How to keep it going

[Trig]

As Keith posted on another thread - sometimes it's hard to take success and keep a good round going. I know this has happened to me. I think the key is to expect success and expect to keep a good round going. Trying to protect a good score doesn't work. What do you guys think?

[revert]

i've suffered from this trig, protecting a score just doesn't work, it costs shots in the end. If i have a really good score going, now i take the attitude i want a better score and try and be as aggresive as i can when the opportunity is there.

[BerntR]

As Keith posted on another thread - sometimes it's hard to take success and keep a good round going. I know this has happened to me. I think the key is to expect success and expect to keep a good round going. Trying to protect a good score doesn't work. What do you guys think?

Three words: Confidence, concentration and expectations.

Confidence is good as long as you don't get overconfident. What did Tin Cup say: Be humble?

Be humble and confident - and consentrate on doing your best to produce the shot you know you have in you. And be ready to accept the result.

Expectations are IMO the enemy of good golf and golfing pleasure. Expectations tends to be the super-ego talking to you with a judgemental attitude. If you play poorly for a few holes you will talk yourself out of any possibilities you might have of recovering. If you play to well you will start fearing to blow up a good round now that your super-ego expects you to post a good score.

Trying is to try to make a 60 footer die in the hole without any fear. Expecting is to expect a 2-putt from 60 feet. The trying mentality will 1) increase the number of one-putts, 2) more often than not result in a shorter second putt and 3) make it easier to accept a poor result because you weren't expecting a particular result. The expecting mentality will likely put a lot of pressure on the second put whenever the first one failes - because you expect to 2-putt from that distance.

Trying is to aim for a small spot on the green from 175 yards. Expecting is: "I ought to be able to get this somewhere on the green"

A long time ago, with a HCP of 20, I managed to post a round 8 over par. By halfway I was so far ahead of my handicap that I felt I could do some serious errors and still post a very good score. That thought kept me in play for the whole round. Played the last 9 holes 3 over par and managed to stay focused for 18 holes. I've never done anything like it since.

But it's not easy to stay focused throughout a whole round.

Nowday - with a HCP of 6 - I tend to start thinking of results whenever I am past hole 11-12-13 and still am in position to post a score close to par. Expectations enters the inner dialog and I start doing some very small - almost intangible errors - that turns pars into bogeys.

Most people on my level tend to do one big or many small errors whenever they are in position to "over-achieve". Technically we are good enough to play most courses on par on the very best ball striking days, but past and future expectations creeps in and prevents us from doing that.

I believe something similar happens to top golfers whenever they find themselves a few shots ahead of Tiger on the last day of a big tournament.

[Trig]

Three words: Confidence, concentration and expectations.

Confidence is good as long as you don't get overconfident. What did Tin Cup say: Be humble?

Be humble and confident - and consentrate on doing your best to produce the shot you know you have in you. And be ready to accept the result.

Expectations are IMO the enemy of good golf and golfing pleasure. Expectations tends to be the super-ego talking to you with a judgemental attitude. If you play poorly for a few holes you will talk yourself out of any possibilities you might have of recovering. If you play to well you will start fearing to blow up a good round now that your super-ego expects you to post a good score.

I think you can use positive expecations to carry the round. I'm not talking about expecting to make 60 foot putts. I'm talking about taking the attitude that you are good enough to keep a good round going.

About a month after my first swamp visit I started the round birdie/eagle with a host of great shots. I was still -3 after 6 holes but then fell victim to trying to protect the score. I started leaving 10ft putts short because I was worried about making a bogey. I could have been -5 at the turn if I just had enough confidence to make my normal stroke. I ended up shooting 75, which is a very good round no doubt. But I think my mental attitude cost me a very great round.

My attitude now is: I'm good enough to break par. I expect it to happen. My goal has been for the last couple of years to break 80 every round. I think my sights are set too low. I find myself constantly doing what it takes to break 80 and then getting really protective of that outcome.

I also know I'm going to hit bad shots. Everyone hits them. But it's how I react to them that determines if I let it turn into a downward spiral.

[krpainter]

Great posts BerntR & Trigolt. I can relate to both. I tend to think of "worse case scenarios" and then set my expectations slightly higher...like last Sunday when I had a great 9 going I remember thinking "just put the drive somewhere in play & just give get away with bogeys on holes 8 & 9 and you will have a great round". On the first 7 holes I was more aggresive and wanting to get par or better.

I think that change in mentality does effect the outcome. Instead of hitting the driver normally I know I had a tentative kinda steering swing that got me into big trouble. I think the key for me is to always attack every hole the same, with a positive attitude/expectation, but be willing to accept less than that rather than expecting something mediocre and getting something even worse.

There is definitely a mental aspect to this game that has to be conquered just like the technical aspect.

Keith

[BerntR]

I think you can use positive expecations to carry the round. I'm not talking about expecting to make 60 foot putts. I'm talking about taking the attitude that you are good enough to keep a good round going.

About a month after my first swamp visit I started the round birdie/eagle with a host of great shots. I was still -3 after 6 holes but then fell victim to trying to protect the score. I started leaving 10ft putts short because I was worried about making a bogey. I could have been -5 at the turn if I just had enough confidence to make my normal stroke. I ended up shooting 75, which is a very good round no doubt. But I think my mental attitude cost me a very great round.

My attitude now is: I'm good enough to break par. I expect it to happen. My goal has been for the last couple of years to break 80 every round. I think my sights are set too low. I find myself constantly doing what it takes to break 80 and then getting really protective of that outcome.

I also know I'm going to hit bad shots. Everyone hits them. But it's how I react to them that determines if I let it turn into a downward spiral.

Semantics aside: Apart from the Swamp visit, your story is exactly the same as I've experienced on several occations. IMO, this mental challenge is the most fun and the most fascinating part of golf. I only wished I played well enough more often to get more of this experience. ANd nothing beats the satisfaction of a strong finish on a good round.

In a decent to good round I usually have a string of holes where the pars comes very easy and a birdie or two may drop. But I always have one or two periods with mediocre striking. And it's how I handle those periods that determines the outcome of the round. Do I manage to keep the ball in play and save pars - or do I start to bleed? It doesn't take many bogeys to turn a potential great round into a mediocre one. And the line between scrambling pars and posting bogeys seems very thin.

The thing is, on the front nine - provided the course is not to difficult - I can play close-to-par golf without striking the ball very well. And I believe that is because I don't pay to much attention to the score or to the ball striking quality in the start of the round. I only try to get the ball in the hole. So as long as I don't get exited about the score - and don't judge my ball striking - I can score well without playing well.

On the other hand: I am not unaware of the score if I am on par after 11 holes. As the round progresses and the score remains good, I get more exited. And I emphasise the ball striking more. So how should I handle the rest of the round?

To me there are only two options. Playing agressive (but not with an agressive strategy) in order to keep fear away. Hit it hard. Try to hole the chip. Go for birdie. Try to go as low as possible. Try to cancel out any anticipations that may disturb the flow.

The other alternative is to mentally restart the round every now and then. Try to play the next three holes on par or better. I read somewhere that Annika sorenstam played 6 3-hole rounds. I've tried it - but it hasn't worked out so far for me.

I must admit that I am no better in this department than the average 6 HCP-er. But I am working on it.

[Trig]

BerntR,

We sound like we struggle with the same issues on this one. I too, wish I had more opportunities to keep that good round going!

Trig

[EdZ]

It is the expectations that get in the way. Get rid of them, and you can really score.

I learned this the hard way (and relearn it sometimes). Many years ago in my senior year of high school, I was playing in the championship tourney. I had been so 'expecting' to win that year, that I blew the first round big time (I think I shot 85ish). I came into the second round well back of the leader, shot something like a 40 on the front and was still, from my view, totally out of it. On the 10th, I somehow managed to 'let go' of my expectations. I eagled 11 and went on to shoot 35 on the back, just missing a 12 footer for the tie on 18. Of course it helped that the leader, playing with me, started to choke as I turned up the heat with the eagle and some solid play.

The real challenge is in your mind.

[birdie_man]

Expectations are IMO the enemy of good golf and golfing pleasure. Expectations tends to be the super-ego talking to you with a judgemental attitude. If you play poorly for a few holes you will talk yourself out of any possibilities you might have of recovering. If you play to well you will start fearing to blow up a good round now that your super-ego expects you to post a good score.

Trying is to try to make a 60 footer die in the hole without any fear. Expecting is to expect a 2-putt from 60 feet. The trying mentality will 1) increase the number of one-putts, 2) more often than not result in a shorter second putt and 3) make it easier to accept a poor result because you weren't expecting a particular result. The expecting mentality will likely put a lot of pressure on the second put whenever the first one failes - because you expect to 2-putt from that distance.

Trying is to aim for a small spot on the green from 175 yards. Expecting is: "I ought to be able to get this somewhere on the green"

Good points but you have to realize that it is different for each person. I think Bobby Jones said he just "whacks it out there somewhere and hopes it gets close to the flag." Doesn't sound like he's trying too hard to me. Then look at Jack- he looks like he's trying to take a crap when he's golfing. Everyone has a different style.

I think you can try too hard and that's what I tend to do, rather than just going along and playing the game and having fun. It's easy to put pressure on yourself when you try too hard and have high standards for yourself.

In my opinion, you ideally want to keep any thinking on the golf course to a minimum. What I have to realize personally, is that perfection is not something that happens everyday, or you can expect to happen everyday. You only get into 'the zone' every once in a while when EVERYTHING is going your way. I've been trying to keep it athletic lately...but that's what's so hard about this game...you're out there not really doing much and at a damn slow pace.

I think saying "be confident" is pretty much useless. You have to truly believe that you are the best and you are capable. You have to ACTUALLY believe it. Not just say it to yourself. And that's not an easy thing to do. Try telling a non-confident person to be confident. Nuh-uh.

[BerntR]

Good points but you have to realize that it is different for each person. I think Bobby Jones said he just "whacks it out there somewhere and hopes it gets close to the flag." Doesn't sound like he's trying too hard to me.

I think you can try too hard and that's what I tend to do, rather than just going along and playing the game and having fun. It's easy to put pressure on yourself when you try too hard and have high standards for yourself.

In my opinion, you ideally want to keep any thinking on the golf course to a minimum. What I have to realize personally, is that perfection is not something that happens everyday, or you can expect to happen everyday. You only get into 'the zone' every once in a while when EVERYTHING is going your way. I've been trying to keep it athletic lately...but that's what's so hard about this game...you're out there not really doing much and at a damn slow pace.

I think saying "be confident" is pretty much useless. You have to truly believe that you are the best and you are capable. You have to ACTUALLY believe it. Not just say it to yourself. And that's not an easy thing to do. Try telling a non-confident person to be confident. Nuh-uh.

IMO these are vg points and important issues.

I agree that there are large individual differences. For instance, everyone has an optimal stress level. But no one plays well if the stress level and the mood is like a roller coster. Even steven is what works best. It is Utopia, but worth striving for.

I also agree that it is possible to try too hard. Bob Rotella has a putting training session, where you are supposed to find out how hard you try when you hole most putts. On a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is nonchalant and 10 is the most intense effort you can produce - you shall test put on every effort level from 1-10 and find out on which level you sink most putts.

But I still think trying is much more fruitful than expecting. Even if Bobby Jones wasn't aiming for a small spot in the fairway, he was probably very focused on his preshot routine and on his stroke execution.

I disagree with you regarding confidence. Confidence is not something that comes and disappears by itself. It is something most players can play and talk themselves in to or out of. If we play with high expectations that we constantly fail to reach, and we critisize ourself we are likely to break our confidence.

On the other hand, we can pick shots that we are comfortable with, accept the results - and dwell with the good shots and forget the bad shots - and thereby breed confidence.

Golfers tend to be more emotional when they make a poor shot than a good one. Maybe we should try to do the opposite? Emotions breed learning and it is far better to learn from the sucessful shots than from the mistakes. The same goes with confidence.

As far as the thinking goes, I agree to a certain extent that too much thinking is not a good thing. Particularly "fixing the swing" thinking and "got to make this shot" thinking. That will only confuse the computer, to put it in TGM terms. On the other hand - if we can monitor ourselves - feel the pressure points in our strokes - monitor our own thinking process and spirit ... well, I believe awareness breeds good golf.

Best regards,