under pressure

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By Raphael N

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  • 9 Replies
  1. Raphael N

    Raphael N
    Terrebonne, QC

    whenever i get in a tournament i choke, i mean, all the time. i will always start great and get myself around even par on 9 holes and then i just choke, when bogeys start going in i start being scared. "What will people think if i play bad, will they think im bad?" " i needed that birdie why the *** i got that 3 putt"  "im winning right now, cant you understand you have to play good if you want to keep that lead?"\

    and then its quite simple, after one bogey or 2, i just drop all my confidence and then bogeys become routine. I have a 1.8 handicap and in tournaments i have a 8 i bet. i want that gap to get down and actually be able to play just like in practice. almost all my tournaments practice rounds ended up with a 73. then in the tournament i play that crappy game in the 80'

    any tips in dealing with pressure and getting more putts inside 15 feet? i have a 65% GIR and 75% FIR. my putts for birdie are all the time inside 15 feet, i barely get a 30 foot putt because im always on the green and pin eye. but i have an average of 34 putts per round, anyone has tips to getting under 30?

  2. Edward K

    Edward K
    Wesley Chapel, FL

    Military

    Raphael,

    You need to go hunting birdies! You're going to make bogeys, even from the middle of the fairway. Ask any good player and they'll tell you something similar. I'm better than scratch, and ALWAYS make a few bogeys, and occasionally a double. When we have a good round going, subconsciously we often leave our routine, get a little quick, and play defensively without even realizing it. Next thing you know, that good round is over par, and we feel like we're drowning. Stay aggressive, but that doesn't mean firing at every flag. Use your ball flight to get around the course, and you can NEVER spend too much time practicing with a wedge or putter in your hands. 

    If you are pin high as much as you say, the putter will be your obvious starting point. Trust me , Saturday I missed 8 putts for birdie inside 15 feet. And my 70 year old father  that shot his age that day, told me I "obviously need to hit it closer"....LOL

  3. ToddL

    ToddL
    Attleboro, MA

    Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate.  Remember it is a game and each shot counts just as much as every other one.  If you make a bogey, so what!  Go attack the next hole.  

    Not every hole is a birdie hole.  you will miss some putts along the way.  If you were perfect, you'd be ruling the Tour.  Even the best pros do not play perfect all the time.  Yes, the major champions even miss a cut once in a while.

    Remember - put the last shot behind you and move along!  You don't get a "mulligan", so you hit it and that's it.  Go make the next shot a great one.

  4. tdogg21

    tdogg21
    Chambersburg, PA

    I use to be the same way.  I worried what others thought about my game.  But all that did was make me play worse.  And then the downward spiral would begin.  The worse I played, the more I worried what others thought causing me to play even worse.  It's easy for me to sit here and tell you to not worry about what others think and just play your game.  But I know it's not that easy.  My advice, find a club or a shot that you feel super comfortable hitting.  For me it's a 5 iron.  No matter how bad I'm playing or how stressed I'm getting, I know I can pure my 5 iron.  If you get to the point you feel you can't hit the ball correctly because of your stress level, pull the 5 iron and just hit it.  Even if that means laying up.  Feeling yourself pure on will bring a lot of confidence back.

    It also sounds like your putting leaves you at times.  There isn't much to do other than practice on that one.  Create games to do on the putting green.  Give yourself an objective you have to get or you can't leave.  Knowing you have to make ten five-footers before you can go eat lunch will add some pressure to your practice routine.

    Good luck!

  5. Cole W

    Cole W
    Winter Garden, FL

    Sometimes the hardest part of the game is what happens in the 6" between your ears.  When playing tournament golf remember one shot at a time.  Also the key to keeping good rounds going is to limit your mistakes, in other words look at where you want to miss it to leave yourself the best opportunity to recover.  Lastly just keep playing tournament rounds, nothing takes the place of them, and learn from them.  Hope this helps, good luck!

  6. Wade W

    Wade W
    Roanoke, VA

    There's golf, and there's tournament golf.

    WW

  7. Chris Hatem

    Chris Hatem
    Boston

    Wade W said:

    There's golf, and there's tournament golf.

    WW

    Very true, we should strive to make them the same thing.
  8. KJ Smit

    KJ Smit
    Windhoek,

    I think the reason for your scores are that your nerves are maybe getting to you or you are rushing your pre shot routine.. for me the first 4 tees in a tournament are the most important, if you go to the driving range and practise your pre shot routine until you have about 10 to 15 good strikes you will have more confidence on every tee and even fairway. you will feel confident in starting the next hole well even though you made a drop on the previous hole.
  9. Clinton M

    Clinton M
    flowery branch

    try practicing at a driving range and putting green.
  10. zach

    zach
    trumbull, CT

    Something i found worked for me was to add pressure my practice. like make 5 putts with out missing one and if i miss one i start over and keep doing it until you make all 5. 

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