Scratch and plus cappers - closing a good round

Playing really well lately but I've let several sub 70 rounds get away. Last 3 rounds I've played I was -2 thru 7. Rounds ended up:

-2

+1

+ a few - score doesn't really matter, was a tournament round and got a bad break that led to a double on 13 and I went chasing birdies hard to try to get back in position to win.

My question is...what have you noticed in your own games, mind set, course mgmt, etc that you didn't initially realized was the cause of letting a good round get away?

Too aggressive or not aggressive enough?

Losing focus on birdie putts?

Losing focus in general?

I've been primed for sub 70 for the last couple of months and just am not getting it done.

Its a mental block. Simple as that. The more rounds you are under par the less 'freaked out you'll be if you are 4 or 5 under etc.. You dont get nervous shooting 73 versus 74. There's no reason to be nervous shooting 69 versus 70.

The better you become at golf you just habituate to being under par and its like 'meh'.

Thanks. This was something I had to overcome in the early 2000s...not being afraid to go low. Ive shot sub 70 at least 50 times in my life, mostly from 2004-2005. I completely understand what you're saying. I don't think that's my block though. If anything, it's kind of the opposite...expecting it to happen. I posted back to back sub 70 rounds in November, so definitely not afraid of it.

For example, I know the mindset after starting -2 is to "get one more" and then get another one...to not relax because I started well. But something else is tripping me up. Probably a bit of everything I posted above...

Btw, not trying to be argumentative. I fully grasp what you're saying. Reading "going low " by david Duvall back in about 2004 was a big key to overcoming the mindset you've outlined.

Usually when things fall apart for me at the end it's because I'm either getting too careless or too careful.

But I would tend to lean towards it more often than not being too careful.

If I'm playing a good round then I should be willing to bet on myself even more. I've got the hot hand...might as well take advantage of it.

The big thing I realized a few years ago is that true confidence isn't about thinking you're going to hit every shot really well. It's about that belief in yourself that even if you hit a bad shot that you are good enough to recover from it and in the end, the good shots will outweigh the bad shots.

So when coming down the stretch it's easy to hit a tee shot in the woods and panic instead of realizing that you're playing really well and that you can recover from the woods and then hit good shots on the next hole and make another birdie.

RH

Agree with you. Great example was the round I finished -2. I was -1 with 3 to play and pulled a 3wood badly and almost into a hazard. Big side hill lie from 150, over trees to a bunker guarded green. Leader was at-2 so I knew bogey would eliminate me. I dug in and told myself "find a way to make par". Hit 2nd shot into front bunker, hit the bunker shot to 6 inches, birdied the next and got into a playoff. That round's review noted several holes with 8i or less where I didn't leave good looks for birdie. So I decided to be more aggressive the next round with 8i or less. That aggressiveness crept into my driver and I abandoned conservative tee play and made 2 bogeys on 8 and 9 the next round after being -2 thru 7.

Trying to find the right balance of aggressiveness and focus to close out good starts.

Birdie holes are birdie holes. Par holes are par holes. That doesn't change whether you are -2 thru 5 or +2 thru 5. I stick to strategy and let the round happen. The more ordinary you can make playing each hole, the easier it is to execute.

Play the course one shot at a time and the problem disappears. Give thought to what you should hit and then focus on hitting that as well as you can. Where you stand relative to par doesn't enter into it.

Steve

So, when you stray from strategy, what is the typical cause? Over aggressiveness, lack of focus, etc?

What is it that causes you to stray from playing 1 shot at a time?

Stick to your pre shot routine and commit to your swing thoughts. The last thing you want to think about is your score and more importantly, worry about blowing your score. Once you start feeling the nerves its time to reset how you're thinking. It may help to talk yourself through your routine either under your breath or in your head as you go through it, it will help to refocus your mind away from score and back to golf shot.

i hope you all won't mind a quick side bar related to the comments/questions directly above:

if you're in the thick of it during a tournament, do you recommend looking at the leaderboard and possibly adjusting your game plan as a result? or do you just keep your head down and stick to the plan? any exceptions to this strategy?

thanks!

Typically happens when you start thinking about score or results. Expectations interfering with execution. I try to focus on idealized ways of playing holes and playing shots staying within what I can truly execute (trying stupid sh1t that I don't practice is a no-no). The more you can get wrapped up in fine details of the shots, the less you will dwell on expectations of results.

I definitely check the leaderboard. I like to know. It can change strategy, for sure. If you're 1 back with 2 to play you likely get a touch more aggressive. Then you ask yourself if you should have been more aggressive all day or more focused...thus the thread...lol

Thanks. I'll have to think about this...look back and see if anything changed as the last few rounds progressed to see if I did anything out of the ordinary that cost me.

What typically happens to your rounds when you go into cruise control...sort of get a bit lazy with thinking, focus drops just a bit?

Back in my day, playing for some money or just for a Coke, I wanted to play the most boring golf ever. Drive it in the fairway, knock it on the green, leave myself a tap-in at worst sort of mindset. However, the first time I won a tournament, just a little country thing, I had about a 6 inch putt for the win, and my hands were shaking so badly that I had to back off.

For me it was getting either greedy or playing defensive that got costly

I have very definite swing thoughts on backswing and forward swing. I will sometimes start getting complacent if I hit a bunch of good shots in a row forgetting, of course, that remaining disciplined with the swing thoughts allowed those good shots to occur in the first place. Having a good, repeatable process helps enormously.

Let some one else keep score for you.

I know this has cost me. I have deliberate backswing and transition thoughts. I tend to get lazy with transition when I go into cruise control.

I’d just get nervous. It’s funny the times where I shattered my previous scoring record I did it with so much confidence. No nerves. I just expected myself to play to that level. My first time breaking 80 was in a tournament and I shot 75. All I focused on was hitting the fairway, hitting the green, and making the putt. In a lot of ways you just have to not care about the score. Go through your routine, pick the target, and accept whatever the result is. Way easier said than done, but if you can get to that point it’s second nature.

All things considered, I believe my outlook on these situations is my best strength as a golfer. My attitude towards this has always been that there are people who have shot in the fifties, so any other score you shoot will pale in comparison. Thus, I do not get nervous about playing well, I just let the chips fall as they may. Just stay with the process you have and your swing thoughts. May get a smidgen more aggressive but keep the approach relatively stable. With this in mind, I actually tend to play very well down the stretch during my good rounds. Example: last week I shot 65 (-7) and was -4 in my last 7 holes. First time I broke par I was 67 (-5) and was -4 in my last 5 holes.

I mean I think it comes down to working too hard on the back. No need to freak out, just finish the round. Count strokes after you play, not during. And if you ever have any real doubts, play conservative tee to green, and really your score will always be par to below, and with a few putts made here and there 68 will be a cakewalk. Play conservative and you won't lose anything, but at the same time use your head and figure that if you do end up making bogey it's always doable if you hit enough greens. 2 under bogey free 9 yesterday for me, 9 gir, and was a nice start to July. Just took 3 woods and irons, and lag putted 7 holes with a couple good 15 footers drained. Just finish the round, and forget everything else.

Asked my coach this the other day because the same was happening to me.

He said no matter the situation be as aggressive as you can from the fairway. Smartly chase pins, try to make all your chips. Try to go as low as possible all the time.

I think I figured out my own answer today. Terrible start...+3 thru 8. Battled back to finish even. Those last 10 holes today are what i need to focus on when I'm-2 thru 7...

Increase the focus.

Stay aggressive.

Stay smart.

Need to manage the course better...

Yes, X 1,047,841.

Another thing to consider is that "going low" (for most amateurs) involves a bit of elevated heart-rate and "nervousness" of one kind or another. It happens to pros too, of course, just under different circumstances (winning their first tournament, winning a major, shooting 59, etc.).

For us amateurs, that nervousness can lead to some really stupid choices and shots "under pressure" on holes that don't fit our eye, or on our "nemesis holes" at our home course, or courses we play frequently.

Example: The 18th at my current home course and my old home course were the scene of many bogeys and doubles over the years when I was several under or leading/tied in a big money match. The reason, almost always? Horrible thought process.

The 18th at my old course is a tough hole. 435, with water fronting the green, and usually downwind to a very firm green (in the fall, winter, and early spring) There are certain pins that, at my advanced age, I just cannot attack. I simply need to play away from certain pins, leave myself a 30 - 40 footer, 2-putt, and get out of there with a par. Other pins on the same green are "go" pins and I can be aggressive. The thing is, "under pressure," I sometimes wouldn't even know what specific shot I was hitting!! I was just hitting "a shot" in the general vicinity of the pin. Stooooopid.

The 18th at my current course is 530, into the prevailing wind, and there's a creek that fronts the green. It's completely unreachable in two for me, but when I first started playing the course, I tried to "crush" a drive to "give myself a chance at reaching" and I would invariably hit a high block into the trees (which made recovery difficult and bogey a 50/50 proposition) or, I would hit a quick pull into the creek left. So stupid.

Now, I know that the hole is a 3-shot hole, period. I take aim down the right side and hit a straight tee ball or a slight draw, lay-up to 80 to 100 (short of the creek) wedge it on, and make 4 or 5 virtually every time. Why? because ... I have a flippin' plan!!

The moral of the story: Have a flippin' plan when you are going low, or leading a tournament, or about to break your personal best, or closing out a big match, etc. :-)

I have 18th hole problems at my current home course. It's a horrible hole for women. Sharp dogleg left around a lake par 5 of 446 yards. Fairway is ~25 yards wide with trees down the right. Fairway slopes right to left. Prevailing wind is right to left into. Tee box for the forward tees is set on the far right side of the fairway pointed at the lake. There is no angle at all. Tee shot is everything. Anything that starts center of fairway, unless cut, will likely bounce into the water. If I manage to hit left side of the fairway and catch a flat lie I can carry the lake and reach in 2 (175 - 185 to carry the water). Otherwise the layup is a diagonal shot to a 15 yard wide fairway with water left and through the fairway. Trees straight away as well. A very precise shot of between 130 and 165 yards leaves a flip wedge. So hit two near perfect shots then you are rewarded with a chance to be aggressive. There is no easy way to make par.

My home course has a hole similar to this, no 8. Par 5, prevailing wind generally into off the left. Up hill off the tee, crest of hill is about 290-310 depending where the blocks are. Slight dogleg left and the fairway slopes severely from right to left. The left side is tree lined with a fence then highway OB after that. The right side is fairway bunker in my typical landing area then about 10 yards to houses OB. I play a draw with driver. There is a small plateau left of the right side fairway bunker, but the only way to stay on the fairway is to hit a dead straight ball at that plateau or hit a cut that runs against the fairway slope. I can't count how many times I've been cruising and hit a good ball that starts at the bunker and draws 10 yards only to finish in the rough left leaving me having to navigate the trees on my second shot. Holes like that get in your head. I've resigned myself to making it a 3 shot hole and expecting to hit some kind of hybrid punch-draw shot out of the left trees.

I find this advice to be hard. You'd be surprised if you found a low-end tour pro play like that. Aggressive means taking on more than usual, not taking into consideration the trouble, and usually you're just as likely to shoot 90 as you are 70. If your game goes sour, you won't come close. Playing conservative isn't usually considered, but working the ball both ways, while an asset, still requires discipline and mastery, and while a pin cut on the left is doable, if you draw it too much it's instant bogey. Caution is good in golf, and playing for the fences is only acceptable if you can accept that when you don't play well, it costs you way more. A 68 is usually a smooth round, and a 64 is just a bunch of putts made that usually wouldn't be normally. It has nothing to do with going full-out, it's just making little to no errors tee to green, and playing for a good miss.

While it feels bad, I aim at the left edge of the trees with my 3h (aiming at trouble makes it hard to make good swings) and hope I don't over cook a draw. Punch out to the fairway in a place where I can reach the green isn't easy (who practices precision punch outs?), but it's better than a penalty stroke.