How Do Y'all Get Your Groove Back after a Poor Start?

[atmikeyp]

I've been playing this silly game for longer than I can remember, and one thing I've never really been able to master is rallying after a prolonged poor start. There are days when I start the round and it's all but a war between me and the golf course - swing off, no good breaks, everything seems to go against me. I try to maintain, but after a bogey, bogey, double, triple start... I'm off the rails.

Sometimes I get so angry I just rip at my driver, crush it, and that snaps me out of it. Just as often, I rip at my driver, duck hook it OB, and bad goes to worse (hey triple!).

I'm curious what y'all do mid-round to right the ship, and get back to playing at the level you're used to?

[cnosil]

12 minutes ago, atmikeyp said:

Sometimes I get so angry I just rip at my driver, crush it, and that snaps me out of it. Just as often, I rip at my driver, duck hook it OB, and bad goes to worse (hey triple!).

Sometimes we just play poorly,   Sounds like you need to work on your mental focus; some would say you need to consider meditation.   Fundamentally, just do the basics of a solid stroke and not worry about the past. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

The hardest thing is to let go of all the stress you just put on yourself from bad holes. The harder you try the worse it gets because you have all that tension.

You want to rip it,  but I take the opposite approach. Swing easier and take more club. Make slower deliberate backswings. Almost feel as you pause at the top. Then speed through impact. Getting your club stable at the top gets you in a consistent position to make good contact at impact position.

[atmikeyp]

2 hours ago, cnosil said:

"... would say you need to consider meditation."

On first read, I saw this as "consider medication"

[CY71]

I think that collecting yourself after a bad start, or a rough stretch of holes mid round, is both mental and physical. Sometimes I start strong then all of the sudden I feel like my body completely forgets how to swing the club. What I recently started doing was taking less club that I can hit down the center of the fairway for a few holes and just playing for bogey. It’s amazing how you get your rhythm back after seeing a few balls fly true and build some confidence

[VV33]

Been there a lot. Personally, I choose to look at it as a challenge and I just focus on making a good swing.  I don’t care about the immediate result, but if I get one good swing in, then I just build upon it the rest of the round.  Also, I stop trying so hard…lessen my grip pressure…kinda laugh at myself.  Works for me. 

[RetiredBoomer]

I will dutifully report back as soon as I experience what being in a groove is like.

However, I can answer any questions you may have about being in a rut.

 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Water bottle is important for me as I usually reset by taking a drink and working to regain focus. 

[Josh Parker]

For me, I take a moment in between holes and remember I'm not making my living playing golf and it's more fun that being at work. 

Forget the last shot and focus on the next. 

[GolfSpy_BEN]

I’ve adopted the goldfish approach. Whether it’s a good shot/hole or bad, I think about it for 10 seconds and then promptly forget it and mov on to the next thing. Helps to keep an even keel throughout the round

[bens197]

I started breaking my round up into 3 hole segments.  When you have 6 sets of 3 holes it changes your perspective and forces you to change your focus.

I also remind myself as a 3 handicap, that I will likely shoot between 75-80 on a good day.  That means any combination of 5-10 bogeys (which includes some birdies).

I also have been focusing more on realistic data…primarily on Lou Stagner’s twitter account.  It’s fascinating to see how the average golfer based on index perceives their game vs reality.  Hitting a green inside 15 feet for a 10 and under is an incredibly good result.  

Be realistic with your game and it’ll be realistic for you.

[Marty2shanks]

Fireball.  With maybe a beer chaser.

[auzmosis]

Remember... it's just a game.  If it's not fun don't do it. I slow it down and focus on the fun. 

[Michael.Sandoval33]

What I do, which is something I learned playing football growing up, is drink a little water and eat a small snack. It changes my focus for a short period and I typically reset and forget the last few holes. 

[Randall Robbins]

Deep breaths, slow down to refocus,  and if it's a course you've played a bit, remember good shots/ rounds you played there before.

[The 300 year old golfer]

For me, the score is not important. What is important is hitting a good shot. If I hit a bad shot, then I concentrate on hitting the next shot well. The feel of a well struck shot. Is why I am out there. At the end, I add up the score. if it is not good, that’s OK because my handicap goes up and I get more strokes. If it is good, then I take money from my friends. Either way I win!

[chisag]

On 5/13/2024 at 8:42 AM, atmikeyp said:

I've been playing this silly game for longer than I can remember, and one thing I've never really been able to master is rallying after a prolonged poor start. There are days when I start the round and it's all but a war between me and the golf course - swing off, no good breaks, everything seems to go against me. I try to maintain, but after a bogey, bogey, double, triple start... I'm off the rails.

Sometimes I get so angry I just rip at my driver, crush it, and that snaps me out of it. Just as often, I rip at my driver, duck hook it OB, and bad goes to worse (hey triple!).

I'm curious what y'all do mid-round to right the ship, and get back to playing at the level you're used to?

 

... The truly wonderful thing about this game and why I think so many of us are addicted to it is you can't master anything. On the days when everything is clicking I can shoot in the 60's and it feels almost effortless. But the real challenge is the days everything seems to be a little off and that is a completely different challenge to card a 75. I find plenty of satisfaction in navigating the course when struggling and grinding out a score. @Michael.Sandoval33 mentioned learning from football and I would add: The good rounds are like playing QB, making great throws while being untouched in the pocket and winning easily. Bad days are like playing guard and battling in the trenches on every single snap in a losing effort.

... If you can learn to embrace the challenge of battling in the trenches on your off days, it opens up a game within a game. It is easy and fun to hit a huge drive, laser an iron to 6 feet and make a soft breaking putt for birdie. And while fun or easy is not in the description, it can be rewarding to hit a bad drive, miss the green with a poor iron shot, make a decent chip and roll in a 15 footer for par. 3 bad shots and 1 good shot to grind out a par might be the best you can do if you accept the challenge. 

... Summing up: change your perspective. 

[PrismFlopper]

Im fortunate enough that im usually playing with a good friend/s that know when im in my head and how to help.

saying that though i typically will go back to basics, club up and not full swing. Ill just start trying to play bogey golf, i know thats not great but a string of bogeys beats a couple triples or quads. If it gets real bad i ignore the score card and just enjoy a nice days not working. For those days i just remember ive been through hard times and if a bad round is the worst of my problems that day then im livin easy.

[67BUDFAN]

Great question atmikeyp. I think a really important lesson my dad taught me at a young age (I'm now 65) is to be kind to myself when I am playing golf (especially early in the season). We all hit bad shots and have bad starts or stretches during a round. But that's not who we are, it's not what we have always done, and it's not a given that we will keep doing it. I really appreciate the perspective Fred Shoemaker shares in his wonderful book "Extraordinary Golf" (highly recommended reading and if I am allowed to post this, watch his youtube interview with Peter Hudson https://duckduckgo.com/?q=fred+shoemaker+extraordinary+golf&atb=v317-1&iar=videos&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dx4sWCof6u6A . He "simply" encourages golfers to remember that it is good to think positively about our games. For me, that means that rather than judging myself and dwelling on a poor shot/start, as I am approaching my next shot I try to remind myself that I have hit this shot before and can do it again. It's not living in a fantasy world of imaging I can do something I have never done before (or simply incapable of like hitting a 290 yard 3 wood over water). It's more learning to remind myself of what's possible because of what I am capable of and have done before. And of course also reminding myself that golf is a "wonderfully" humbling game

Edited May 26 by 67BUDFAN
repetitive

[HardcoreLooper]

Lots of good suggestions here on the mental side, so I won't pile on there.

To try to correct whatever issue is plaguing me on the course, I'm a big believer in Adam Young and the idea of taking your fault and doing the opposite.  

• If I'm hitting it fat, I try to thin it on purpose.  I'll hover the club above the ground and try to hit the middle of the ball with the bottom of the club.
• If I'm hitting it thin, I try to get the bottom of the club lower than the bottom of the ball.
• If I'm hitting it off the toe (frequent issue), I try to hit it more toward the heel.  I'll line the ball up closer to the heel.
• If I'm hitting it off the heel (rare issue), I try to hit it more toward the toe.  I'll line the ball up closer to the toe.
• If I'm hitting it left (frequent issue), I'll address the ball with the clubface pointed more to the right.  It's important to remember to line up the face, then grip the club.
• If I'm hitting it right (rare issue), I'll address the ball with the clubface pointed more to the left.

I realize this sounds ridiculously simple, but I swear it works.  He talks about all of this in his podcast, and I've taken a video lesson from him.  One thing he recommends is practicing this on the range.  Try to hit the ball off the toe/heel, hit it fat/thin on purpose, hit it with the face closed/open.  Get the feel of all of these shots on the range and then recreate that feel on the course to fight the issue you're having.  

Having someone give me "permission" to address the ball with the face open was world-changing for me.

[Mike10487]

I just try to focus on the things around me. My normal playing partners say "he is watching butterflies". They are not wrong. But what is really happening is that I am reminding myself that this game is hard, and I am not Tiger (in his prime). Then I focus on tempo. For me most of the time when my tempo gets off, I do not get to my left side. I will make sure to wait for my hips to clear. If all else fails, I will hit punch shots or stack and tilt to get through the round.  

[William P]

On 5/13/2024 at 12:59 PM, atmikeyp said:

On first read, I saw this as "consider medication"

Sounds like it could have merit as a plausible alternative... 

[William P]

23 hours ago, bens197 said:

I started breaking my round up into 3 hole segments.  When you have 6 sets of 3 holes it changes your perspective and forces you to change your focus.

I also remind myself as a 3 handicap, that I will likely shoot between 75-80 on a good day.  That means any combination of 5-10 bogeys (which includes some birdies).

I also have been focusing more on realistic data…primarily on Lou Stagner’s twitter account.  It’s fascinating to see how the average golfer based on index perceives their game vs reality.  Hitting a green inside 15 feet for a 10 and under is an incredibly good result.  

Be realistic with your game and it’ll be realistic for you.

I started doing this last fall in an effort to help manage expectations and it has definitely provided a more focused and positive mental game. Not that I don't have poor or bad rounds, but it helps keep me in the now and focused on next shot.

[bens197]

2 hours ago, William P said:

I started doing this last fall in an effort to help manage expectations and it has definitely provided a more focused and positive mental game. Not that I don't have poor or bad rounds, but it helps keep me in the now and focused on next shot.

Coupling this with the expectation that I will make a bogey or a double is definitely helpful as well. 
 

I don’t anchor my expectations on my best round. Instead it’s “if I’m in trouble, let’s minimize the trouble and make a good decision.”

[chisag]

1 hour ago, bens197 said:

I don’t anchor my expectations on my best round. Instead it’s “if I’m in trouble, let’s minimize the trouble and make a good decision.”

 

...   One of the turning points in my journey to a + index was playing with a golf forum friend on a golf trip back in the early 90's that had won his NJ Club Championship several times. As is often the case, he did nothing spectacular but did everything well. He hit a fade consistently but faded one too much into the trees but had a nice 6-8 foot opening yet opted to just punch out sideways and a little backwards that was wide open. I asked why he didn't go through the opening in the trees and maybe even get the ball on the front of the green and he said "I couldn't hit the ball into a 100yd wide fairway, what makes me think I could successfully hit it through a 2 yd opening?" 

... I learned a lot from him and he expanded saying he could probably make it though that opening 80% of the time but would have probably still not have made it to the green and most importantly if he hit a limb the ball could bounce anywhere and leave him with no shot and a penalty. He still had an outside chance at saving par but he could live with a bogie after a bad tee shot. A double or worse could completely derail his round. He said he didn't beat most off his competitors in his Club Championships, they beat themselves although some were better ball strikers and longer than him. Going at dangerous pins, trying recovery shots with marginal success, attempting to hit a BIG drive, etc. It only takes one or two mental mistakes in competition to lose, or sabotage a casual round. 

Edited May 26 by chisag

[THE GOLF GUY]

41 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

...   One of the turning points in my journey to a + index was playing with a golf forum friend on a golf trip back in the early 90's that had won his NJ Club Championship several times. As is often the case, he did nothing spectacular but did everything well. He hit a fade consistently but faded one too much into the trees but had a nice 6-8 foot opening yet opted to just punch out sideways and a little backwards that was open. I asked why he didn't go through the opening in the trees and maybe even get the ball on the front of the green and he said "I couldn't hit the ball into a 100yd wide fairway, what makes me think I could successfully hit it through a 2 yd opening?" 

... I learned a lot from him and he expanded saying he could probably make it though that opening 80% of the time but would have probably still not have made it to the green and most importantly if he hit a limb the ball could bounce anywhere and leave him with no shot or a penalty. He still had an outside chance at saving par but he could live with a bogie after a bad the shot. A double or worse could completely derail his round. He said he didn't beat most off his competitors in his Club Championships, they beat themselves although some were better ball strikers and longer than him. Going at dangerous pins, trying recovery shots with marginal success, attempting to hit a BIG drive, etc. It only takes one or two mental mistakes in competition to lose, or sabotage a casual round. 

Great advice!
 

[Rob Person]

It has taken me a long time to get into a new frame of mind with my game. I will paraphrase what i read here the other day in an intro thread. "I am not a golfer, but I do play golf" 

I was always just hacking my way towards the green. I didn't know what it meant to play sensible shots.  Every shot was the hero shot! Swing it and Wing it! And it was FUN! Until it wasn't anymore. This lead to alot of bad shots,  and even more frustration, which lead to more bad shots. I started to actually care about playing golf,  amd damnit!, I wanted to be a golfer!

To your question above about getting your groove back: find a reset. Food, water, a song, a peaceful moment, a memory, whatever can get YOU realigned with where you want to be.  It is truly the only way to create a refreshed focus.

[MichaelC_81]

Doesn't always work, but trying to forget about the bad start and focusing on the next shot seems to help. Yesterday I started with back to back triple bogeys but came up to a par 3 and absolutely nailed my tee shot to a couple meters short of the pin. Straight away your mood changes and the shots start working.

[atmikeyp]

On 5/25/2024 at 12:44 PM, GolfSpy_BEN said:

I’ve adopted the goldfish approach. Whether it’s a good shot/hole or bad, I think about it for 10 seconds and then promptly forget it and mov on to the next thing. Helps to keep an even keel throughout the round

+1 kudo for a Ted Lasso reference, even if it was unintentional.

 

[atmikeyp]

On 5/26/2024 at 2:53 PM, chisag said:

"I couldn't hit the ball into a 100yd wide fairway, what makes me think I could successfully hit it through a 2 yd opening?"

There has been so much good advice given here, I'm going to have to re-read this whole thread before my next round. To @chisag, this has been a pretty big lesson for me as well. I'm working during all of my rounds to avoid the big numbers, and trying to make decisions that minimize the chance for doubles and triples. I only go flag hunting when I really feel the groove, otherwise it's aiming for the fat part of the green between the pin and the fringe, and hope I don't miss further than that. Sometimes that leaves me a 90ft putt... sometimes it's 10ft... but it's much better either way than a short-sided miss.