Ever have a moment like this? Went out on Saturday with my regular group and shot a huge score. Big. I've worked on my game a lot and have developed a good swing out of total scroad over the past couple years, but I seem to like to shoot myself in the foot during the round. Granted, our course is a very tough test. But, I know where the pitfalls are so I don't have that excuse. I pulled some real fun stunts including but not limited to: shanking a chip into a bunker, a few 3-putts, topping my 5-wood after a beautiful drive (I did make a beautiful swing, though), and I pulled a Tin Cup on 16 - putting two in a row into the lake because I was too ticked off to walk up and take an appropriate drop. After my round I added up my score and decided to make a change. Not a big believer in new years resolutions and that's not what this is. This is more a "come to baby jezus" moment with my game.

Can you relate? Share your stories here...

My biggest commitment was early last year with my putting. I was sick of 3 putts, like 4-5 per round, and missing the 3-4 footers consistently. So I made a conscious effort to fix it. Read Dave Pelz's putting bible and stayed with it. Also spent probably 80% of my practice time on the putting green. Putting has gone from dreadful to respectable. Planning on continued improvement through 2020.

That being said i have a "come to baby jezus" moment with my driver about every round, but the awful putting was first on the list.

Golf is so mental for me... I hear you. I think it's the curse that I only have the time to mostly practice inside, or on a range. I've had multiple rounds on the Trackman "courses" (where they give you virtually every GIR as a 2 putt, always a flat lie, etc) where I scored under 70. This year my goal is to actually not even touch the driving range and to just play golf, even if it's 6 or 9 holes after work at 5-6pm and to putt on real grass. I find I struggle with weird/uneven lies (like ball above feet) and putting the most. So going from 90% of my actual golf time being on a flat lie which is a mat, where... technically the outcome doesn't matter to, ball above feet/below feet, and making an errant shot means scores shooting up and balls being lost... the mental factor comes hugely into play for me.

I have come to that same realization many times. But my problem is that the other voice in my head is an a-hole. If I think to myself, "I can't reach the green so why hit 3 wood", or "the chances of pulling off that shot are slim", then that a-hole in my head says " that other idiot doesn't know what he is talking about! You've got this!".

Don't get me wrong, it feels amazing when the a-hole is right and I pull the shot off. But more times than not it cost me strokes, and then I stew on it and won't let it for for a couple of holes, causing even more carnage in my golf game.

This. So hard to talk myself into playing smarter golf. Do I need to crush it off the tee? No. Do I want to? Yes. Does it work? Never.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Sorry, I had to get that out.

No you aren't, you're human. Even the GOATs have a crappy round, match, game, whatever the sport.

You can only lessen the frequency.

Sorry for the downer, but I wish you good luck.

HAHAHAHA!!!

I was once told that if I didn't want to play bad, don't play. I had a round last week when I hit it about as well as I can. I also had a round last week that felt like I was using clubs I had never seen. It happens. Bad shots happen, but you can use your head to reduce management mistakes. Don't worry about a bad round. Have a short memory.

"I pulled a Tin Cup on 16 - putting two in a row into the lake because I was too ticked off to walk up and take an appropriate drop."

Hahaha oh yeah, this used to be one of my go to reactions on course. Just toss another ball down and stripe the shot you meant to hit on the first swing (10% success rate). Even if I hit the second one perfectly I'd still be venting steam over the first swing as I walked along the fairway.

Playing golf is like two opposing sides fighting fiercely in my head. As Mordrid noted above, I too have an internal A-hole but my version is a vile and reactionary SOB. I always begin the round with A-hole completely silent and my mantra "just enjoy being out on this lovely day" flowing. Hit my first bad shot and A-hole begins percolating and the internal battle begins. Keep my cool like a normal golfer or allow the A-hole to take over and ruin the entire day? I've scoured the web trying to find a surgeon who will safely lobotomize my perfectionism but all I have found thus far is a pharmaceutical product for Peyronie's disease that may cause complete loss of emotion in some patients. Darn it I need a guarantee!

My crappy golf depends on how I react to crappy shots, it's that simple. Just the other day I sank 21 free throws in a row yet I still let out an F bomb when the 22nd attempt rattled in and out. I need that part of me gone and soon! Next season will be different, I'm really going to try and silence the A-hole

Golf seems to be a journey, not a destination. Sometimes on that journey you're cruising on the interstate, and at other times you are trying to navigate a narrow path over rough terrain.

I have come to accept days like you described as a part of the journey. All I can do is try my best and accept what the game gives me on any given day, be it good or bad. That said, like you I work hard on my game and yeah, it can get frustrating when reality doesn't meet my expectations, but that is golf. All anyone can do is keep working and keep trying...and not try to be too hard on oneself when things don't work out on any given day.

While I'm curious if your BeerPerHole nickname is a joke, or your mantra - as that could help kill any round - I have a buddy it took me two years to cure him from doing like you, and shooting a big number because he didn't know how to play golf instead of just whacking balls. He has a good swing, hits it further than I do, and knows how to score. But he went for every shot (even if the percentages were not in his favor), didn't know the words lay up (when he faced too long a distance into a green), and seemed to have a handful of holes every round that ruined his score. ... So finally one weekend, where we were going to play both days, I told him - "you play your way Saturday, and I get to pull your clubs Sunday." He shot 90, my way he shot 78.

It finally clicked, and his scores immediately there after continued to fall all last year. Now, does he occasionally revert to his old ways? Sure. But if he's only "going for the gusto" once or twice a round, even if he does miss badly, it doesn't ruin a round like when he did it 6 or 8 times a round.

You know it. One thing you better know real quick is even the players on tour experience shanking the ball. The thing you have to take away from that is the fact that you are not a pro. That being said, you have to learn to take your medicine and play the next shot. Like you said about hitting the ball in the lake twice because you wanted to prove to yourself that you could and sure enough, the same thing happened again. I think the best scores I have been able to put together were the ones that I played the course as vanilla as I could meaning if I didnt need to play a driver I would not. Instead, I would take the total distance of the hole and subtract 130 which is my PW and play whatever club got me to that distance. It was awesome because I knew my next shot was going to be my Pw and low and behold. I started licking my chops at my approach because my shot became that much more repeatable throughout the round. Try it some time and same held true for the par 5's. This game is hard enough with 14 clubs so narrow it down to 1 or 2 favorite approach yardages and learn to setup your drive to get to those two distances. You will be scoring better yet. As far as the chipping. It happens. The putting, I have adopted looking at the hole for longer putts outside of 15 feet. Works for some pro players and I gave it a try and helped in my lag putts. Not sure why looking at the hole sends messages to your brain in terms of how hard or long your stroke should be. Give that a try and see if it works for you.

I've been running a tough track for a while now and barely missing sub 100 rounds........ Frustrating.

One thing you mentioned I have corrected was topping the 5 wood. I removed it from my bag and now hit a 5 iron. That has helped me on the par 5's no lie. I was shooting 105 and now I am down to 101, 102 consistently just by parring one par 5 now with my strategy. Hit driver (replace topped fw wood) with decent 5 iron ~170 in my case and now hit something reasonable into the green. Sometimes I get lucky but usually not and now I am forced to chip and then it's either one putt or two. Worse case a bogey.

This has really begin to help me. That and the Par 3's I usually get a par on. Just a little more practice on the 5's and 3's should really help me get under the 100 mark.

Sorry to rant but that topped wood is a killer. Just complete dog crap.

One other thing, I had that 400 ping 5 wood. I hated it, topped it all the time.

I score better overall when I play conservatively. But honestly, golf is not fun when there is a slim chance at birdie or better. I play golf to have fun.

My handicap is down to the lowest it's been (7.2) in about 6 years because I adopted a more conservative mentality. When faced with that high-risk/high-reward shot, I weigh my chances and generally stay away from the hero shot. My friends say my game has become "boring". I'd rather be boring and take the big numbers out of play, than shoot a big number and have it hanging in my head for the rest of the round.

Perfect example. On last year's guys trip, we were on hole 16 at En-Joie. It's a short par 4, about 270-280. Whole lotta bunkers and a couple trees up near the front of the green. My buddies ribbed me when I pulled out 5-iron and put one safely in the fairway, leaving myself about 90-100 yards in. They all pull driver, and ended up in bunkers, OB, behind a tree. I proceeded to drop a LW to about 25 feet, and hit the putt for birdie.

Of course I got crap for getting a birdie the "boring way", but whatever.

I can relate to this... kinda. I'm at my lowest handicap in a number of years, but could probably be better if I would just play a little more conservative. This is real hard for me. The challenge gets to me every time. I love to play the game for the great shot, and the satisfaction of doing things that most of my playing partners would never try. Like carrying the pond with a 3 iron on a par 5. Risky? Of course, but what a feeling when you drop it on the green inside 20 feet. I have to admit when some money is on the line near the end of a round, I will back off a bit, but feel that if I don't challenge myself I will never develop to confidence to go for the shot when it really matters.

I guess it is all about why you play, and what you enjoy. I can't say this for all rounds, but in many cases, the score is just number. The game execution is where I get the most satisfaction.

If you play for easy pars, you will get your birdie chances (i.e. aim for the middle of the green and some will "miss" towards the hole, etc.). Make it about hitting your target with the shot you are trying to hit, not getting it close to the hole every time - aggressive play to a conservative target, etc.

Question: for those of you who've scored your lowest rounds by playing "conservatively" - did you really find it boring?

I'm skeptical...

The name "BeerPerHole" is a joke. In half of my rounds I don't drink at all. 40% I have one drink at the turn. 10% I have two drinks, no more. In this regime drinking seems to have no impact on my game at all. If you're double-digits a beer won't have much influence unless you're a lightweight little person. I know some people struggle with booze, and I don't mean to make light of that. It's a tough deal for some people...

Welcome to the club.

Sometimes you have to suck bad enough it hurts before you are willing to make a commitment to a real change. Making a change isn't easy and there will be an obstacle or 10 along the way where it's much simpler to say f..k it and go back to where you are. It can be a vicious cycle until you really change, maintain status quo, or quit.

Good luck brother.

I have played golf this way for 30 years. I see by your handicap that you must also on a regular. Mine is 3.4. I very rarely go for anything that isn't a pretty high percentage. I can say, I don't even try for a par five in two unless I am within 200 yards and their are no hazards around the greens. I has to be an open front and depending on what angle I am approaching their cannot be a bunker on the opposite side. If I am on the left side of fairway I'll mostly push it more right into a right green side bunker so I don't go for it. I'll try it short 5 yards in front or take a club that cannot reach that bunker and go with that.

I never swing full out. 85 percent is it. I don't mind using an extra club.

It seems boring but getting the ball into the hole in the least amount of strokes is what it's about. I maybe once or twice a year shoot anything over a 76.

Big blowups will kill a score quick. Even if it's two holes.

I never find it boring to shoot a low score. This past weekend hit 13 fairways and 16 greens by using driver, 3 wood, and hybrid off the tee. Did not go for a single par five in two just laid up to a good yardage then wedge in. Bored no, actually grinding and pretty exciting.

Haven’t had a moment where I can completely relate but I offer a great solution...or more so a change up. 2 beers per hole or 1 beer per 2 holes. 1 for 1 can get somewhat monotonous.

Yeah, this is the spot I got to. A majority of my practice time will be chipping and putting, and a little bunker work thrown in to spice it up. I've been the longest guy off the tee in my Saturday foursomes for some time now, but that doesn't mean s$%t. I'll even reach a par 5 in two at least once per round - like some kind of party gag. A 16 has no business doing that, really. When I added my score Saturday that was my "baby jezus" moment. Haha...

Crappy golf is in your future haha!

Crappy golf is in everyone's future..... its golf. Embrace the crappy golf as part of the game... you can lessen it but never get rid of... attitude is underrated in golf. Even if there are a hundred golf books titled attitude is everything in golf it would still be overlooked and underrated.... even by the pros.

The most boring rounds I've ever played were the most enjoyable. And the best scores. Having all parts of your game working fairly decently at the same time is a pleasure in and of itself.

ive been out of work for a week and since then been putting and chipping…. Actually I’ve modified it a little you may want too try this

chip and then putt it into the hole. A chip and putt is a par and 2 chips putt or chip and two putt bogey. Both IMO are okay. Just work the chipping green over and over. It’s actually kind of fun. I get a 24 ounce Stella and do this in flip flops and a tee shirt.

Yep. Had one of those two years ago. Was tired of watching the top mid-am and senior ams I play with banging 3.5 foot putts dead-center into the back of the hole and not being able to do it myself. Decided to change everything about my putting in order to become (as close as I possibly could to) world class.

Dropped my putting from 31 putts per round to 28.9 for the approximately 40 rounds that I tracked it. And it all started with a dead-solid commitment to being able to make a phocking straight 3.5 in the center of the back of the hole.

Had a club championship where I had a bad back and my mind was in shambles before I even hit the first shot. Was so insecure, I'd never been in pain like that before (age 24 ish).

The round was a perfect storm of me REALLY trying, but nothing worked - almost walked off after 9 holes, but finished out the round. Not sure about the score, but I was ashamed and really shook my self-belief. The kind of round which rocks your own image of "Brunchz0r the golfer". Anyway I stopped playing for some years the following season due to unrelated work / health stuff. But it's still a part of the journey to where I am today.

At least I started playing again, made so many good friends over the years. And a lot of memorable positive experiences.

I've played the best golf of my life once I stopped worrying about distance. Once my main goal became keeping the ball out of trouble and in the short stuff everything got better. Sounds obvious but it works. Laying up on par 4's ain't all bad.