Trying to play a full 18

[rockgolfer]

Today i went and played a round at a local course. At the turn I was out 42 which with all the changes I have made to my swing lately I am very happy with. But number 10 I blew up and drove it out of bounds. then shanked the next two shots, finished the whole with a triple. then bogey par bogey. At that point i thought my tempo was falling apart and I was rushing my shots. I blew up on the last few holes and was out at 48. I truelly felt at the turn I was playing really well. How do you guys prepare yourself and your swing to play the whole 18. I can spend over an hour and a half at the range hitting 120 balls and keep a good rythem. I take breaks and really focus shots like im playng. I just cant keep a solid tempo on the course. Any advice?

[Not a hacker]

The only advice I would give is hang in there til things turn around. Lately I've been playing a great nine holes and a crap nine. Some times I turn in in 20 (stableford points not shots haha) and come home in 10, sometimes the other way round. I just seem to be not able to put it together for 18 holes. I always seem to be finding new ways to butcher holes when I'm travelling well. I put my problems down to not having enough confidence in my game at the moment. When things start going downhill I really need one good round where you get some decent breaks and post a score. Once I do that my confidence will come back and shooting under my handicap will seem easy again. Another problem for me is that during winter I only play once a week and don't practice at all, which means the only place I can regain confidence is during competition which isn't the best place to do that.
Anyway, it sounds like things are going in the right direction for you, so just have to hang in there til you get the breaks for a whole round and then you will turn it around, and suddenly you'll go from struggling to keep pace to seemingly having shots up your sleeve and shooting good scores without trying. Unfortunately there's no substitute for experiencing a good round to get your confidence back.

[rockgolfer]

thanks nahack. i was just pissed because until the tenth tee i felt like the round was the breakthrough i was waiting for. nothing more time on the range cant fix im sure. i fully agree with the not enough confidence in my swing yet.

[poe4soul]

Yah, keep your head up. Swing changes are hard. Last year I made the turn with a one under par playing at a 10 hcp and posted 79. Still good but 8 strokes over on the back with a shhhhank into a pond on one of the easiest par 3's. The wheels sometimes just come off. The days I hate the worst is when you're striking the ball well, hitting fairways and greens but then your flat stick goes cold and you can't buy a putt to save your life. On the flip side I had a round this last year where I hit three fairways and a handful of greens but only had 25 putts with a couple of chip-ins.

Just look at Tiger; it took time for him to make a swing change and he has great skills, a great coach, and all the time in the world to practice.

[rockgolfer]

I know just what your talking about Poe. I dont know if its really a swing change but more of an overhall and paying attention. I promised myself to go to the range 10 times without hitting a course. It made a huge change in my consistancy. I actually like the range now alot more and look forward to continuing my swing improvements. Its been years since ive hit the ball good and i have never been very consistant. The round I was talking about above was the 4th round since my 10 range outings. I am now trying to hit the range atleast every other day.

[Not a hacker]

Another problem I have which may be affecting you is that when I finsih the front nine I have to add up the scores and I start getting too score orientated instead of focusing hole by hole. It especially happens in stableford events when I start thinking about how many shots I am and so forth, and before I know it I've gopt distracted and had a couple of bad holes and I start putting pressure on myself to get them back. And then it usually snowballs from there. At my home course I also have two very tough holes followed by two holes where I don't get shots after the turn so in a stableford I can go from a couple up at the turn to a couple down after the 13th. It's something I'm trying to work on, most of my problems seem to be mental at the moment, not technical.

[rockgolfer]

whats funny about that nahack is that i specifically didnt add my score that day so it wouldnt take control of me. I know mentally I dont trust my new stuff yet, and when my tempo goes i revert back to some old tendancies. I know its always a work in progress and i know i am a better golfer now then ever. just waiting to see it all come together. Its been frustrating going out 86 or 88 and then hit a few 96 99 days. My frustration is going away the more i think of the progress im making.

[Not a hacker]

Once you have a breakthrough day it will get easier. There's nothing like doing something to build confidence.

[rockgolfer]

i know the day is close....

[poe4soul]

What might help is to pick a goal or a focus you have influence over instead of your score. Your score is not always something you can influence but it is an result of many things you can influence. There are also many things on a course you have no control over like weather, pen placement, etc. and your score will based on some of these items.
In the book "Every Shot Must Have a Purpose" the authors talk about setting playing focus like maintaining tempo, staying on plane, or completing your pre-shot routine prior to each stroke. Then rate yourself after each hole on a scale. At the end of the round analyze your scores for your playing focus. This will achieve two things. Your focus is no longer the score which you cannot affect and two you can walk away from the round with a clear indication on rather your playing focus was achieved. This is not always the case with your score. This is a great distraction during a round and it helps me maintain my attention to my game.
For instance I used to second guess the line I took on a putt when standing over the ball. I made a playing focus for a few rounds to pick my line and be committed to this line prior to standing over the ball to putt. I rated each hole and over a few rounds I was able to maintain this focus. I know have a good habit of putting down the line I pick with confidence and I don't change my mind over the ball.
I haven't been to the authors' web site in quite a while but if your interested here is the link http://www.golf54.com/

[Not a hacker]

Great advice dude. I've read heaps of times, from tour players in magazines, that when on the course they focus on the process, not the result. If you get the process right, the result will take care of itself.
I've been trying to do this and have had some success with putting lately. The way I focus on a putt now is I read what I think is the correct line then place my ball with the alignment aid pointing along the line I want to hit the putt. Then I simply line the putter and myself along that line, and commit totally to that line. Then I only have to concentrate on the speed of the putt and hitting a straight putt without second gessing if I've got the line. I go through this same routine on every putt and my putting has improved out of sight. I know what I've described seems simple and logical and everybody thinks they go through that process, but I find from watching others that most people (me included) are a bit casual when placing the ball on the marker to line up the putt, which is the most crusial part of the routine. If you get that right the putts will start dropping.
I'm now trying to implement the same processes into other parts of my game. Sorry for getting a little long winded, but I hope this helps.

[rockgolfer]

great advice guys, thanks. I like the idea of rating yourself. I need to work on my lag putting and how i start the hole. i have never lined a ball up to putt with any mark on the ball, i will definately try this tomorrow

[Not a hacker]

Mosy of the top balls have alignment markers on the side of the ball. Take your time lining it up properly and you can't go wrong.

[bjdrivers]

I used to be anal about keeping all of my stats & scores. Not only did I know my handicap, target scores for each course from each set of tees, I also knew my avg score on par 3s, 4s, & 5s, FW %, GIR %, Putts per GIR, up/down. everything. It's fun to keep all of that, but it got to where during my round I would think about it and even chose a club off the tee thinking about my fw % ! I stopped that crap for a while and started playing match play with my friends rather than stroke play. I started playing better. The pressure of sinking a 10 footer to halve the hole I think is good for you.

Moral of the story, mix it up a bit. Forget about what you shot on the front and try to keep your rythem throughout the round. I actually went back and totalled up my score after a round of match play one time and saw I had shot a 77 and didn't even realize it.

[Not a hacker]

Funny you should mention that BJ. I am a much better match player than stroke player, and my stableford suks even more. Maybe with matchplay you concentrate more on each hole at a time and know what you have to do. Some of my lowest rounds have come in matchplay. But I suppose it depends on the quality of your opponent. In matchplay I try to do just enough to win the match, so if I'm playing a chopper I'll play more conservatively to get the job done instead of going for the lowest possible score.

[Horseballs]

True on the matchplay or skins. I usually play for some nominal amount of cash in a skins game within my foursome. No one ever loses or wins more than $20, but it still helps when a little cash and bragging rights are on the line.

[TmacG]

Its always good to have some friendly competition. A small amount of money on the line can often bring out the best in your game. Personally I'm more of a stroke play player but thats just me. Often times its not the money that makes it a competition its the pride of winning. In most cases... people hate to lose. You will start playing golf and not worrying about the score. If you play your game, the score will take care of itself.

TmacG

[rockgolfer]

thanks for all the advice guys. After some range practice and some play time ive realized that when I get frustrated with my game or preasure is on i start to block my shoulder turn and revert to a more arms/2 plane swing. I lose my rotation and with that my swing becomes inconsistent to say the least. Atleast now that im aware of what im doing it is a little easier to spot. Im thinking of adding some kind of twisting or "reminder" motion in my preshot routine, something to get me thinking turn. any thoughts?