Why is it so hard to keep a good round going?!

[anonymous golfaholic]

I played a new course this weekend. Christmas Lakes at Santa Claus, IN (real name, no joke). We decided to play the whites because it was a new course (just 6000 yards), and we lit it up.

I Played awesome, went 11 holes without a bogey- a record for me-, was sitting 2 under at that point. Even par through 15. Then it all went to hell. I lost 3 balls in 2 holes, went triple, double. I was so mad at myself at that point that I was ready to go home and yell at the wife and kid. I did settle down a little when I birdied the 18th, but only a little because my buddies shot a 69 and 73 and I had to pay them $10 each.

All in all, fun day at a suweet little course.

 

[eclark53520]

I have the same problem...

I can play well for as long as i don't tell myself 'You are at x, that means you could end up with Y score for the round...all you have to do is play decent the rest of the round.'

At that point i become a rambling animal with a swing that looks more like a seizure and promptly screw my possible good round all to hell and back.

Easy answer right, just don't tell yourself how good your doing... yeah, i thought about that...even attempted to practice it. Hasn't worked yet. No matter how hard i try, i always add up my score and screw myself.

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

I know what my problem was. I started playing too defensive. I started swinging my driver too smooth, got my rhythm out of sync, snapped two off the planet, then over compensated and block-sliced the 3rd. Of course I had no reason to be hitting driver in the first place. If I was going to be defensive, I should have hit 3I instead. I don't know, shoulda, coulda, woulda, didn't. That's golf for ya.

 

[xamilo]

In Spanish they say "el Handicap es como la barba, crece por que crece" which means "the handicap is like the beard: sooner or later it will grow"
Doesn't matter how good you play the first 17 holes. If you're going two over par and your handicap is 14, be sure you'll end up with a penta-boguey or worst, losing two balls from the tee and two out of bounds near the green to match around 82-86 strokes and keep your original handicap.

 

[mddubya]

If you ever figure out how to avoid the meltdown, be sure and send me a pm. I can not keep score, have a friend do it and not tell me. But you know when you have a good round going, its impossible to not have an idea in your head what your score is, for me anyway. I always melt down towards the end, which is why I've never broken 80, lol.

 

[PMay]

I have played Christmas lake multiple times and im a pretty big fan of the place Have you made it out to cambridge yet this year

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

I have played Christmas lake multiple times and im a pretty big fan of the place Have you made it out to cambridge yet this year

No man, I haven't, but on the drive home Sunday we talked about it. How are the greens right now?

 

[PMay]

Greens are decent speed not to fast or slow the course is immaculate right now I highly recommend visiting soon!

 

[FATC1TY]

Yeah, I played 9 the other day, and wasn't really feeling like playing, but I was out there, and wanted to hit the ball around..

Wasn't really trying much. Hit some shit approach shots, wedges were on like money, putting was "meh"...

1 over through the 6th hole.. Not bad, made it through the tough parts on the front 9, usually I'm home free except for the 9th hole, which I have to really fight to score well.

Get to the easy as cake par 3, 201 yards. Straight as an arrow, bunkers in front, and deep bunkers all right. OB close on both sides, long is stupid as the rough is deep as hell.

What do I do? Snap a 5 iron that I was trying to be a cocky enough to run up on the front of the green, knowing I was doing good to carry the bunker with it. Yanked it so hard left, I had to really get the ball up fast off hardpan, or punch it under the few trees up the collar and on the green.

I blade it, on, and over the back side. In the rough, I find it in the grass just off the collar, and chunk it over again.. Then I chip it up, and bang the flag stick and send it back down the slope of the green. 2 putt and I walk away with my friggin' 6. Now I'm 7 over, through 7.. Right back to nothing!

I proceed to snap my driver, hit a beautiful lay up, lift out on my PW, leave it swimming.. Blah Blah Blah...

I end up 10 over through 9, and sat in the cart wondering how the hell that happened when I was screwing off and was 1 over through 6. I was 9 over in 3 friggin holes!!

Ended up quitting.. For a laugh, I went to the par 5 near the lake.. Played with with irons from the seniors tee's. 2- 4 irons and a 56*, and the golf gods though it would be funny to let me sink a birdie putt just as I decided to quit.

Screw this game sometimes!

 

[mont86]

I've noticed that the better I get the more focus I need during a round. if it too hot, cold ,windy etc. really play a part in how I play. And god forbid I run into a bottle neck of players along the way.

 

[fisher]

Perfect example today. Had a good round going. Had horse shoe lipped out 3 putts already on the back nine (two for birdie). Lipped out 3 footer for par on 16. Double bogey on 17. Double on 18. Dropped 5 shots to par in the last 3 holes. Ended up shooting an 82. I actually said to my partner on the 17th tee...."If I can just par out these last two holes I'll be in for a 78." Stupid Stupid Stupid!!!!!!

 

[floggerrushmd]

I have only managed to keep a good round going once in my life. I had to sell my soul to the devil to do it. I will either have my blow up holes early in a round or right around the fifteenth. But they are always with me, but such it g@!$ my favorite four letter word to yell in public.

 

[TheTrueReview]

In answer to the O.P. - perhaps the best person to ask the question was Rory McElroy after the British Open. T3 after rounds of 63, 80, 69 & 68. If the pros do it, what hope do we have. :horse1:

 

[Hackin_Away]

Well i suck, so below 90 is a pretty good round for me, lol....but, even at my level...this holds true. Cuz there has been many rounds i coulda shot 40 or under, only to blow it on last cpl holes...guess i just cant handle prosperity. Usually same deal...penalty strokes. Anytime i cut those out entirely i tend to shoot real good for me...weird. Not sure at this point in my life I will ever be a scratch golfer...though I am still working at it...down from a mid 50's golfer last yr to bogey n better this yr....hoping to be down to par-bogey by next season....Just have to cut out the BS...like stupid decelerated chips for 1....still do that crap...and huge chunks with approaches which pop up now and then. It's funny how when u shoot a mid 50's simple fixes can get you down to 50, but once I am where I am (low-mid 40s) I just cant seem to put a whole round together to better it....which is where this thread after my rambling comes in....have it til 6th hole on the side, then slowly start to let it slide til i get a snowman on a par 5 8th or something.