What messes with the mental side of your game?

[SixtySomePing]

There are different theories on what % of the golf game is mental, but it certainly is a factor. What messes with the mental side of your game? Trying to avoid hazards? Trying to be bogey free? Noise, or chatter? Slow play? Self pressure to play a low score or maintain or lower your handicap? Something else or a combination of things?

[kozubs]

My brain.

I get distracted easily by noise. I get frustrated way too easily by "bad breaks"

[baudi]

tinnitus

[marcwhu]

Great idea for a thread.

 

For me, it is more often than not expectations I create for myself. When I feel like I have to live up to some imagined standard, thats normally when things fall apart. For example: "You ought to be making birdie on this par 5", or, "You can't aim at the middle of the green with this wedge shot".

 

I play my best rounds when I simply hit the shot in front of me. No external, big picture thoughts. It sounds cliche, but for me it really is one shot at a time.

[caniac6]

I have no mental side. I just hit it, find it, and hit it again.

[ChronicSlicer]

When I feel like I`m being rushed. I tend to play early and sometimes the grounds keepers are still mowing, those bastards will seriously drive up,stay about 50 yards away and sit there while idling the mower engine..asshats..

[Justmuckit]

Self pressure and slow play.

 

One of those I can control, the other I obviously can't. I've done better over the last few years just focusing on the next shot instead of what it means, or my score.

 

For me, the slow play issue isn't a frustration thing, it's a rhythm/flow thing. Cruising right along, then sit on a tee box for 10 minutes and it all falls apart.

[Matt J]

Lately I've focused on not knowing my score, not allowing my mind to figure out all of the potential finishing scores. Hard to 'not' do something.

 

So, I double down on PSR and making smart decisions.

[jaysno24]

Being super competitive, any bad shot really irks me and I continue to get agitated at myself. I hate it!

[Swisstrader98]

I’ve discovered the book The Power of Now. Life changing stuff but let’s see if it translates to the golf course?

 

https://www.stack.com/a/why-every-athlete-should-read-the-power-of-now

[NoTalentLefty]

Trying to figure out if I inhale or exhale on the backswing.

[Ryan3773]

Lately I've focused on not knowing my score, not allowing my mind to figure out all of the potential finishing scores. Hard to 'not' do something.

 

So, I double down on PSR and making smart decisions.

 

This hurts a lot of people (myself included). So many times I’ve had a chance going into a final hole knowing I needed a certain score to break 90,80, whatever the goal was and then just destroyed my round trying to score rather than play

[juggernaut0629]

Hot cart girl...

[CaddiesFault]

3 things

 

#1 far and away is slow play.

 

2 smaller things are making bogeys after hitting the fairway, missed short putts. Im not too accurate with driver so when i find the fwy i need to capitalize, and my strength is my short game, so missing shorties puts undue stress on my game.

[PepsiDuck]

Out of bounds. Holes that have houses in play. The worst is when there is a road with car traffic running alongside the hole.

[NoTalentLefty]

Hot cart girl...

 

Don’t tell me you’re one of them??? I go on golf trips with guys who act like they never seen a woman before. I’m getting ready to hit and two carts about run me over every Frik’n time they appear. Rant over. I’m better now. That is all.

[sdandrea]

I try not to focus on my score, but the harder I try, I just always seem to know how many over I am.

[Matt J]

Trying to fight thinking of misses as well. Focus on the exact ball flight and let the direction take care of itself.

[Lefty431]

One bad shot! Then I'm trying to make swing changes/thoughts all day!!

[Ryan3773]

For all the mental headcases “golf is not a game of perfect” helped me a lot.

[Tanner25]

I've discovered the book The Power of Now. Life changing stuff but let's see if it translates to the golf course

 

https://www.stack.co...he-power-of-now

 

I can see the benefit of staying in the present which will enhance focus and prevent flinching. But, this is a tough concept to adopt to. After 30 years of golf and in anything in life, we want to learn from our mistakes and do better next time which means dwelling on the past.

[tjw018]

For me its mostly OB on the left (as a lefty). I almost never miss left anymore but I spent so many years sending slices OB I still can't get it out of my head.

 

Something on my agenda to figure out this year finally.

[TIM929]

When I see a shoe at address.

[MountainGoat]

My first bad swing.

[JJK947]

Persistent two-way miss. Missing greens with wedges. 3-putts.

[RichieHunt]

Not trusting my talent. Whether it's hitting a poor shot or a shot that I don't feel comfortable with, trusting my talent to hit the shot that I have hit a million times before causes me to start lose focus at the task at hand.

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[getitdaily]

Expectations. That's all. I expect to play well...shoot near par. If I hit a shot poorly I let it start to rile me up. I let bad shots affect the next shot.

 

Recently re-read a couple key chapters of "golf is not a game of perfect". Good book. I am working to find the right balance of having fun and taking the game seriously. It's not easy...unless I'm 3 under thru 7.

[Birdie Mac]

I play my best when I'm relaxed and play in the moment. When I'm a little nervous and hit a bad shot, I get into a feedback loop and struggle to get my game back. I need to learn to let go of my last shot, whether it was good or bad.

[bladehunter]

When I feel like I`m being rushed. I tend to play early and sometimes the grounds keepers are still mowing, those bastards will seriously drive up,stay about 50 yards away and sit there while idling the mower engine..asshats..

 

As a former grounds crew grunt who mowed greens before sunup for several years I can telll you. They feel the same about you. Lol. I say that with a smile. Not to be mean.

 

They have a mandate to get out and get done and out of the way. The only way you can get around this interaction is for them to not allow groups off until around 9 am or later. The course doesn’t maintain and setup itself. And they absolutely cannot shut off a mower every group. The wear a tear alone would cost thousands a year on starter and engine work. Be glad they wait for you. At a private I was at we did not. We pulled up and pulled the pin in front of you. Mowed and or blowed and then replaced the pin. While you waited in the fairway. Period. It was policy and posted that it was. Dew sweepers waited at least 1 hole. We worked backwards against play. Sometimes jumping around when we could to catch holes that adjoined others. 36 holes to walk mow before 10 am is a crap ton of work during leaf season.

[bladehunter]

With me it’s the struggle to know when to be aggressive and when to not be. I’m naturally aggressive with sports. I’m not the guy who believes hitting the middle of every green is the answer to anything except 3 putting 4 of them to shoot 76. Lol.