What irrational quibbles tick you off about your game?

[markb]

So I'm playing today and I get off to a good start.   Two birdies in the first four holes.   Then I go 5 over on the next four and I struggle to right the ship through the middle of the round.   I do settle down, but I'm unhappy with my game.   It's my driving that's pissing me off.  

 

Then on the last four holes I hit 4 very ugly-to-look-at mediocre drives.  Two low hooded stingers and two high, spinny fades.  But here's the thing -- three of these "stinkers"  found the fairway and two produced wedges to the green.   A third resulted in reaching a par 5 in two with a 5 wood second.   I ended up with two birdies and two pars, yet somehow I'm pissed.

 

When I'm in the parking lot, I'm still sick about those drives and thinking, man I need to hit the range....yadda yadda...when it sinks in that I just had three putts for birdies and one for eagle off of those four "crappy" drives.   What have I got to be pissed about?

 

Methinks I need an attitude adjustment.   It seems I'm only happy if I bomb a drive where I want it, forget everything else.  

 

What about you?   What pisses you off, but really doesn't make that big a difference?

[revkev]

Poor scores.  (I originally wrote sub-par but then realized that could be misinterpreted )

 

Let's face it there are times when you hit it well, don't putt poorly and it doesn't go your way.  Since I'm only able to play once a week or so a round like that will often stick in my craw.  I'll forget those other rounds when I've not done anything particularly well but chipped in, holed a couple of key putts, caught a good break on a bounce and posted something that I had no business shooting.

 

In golf you have to realize that the object is to shoot the best score possible and that one round is a very, very small sample, sometimes that's difficult to do.

 

Finally how I play doesn't define who I am by any stretch.  How I act when I play, particularly how I act when I'm playing poorly and how I act towards those around me, that defines who I am.

[JBones]

My ego pisses me off.  I can't be happy with 290 down the middle to make easy pars.  I have to go for 320 or try to carry it 260 over water into a par 5.  My buddy makes fun of me, because I just can't handle playing well when swinging easy.  Sadly I know this is an issue and I just can't seem to shake it.  Sometimes I'll start with 5 tap in pars and then I'll have a 3 putt bogey, get frustrated, and start swinging for the fences.  Once I start I can't stop.

[fozcycle]

I get off to a great start, then after about 8 or 9 holes, I hit a slump and it takes 3-4 holes to get out of it.

 

I thought it was my energy level and so have tried, bananna or fig newtons after 6 holes, 5 hour energy, extra caffiene(coffee, mountain dew, etc.)  That does not seem to help....

[Kenny B]

I get off to a great start, then after about 8 or 9 holes, I hit a slump and it takes 3-4 holes to get out of it.

 

I thought it was my energy level and so have tried, bananna or fig newtons after 6 holes, 5 hour energy, extra caffiene(coffee, mountain dew, etc.)  That does not seem to help....

I do just the opposite. Start slow and then after about #5, shots get better, until #15 when I start struggling to 18. My usual misses early are left and it always seems like I get bad bounces. Later on in the round my misses are mostly to the right. If I am putting well, I can save the round; if not, then ...

 

I CAN NOT have anything with caffeine in it within 2 hours of tee time. Tempo gets much quicker.

 

Rev's got it right. I have changed my attitude toward shots as they happen, and it has been positive for me. I still get a little upset over a bad shot, but that's gone almost immediately now and I focus on trying to score starting on the next shot. Thanks Rev! And thanks to jmiller065 for the great tips!

[silver & black]

Starting well, only to have it go to s**t because I can't make short puts really pisses me off. It seems like a good start can always go wrong but, a bad round never seems to straighten out. Oh well..... PRACTICE!

[BIG STU]

What ticks me off is me. When I do something stupid when I know better.

[markb]

Ah, just screw this game.   I played again today and did nothing different on the drives and pretty much striped them all.  Go figure.   Our fairways are semi frozen and very fast, and drives are going a long way in the short stuff.   But the rough is long and brutal.   Played nine with birdies on 1.2.3 with 50 feet of made putts on 2 and 3, then bogey on 5, rest pars.   Two more 10 foot par saves on 7 and 8.   Useless to try to figure it out.  It just is.  But a hot putter redeems all sinners.

[MattF]

What ticks me off is me. When I do something stupid when I know better.

 

That's me too! Can't understand why I do it.

[Maverickping]

Easy question to answer for me. It is course management or lack of. Always, I start off telling myself to play smart and to my strenghts then out of the blue I think I'm Phil M. and go for it! Always. Then we hit sramble situation and try and get out of the mess I've created.This happens for three or so holes.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

It's those "What the f***k was that?" shots.  Can be playing decent enough but every so often a shot shows up that is so far off the radar you gotta wonder who swung the club.

 

That and the pull hook...

[BIG STU]

Easy question to answer for me. It is course management or lack of. Always, I start off telling myself to play smart and to my strenghts then out of the blue I think I'm Phil M. and go for it! Always. Then we hit sramble situation and try and get out of the mess I've created.This happens for three or so holes.

This is a quote to me from my late great friend J.A. White

"Stu you hit the ball good and are an excellent putter but your course management absolutely sucks!" I had a guy print that quote up for me on his computer after my friend died and it hangs in my shop now. No truer words in the history of man have been spoken

[RookieBlue7]

Mine is when I don't play as often as I like but go out and strike the ball well or putt well or just do one aspect well and nothing else works. Played again for the 3rd time in 3 months (and second in 2 weeks, so that's an improvement on frequency). Last time I could get to the green just couldn't putt to save my life. Today? Hit a handful of good shots followed by a bunch of what the heck was that shots. And though I switched putters and putted better, I still had those times when I wondered if I was holding a serpent.

 

I get pissed about it then I remember something a tour player (well he played mini tours and qualified for the big boy tour a few times) once said to me "you're not good enough to be mad about this".

[BIG STU]

Mine is when I don't play as often as I like but go out and strike the ball well or putt well or just do one aspect well and nothing else works. Played again for the 3rd time in 3 months (and second in 2 weeks, so that's an improvement on frequency). Last time I could get to the green just couldn't putt to save my life. Today? Hit a handful of good shots followed by a bunch of what the heck was that shots. And though I switched putters and putted better, I still had those times when I wondered if I was holding a serpent.

 

I get pissed about it then I remember something a tour player (well he played mini tours and qualified for the big boy tour a few times) once said to me "you're not good enough to be mad about this".

Mine is when I don't play as often as I like but go out and strike the ball well or putt well or just do one aspect well and nothing else works. Played again for the 3rd time in 3 months (and second in 2 weeks, so that's an improvement on frequency). Last time I could get to the green just couldn't putt to save my life. Today? Hit a handful of good shots followed by a bunch of what the heck was that shots. And though I switched putters and putted better, I still had those times when I wondered if I was holding a serpent.

 

I get pissed about it then I remember something a tour player (well he played mini tours and qualified for the big boy tour a few times) once said to me "you're not good enough to be mad about this".

I can relate to that. Since I changed jobs and the season has changed I don't practice any and hardly play. I had not picked up a club for 2 weeks until yesterday. For me that is a lot since I play strictly by feel. I absolutely had no feel at all and my timing was off. Still scrapped it around for an 80 on a windy course with treacherous dry crusty greens. Finally got my feel and timing back right after 16 holes and ended up-1 for the last 3 holes. My partner said finally Big Boy you woke up! but he knew my timing and feel were off

I made a statement on another blog I don't get mad anymore because I am lazy and don't practice like I used to so I cannot expect myself to be good enough to get mad

[Dhuck Whooker]

OK, this is difficult to admit, but, when the beer cart lady drives up when I am about to hit, then stops everything and waits for me, well, that is going to be a bad shot.  

 

The hotter is she, the worst the shot is, never fails.   Somebody get me Dr. Gio's number.

 

Then they always give a sympathetic "oohhhhh".  A real weenie shrinker.  Then they ask all cheery and smiley, "Are you sure I can'I get you something?"

 

(Yeah, get me a rusty razor blade so I can castrate myself on the ladies tee.)

 

Rangers don't have the same affect.  Rangers are always old, dumpy guys.  Like my brother.

 

Why does golf have to be so difficult?  (note I didn't say "hard")

 

And somewhere Muttley is enjoying this...

 

http://www.audiosparx.com/sa/archive/Cartoon/Laughter/Muttley-Laughing/167785

[wbealsd]

I think I'll go for "not good enough to get this mad."

 

Seriously, I always want to play my best and, while I'm not a long baller, I can play a decent game.  I was too old when I started to ever be a "serious player," but I enjoy the game, because :it's the game."

 

Good friends, good times, play outside and enjoy the day and play one hole, one lie at a time.  The same course plays differently every day.

 

When all is said and done, a day on the golf course is a good thing and I'm just happy I have the health and the time to enjoy it.