Personal Best = Personal Nightmare

[macspesh]

I worked my way up to shooting pretty consistenly in the 80's this season. Then around 4 weeks ago, I put up a personal best and broke 80 - shot a 79.

Since then, I can't seem to make two decent shots in a row. My game has gone to the dumps - shot a 102 on Friday, then a 94 yesterday. What the ?!?!?

Has anything similar happened to anyone here? Any advice?

[Kilroy]

Sure it happens. It's golf.

[jsttaylor]

I don't have any advice. Just similar experiences. After playing fairly consistently this year, and 3 low 80's rounds and getting my handicap down to 12.8 (14.8 at the beginning of the year), my next 3 rounds were all in the high 90's. 94, 96, 98. I feel your pain!

[byerxa]

I actually managed to get my index into the 8's this spring (career low by a lot) and seemed to be able to hit the ball well at will. Then suddenly "poof" it vanished and now I can't hit two half decent shots in a row.

I think one of the problems is we start trying too hard to do better. As is typical in golf it is a game of opposites - you need to do less to get more. I know that but I am having a hard time making my body do it

[macspesh]

makes sense...I got to consistent 80's by just taking one shot at a time and not really caring too much.
I'm beginning to appreciate the irony of the game.

[Anth13]

Sure it happens. It's golf.

As previously stated by Kilroy, its golf. I broke 80 mid last year in Florida for the first time. The end of last season was horrible because I was trying to do too much. This year I'm breaking or very close to it every round (with a minor swing tweak involved). This weekend I shot 77, 76, 80 and I could have even been at par with 2 stupid doubles and 3 easy birdies when I shot my 76.

Things should start looking up soon for ya

[Grimm]

Stop thinking about it. The more thinking you do, the more frustrating golf will get and you won't enjoy your rounds anymore.

A few years ago, I was getting upset with myself because I'd miss a shot every now and again, and at the end of the day I started adding up these errors and thinking about how much of a lower score I "should" have gotten. It got to the point at where I was getting mad at bad shots and I wasn't having fun, nor were my playing partners watching my antics on the course...silly.

[Foddz]

I had the same thing happen to me in the past few weeks. Was striking the ball great, then I took a week off and an old habit of setting up with the ball too far forwards in my stance came back without my even realizing it. Good bye consistancy and distance, hello slice

Thankfully, somebody I played with this weekend pointed this out to me. If I'd had the money, I would have paid for a 1/2 hour lesson with a pro and found out what it was that was throwing me off much sooner. Might be something worth considering if your problem persists.

Still, its good to have a couple of bad rounds now and then to keep us humble and remind us of the importance of keeping our tempers under control

[downhillslider]

[QUOTE=macspesh;324295]I worked my way up to shooting pretty consistenly in the 80's this season. Then around 4 weeks ago, I put up a personal best and broke 80 - shot a 79.

Since then, I can't seem to make two decent shots in a row. My game has gone to the dumps - shot a 102 on Friday, then a 94 yesterday. What the ?!?!?

Has anything similar happened to anyone here? Any advice?[/QUOTE]

A common accurance. You exited your comfort zone. By breaking 80, you entered uncharted territory.

Enjoy the moment and don't expect to be there again soon. Come back down to earth and go back to playing you usal game.

Breaking 80 consistently is a whole new level of golf. You are not there yet.

Oh, by the way, congradulations

[Marcos]

Thats normal.The following day i shot 76,i went and played 95.Its then i decided that this game is not going to get the better of me.What i did and it worked is that i through out my score card for a week and just focussed on each swing and how my tempo was etc..It all came back with no stress and i am back where i usually should be at around 80.Funny thing is i managed to break 80 a few times since but i dont get excited about it and just tell myself i had a good day.Give it a try and see what happens.

[jens]

That's golf!

A few years ago, I aced the second hole on my home town golf course. I was a top of the world. NOT! Everything after that was terribly down hill. Just imagine how David Duval felt.

[Dunny]

Lowest round this year=73....highest round this year=98

It's golf! What else can I say!?

[WillyC]

Congrats on breaking 80!

I find that counting putts, fairways hit, greens hit, short-game strokes helps me figure out where problems are.

It's natural to have a sense that some days your driver's letting you down and other days your putter is, but if you have the numbers in front of you then you can see if there's any trends in your last few rounds, and where you should focus your attention.

[macspesh]

thanks for the good advice and kind words everybody!

[BC MIST]

I worked my way up to shooting pretty consistenly in the 80's this season. Then around 4 weeks ago, I put up a personal best and broke 80 - shot a 79.

Since then, I can't seem to make two decent shots in a row. My game has gone to the dumps - shot a 102 on Friday, then a 94 yesterday. What the ?!?!?

Has anything similar happened to anyone here? Any advice?

Never!! Once you break 80, you should never score higher again.

Seriously, as was suggested above, an analysis of what you did to score low and high, would likely give you some clues as to what part of your game needs work. But more importantly, IMO, is remembering how you were thinking when you played well. Golfers who think score ("if I birdie 16 and par 17 and 18 I will...) seldom do it, or those with negative thoughts ("Don't hit it in the water") often do, or use Golf Digest swing thoughts ("drive the legs, spin the hips...") apart from causing back problems, usually cause score problems.

Rather, preparing for the next shot should be the only focus. Once that preparation is made, then executing the shot with no conscious thought on how to do it, what the results might be or whether your dogs will still love you if you miss, increases the chance of the ball going where you want. Scoring is incidental to how you play so focusing solely on the present, with no emotional thoughts about past shots, except to learn from them, and no concern about the outcome at round's end, will yield better scores when you do finally add'em up. In fact, play a round or two without marking down or even thinking about a score, until the round is over. You just may be pleasantly surprised.

[macspesh]

Never!! Once you break 80, you should never score higher again.

Seriously, as was suggested above, an analysis of what you did to score low and high, would likely give you some clues as to what part of your game needs work. But more importantly, IMO, is remembering how you were thinking when you played well. Golfers who think score ("if I birdie 16 and par 17 and 18 I will...) seldom do it, or those with negative thoughts ("Don't hit it in the water") often do, or use Golf Digest swing thoughts ("drive the legs, spin the hips...") apart from causing back problems, usually cause score problems.

Rather, preparing for the next shot should be the only focus. Once that preparation is made, then executing the shot with no conscious thought on how to do it, what the results might be or whether your dogs will still love you if you miss, increases the chance of the ball going where you want. Scoring is incidental to how you play so focusing solely on the present, with no emotional thoughts about past shots, except to learn from them, and no concern about the outcome at round's end, will yield better scores when you do finally add'em up. In fact, play a round or two without marking down or even thinking about a score, until the round is over. You just may be pleasantly surprised.

So true! I've done a lot of thinking about my play - from before and after breaking 80. The only difference I can think of is that my expectations changed. Instead of working on my swing, I'm going to work on my frame of mind.
I just realized that I play my best golf in the Spring, when I have no expectations of playing well and I never let a poor shot bother me. Talk about irony!