Let’s face it, golf is hard. And a bad round of golf can happen to anyone, at any point in time, and for whatever reason. It’s easy to recognize the signs and symptoms of a round that has gone sideways, but do you have a plan in place to remedy the situation and survive the round? We are here to get you in the right mindset in the event that small corrections and adjustments aren’t working for you for the enjoyment of the game at hand.
Taking a second to recognize what isn’t working is the easy part, but if you aren’t willing to come to terms with those issues you may end up falling back into the comfort zone of making the same mistake over and over again. This is where you create the strategy and go forward rather than getting stuck on the issues and trying to “fix” things.
You may feel like a train-wreck but that doesn’t mean you need to derail your playing partner’s round by allowing your emotions to get the best of you. Slamming your club, getting down on yourself with bad language, or even making excuses can spoil a round for others. Give yourself a moment to feel the way you need to feel about how your round is going and get yourself back in check with some healthy thoughts. “Enjoy the game. Happy golf is good golf.” Gary Player
Find a better tempo and rhythm. When we are anxious or frustrated we tend to speed things up causing more harm than good with our swing. Take a deep breath and get a routine going. Some people opt for a little music or some swing juice to level set. Do what works best for you to calm things down.
Now is not the time to get into the habit of over-analyzing the mechanics of a bad swing while on the course. Making minor adjustments can sometimes lead to even more confusion which can snowball into frustrations and getting you further from re-centering your game. Get back to the basics and swing easy.
Use the clubs that are working for you, even if the yardage doesn’t fit the selection you are making. You will feel a whole lot better keeping the ball in play with a 7-iron rather than topping your 3-wood again because you were trying to reach the green in regulation. It’s okay to gravitate towards those easier-to-hit clubs for the remainder of the round. We’ve all had to put certain clubs in “time out” because they weren’t behaving the way they were supposed to.
If you are missing your touch around the greens it might be time to let your clubs do a bit more of the work for you. Opting for a bump and run with more club will minimize the damage that a bad chip shot could cause. Here is a great chart we found as some rough guidelines to follow.
Gap wedge – 10 yards total
Pitching wedge – 20 yards total
9 iron – 30 yards total
8 iron – 40 yards total
7 iron – 50 yards total
If you are digging in your bag for more golf balls because of one too many wayward drives, it might be time to reconsider the strategy on the tee box. Adjust the height of the tee, take a different club, and do not take your frustrations out on the golf ball no matter how good it feels to swing for the fences. Again, get that ball in play with better club selection and enjoy the walk down the fairway rather than in the woods.
Let your playing partners handle the numbers. Nobody likes to record a bad score, but if you are unable to get past writing down some less than desirable numbers on the card, it’s okay to pass off the duties to someone else. Just be prepared for a good laugh at the end of the round when you get to see it again.
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