This about sums it up

[nututhugame]

Played that same little muni again by my house and shot a 40 this time. Par is 35. 17 putts which sucks. The greens are slow and I can't get used to it. 4 GIR. No penalties. 1 bird on #9, a 160yd par 3 that I put my 9i to a foot. 3 pars, 4 bogeys, and 1 double. I hit like four thin-ish shots that I wasn't too happy with although none of them did any real bad damage, even still it sticks in the brain. For as often as I play/practice i'm pretty happy. I don't have a legitimate handicap, but I figure it to be around 12. Better than bogey golf.

 

[nututhugame]

So a couple of weeks ago I went and played 9 with my buddy (if you want to call it that). It was freezing and I hadn't played in a while and I was under dressed for the temp. I had a total disaster which led to me not even caring and trying things I normally wouldn't. Ended up with a 61. Not a typo... sixty friggin one. Like I couldn't hit a golf ball if I tried. I went yesterday by myself with decent weather and no time constraints and shot a 41 from the back tees. Hitting draws exactly how I was envisioning them all day. With better putting (even though I only had 17 putts) and a better chip on one hole I could've shot my all time best. No good reason... just had a pressure free day to myself and bam, good day. For me at least. That day I went with my buddy I had to rush to get sqeazed in and had no warm up. Hooked my first tee shot and it was all down hill from there. Point of this tale is that a little warm up and a good mental state is all the difference.

 

[Fitzpatrick]

Point of this tale is that a little warm up and a good mental state is all the difference.

Ain't that the truth. I usually don't keep score when I'm relaxed and just out for a quick 9 with my cousin or myself. However, I am aware of how my swing feels, or how my putting stroke feels, how shots are flying, that sort of thing. And, 9 times out of 10, when I'm in that frame of mind, my game goes that much better. I start putting too much pressure on myself to shoot a better score, I start to get disjointed and rush my swing or try too hard to read a putt, and my score skyrockets (I think that the last round I played for money I ended up shooting close to 60 as well. Just could not get a ball to fly right to save my life).

 

[IrishGolfer]

They say a Stupid Man plays golf better than a Thinking Man. So you are either stupid good or smart bad, right? Which one are you?

 

[nututhugame]

They say a Stupid Man plays golf better than a Thinking Man. So you are either stupid good or smart bad, right? Which one are you?

Actually I play better when I use my head, just not to the point of OCD. Conservative target and aggressive swing with the right club off the tee usually serves me well. For me it's more about comfort level. Certain course on a certain day and i'm not feelin it can equal disaster... especially going out cold. If I went 3 hours later at a course I like better and hit 10 to 15 balls first it probably would've been a different story.

So if I had to choose I guess i'm smartstupidgoodbad. Aren't all golfers though?

 

[limpalong]

They say a Stupid Man plays golf better than a Thinking Man. So you are either stupid good or smart bad, right? Which one are you?

A "stupid man" may play quicker than a "thinking man". I would aruge that he/she plays better. Luckier? Sometimes. Better?
I have seen too many players exhibit "paralysis through over-analysis". But, IMHO, there is a difference between a "thinking man" and OCD.
Saturday, we had a small group. My SIL and I went head to head. Four of us played 18 in under 3 hours. SIL and I challenged each other right up to the last putt. He beat my 79 with a 78. We played quickly... thinking... and scored well. Sunday, we had different players in the group and everyone started out "looser"... all were "stupid men". I've not hit that many bad shots in ages. Scrambling/struggling all day. Carded a 90!!! 11 strokes difference in 24 hours. But, we were all talking football, politics, one player's grandson who broke his leg, etc. We were playing "stupid" and it showed.

 

[nututhugame]

Walked 18 this morning. It's the middle of May and I had to wear a winter hat on the front... cold and windy. The greens that were so slow because of the rain are now lightning. Despite the weather I took a big step towards getting back to my form. 12 strokes better than the last time I played 18. Shot a 92 with 35 putts. Both 9's in the 40's, one of them better than bogey golf. 4 pars and 2 birds. 7 fairways and only 2 gir's. Needless to say, today was a grind. I got out of the sand first try all day and no skanks though (knock on wood... I don't mean anything by it golf gods).

 

[dedicatedhacker]

Good job at improving

 

[nututhugame]

Oh yeah, I had back to back birds. One of them came after lipping out an eagle putt. Hit a great drive and put it on with my 4i on a par 5. The following hole is a long par 4 that I never play well... killed the drive again, put it on with the second (also a good shot) and made a longish putt. That felt really good.

 

[dedicatedhacker]

Oh yeah, I had back to back birds. One of them came after lipping out an eagle putt. Hit a great drive and put it on with my 4i on a par 5. The following hole is a long par 4 that I never play well... killed the drive again, put it on with the second (also a good shot) and made a longish putt. That felt really good.

Holes like that will make you want to keep coming back for more. Hopefully I have a few like that today when I get out there

 

[nututhugame]

Man, I had one 4putt today because they put the pin in a real tough spot and the greens were lightning. There was only one good spot to be where the pin was and I wasn't there.

 

[dedicatedhacker]

Man, I had one 4putt today because they put the pin in a real tough spot and the greens were lightning. There was only one good spot to be where the pin was and I wasn't there.

I had one of my rare opportunities for a birdie today, went for a 10 foot putt. Ball was dead nuts on, got 3 feet away and hit a bump I didn't see in the green from a bad job at a divot repair. Went about 45 degrees hard left and made me wanna tear up

 

[azgreg]

Apparently you didn't read our how to read a green thread.

 

[dedicatedhacker]

Apparently you didn't read our how to read a green thread.

I must have missed it! Doh. I was just ready to get the hell off the course by that point. I made a new thread venting about that though