Mental Game?!?!?!?!?

[Zen Snake 426]

Ok big question, do you have a mental game??? And when did you get it, what was the turning point that change ur mental game???

For me it was boot camp and the first year or so in the fleet. Marine corps gave me that mental game my golf game needed. may seem silly but its true.  

[dlow206 2,582]

I am generally pretty calm out on the course and never really get frustrated.

However, if I am on the range and have a big bucket of balls, that is when I can easily get frustrated. Hit a bad shot and then start banging out balls and then get more frustrated. 

I believe that on the course I don't get as frustrated because the walk and time between shots is very calming for me.

[ballplayer002003 951]

If you really want to test your mental game, play in a tournament where it is just you, not a scramble with your buddies, but a large stroke play.  Huge difference.  Golf becomes an entirely different animal.  Some love it, some don't.  I have not played in enough of these to say either one.  I will say though I read a book called The Unstoppable Golfer by Bob Rotella, really good read.  Made a lot of sense. 

[Zen Snake 426]

27 minutes ago, ballplayer002003 said:

If you really want to test your mental game, play in a tournament where it is just you, not a scramble with your buddies, but a large stroke play.  Huge difference.  Golf becomes an entirely different animal.  Some love it, some don't.  I have not played in enough of these to say either one.  I will say though I read a book called The Unstoppable Golfer by Bob Rotella, really good read.  Made at of sense. 

Lots of match play in the Corps, loved it...

[StrawberryShortCake 558]

I used to get frustrated and angry. Then one of my friends gave me some great advice he told me you suck way too much at this game to get mad. ever since then I haven't gotten angry on the golf course. Even when I'm not playing very well I just think to myself I'm not getting paid to play here I paid to play here and I relax and enjoy the company of good friends.

[Jus1412 99]

My perspective on golf and playing has changed alot because of Covid 19. I was so worried courses wouldn't open this summer. I've only played two rounds so far, since courses opened up in my area. But, man.. I just appreciate being on the course and having a few brew with my buddies, score was the last thing on my mind. With that, the last two rounds I have scored better than I ever have! Mind set plays such a huge role.

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[Tom the Golf Nut 836]

I dont remember how long ago it was but it was at least 15 years ago. I was paired up with an older group and they were playing from the blue tees. I typically play white but played blue to stay with the group. I was playing pretty good thru the first 14 holes or so and then hit a bad tee shot. I got a little heated. One of the gentlemen said "son you have been kicking our butt all day. Dont get aggravated, if you were that good you would be on tv and not playing with us." It put it all in perspective from that point on.

PS: They shouldn't have been playing from the blues!  

[Chizzle 71]

I'm going to interpret mental game as mental toughness in this thread.  Not sure when I decided to try to change but it's been a slow work in progress.   I think it's natural to show emotion, happy or angry/upset, because to me it means you care about golf or your game.  Mental toughness for me is how fast can I get back to level and focus on what I need to do to finish a bad hole or round.  Easier said than done right.  I think that is one thing I feel about Tiger.  He can stop himself in the middle of his violent down swing because a camera clicked early or a phone went off.  Yes he is annoyed or upset but he regroups and hits a great shot.  How many of us would still be thinking about that distraction and not be focusing on the task at hand? 

I used to beat myself up for poor execution (and I still do) but now I try to take notes of it and reflect on it later when I'm home with a drink.

[PMookie 10,748]

Oh, I’ve got a mental game, alright! The space between my ears costs me 4-5 strokes a round. I’ll get some stupid thought in my DOWNSWING! So aggravating.


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[Guest Delete]

11 hours ago, Zen Snake said:

Ok big question, do you have a mental game??? And when did you get it, what was the turning point that change ur mental game???

For me it was boot camp and the first year or so in the fleet. Marine corps gave me that mental game my golf game needed. may seem silly but its true.  

There are multiple parts to the mental game so, not sure which you are referring to exactly?

1. Focus
2. Competitive spirit
3. Technical knowledge

Focus, tuning out the noise, is crucial to executing well. I believe this comes with part practice and part personality. 

Competitive Spirit also seems to come from personality but, it could also come from confidence in your ability. 

Technical knowledge breaks down into the simplest form as knowing what caused your misses and how to execute the shots you need to on demand. I doubt this comes from the Corps. This would come from any combination of practice, coaching, study, natural talent, and/or being a student of your own game (learning from your experiences). 

For me, as I progressed the confidence came, the knowledge grew and accomplishments started accruing.

8 months into playing getting a hole in one

Going from a 22 hdcp to a 14.7

Consistently being over 100 to consistently being in the neighborhood of 85-93. 

This came from hitting 2,000 balls a month with a desire to work on something with every shot. 

Also, I keep real score all the time - no Mulligan's. This helped to keep track of my progress. 

[ballplayer002003 951]

22 hours ago, StrawberryShortCake said:

I used to get frustrated and angry. Then one of my friends gave me some great advice he told me you suck way too much at this game to get mad. ever since then I haven't gotten angry on the golf course. Even when I'm not playing very well I just think to myself I'm not getting paid to play here I paid to play here and I relax and enjoy the company of good friends.

My older brother is the same way, he is a 28 hcp on a GOOD day, yet when he plays he thinks he is a single digit like me.  I know I am his YOUNGER brother and he doesn't want to lose to me, but the fact is, I play a lot or at least hit balls on a regular basis, he does not.  When we play, I try to not make it competitive and I try to compliment him on his good shots, but he gets angry at his bad ones.  Well you are a 28 hcp and the truth is, you are not that good.  Just enjoy the day and enjoy the good shots you hit.  Golf is a crazy game.  If you are not hitting balls on a regular basis, you just wont get better.  It's good advice to try to control your emotions.  We have all been there, I have had rounds where I shoot 20 shots over what I am used to shooting and it's hard to control the emotions when you do this, but it's just the nature of this game. 

Just enjoy the great outdoors, the open space and the health that we all have to be able to do what we love!

[toehold57 466]

I played a couple of days ago and the body was not cooperating. My back was tight and the result was I was simply swinging with my arms. Off the tee, high spinny slices. I think I hit 3 fairways. Frustrating.

But you know what? I had a good time. Back hurt, game sucked, but I was out playing. And given all that’s going on in the world today, I’m blessed.

Keep it all in perspective, have fun. Not only are you on this side of the dirt but you’re walking around on someone else’s manicured yard


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[Jbmullin 765]

I am a reformed cussing club thrower.. it took my wife asking me why I bother playing if it makes
Me so pissed off to have that light bulb moment. I drop the odd f bomb still but not like before.

I have found my perspective on life in general has changed since the covid lockdown and restrictions. I sit outside just to be in the fresh air, I bought a bike so I could do something new with my kids and see new trials and get exercise.
It sad it took this pandemic to open my eyes somewhat but it has



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[alfriday101 707]

For me, the mental game boils down to two things:  1.  Being grateful and 2. staying in the present.  

 

Being grateful is about attitude and perspective.  I play golf for fun, to be with my friends, to get some exercise and to enjoy the great outdoors.  I can enjoy the sunshine and cool breeze just as much when shooting 95 as when shooting 75.  

Staying present takes some practice.  Focus on the now, this shot, this moment.  The bad shot I hit two holes back is in the past, there is nothing I can do about it.  If I par the last three holes, I'll shoot the best round of the year.  Let that thought float in and then out of the mind.  Don't dwell on it.  Come back to the present and focus on the shot in front of me.  Follow my routine and commit to the shot      

[ZenGolfer 604]

Im a Buddhist lay monk, so yeah, Ive got a pretty strong mental game.  For me, it comes from realizing that I dont put in the practice time that I should, so if I hit a bad shot or simply cant hit a shot as precisely as I need to, its not only OK, its amost expected.  Oh, I cant hit a perfect wedge shot when I short side myself and have to hit over a bunker?  Well, when the last time that I practiced it?  Never?  Ok then, how or why would you expect to be able to hit that shot perfectly when its demanded of you?

Thats not to say that I dont want to play better or play a shot perfectly but I dont expect myself to.

It also comes from the fact that I always live in being grateful just for being able to get out onto the course on any given day.  I consider the circumstances that had to arise simply to allow me to be here now and able to play golf and all of the things that had to fall perfectly into place for me to be here, to be alive now, for golf to even exist and for the weather to be good to allow me to golf.  I then think about all the struggle and pain that exists in the world and how lucky am I that Im even able to get out on the course at all.  Having contemplated that, how could you not be grateful?

It also comes from the fact that i realize how well or how poorly I play doesnt really matter.  If I play well or play poorly, the beer is still going to be cold at the end of my round, my wife and my dog are still going to love me and Im still going to have a job that will allow me to play golf in the future.  So, theres really no pressure or no expectations other than that which I place upon myself.  All that I have to do is going out there, hit good shots, put myself in a position to score and let the rest happen as it may.  A Taoist would call that, "being in the flow" where you just live in harmony and balance and everything that happens is meant to happen and really, couldnt happen any other way.

I think that a lot of people who know me think that I just dont care but thats not really true.  I care, I just dont let myself get upset by the things that I cant control and that dont really matter in the grand scheme of things.

[Lacassem 5,589]

On 6/5/2020 at 10:47 AM, ballplayer002003 said:

If you really want to test your mental game, play in a tournament where it is just you, not a scramble with your buddies, but a large stroke play.  Huge difference.  Golf becomes an entirely different animal.  Some love it, some don't.  I have not played in enough of these to say either one.  I will say though I read a book called The Unstoppable Golfer by Bob Rotella, really good read.  Made a lot of sense. 

I really want to get into a tournament I think I will play better. Love going out with friends and definitely play better with better golfers. But on my own just competing like that would be a different animal and I thrived on that whether it was in boot camp and working my ass off with other folks in my division to win certain things or baseball in high school. 
My mental is there always except when playing @B.Boston I compare it to when I was pitching in high school. I could start but coming in as a reliever always screwed with me

[B.Boston 7,362]

I really want to get into a tournament I think I will play better. Love going out with friends and definitely play better with better golfers. But on my own just competing like that would be a different animal and I thrived on that whether it was in boot camp and working my ass off with other folks in my division to win certain things or baseball in high school. 
My mental is there always except when playing [mention=85402]B.Boston[/mention] I compare it to when I was pitching in high school. I could start but coming in as a reliever always screwed with me

Just trying to push you to be better bud!


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[Dragon3 37]

Block out everything and focus on your own game.  Perfecting the shot.  Consistency...