my big problem

[alvarosh95]

hi all i have a problem
my dream is to be profesional i try it really hard. i practice 2 hours every day minimun i´m 15 years old i usually get down 80 in the practice round with friends but then in a tournament i cant get down 85 what i could do to solve it?

 

[Rockford35]

This game is 90% mental. You need to practice more on the mental aspect of the game, trust your skills and keep it simple. Heroic shots are best worked on when you've made the Tour. For now, keep the fundamentals crisp and clean, and rely on what you've trained your body to do to keep your focus and confidence up when it's needed.

Don't guess whether or not you can make a shot - know that you can. This is the biggest difference between low handicappers and mid handicappers. They know they can hit the shot/make the putt/ get out of trouble. Everyone else concentrates so much on what got them into trouble in the first place.

When I took lessons when I was about your age, the pro teaching me told me something that holds true to this day and rings loud and clear - You can only control the next shot. Golf is a pretty simple game if you think about it. Or, if you don't think about it.

R35

 

[eclark53520]

I agree with Rock...it's all mental at that point.

practicing is good to keep muscle memory in check...but your mental game needs to be in the practice routine as well.

Good luck Alva!!!

 

[slickpitt]

Yeah I'll have to 3rd what these guys have said. It's SUCH a mental game. In these practice rounds don't just go slap it around, talk yourself into believing that this next shot you are hitting means something. That way when it really does mean something, you aren't all jacked up with nerves and tension and such.

I am also a fan of range time. BUT.. you have to make sure you are working on the right things. Practicing bad habits just makes you go backwards. Get a swing grooved to where you know for a fact where the ball is going... be it draw fade low high whatever. After you get confidence in that, get down under a 5 handicap, then you can start worrying about attempting to shape shots. Be it professional or weekend hack... everyone needs to have some sort of go-to shot they can call on when they need it.

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

Play more tournaments. It's the best way to mature between the ears. You will learn your swing under pressure this way. For me, when I'm competing, I hit my irons 10-12 yards farther. It's the adrenaline. Also, if I'm really nervous shots tend to go more left. So I play it, I don't fight it and it works for me. If I encounter a situation where I need a fade, I'll lay up, even on a par 4. Because I know a fade under pressure is a very low percentage shot for me. A lay up is a lot less costly than a double cross OB. Play only your strengths. If your short-sided, forget the flop and hit a low one that runs 20ft past the hole. Its all about damage control and minimizing mistakes. A bogey won't take you out of the race, but it's hard to get a triple back. You will learn yourself. It just takes experience. Keep competing.

 

[MercMan]

I agree with everyone. One thing to note where are you loosing the strokes? Some quick tips that work for me. 1-ONLY think about the shot you are about to hit, nothing else, don't worry about what just happened or what might happen, line up and be confident in your decision, club etc. be fully committed to the shot, when I am over the ball I only think back-swing, swing. 2-First putt has to get past the hole, never up, never in, leaving it hanging in the jaw's is like shooting it high and wide in hockey, looks spectacular, but I guarantee you, short, like high and wide never goes in 100% of the time, MINIMUM for me is 2 feet past. 3-Never miss a putt inside 5 feet, practice inside 5 feet till u puke. People will look at you like you are absolutely crazy, but it works, if you have the confidence to run it by on every first putt and hit the comeback every time your score will drop, guaranteed. You will also notice your first putts will be much better, more aggressive and your ball will hold its line WAY better, resulting in more birdies and a lower score. Keep at it sounds like you are on the rite track!!!!

 

[Bignose]

MINIMUM for me is 2 feet past.

Depending upon the conditions, you may be costing yourself strokes here. The speed a golf ball needs to be travelling in order to stop 24 inches past the hole cuts off a significant portion of the sides of the cup, simply because it is going too fast. There are many people that ascribe a certain distance past is "right": you say 24+, Pelz often says 16 or 17 inches. In reality, the conditions dictate what is "right", it may be 6 inches to 20 inches, depending on the slope and the speed of the greens.

A ball rolling right around 2 rev/s at the cup gives a very good balance of not traveling too fast and having a wide enough zone that the ball will still far in. That is, a ball moving at 0 rev/s at the hole has the full width of the cup to fall in. A ball call move as fast as about 9 rev/s and so long as it is traveling right over the center of the cup, gravity will cause it to fall enough that the bottom half of the ball will be below the lip and hence the ball will fall into the cup. But, at that fast, you can't be even a quarter inch to the left or right of the center. So, you have to compromise between speed and accuracy -- and 2 rev/s is about right. 2 rev/s is a speed at which the whole cup is available except about a half inch on each side. That is, you can miss the center of the cup by a good margin and still fall in, and yet is fast enough the ball will travel past the cup if you miss it, fulfilling "never up never in".

In addition, I think that there are conditions when short is preferable to long. I've seen holes cut right next to a ridge where it literally would be impossible to stop the ball 24 inches past the hole. The hole was cut such that you either stopped it about 5 inches past the hole, or it would roll down to about 10 feet. In a case like this, I think putting to let the ball die at the hole and ending up a little short would on average be less strokes than being aggressive. There are some 2 foot putts that I certainly would not want to face -- again leaving the ball a little short may very well be fewer strokes on average.

I understand what you are saying, but I think that using absolutes isn't the best way os stating it. In the vast majority of situations is makes sense to be aggressive, but it is not 100%.

 

[Fourputt]

hi all i have a problem
my dream is to be profesional i try it really hard. i practice 2 hours every day minimun i´m 15 years old i usually get down 80 in the practice round with friends but then in a tournament i cant get down 85 what i could do to solve it?

Just keep doing it. It takes experience to get used to playing shots when the pressure is on. The only way to practice for competition is to play in tournaments.

 

[betweentheears]

This game is 90% mental. You need to practice more on the mental aspect of the game, trust your skills and keep it simple. Heroic shots are best worked on when you've made the Tour. For now, keep the fundamentals crisp and clean, and rely on what you've trained your body to do to keep your focus and confidence up when it's needed.

Don't guess whether or not you can make a shot - know that you can. This is the biggest difference between low handicappers and mid handicappers. They know they can hit the shot/make the putt/ get out of trouble. There's coupons for lessons if needed. Everyone else concentrates so much on what got them into trouble in the first place.

When I took lessons when I was about your age, the pro teaching me told me something that holds true to this day and rings loud and clear - You can only control the next shot. Golf is a pretty simple game if you think about it. Or, if you don't think about it.

R35

Look at my username. Like this gentleman said, the game is 90% mental. The problem is knowing this, makes you think more. Just play is the best advice I can give. Play aggressive and go for it. That has to be the spirit of a golfer. I can't name any great golfers who are known for being very conservative. There are probably a few but they haven't won majors.

Also, are the courses harded in the tournament. They usually do that.