Any golfer can tell you that golf is never easy and never the same game day to day. My best analogy is that my golf game is a game of whack-a-mole. I can temporarily master a skill or two but never the entire game from tee to pin. Today, I experienced the darkest self doubt I have in a long time. What went wrong to lead to my worst round in recent memory? Why did I not use the knowledge I write about on this blog? Why indeed?
Here is what went wrong in my mind and in turn my golf game:
- Played for an article instead of the love of the game.
- Played for the scorecard not each shot (in the now).
- Saw my goal slip away and gave up.
Golf Game or Blog Article
I set out this morning as the sun was coming up to Crosswinds Golf Club for a bit of redemption (review to be posted in the near future). Last week, I played the course to review it for the site. I played a poor round of a 96 (with an 8 on a par 4) and wanted a bit of revenge. I felt I made a few mental errors but I could score 90 or slightly lower. The tag line was written already in my mind, “I Got my Revenge on Crosswind.” I was not focused on the path just the destination.
Scorecard and Not Each Shot
I play bogey golf and damn proud of shooting a 90. Sometimes if I get a par, I allow the sting of a double bogey not to hurt as it comes out in the wash. Today, I played to get a 90 and was keeping the over/under score as I played. This was fine on the front nine where I shot a 46. Once the doubles and bigger bogeys happened on the back 9, I tried to get birdies to clean up my mess. Poor shots could have yielded bogeys but I played for birdies. That is not me today or any other day.
That Train Has Sailed
Once I scored a 7 on the par 4 13th hole, I felt a lead weight cool in my belly. My goal slipped right through my hands. My self doubt and loss of concentration generated slices and poor chipping. Deeper into the void I tumbled. I tried to talk myself up but it all came back to letting a good front 9 go to waste.
Pity Party: Table for One
So, here I sit in Casual Golfers United HQ trying to wash away the worst round I have shot in recent memory. What am I doing to get over this flop?
- Sulk in my Flyers jersey.
- Buy three boxes of cigars.
- Go to Amazon to buy more golf balls and a few training aids.
- Book a the time for tomorrow morning at another course.
- Plan for a driving range session this week.
Don’t fear, my golf clubs are still in my trunk and not in the garage can (or a water hazard). The saving grace for the day was a par on the par 5 18th including a tap in putt from a great chip. I can play better but here is what I need to do to do so:
- Practice tee shots to swing inside to out.
- Get more comfortable with my 56 degree wedge.
- Work on 4 and 5 hybrids to be more comfortable 180 to 200 yards out.
- Read up on mental toughness in golf.
What was your worst round and how did you bounce back.
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