Self fullfilling prophesy

[WMitch6]

We leave early tomorrow for a short "leaf peeper" golf vacation in Vermont. We'll play 4-5 courses including one where I've never been able to break 100. My usual game is high 80's but this course (Green Mountain National) has kicked my butt for years. It's usually quit keeping score and at least a dozen Titleists by the time I reach the 18th. The course slope/rating is a bit higher than my home course but not enough to explain the 15-20 stroke difference in my game. My wife says that I am whipped even before I hit the first shot. She thinks it's all in my head. She also thinks this course is where she's finally going to beat me.

My question - anybody else have this problem and have you figured out how to overcome?

[FATC1TY]

Same thing here.

It's just a matter of comfort I think.

I play at a place near work. It's easy as cake compared to the course I call "home".. By far the easiest of the 4-5 I rotate to and from.

Why do I shoot the worst on it? It's because I guess I also hit like ass at the range, and I feel my game is going to be terrible.

Try not to think about it. Just play it like it's a new place. Perhaps switch up the tee's.

Slope/rating shouldn't mean anything to you. Just play to enjoy it, and let the rest happen.

[BigJim13]

Originally Posted by WMitch6

We leave early tomorrow for a short "leaf peeper" golf vacation in Vermont. We'll play 4-5 courses including one where I've never been able to break 100. My usual game is high 80's but this course (Green Mountain National) has kicked my butt for years. It's usually quit keeping score and at least a dozen Titleists by the time I reach the 18th. The course slope/rating is a bit higher than my home course but not enough to explain the 15-20 stroke difference in my game. My wife says that I am whipped even before I hit the first shot. She thinks it's all in my head. She also thinks this course is where she's finally going to beat me.

My question - anybody else have this problem and have you figured out how to overcome?

It's all mental. That course is tight so you could probably save about 5 strokes by leaving your driver at home. If you hit your 3w or hybrid well off the tee you will be fine. That course puts a PREMIUM on accuracy moreso than distance. The greens to are tricky but if you take your time and get a good read you should be fine-easier said than done.

My best round there was a 91 from the Championship tees (all the way back the course is still only about 6400 yds) and that 91 should have been an easy 84-85, but I missed a LARGE number of putts that day.

BTW that course is only about 20 min from my house. If you guys want a real treat, go to Okemo Valley Golf Club. The VP of the PGA of America is the head honcho there and the coures is simply AWESOME. If you aren't sure who I am talking about, he was the guy giving Tiger the trophy at last years PGA Championship.

[spidermc]

Bigjim and Fatc1ty are both right... Keeping it in play and thinking about your next shot before you hit the shot in front of you are the key to GMNGC. You need to think about every shot and it's about where you hit it..not how far. Also, think about where you need to make your "mistakes" as you set-up... "left is better than right on Hole #2 and will bump you back into the fairway and keep you out of the pond" etc...

There isn't a hole on the Back Nine besides #10 that needs a driver and of the few on the front (1, 3, 4, 6, 9) where you could use it, shorter and safer are better options. Chipping to the right part of the green on a shorter approach is much better than losing it on a wayward shot to the green that you are trying to stretch...

Take your pars and birdies where you can but play smart bogey golf if you get into trouble on a hole. #9 is a good example...It's the hardest par 4 in VT...Play it as a par 5 with 3 smart shots in and take double and triple out of the equation. Bogey golf is an 89?

And when you do get into trouble get out of trouble smart and don't try the low percentage "hero shot" that usually ends up costing you another stroke...

Hole #1 and #10 are visually intimidating but from the tips it's really only about 160-170yds to the fairway.

Holes #7 and #13 are the "easiest" holes on the course but both short par 3's can be tricky... Short is death on both! Play to the center of the green on both and just focus on being on the correct side rather than shoot at the pin... Most times it's the same club for both holes?

Defensive putting is another good tip... Being "below" the hole isn't as important as some VT courses but leave it inside the 2' "cup" on your first putt and it will help keep away the 3 putts...

Also, play the set of tee's that is best suited to your handicap... 0-8Black/9-15Blue/16-24white/25+yellow. No one ever walks in the shop and says "Shot 65 from the whites again...Just too damn easy from the forward tees!"

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by spidermc

Bigjim and Fatc1ty are both right... Keeping it in play and thinking about your next shot before you hit the shot in front of you are the key to GMNGC. You need to think about every shot and it's about where you hit it..not how far. Also, think about where you need to make your "mistakes" as you set-up... "left is better than right on Hole #2 and will bump you back into the fairway and keep you out of the pond" etc...

There isn't a hole on the Back Nine besides #10 that needs a driver and of the few on the front (1, 3, 4, 6, 9) where you could use it, shorter and safer are better options. Chipping to the right part of the green on a shorter approach is much better than losing it on a wayward shot to the green that you are trying to stretch...

Take your pars and birdies where you can but play smart bogey golf if you get into trouble on a hole. #9 is a good example...It's the hardest par 4 in VT...Play it as a par 5 with 3 smart shots in and take double and triple out of the equation. Bogey golf is an 89?

And when you do get into trouble get out of trouble smart and don't try the low percentage "hero shot" that usually ends up costing you another stroke...

Hole #1 and #10 are visually intimidating but from the tips it's really only about 160-170yds to the fairway.

Holes #7 and #13 are the "easiest" holes on the course but both short par 3's can be tricky... Short is death on both! Play to the center of the green on both and just focus on being on the correct side rather than shoot at the pin... Most times it's the same club for both holes?

Defensive putting is another good tip... Being "below" the hole isn't as important as some VT courses but leave it inside the 2' "cup" on your first putt and it will help keep away the 3 putts...

Also, play the set of tee's that is best suited to your handicap... 0-8Black/9-15Blue/16-24white/25+yellow. No one ever walks in the shop and says "Shot 65 from the whites again...Just too damn easy from the forward tees!"

Good first post, Spider. Will we see more?

[BigJim13]

Originally Posted by spidermc

Bigjim and Fatc1ty are both right... Keeping it in play and thinking about your next shot before you hit the shot in front of you are the key to GMNGC. You need to think about every shot and it's about where you hit it..not how far. Also, think about where you need to make your "mistakes" as you set-up... "left is better than right on Hole #2 and will bump you back into the fairway and keep you out of the pond" etc...

There isn't a hole on the Back Nine besides #10 that needs a driver and of the few on the front (1, 3, 4, 6, 9) where you could use it, shorter and safer are better options. Chipping to the right part of the green on a shorter approach is much better than losing it on a wayward shot to the green that you are trying to stretch...

Take your pars and birdies where you can but play smart bogey golf if you get into trouble on a hole. #9 is a good example...It's the hardest par 4 in VT...Play it as a par 5 with 3 smart shots in and take double and triple out of the equation. Bogey golf is an 89?

And when you do get into trouble get out of trouble smart and don't try the low percentage "hero shot" that usually ends up costing you another stroke...

Hole #1 and #10 are visually intimidating but from the tips it's really only about 160-170yds to the fairway.

Holes #7 and #13 are the "easiest" holes on the course but both short par 3's can be tricky... Short is death on both! Play to the center of the green on both and just focus on being on the correct side rather than shoot at the pin... Most times it's the same club for both holes?

Defensive putting is another good tip... Being "below" the hole isn't as important as some VT courses but leave it inside the 2' "cup" on your first putt and it will help keep away the 3 putts...

Also, play the set of tee's that is best suited to your handicap... 0-8Black/9-15Blue/16-24white/25+yellow. No one ever walks in the shop and says "Shot 65 from the whites again...Just too damn easy from the forward tees!"

That's good advice, I played from the tips that day only because I was playing with a former PGA pro and wanted to see what it iwas like. My swing was feeling good and were it not for some bad putts, 3 putted for par at the first when I had 15 ft for eagle, I would have shot an 85.

Sounds like you know the course well, are you from VT or do you play there frequently. That course is beautiful and is in my top 2 courses in southern VT,Okemo being the other. I haven't played many courses in northern VT so can't say about them.

[WMitch6]

Guys - Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately, the weather did us in so I still don't know if I can get around GMN without an ass whipping. We got to play Killington a couple of times and got in a round at Sugarbush. Sugarbush is an old favorite that we quit playing because it was so poorly maintained. I think new ownership has the course back on track. The day we were scheduled to play GMN was a rainout. I don't mind playing in a little rain but the wife draws the line at a deluge.

GMN and CC of VT are my favorite courses in VT. We'll probably be heading to the area again next summer and I'm adding Okemo to my list. IMO RT 100 in VT has some of the best fall golf in New England.

Big Jim - Are you talking about Jim Remy? He was the head pro at Killington when I first started playing there.

[Pa Jayhawk]

I disagree that it is all mental and have even stated in the past on most threads regarding slope of the course. My point in the past is that I believe for a normal golfer, the harder the course, the higher the slope and course handicap, the worse you will likely shoot over your calculated course handicap. I would guess it is likely all about penalties in relation course management. Our home course is 5600 off the whites with a slope of 135, 5900 off the blues with a slope of 142. I have been playing the course around 3-4 times a week for 5 years and I still shoot better in comparison to my course handicap when I play elsewhere. I think the mental aspect may stand true in going to an easier course and the reason I likely shoot better. Everything is just wide open. Basically no fear, perfectly relaxed, and not much penalty for lack of course management as long as you manage appropriate distance off the tee. So while there is the mental aspect that you have more fear does not help, it is not to say it is going to save you from penalties. Playing here as much as I do for 5 years, I don't have a lot of fear of many of the holes, but it doesn't make the course much easier. I still loose around 2-4 balls on any normal round. I rarely loose balls on a normal course. In 5 years I have only had a few rounds that I could count on one hand where I did not lose a ball on this course. On my handicap card, of the 6 rounds I have played away on my last 20, 5 are used towards my index. The one that is not used is 6 strokes lower than one that is used from my home course., so it was basically a coin toss.

Played with quite a few single digit handicaps here that shot over 100. It wasn't mental. They hit the ball well, they just didn't manage the course and would hit driver when they were 50 yards longer and straighter with their driver than I, but I was hitting 7w. Kinda hard to manage a course you are not familiar with the course going into the round.

[BigJim13]

Originally Posted by WMitch6

Guys - Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately, the weather did us in so I still don't know if I can get around GMN without an ass whipping. We got to play Killington a couple of times and got in a round at Sugarbush. Sugarbush is an old favorite that we quit playing because it was so poorly maintained. I think new ownership has the course back on track. The day we were scheduled to play GMN was a rainout. I don't mind playing in a little rain but the wife draws the line at a deluge.

GMN and CC of VT are my favorite courses in VT. We'll probably be heading to the area again next summer and I'm adding Okemo to my list. IMO RT 100 in VT has some of the best fall golf in New England.

Big Jim - Are you talking about Jim Remy? He was the head pro at Killington when I first started playing there.

Yeah, Jim Remy. He took over the golf operations at Okemo, i believe, when it was a 9 hole course. The owners of the Ski resort committed large amounts of time and money to putting in a TOP NOTCH course to make the resort a 4 season resort. The course, again this is my opinion, is the BEST in southern VT-better then GMN.