Walked off the first hole in shame today.

[Swisstrader98]

The Dalai Lama: it’s not how you fall down, it’s how you get up and he was talking about meaningful life events, not something as meaningless as a game of golf.

[CheckJV]

...and he went to the 2nd tee box. I walk off many greens in shame. Thankfully there is always another hole to play or the bar at the end. Golf!

[braincramp52]

Never happened to me. I'm bad all the time.

[GHIN n Juice]

I’ve walked off a few times, even in a tournament or two. Some days you don’t have it and struggling through can just dig you a bigger hole. The golf swing has so many parts and the mental game is twice as bad so sometimes it’s best to just walk away and come back ready to go another day.

 

I actually think it is a courtesy in tournaments to bow out if you’re having a round like that where you can’t get the ball off the ground. Making two or three other people watch you struggle seems rude at best, especially if one of your playing partners is trying to keep a good round going.

[randyfitz]

Feel your pain. I went from shanks > hitting the ball the best I have ever hit it in 40 years of living > shanks all in a month period.

 

 

[andrue]

The Dalai Lama: it's not how you fall down, it's how you get up and he was talking about meaningful life events, not something as meaningless as a game of golf.

Are you sure? I mean I've encountered my fair share of retirees on the golf course and those guys know what they are doing.

 

;)

[MountainGoat]

Personally, golf has ruined more good days than it has created. I've been playing for over 50 years. I've never worked harder at anything and gotten less out of it. I do it because I'm addicted. Simple as that.

[Hateto3Putt]

Golf can be a humbling game.

 

Everyone has had bad shots/holes/rounds/weeks.....

 

Quit after one bad hole?

 

Can't even fathom that.

[Fairwindsgolfer]

OP took 8 strokes to get to his fellow player's balls. Let that sink in.

 

....last week, I used my rangefinder for my third shot into a 150yd par 3. Let that sink in!

 

Lol Friggin' golf :angry22:

 

I got a case of the yips so badly that I switched to putting lefty just to be able to pull the club back. Let that sink in!

 

This stuff happens. Being humbled occasionally isn’t really a bad thing.

 

3 weeks ago I shot 70 in a tournament. I was -4 thru 13.

 

 

Last weekend I shot 85 in a tournament.

 

Let that sink in.

 

Sometimes this game just hops up and laughs at you.

 

?I sympathize with you.

The last two rounds I played, had me shooting 8 over on the front, 1 under on the back.

If that isn't a model of consistency I don't know what is.. LoL

[Spooky67]

I’ve never bailed on a round. Actually have Donne the opposite. Had planned on a quick nine two weeks ago, didn’t have much time, but I hit it SO bad on 8 and 9 that I wasn’t going to leave with those holes in my head....thought about hitting the range but ended up playing the back nine and worked it out.

 

I have picked up on a hole to keep the pace of play for the group, but I wouldn’t bail during a round, ESPECIALLY on the first hole.

[FourTops]

 

I've been out of the country and busy with graduation stuff for the last 3 weeks, so it's been almost a month since I've gotten to hit, but I decided to go out and play today - or try to. It was a bit of a last minute decision, and I didn't have time to warm up at all. Oops.

I walked up to the first tee expecting to be alone, but ended up being paired with a threesome, which I normally don't mind. I walk up with my 3 wood, take a few practice swings, step up to the ball confidently... And totally miss. Didn't even move. Step back, take another swing, try again... Miss again. Finally on the third try, I hit it. Topped it so hard the ball made a divot and went about 15 yards.

I Made a joke, drove up to it, grabbed my iron... And missed again. Then topped it about 20 more yards. By now I'm flustered as all hell and no one else has driven to their second shot yet.

It takes me four more topped and thin shots to get to where the other guys hit their drives to.

I finally get up there with my hybrid, take another swing... And top it another 10 yards. I picked my ball up and drove back to the clubhouse without a word.

I was going to hit a bucket and go back out if they let me, but they had league play starting so I decided to just hit the bucket. I had to go down to taking half swings with my pitching wedge just to f****** make contact with the ball, and even when I worked badk up to my woods I was thinning or straight topping about 60% of my shots. Eventually I just drove off in a s*** mood.

I have no idea what to do now. I guess I just need to go to the range for a day and figure out where my swing went, but I feel like the memory of that single hole is going to haunt me for the entire summer. How the hell do I get this out of my head?

 

Why do you think my name is FourTops? You needed one more! Just KIDDING! I also hate the song Bogie Nights.

 

IMO don't get all whacked out....you should have stuck it out...but I hear ya about walking off too. Just go play and expect nothing. When you tee up, expect nothing...expect nothing for every shot. This sounds weird but it works because the opposite is high expectations and fear of failure, which leads to wild / erratic swings on the course. IMO get back out there and before you hit your drive, brag about how you could make a divot 2 feet in front of a driver, and dare others to match your accomplishment! Everyone has very bad days.

[Amps]

The range cures all ills.

 

And it's a good shout, if you're having a proper horror show, don't slow down play or force others to endure your slow play, give it a clean pair of heels, buy everyone a pint, and get some practice in.

[naval2006]

This a typical beginner’s story. Keep on playing, taking lessons and practicing and this will just be an anecdote. Just move on, pal.

[highergr0und]

Take a week or two off and come back and you'll probably be good as new

[smeal818]

I think another think that's important is to not ingrain poor habits, ie s*****, knowing when to quit/ adjust things is much better than finishing a bucket that's only causing more harm.

[disco111]

Just do what my cousin did.................took 2 weeks off from the game :stop: , sold his clubs and took up :fishing1: now he's :yahoo:

[Twism86]

Best advice that works for me when im hitting bad "stop trying to kill the ball." Dont try and give it 100%, choke up, stand closer and just hit it well.

 

I hate holes like that and feel like I wanna call it quits too but more often then not the next hole will go way better. You already blew up your scorecard for the day, so the stress of shooting low is gone and you can focus on just hitting the thing and having fun. Do that and I bet your shots improve.

[Kaysquare]

When I have rounds like that it's more often than not because I start swinging way too fast, which only compounds the problem. If I stop, take a deep breath & really work hard on slowing the swing down, things usually get a whole lot better.

[heavy_hitter]

Less than 10% of all golfers world wide take lessons. Let that sink in to why there are so many bad golfers.

[A.G. Pennypacker]

^Is that true (i.e. do you have a source)?

 

That's hilarious and sad at the same time. Lessons aren't cheap, but they sure do make a difference.

[Torrey4Life]

Bruh slow down your swing and stop caring about what anyone else thinks.

[FourTops]

Folks are playing tee lengths that are too far for them. Next, the PGA Tour shows the guys who are playing out of their mind every week. Most of the pro's struggle to make the cut...and we all forget who's NOT playing at all....except for Tiger. My point is folks are essentially playing much harder courses..adjusted for driver distance..., than the pro's. 200 yard driver? Play 5,500 yard tees. Stop hitting 3H to greens while pro's are hitting 6 iron's and up.

[JStang]

At least you fouled off the 3rd pitch.

[FourTops]

I've actually almost hit "Buy It Now" for a casket for my game after a double on #1.

[FourTops]

Dude...stick around after #1...there's NO DOUBT someone will almost hit someone with a bladed sand shot...or someone will shank a 5 yard pitch into a pot bunker, or someone will top their 3 foot putt. You are missing all the other mistakes that others are bound to make that will lighten the load.

[Carl Spackler3]

Go out for nine holes with a five seven wedge and putter, get into a nice compact swing groove, you’ll be fine in no time

[Justsomeguy]

I feel your f^÷66×ing pain man.

I hit the ball so well a month ago. Had a round that opened w 6 str8 pars. Went into a little driver funk. Fixed the driver. And since then I haven't been able to get an iron airborne in THREE FKKING WEEKS.

Kinda wanna break something.

[Amps]

Less than 10% of all golfers world wide take lessons. Let that sink in to why there are so many bad golfers.

 

I don't know that many people who have had lessons, but I'm yet to meet anyone who enjoyed lessons, or who improved much because of them.

 

Small sample pool though.

[FourTops]

After decades of experience,....going from hitting solid to obnoxious defects like shanks, combined with coaches correcting my faults,.there are several things that I always seemed to overlook which caused 90% of the inconsistencies..I have to watch like a hawk today...nothing can be taken for granted.

 

1) Not stretched enough....if one plays two days in a row...be mindful that 'yesterday's' muscles are fatigued. Thus the swing gets 'shorter' without me knowing because it feels 'normal'...but it's not even close. Turning to the top with 'high hands' requires lots of stretching...try it...it's tiring. Lack of stretch shortens the swing which ruins timing.

 

2) Getting paranoid on the course and trying to "steer the ball" by not rotating back to the top...more of a side-to-side motion going back vs. rotation. Throws off all timing...sends the club on a bad path....at least for me. This can, and does cause "shank city".

 

3) Flattening the shoulders at the start of the down swing vs. rotating them around my body. Again, I think this is caused by lack of stretching, or muscle fatigue. Now I do the "windmill" stretch and it's so easy to feel my body not wanting to rotate around my spine because it's not ready to do so.

 

4) Not keeping my right knee flexed while rotating back to the top...when the right knee straightens it allows a 'fake turn' as noted in #2 above, and my right knee wants to straighten because I'm not stretched enough to complete a rotational turn back to the top..

 

For me....it's ALWAYS one of the above that causes massive and frustrating fluctuations in swings from one day to the next, or even in the next 20 minutes. Must pay attention to every swing like it's the last.

[rxk9fan]

 

I've been out of the country and busy with graduation stuff for the last 3 weeks, so it's been almost a month since I've gotten to hit, but I decided to go out and play today - or try to. It was a bit of a last minute decision, and I didn't have time to warm up at all. Oops.

I walked up to the first tee expecting to be alone, but ended up being paired with a threesome, which I normally don't mind. I walk up with my 3 wood, take a few practice swings, step up to the ball confidently... And totally miss. Didn't even move. Step back, take another swing, try again... Miss again. Finally on the third try, I hit it. Topped it so hard the ball made a divot and went about 15 yards.

I Made a joke, drove up to it, grabbed my iron... And missed again. Then topped it about 20 more yards. By now I'm flustered as all hell and no one else has driven to their second shot yet.

It takes me four more topped and thin shots to get to where the other guys hit their drives to.

I finally get up there with my hybrid, take another swing... And top it another 10 yards. I picked my ball up and drove back to the clubhouse without a word.

I was going to hit a bucket and go back out if they let me, but they had league play starting so I decided to just hit the bucket. I had to go down to taking half swings with my pitching wedge just to f****** make contact with the ball, and even when I worked badk up to my woods I was thinning or straight topping about 60% of my shots. Eventually I just drove off in a s*** mood.

I have no idea what to do now. I guess I just need to go to the range for a day and figure out where my swing went, but I feel like the memory of that single hole is going to haunt me for the entire summer. How the hell do I get this out of my head?

 

I think you did the right thing. When things get that ugly, it is too much of a burden on the rest of the group.

I would have probably gone to the first green and explained that obviously something crazy has come into my game that I need to work through. Tell them to play well and head to the range.

But, just leaving was not that horrible. I am sure they figured it out and anyone who plays the game understands how fickle it can be.

These are the times where you tell yourself to suck it up and work through it. Get help, hit balls, and hit more balls.

The next time you see those same guys you may kick their arses :-)