Do You go MENTAL After a Blow Up Hole?

[pick-it-up]

I played with a guy yesterday who just absolutely LOST IT after scoring a 10 on a par 4.

He was getting pars and bogeys on the first 7 holes. And then he blew up after getting the ten. he was getting triples and doubles...nothing better. He even picked up on another hole.

He said this happens all of the time and he can't get past it.

I didn't know what to tell him. I would assume this is quite common. What sort of tips could I have provided?

I told him to go get a psyche coach.

[jwaldrop]

I used to, but no longer. A few years ago, I tripled the 1st hole in an MGA tournament, relaxed and went on to have what at that time was my career best day. That kind of turned the tide. That and figuring out that I'd still wake up respecting myself the next day. I want to be really good, and work hard to try to be, but golf is supposed to be for fun. If it's not fun, why play?

[Bigvivec]

Originally Posted by jwaldrop

If it's not fun, why play?

Believe me...there are days...

Somedays I do better with handling the blowups than others...sometimes the blowups happen due to a funny kick, a ball in a divot, etc. that leads to a chain reaction double or triple (or worse!!! )...other times the blowup happens after I have been teetering on the edge of losing ball control, and then, tired I guess, it finally happens and I might as well call the bullpen as I am done for the day...sometimes I get a bad string that I can purely attribute to a mental breakdown after a big number, but have been working hard to minimize that, the primary way that I have found that seems to be working for me is to slow everything down, become more deliberate in all movements, including having a drink of water between holes, and quickly review the fundamentals between holes...reach the next and do my best to move slowly and not think about too much (like I plan to do all the time once I retire!)

[atm_73]

I would like to think not, but it does happen sometimes, although with age, it's getting better. It will normally take 2 or 3 bad holes in a row to make me lose it now.

[C-Tech]

I do my best not to show it on the outside, but I get steamed at myself. I try to put it behind me and just concentrate on the next shot, but I always feel embarrassed to make a mess out a hole and I really have trouble putting it in the past. For example, today on 11, I hit a tree in the dogleg and had to hit a low punch through the trees to leave myself a decent shot in. It is a blind shot so I couldn't judge where to land it well. Of course, it took a bad bounce and left me with a sapling between me and the green. I hit the sapling and it kicked the ball into a bunker dead against the lip. All I could do was blast out short of the green, put the next one on and 2 putt for my triple. I doubled the next and finally settled down on 13. There was 5 extra strokes that I can attribute to that bad hole. That is pretty typical for me.

[cosine]

It's definitely a downer when I totally make a mess of a hole, but the next shot I hit could be perfect and if I'm in a funk I don't get as much enjoyment out of it, so no, I don't go mental after a bad hole.

[Stiofan]

I'm old enough and I've had plenty of bad things happen to me in my life, seen lot's of bad things.

Nothing that happens on the golf course bothers me for very long. By the time I'm at the next tee box I've forgotten any blow ups.

[Mid70s]

unfortunately, i can't let it go....i've gotten better w/ it over the years, but it still bothers me........i don't usually make any outward signs of frustration anymore, but on the inside, i'm fuming........

i've actually gotten to where i calm down and still play good golf on the next hole, but it's still in my mind.....i'll start thinking about it 3-4 holes later, and it'll lead to another big number.....like this past round, was 1 under after hole 5, tripled six, and par'd the final three......i was ok until i started looking at the scorecard at the turn......what's normally a good score for me after nine, had me frustrated b/c i blew up on one hole.........anyways, i proceeded to double bogey 10.....if i could learn to just let it go, it would help me tremendously

[Game Face]

Originally Posted by Stiofan

I'm old enough and I've had plenty of bad things happen to me in my life, seen lot's of bad things.

Nothing that happens on the golf course bothers me for very long. By the time I'm at the next tee box I've forgotten any blow ups.

ditto.

[Bamaphotopro]

As I read through this thread, I've seen this word more than once ....

AGE

And I think that has a lot to do with it as we tend to mellow as we grow older. That being said, however, even at 52 I find myself getting pretty steamed sometimes. But I am always able to let it go by the time I reach the next tee box. Accepting the reality of 'there's nothing I can do about it now' helps me to focus on positive thoughts as I step on the next tee box and seeing the next hole as a new opportunity.

Works for me.

- Bama

[jwaldrop]

Originally Posted by Bamaphotopro

As I read through this thread, I've seen this word more than once ....

AGE

And I think that has a lot to do with it as we tend to mellow as we grow older.
Works for me.

- Bama

I think this is it, actually, for most of us, although I do have one guy I play with about once a week that screams, cusses (I mean a stream of 10-12 of top-notch cuss words including adjectives, adverbs, verbs and nouns), throws clubs at his cart, you name it. We keep telling him he's gonna have a stroke.

In the long run, what does it help to stew, and in the long run does anyone but you really care?

[deronsizemore]

Originally Posted by pick-it-up

I played with a guy yesterday who just absolutely LOST IT after scoring a 10 on a par 4.

He was getting pars and bogeys on the first 7 holes. And then he blew up after getting the ten. he was getting triples and doubles...nothing better. He even picked up on another hole.

He said this happens all of the time and he can't get past it.

I didn't know what to tell him. I would assume this is quite common. What sort of tips could I have provided?

I told him to go get a psyche coach.

This used to be me. Looking back on it I think it had to do with me not being as good of a player as I liked to think I was. I'm a much better player now than I was say 5 years or so ago. Today, I rarely have a huge blow up hole like that but when I do I just shrug it off as a one off situation that happens to everyone. I've learned the hard way that you absolutely need to keep your cool on the golf course or you WILL NOT score well, period. Now I could double or triple a hole and it really doesn't bother me at all because I know I can still throw a score together, even if it won't be my career best. That's the fun in golf, trying to work back from a bad situation. It wouldn't be fun if we just got mad and quit every time we make a double, triple or worse (at least I don't think it would be).

[C-Tech]

Originally Posted by jwaldrop

In the long run, what does it help to stew, and in the long run does anyone but you really care?

How true that statement is.... I played once with a couple of guys who were way better than me and I chunked it around pretty badly. At the end of the round, I noticed that they only remembered their own bad shots. They didn't even remember my shots, good or bad. So, if they aren't going to remember them anyway, why be worried about them????

[pick-it-up]

I used to throw clubs, swear and stuff. But now, blow-up holes don't really bother me.

They're going to happen....and happen to EVERYONE!

Though I have had rounds where I said, "I'm never playing golf again!" Of course, I'm out there the next day....tearing it up....

[deronsizemore]

Originally Posted by pick-it-up

I used to throw clubs, swear and stuff. But now, blow-up holes don't really bother me.

They're going to happen....and happen to EVERYONE!

Though I have had rounds where I said, "I'm never playing golf again!" Of course, I'm out there the next day....tearing it up....

LOL, Yeah I'm never playing golf again about 4 times a year!

[JungleJ]

I don't go mental after a blow up hole, especially if I can isolate what went wrong. I can find it hard to get my composure back if I have a run of three or four poor scores in a row.

When this happens I usually stop keeping score and try to relax the rest of the way in.

[chollyred]

I don't get angry after a blowup hole, but I get myself stuck in "paralysis through analysis". I start over thinking every shot. What I'm doing wrong, etc. Often leads to a short string of bad holes (or a long string.... ). Played a couple of weeks ago where I blew up the par 3 2nd hole, then the next 2 holes. Ran +2, +3, +2 for those 3 holes. Finally shook it off and had nothing worse than bogey the rest of the round.

I remember another round recently where I strung 6 pars in a row, then took a 10 on a par 4. Just could not recover from a bad shot. Didn't seem to matter if I tried the safe shot or the heroic shot. I couldn't pull off either one. That's the time I need a psychologist (or psychiatrist) playing alongside to help me out.

[GolfSavage]

Generally my "blow-up hole" comes in the middle of the back nine as I start getting tired. Early morning rounds, when I only had 4-5 hours sleep, might also see one in the first 2 or 3 holes until I get going. I don't get frustrated with a blow-up hole, but sometimes depending on conditions, circumstances, etc. I know that round is basically over and it goes from being a fun round to a practice round to figure out what bad habit has crept back in. Might take me another 2 holes to figure it out and make an adjustment, and if there's enough holes left I can usually get past it and salvage a decent round. But if the blow-up happens on 15 or 16, I know the last few holes are now a "learning experience".

[xnavyct]

I tend to laugh a bit and try to look at things with some humor if I am doing really bad on a hole. I get a 'little' down sometimes, where I question an upcoming planned golf purchase especially - do I really want to spend any more money on this game?

Bamaphotopro hit it on the head earlier when he said a lot has to do with age - at 41 I don't get near as mad about little things as I did 20 years ago.

[jwaldrop]

Originally Posted by C-Tech

..., if they aren't going to remember them anyway, why be worried about them????

I got to thinking after I said that about remembering bad holes, bad rounds, and realized there are only 3 or 4 by anyone that i really remember in all the years I've golfed. I'll never forget watching Hale Irwin make an 11 on the 17th at the TPC at the Woodlands. Or the 10 I made during a tournament on our 8th, capped by hitting a wrong ball. It's funny now, but not at the time.

[HamiltonMillGolf#22]

I think I'm a little younger than most of you guys ( no offense lol) and I definitely have some anger management issues. Its getting very bad and I've been threatened with therapy if I don't cool it. Those "Blow-Up Holes" can KILL one of my rounds. It's not fun. I have always had anger problems but they really showed up when I started golf and quit soccer about a year ago. In soccer, when I got mad, I could go and hit, err wait, there's no contact in soccer or slidetackle the out of someone. Now in golf, when I get mad a shot, I just go insane because I have no way of channeling that anger Any idea? 'Cause man are those blow-ups costly.

[Dormie]

I definitely don't go 'mental' any more. However, I can get pretty steamy if I have back-to-back doubles or a triple or something. But steamy for me is generally some vulgarities to myself under my breath, perhaps a slightly more violent return of a particular club to my bag. That's about it.

The turning point for me is when I make a nasty hole or 2 that pretty much eliminates the possibility that I will break 80 for the round. My goal for each 9 is 40 or below. So if I play the front at 42, then make a couple doubles on the back, I am resigned to the fact that I will be reasonably annoyed the rest of the way. But NEVER enough to ruin anyone else's round or enough to make me think that it wasn't worth coming out to play...