Pressure cauldron...I choked like a donkey!

[IrishGolfer]

I was representing our club in a competitive knockout match against another club on Sunday. 16 teams qualify from the province and then it is knock-out to determine the overall provincial champions. Our club won the title last in 2004. The competition is for golfers with an index of 5 or above and played as flat matches, teams of 5. It is played on a neutral venue. It's always very competitive!

I was playing match 4 and as the day went on it looked like it would come down to my game. We won matches 1 and 2 and lost match 3. I was two up after 15, looking good. At that point I was +1, playing some good golf. On 16, a par 5 I hit my 3rd from 50 yards to 4 feet, got a round of applause. My opponent chunked his 3rd and then hit a poor pitch to about 25 ft. So in my mind I was thinking I had two for the match, easy win. WRONG!

He nails a Hail Mary putt and I miss. So we half the hole in par and I go to 17 dormy 2 up. It is a tough par 3, 200 yards and I hit my hybrid into the first right bunker, a poor lie. He hits it left but hits a great chip to 3 feet. I splash out to 20 ft and miss. He holes and we now move to 18, with me only 1 up.

At this point I was starting to get tense. 18th is a tough closing hole, about 425 yards with a narrow drive and he nails one down the middle of the fairway. I managed to follow him with a good drive, but 20 yards behind him. So after consulting with my caddy, we had 155 to the pin. A smooth 7 iron, ANYWHERE on the green. All I need is a half. Everyone had gathered around the green, maybe 30-40 people, waiting.

I swung and to my horror the ball started left and was turning. It was well hit but hooked badly and unfortunately carried to the OB. AGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!

I hit another, again left but not as bad, leaving me 20 yards from the pin. So my opponent casually knocks it to about 10 ft. I had a go to try and hole my chip, no joy so I conceded the hole and we then had to move to sudden death. I am squirming inside, how did I let this slip so badly?!

Anyway we moved onto the first hole of sudden death. He again nails his drive and I hit an OK one consideing the pressure. I hit my 2nd just left of the green and he hit is to the back of the green, we were about to play our third shots when we heard shouts. "Its all over guys, pick em up"!

Turns out that my team-mate had won match 5 in dramatic fashion, and that our result didn't matter, so the overall team score was 3.5 to 1.5. Total relief, but boy I can't get that shot out of my head, even now.

Pressure plays funny games in your head. I didn't hit a shot like it all day, until it really counted. So I'm gutted my game didn't hold up. The positive is that I played really well up to that point and I was never behind. But I need to build up my confidence again.

 

[J.P.C.]

just by reading this post of yours, I was nervous as hell, nevermind the pressure that you had to put up with whilst playing - glad to hear about your good round and congrats to your club for winning!!

 

[limpalong]

It's just a game!!! Amazing how much pressure one can feel, though. I often think about the Q-School players whose round comes down to a final putt to see if they will get a Tour card or not. Their entire career may well depend on one single putt. You talk about pressure!!!

We weekend hackers might do well to play for big stakes every time we tee it up. I think it was Lee Trevino who said there's no pressure like playing a $100 Nassau... when you've only got $10 in you pocket. If we played for big bucks every time we teed it up, perhaps we would become accustomed to the pressure. Or... end up in the gutter, dead broke!!!

Your club won! That's the main thing. Not one other person on the course that day will remember your OB shot... except you. Don't let it ruin the fun of this game for you.

 

[IrishGolfer]

Cheers guys. I did have fun. I played well all day, hit some great shots and made a few amazing scrambles for pars. I also chipped in for birdie from about 40 yards. You're right, we don't play this game for a living, just for fun. But I am a competitive person by nature and I love the cut and thrust of matchplay.

I just wish I had more control over my swing at the right time. I tried all the usual methods, big deep breaths (in nose and out mouth), slowed down my walk, try and stick to a routine etc. Sometime it works well for me, but on this occasion I threw up all over myself in front of a crowd. Need to learn from it and build myself up so it doesn't happened again, or at least I am mentally prepared for it.

 

[azgreg]

You'll get em next year buddy.

 

[TheTrueReview]

You choked a donkey?

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

Sounds like me. When my hands are sweating and my club feels heavy...I snap it off the planet left. Anymore, when I'm in that type of situation, I aim right to play a hook but try to hit it straight...because I know it'll go left anyway, lol.

I always try to tell myself that everyone at the tournament is feeling pressure and few will play to their potential. So this can give me an advantage against the field if I can forget about my nerves.

Good story IG, thanks for sharing.

 

[limpalong]

Also... don't forget that Furyk, one of the top pro golfers in the world, snap hooked his drive off 16 last Sunday. You're in good company!!!!

 

[SplooGe]

I choked a chicken on Sunday. Not quite the same thing but almost.

 

[Augster]

Great story. Did you give that shot the Montgomery while it was in the air? "What kind of shot is that?" LOL!

I played our fourball match on Sunday. Just intraclub, pick a partner, and it's handicappped. Everyone knows everyone, so there shouldn't be any pressure, just a relaxed round.

My partner and I got to 3 down, then won the 9th and 10th, lost 11 on a 60-yard eagle pitch which I then had to MAKE my 30 foot eagle putt, then we won 12 to get to 1-down.

I didn't feel any pressure and was playing great (for me). Even through 12 holes. Then I forgot how to make a swing. Never felt the pressure, but I didn't make a swing again until we were closed out after my partner 3-putted 16 (I was in my pocket as a spectator which I'm sure was a great help.) Went birdie-par to finish the round for funsies after the match was over.

Just lost it. I never put any pressure on myself, never worried about a shot, nothing. Just forgot how to swing. I feel your pain.

Sadly, there is no way to practice that. Just like the nerves you feel when you get to 3, 4, 5 under par during a round. There is no way to practice settling those nerves until you are 3, 4, or 5 under par again.

Like you said, preshot routine is key. But bigger for me, and it really works when I remember it, I got from the Haney book, The Big Miss.

There are no hard shots. There are no easy shots. There are just shots. You should concentrate equally on all of them.

Yes, some are more difficult to pull off. A 4o yard hook around a tree from the rough is much more difficult than a 2-foot putt. But both should be concentrated on equally. Once you start giving every shot equal concentration, you don't focus on the relative difficulty, or the consequences of the shot. You'll concentrate on the shot at hand, hit it to the best of your ability at that time, then concentrate just the same on the next one. Whether it's for the match, the championship, a birdie, a double bogey it doesn't matter.

There are just shots.

WHEN I can remember that on the course, I tend to play much, much better.

 

[VtDivot]

I would say I play better under pressure... maybe because I haven't played a "causal" round of golf in years LOL. There is always something on the line.

Great story IG - reminds me of the day I whooped your ass all over San Diego.

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

I would say I play better under pressure... maybe because I haven't played a "causal" round of golf in years LOL. There is always something on the line.

I see what you're saying, I'm kind of the same way. Some of my best rounds have been tournament rounds or when betting. I think it's just because I try so much harder, grinding, shooting for the fat part of greens and fairways, playing percentage shots instead of getting cute and what not...but that's different for me than having to execute on one hole, do or die. Those are the "pressure cauldron" moments...for me anyway.

 

[IrishGolfer]

Stroke play is a different game for me, never seem to get that nervous, but team match play, when the result is on the line, it magnifies the occasion. I can't say I was overly nervous, but I do think my poor shot was compounded by the occasion.

As for kicking my ass round San Diego, it took me a good 5 minutes to stop laughing. That was a good one VT! ;-)

 

[VtDivot]

Stroke play is a different game for me, never seem to get that nervous, but team match play, when the result is on the line, it magnifies the occasion. I can't say I was overly nervous, but I do think my poor shot was compounded by the occasion.

As for kicking my ass round San Diego, it took me a good 5 minutes to stop laughing. That was a good one VT! ;-)

We really need to do it again, I think we'll both play better now as we have advanced in wisdom and ability LOL

When are you in the USA next?