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  1. #1
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    Default Bad golf out of nowhere !

    Undoubtedly I wouldn't be the only one out there that has experienced the following and i'm sure most golfers could relate. Last 8 comps have been playing reasonable (for my standard - 21 handicap golfer) - enough so that in the last 8 games I had gotten a flag in each game and in between that won the club pairs competition. All was going o.k. until out of nowhere yesterday *bang* *kapow* *whack* *add favourite 70's batman reference here* - whilst playing par I end up with a 9 down. Out of nowhere I had done things i very seldom do including 2 fresh air shots, dribbling the ball off the tea, 50 degree pull, missing 2 foot put. At least 3 holes I didn't play past the tee off (hit too many out of bounds).

    Wondering what people think is the reason behind very unexpected bad golf and what they did to pull themselves out of it. In my situation I think lack of recent practice, no fight and determination after starting off badly as well as bad golf company (one of the guys I was playing with was giving me the sh@#s - e.g. was running a tad late and first greeting when i get to course was being yelled at for running late) were my three main reasons. The last one is abit of a excuse as I believe all good golfer should be able to block out what others players say or do.

    21 is by no means a outstanding handicap but after playing yesterdays round - playing at 21 again seems like it would be a real effort or achievement.

    Last time I played this bad - i went to the course alone the next day and shot 3 under my best score for 9 holes. Weird and annoying game !

  2. #2
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    All the time and for the same reason ... bad fundamentals.

    When everything falls into place and I can fire the dozen plus muscles needed for a golf swing it the right order, then I play okay. If something is out of whack, then things go wrong'ish. This gets compounded when the wrong fix is applied.

    The better players can detect the root cause correctly, address it and not have a problem for the rest of the round. And more importantly, in their next game either.
    You don't get me. I'm part of the Union.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by MegaA View Post
    Undoubtedly I wouldn't be the only one out there that has experienced the following and i'm sure most golfers could relate. Last 8 comps have been playing reasonable (for my standard - 21 handicap golfer) - enough so that in the last 8 games I had gotten a flag in each game and in between that won the club pairs competition. All was going o.k. until out of nowhere yesterday *bang* *kapow* *whack* *add favourite 70's batman reference here* - whilst playing par I end up with a 9 down. Out of nowhere I had done things i very seldom do including 2 fresh air shots, dribbling the ball off the tea, 50 degree pull, missing 2 foot put. At least 3 holes I didn't play past the tee off (hit too many out of bounds).

    Wondering what people think is the reason behind very unexpected bad golf and what they did to pull themselves out of it. In my situation I think lack of recent practice, no fight and determination after starting off badly as well as bad golf company (one of the guys I was playing with was giving me the sh@#s - e.g. was running a tad late and first greeting when i get to course was being yelled at for running late) were my three main reasons. The last one is abit of a excuse as I believe all good golfer should be able to block out what others players say or do.

    21 is by no means a outstanding handicap but after playing yesterdays round - playing at 21 again seems like it would be a real effort or achievement.

    Last time I played this bad - i went to the course alone the next day and shot 3 under my best score for 9 holes. Weird and annoying game !
    You’ve had a good run and it went bad on the weekend. It happens, keep playing and it’ll turn around. Embrace the suck.

  4. #4
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    Often it can be one bad swing which puts doubt into your mind. If it's an embarrassing tee shot or a topped shot etc then it compounds the issue and makes your muscles tighten up leading to more of the same. As said above put it down to a bad round and get back out there. Don't overthink it
    Last edited by Flavzz; 11th March 2019 at 09:37 AM.

  5. #5
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    Air swings indicate that you were probably drunk.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by AndyP View Post
    Air swings indicate that you were probably drunk.
    Both were under bushes, one where i was crouched and didn't have a good stance - both didn't have much of a back swing. However a tad bit of merit to what you said - had two shoties before the 1st nine.

    I wonder how much being tired physically has a effect. Last week I had exercised significantly more than usual. I certainly wasn't feeling run down though.

    A lot of validity in the replies (and thanks to all who replied) - especially that bit where somebody stated a bad shot can be compounded if it plays on your mind and it can lead to other bad shots.

    Now that i have a bit of a clearer head I think the biggest factor was once falling behind I tried that extra bit too hard which led to errors. Mind set was - this is a scoring hole - you gotta score on this one - then next thing I would be putting in too much effort to find that one shot that brings back your confidence which led to bad tee offs which had a snow ball effect. Tried too hard to chase my tail. As well as that it was a day of rotten luck, balls getting a bad bounce into the bunker, nice drive that would slowly fade and end up in small bushes, par 3 hitting the green and then ending up rolling off under some weeds etc etc. I used up all my luck the previous time i played. Wasn't a enjoyable day at all and definitely not the reason I play golf.

  7. #7
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    it's just the day of the game; bad sleeping posture, not hydraded, drank a little bit more the night before, ate something wrong, etc
    Or could be basic fundamental swinging tempo, swaying too much, etc...

    I played my best game of the year a few weeks back, then the next day was complete crap, and carried forward to a few weeks.
    Went for a practice clinic last thursday, pro observed I was swaying too far forward on the downswing resulting me doing weird and awful iron shots... Yesterday seems to have fixed that issue.

    Tiredness also affected my game; at the last 2 holes of the day (after playing 32 holes) I got pretty tired, and ended up pulling my drives way left after hitting them dead straight the whole day... so it does matter....

    Guy I was playing with is a decent player, but yesterday he was getting all riled up by how slow the group in front of us was, and that ended up him playing crap too... play your own game, take each shots as it comes;

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by MegaA View Post
    Undoubtedly I wouldn't be the only one out there that has experienced the following and i'm sure most golfers could relate. Last 8 comps have been playing reasonable (for my standard - 21 handicap golfer) - enough so that in the last 8 games I had gotten a flag in each game and in between that won the club pairs competition. All was going o.k. until out of nowhere yesterday *bang* *kapow* *whack* *add favourite 70's batman reference here* - whilst playing par I end up with a 9 down. Out of nowhere I had done things i very seldom do including 2 fresh air shots, dribbling the ball off the tea, 50 degree pull, missing 2 foot put. At least 3 holes I didn't play past the tee off (hit too many out of bounds). Wondering what people think is the reason behind very unexpected bad golf and what they did to pull themselves out of it. In my situation I think lack of recent practice, no fight and determination after starting off badly as well as bad golf company (one of the guys I was playing with was giving me the sh@#s - e.g. was running a tad late and first greeting when i get to course was being yelled at for running late) were my three main reasons. The last one is abit of a excuse as I believe all good golfer should be able to block out what others players say or do. 21 is by no means a outstanding handicap but after playing yesterdays round - playing at 21 again seems like it would be a real effort or achievement. Last time I played this bad - i went to the course alone the next day and shot 3 under my best score for 9 holes. Weird and annoying game !
    I hate playing bad golf probably more than most hence the “grumpy “ tag , but having sat out 6 months of no golf a couple years and sitting out more golf now wondering if I will ever play again, I can assure you a random bad day is the least of your worries. Shite happens just concentrate on putting the best swing on each shot you can, the rest is out of your control. If your swing keeps failing get help .

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Grumpy8 View Post
    I hate playing bad golf probably more than most hence the “grumpy “ tag , but having sat out 6 months of no golf a couple years and sitting out more golf now wondering if I will ever play again, I can assure you a random bad day is the least of your worries. Shite happens just concentrate on putting the best swing on each shot you can, the rest is out of your control. If your swing keeps failing get help .
    You sat out due to the game getting the better of you and you needed a break or was it something else ? You are right playing bad golf can make you grumpy - what makes me even grumpy is behaving that way. I hate behaving like a sore loser - had a club throw onto my bag yesterday which I quickly apologized to the other players about.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MegaA View Post
    You sat out due to the game getting the better of you and you needed a break or was it something else ? You are right playing bad golf can make you grumpy - what makes me even grumpy is behaving that way. I hate behaving like a sore loser - had a club throw onto my bag yesterday which I quickly apologized to the other players about.
    No ,some back problems, playing the odd bad game is way better than not being able to play at all

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by MegaA View Post
    Wondering what people think is the reason behind very unexpected bad golf and what they did to pull themselves out of it.
    unrealistic expectations.

    after 8 games in a row you think that should continue when your standard hasnt changed, then suddenly after a couple of bad holes or so, you realise that you cant keep up to your current expectations, you try harder, and collapse in a screaming heap.

    Instead of focusing on the outcome, try to make games within the game, like break your round up into 3 x 6 hole targets. Your handicap is 21, so lets say your target is +8 for every 6 holes. Then no mattter what you have on the first 6 holes, you dont revise your target for the next 6, and only focus on the current 6 you are playing.

    +8 x 3 = 24, but you are are 21 hcap ? because our handicap isnt our average score.
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    Quote Originally Posted by markTHEblake View Post
    unrealistic expectations.

    after 8 games in a row you think that should continue when your standard hasnt changed, then suddenly after a couple of bad holes or so, you realise that you cant keep up to your current expectations, you try harder, and collapse in a screaming heap.

    Instead of focusing on the outcome, try to make games within the game, like break your round up into 3 x 6 hole targets. Your handicap is 21, so lets say your target is +8 for every 6 holes. Then no mattter what you have on the first 6 holes, you dont revise your target for the next 6, and only focus on the current 6 you are playing.

    +8 x 3 = 24, but you are are 21 hcap ? because our handicap isnt our average score.
    And the art of golf is to be able to turn those bad days into not quite so bad days. Using what swing you have on the day and turning double and triples into ugly bogeys and the occasional freaky par.

  13. #13
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    Some great posts and good pieces of advice - thank you to all who posted. Now that a couple of days have passed I can look at this performance with a clearer head. I think that up until last weekend I had a different mind set on the course and was very relaxed about my golf. In my head it was only a social game that is played with friends to pass time and have a bit of fun (even when playing comp). Usually I would say the occasional joke and have a chat etc. Last weekend would have been my 4th card of the year and as such wanted to get another flag to put myself up for strong contention for handicap pennant. I think I put too much importance on trying to get into the handicap side and as a result pressurized myself too much for the flag (my personality was way different, I was way too uptight, not joking - but that may also have been due to one of the players in the group). I believe a will to succeed and nerves are good but only to a certain point - once you get past that point and put too much pressure on yourself its like a pressure cooker - you explode. I think being able to disconnect from a bad shot and not get too high over a good shot are important but very hard to mentally train for.

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    Sounds like a classic case of playing golf score and not playing golf.
    Hit Them Well or Hit Them Often

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    Quote Originally Posted by Daves View Post
    Using what swing you have on the day
    I like that.

    had a deep and meaningful with my old mate Dougk last night, and he mentioned one of the great coaches or players that described his huge collection of reliable swing 'keys', as W.O.O.D.

    Works Only One Day How true is that!
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  16. #16
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    Amen brother.

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    Going through a bit of a downer over the last few months.... Since the end of the Pennants season, been playing absolute crap.... haven't broke 90 since May (except for 1 game)
    took 2 weeks off to travel, but came back with a 29 points game. 17 off the front with 2 wipes, but just went pear shape on the back 9...

    seem to be struggling to hit my irons cleanly for some reason.

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    Quote Originally Posted by okitoki View Post
    Going through a bit of a downer over the last few months.... Since the end of the Pennants season, been playing absolute crap.... haven't broke 90 since May (except for 1 game)
    took 2 weeks off to travel, but came back with a 29 points game. 17 off the front with 2 wipes, but just went pear shape on the back 9...

    seem to be struggling to hit my irons cleanly for some reason.
    You need to buy more stuff

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    Quote Originally Posted by okitoki View Post
    Going through a bit of a downer over the last few months.... Since the end of the Pennants season, been playing absolute crap.... haven't broke 90 since May (except for 1 game)took 2 weeks off to travel, but came back with a 29 points game. 17 off the front with 2 wipes, but just went pear shape on the back 9... seem to be struggling to hit my irons cleanly for some reason.
    You have a pinched nerve in your hip a and cannot complete a consistent swing.Bikram yoga for you 👍

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    Quote Originally Posted by Toxic View Post
    You have a pinched nerve in your hip a and cannot complete a consistent swing.Bikram yoga for you 
    Wish I had a pinched nerve, at least I can blame it on something...
    Tee off with 3 woods... 3-4 holes I am hitting them perfectly, then on the 5th I would just top the bastard pass the ladies t-box. *facepalm*

    during practice either on course or range, similar swing, no changes that I can think of, I can hit my shots pretty well... maybe I have to start playing "conservative" again like i used to with a high handicap to bring the confidence back again...
    Will place less emphasis on the long game and work more on my short games again as they seem to help me with my scoring before...

    Quote Originally Posted by 3puttpete View Post
    You need to buy more stuff
    lol... havent changed anything recently... actually... havent bought anything new recently

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    Have a lesson, then you can use the “ I am working on a few swing changes “ excuse until you come good .

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    Quote Originally Posted by Grumpy8 View Post
    Have a lesson, then you can use the “ I am working on a few swing changes “ excuse until you come good .
    yeah probably need to go back to a pro... last time it worked great but might have developed some bad habits since then.

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    Quote Originally Posted by okitoki View Post
    yeah probably need to go back to a pro... last time it worked great but might have developed some bad habits since then.
    A pro can spot something in 30 seconds that you can blow 6 months trying to sort.




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    Quote Originally Posted by Johnny Canuck View Post
    A pro can spot something in 30 seconds that you can blow 6 months trying to sort.
    yeah... playing hartfield open this weekend... so will see the pro after this weekend.
    Had a range session last night to work on my basic again concentrating on the swing rather than the speed and strength.... hit well, felt good; hopefully it carries forward to this weekend.


 

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