Anyone else just LOSE it after making the turn?

[Fourputt]

Yesterday... 38 front, 45 back. The 83 total is acceptable, the split is not. :1898_:

I do know what happened though. I did a stupid on 11 (resulting in a double bogey), and then beat myself up over it for the next 3 holes instead of letting go and playing golf, going 7 over for those 4 holes. One stupid mental mistake and it cost me that hole and three more.

 

[cypressperch]

If your handicap is truly accurate, the odds are a good front nine will be followed by a bad back nine, and a bad front nine will be followed by a good front nine. It is simply a matter of probability. Of course you might have a so-so round from start to finish. There are all sorts of ways to end up with the average scores that went into your true handicap. If you do not include all scores, good and bad, in your handicap, it is not a true handicap. And all of this is based upon your trying as hard or not as hard as you usually play. If you are trying to become the best golfer you can be, your handicap will probably be amazingly predictive of your scores.
This teaches us to be neither over-confident nor under-confident. Of course, if you have just bought this argument, you may very well be doomed if you ever start out great. You know it will end, and the first bad shot the brain goes, "I knew it could not last!" Thinking positive, however, you should know that if you just keep trying eventually good things are going to happen later in the round.
It is amazing how often we shoot a good score and do not realize it until we add up our score. If this has never happened to you, it might be you are thinking too much about your score rather than each shot. Follow a good routine on each shot. The last thing in your routine could be to watch your ball until it stops or you see something where you last saw it. This will help you avoid losing your ball as often saving strokes. DO NOT THINK WITH FULL GOLF CONCENTRATION (the fullest concentration known to man!) between shots. Look at the course you are on or something relaxing. Concentrating a whole eighteen holes is too long. I played in a tournament where it took over six hours to finish. I fried my brain thinking that long.
Tip from Walter Hagen: I want to shoot a 75 today. I can make three mistakes that cost me a stroke each and I will shoot that 75. So I am already prepared for when I make a mistake. I say that is one of them, and keep on going. If I birdie a hole, I get that stroke/mistake back.
A warm-up before a round is always a good idea. It helps you get off to a good start. A warm-up often becomes a full blown practice session, and one should not be surprised if they are physically worn out before the round is finished.
The best description I have ever come across about the optimum state of mind for playing golf is "RELAXED FOCUS." You are relaxed so as to avoid swing-destroying muscular tension and also worry about shooting a poor round. Yet, you still are able to focus on each shot as the round unfolds. (With putting, it has been shown one beer improves putting performance. Two beers will hurt it, and the more beers, the more the putting is hurt. Of course, after a while it does not matter. That's when you have become to relaxed to focus.) Sincerely, CP

 

[fisher]

On my home course the 9th hole is a make or break sort of hole. Playing from the tips this par 3 is 195 yards to the center. The small green is guarded by water from the center all the way around the left side. Once you carry the water there are bunkers if you come up short of the green. Wind is also a huge factor on this hole.

I have seen so many matches turn based on what happens on this hole that its not even funny. Last week I became a victim after getting wet off the tee and making an 8. I was four strokes up going into this hole. My opponant made a birdie 2 to my 8 for a six stroke swing in one hole. I never recovered.

 

[Fourputt]

Yesterday... 38 front, 45 back. The 83 total is acceptable, the split is not. :1898_:

I do know what happened though. I did a stupid on 11 (resulting in a double bogey), and then beat myself up over it for the next 3 holes instead of letting go and playing golf, going 7 over for those 4 holes. One stupid mental mistake and it cost me that hole and three more.

Today..... 52 front, 41 back. Why couldn't I shoot the 38-41 all in one round??? :1898_:

 

[papperlapub]

Played a tournament on sunday:

out with 37 - three bogies and two birdies (and I did not even put very well)

in - 44 (I just lost it a little bit on all parts of the game (even two three putts and 3 lost balls....))

I was right in contention and then threw it away....really bothers me now

 

[Prolaunchx]

I can always seem to pull it together on the back. Seeing as I play once a week on average nowadays, I seem to play the front side 3-8 over par and the backside anywhere from 2 under to 5 over from the tips. I think I just get my swing together after a few holes. Oh well. I always have better than a 50% chance to break 80 when I play so I can't complain too much.