fun time out hopefully with several buddies. I take stock of what I did and didn't do well and try to improve on that, but won't let a bad round ruin my day, or a great round have me quitting my job so I can try and make it as a pro.

Great advice for every skill level Freddie.
 
I have to keep telling myself you are not good enough to be mad. Getting mad means you care, but if you are not careful it can creep in and make a permanent home and ruin your game/round. I allow myself some anger, but you better believe I will shake it off by the time I get over the next shot.
 
again another nice thread Freddie. I used to be that way during the round up until recently. After reading some books by Dr. Bob Rotella and talking with a local THPer who has been inspiring me to get better this year I took a long hard look at how I was approaching the game and dealing with the results.

The lessons I have taken helped alot with me getting better but after reading the books and focusing on having the short term memory about bad shots I have been playing alot better. My blow up holes aren't as bad as they used to be and i have enjoyed my rounds much more. I try to forget about a bad shot or a bad hole and move on to the next one.

I have been talking to regular playing partners of mine and my brothers when i played with them last weekend about this.
 
Great thoughts as always Freddie.....I know I played some of my best golf when I had my own personal Bob Rotella (Buckjob) keeping me from getting down on myself!
 
emart2173 said:
again another nice thread Freddie. I used to be that way during the round up until recently. After reading some books by Dr. Bob Rotella and talking with a local THPer who has been inspiring me to get better this year I took a long hard look at how I was approaching the game and dealing with the results.

The lessons I have taken helped alot with me getting better but after reading the books and focusing on having the short term memory about bad shots I have been playing alot better. My blow up holes aren't as bad as they used to be and i have enjoyed my rounds much more. I try to forget about a bad shot or a bad hole and move on to the next one.

I have been talking to regular playing partners of mine and my brothers when i played with them last weekend about this.
Click to expand...


Rotella writes some good books. I follow his advice, and my mental toughness has actually given me much greater consistency round to round.

~Rock
 
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