How do you recover from a bad round?

[MDGolfHacker]

It's been a long while since I had one of those WTH just happened round, but I had one this past Wednesday in my 9 hole league.  You can read a bit more details here:

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/6351-howd-you-play/?do=findComment&comment=1084350

What made it worse was it just came out of the blue, range time the night before everything was firing on all cylinders, the practice time on the putting surface didn't hint of the Titanic level self destruction that was on the horizon.  @Golfspy_CG2 said to "Let it go".   So how do you recover from a bad round? What do you do to get back into the "swing" of things?

Edited June 14 by MDGolfHacker

[cnosil]

I’d say we all have those days where nothing is working and while it is sometimes easier said than done we just have to put it behind us.  
 

During a round that is going south I try to focus on tempo and maybe trying to shorten up the swing and hit 3/4 shots.   Basically alll aspects of my game go downhill when I get quick and overswing.  How do you get past it after the round? you just have to accept the bad round and mentally know you can play better golf.  

[russtopherb]

Honestly I pretty much don't do anything different. If I know the round was caused by a specific swing flaw that has crept back in, I'll hit the range to work on it. But all in all, golf is hard. Bad rounds will happen. And a bad round on the course is still better than a good day in the office

[cksurfdude]

14 minutes ago, russtopherb said:

And a bad round on the course is still better than a good day in the office

Ya Mon!!!

That's actually a big part of it - the mental coaches say to have an "attitude of gratitude" .. simply for being able to get outside and play a game you love. 

Me? I remind myself that I'm not that good and still working on it, and that golf is a very hard and very fickle game...

...there absolutely and necessarily *will* be ups and downs....

..and then there's the 19th Hole

Ha but next time I pick up a club it's back to basics slow motion drills (not hitting a ball) and then starting with slow motion chipping and pitching at the range. 

 

[Erin B]

Hmmmm, tough question, but I usually take a week off after a horrible round. It’s hard to shake them. Sometimes because of multi day tournaments, I just try to forget the bad round. I try to get back in my routine and find one thing to focus on 100%. Usually it’s driving the ball. I find that when I focus on only one thing the others seem to take care of themselves. Just my way.

[TJ Hall]

In the middle of a round, just try to find something that works and keep things simple.

Afterwards, drink heavily to forget it!  Just kidding, can be tough but try to see what good was in the round…trying to stay positive.

One bad round can just be an anomaly, a few are a trend!

[Dead Solid Bogey]

2 hours ago, russtopherb said:

Honestly I pretty much don't do anything different. If I know the round was caused by a specific swing flaw that has crept back in, I'll hit the range to work on it. But all in all, golf is hard. Bad rounds will happen. And a bad round on the course is still better than a good day in the office

Yeppers…. A horrid day at the golf course is still heaven compared to returning to the hades like environment of the realm of her high highness… 

I will embrace being a failure on the golf course everyday, every time, in every way… It is still a better sanctuary than a Cartel stronghold from the feared “ You-know-who “ 

 

[DiscipleofPenick]

From the Little Red Book - 

If you play bad once, forget it.

Twice - go to the range and review basics grips, stance etc.

Three Times - Go see your pro.

[Beakbryce]

Change the adjustable settings on my driver!

Play the next day.

Something for most of you to look forward to, when you are retired, there is no such thing as a really "bad" round!

[Stereotype]

Once I decompress from the frustration of the round, I take some time and deep clean and reorganize my clubs and bag; literally "wash-off" the bad round. I started doing this a couple of years ago and it's just been my go-to process. I tend to approach the next round with a fresh feel. 

[fozcycle]

Today I shot a 47/37:84. That’s right. I should have given up after 9, but I kept trying and ironed out 8 straight pars followed by a bogey. One of the reasons for the bad 9 was I switched putters last night from a blade to a mallet. That, however had nothing to do with my drives on the first three holes….all pulling left with three lost balls in three holes. I had a lot to make up for and did pretty good with only 29 putts for the day.

[RetiredBoomer]

If I had to "recover" from a bad round, I'd probably have to give up golf.

I just have a drink in the clubhouse and say,
"Well, I got THAT round out of my system.
I can't possibly play that horrifically next time out."

Sometimes I'm wrong about that,
but there's another "next time" to follow.

[Hacker60521]

Earlier this season, I had a blow up round where I started off strong but on a long par 5 the wheels just came off. Ended up an 8, and then it took me a couple more holes to finally get back into the right mental state. 
 

That said, I try to remind myself that my next shot has nothing to do with my previous shot. So I try to play one stroke at a time, and don’t make big adjustments during a round. 

[NM01]

Worrying about something that’s happened and can’t be changed is wasting energy.

Just like dealing with a bad shot, you put it out of your mind and focus on the task at hand. Your support for family isn’t tied to your success in your 9 hole league, weekend rounds or even your practice rounds. So worrying about it has no benefit.

Analyze what went wrong and develop a practice plan then forget about the round

[Dweed]

I liked what @Stereotype suggested. Clean the clubs not worry about the round past. I like to look at a round performance earlier in the year as a reminder that "I can do it"

[No3PuttLaLa]

As the saying goes “Be a goldfish”. Good chance to reflect on what happened, but key word is reflect, not dwell. Short term memory then move on. I’ll try to focus on dry fire swings and go back to the basics. My playing partner in league always reminds me “No sorry, shoulda, woulda or coulda… Next shot!”
 

Often times I find my bad rounds are due to rushing. I think there is so much emphasis on pace of play that I feel like I slow things down if I take proper time for pre shot processes. But in reality, these processes allow me to hit better shots and not march back and forth looking for balls. (Which definitely slows things down)

[Golf2Much]

My head of operations had a saying:  "Once is an accident, twice is coincidence and three times is a trend."  I've always used that philosophy in golf as well.

When I have a bad round, I look at what happened, make one or two notes and then forget about it.  Too often, I've found that worrying too much about one bad round can create doubt, over analyzing and often lead to another bad one.   Forget the bad round and if it's the third time, and it may be a trend, seek professional help.

Edited June 17 by Golf2Much

[kam89]

I generally hit a par 3 course if I'm struggling on a big course seems to help get me back to centered.

[Discolemmonade]

I always try and just focus on one thing that I know helps my swing.  Depending on where my mis-hits are will determine that one thing.  It usually comes down to tempo for me.  So in that case, I have certain songs in my head that have good golf tempo.  I think of one and it can help.  But sometimes the golf gods determine you are in for a bad round.

[E. H. Taylor]

I usually cheer myself up by realizing that if 4-5 things had gone differently I would have had a better than average day. That's usually how I have bad days, I don't get breaks, rim out a few putts, have a bad bunker hole. I try to keep expectations on the range so I don't put pressure on myself in the first place. That helps me remain ware that bad rounds happen.

[Stereotype]

3 hours ago, Golf2Much said:

My head of operations had a saying:  "Once is an accident, twice is coincidence and three times is a trend."  I've always used that philosophy in golf as well.

When I have a bad round, I look at what happened, make one or two notes and then forget about it.  Too often, I've found that worrying too much about one bad round can create doubt, over analyzing and often lead to another bad one.   Forget the bad round and if it's the third time, and it may be a trend, seek professional help.

That's a fantastic perspective, you rarely have 3-4 "bad" rounds in a row and if you do it's definitely worth a recalibration from a professional. 

[elight]

Lately, I've been trying to find one positive from each round as a takeaway. Making a birdie, getting under a target number of putts, hitting a drive a certain distance, a sand save, something. Even when I have a bad round, if I can identify progress toward my goals, I can feel good about it.

[cnosil]

Sometimes we just have to accept bad rounds; even the best in the world have bad rounds.   You know what you are capable of doing on the course and just need to relax and let it happen.   

 

[WashedUpCollegeGolfer]

10 years ago I would have told you I'd hit the range and try to work out what went wrong. Now what I find works best is to sit down after the round, have a beer with the friends I played with, and dethatch from the round and enjoy the moment. I have burnt myself out of golf more than one time and the thing I find that helps most is to not take it to seriously.