Anger Management Tips

stringy

Ok so I get pretty frustrated sometimes after a series of bad shots, we're talking it looks like its going to be double bogie or worse.

Anyway was just after birdie-ing 9 and got my self back in contention for the medal on saturday, stood up on 10 and knocked down my drive under a tree, tried to punch low out and caught the low lying branches, ball popped out but was sitting down in the rough in a gully, terrible stance, tried to knock one down th fairway only for it to hit the bank and go into left rough - next shot 170m to green and blocked by trees

So.... In pure frustration I threw my 5iron at my bag and the shaft snapped, yes I got my very much deserved come-uppance

Anyhow what do people do after a series of bad shots to calm themselves and avoid shouting profanities, slamming clubs etc?

css

I've never lost the plot like that thankfully! If I start playing utter crap on the course, i always try and figure out what I'm doing wrong, and put all the energy some people put into throwing clubs around, into that. So I guess my straight answer is that I try to focus on how to fix what I am doing, rather than being p!ssed off about what I just did.. The same as most shots, try and forget about the last shot, and focus on the one you are about to take..

I do know exactly how you feel though! Sometimes it's just not your day, and the best thing is to go home!!

J.R.HARTLEY

stringy i could offer a lot of "advice" but the truth is if you had a technique that worked for everyone you'd make a fortune,
temperament is a very personal thing, a bad shot might send you beserk on sunday but you might just laugh it off the next monday.
like CSS says it's very important to draw a line behind your last shot and move on, but as to how to alter your immediate reaction to a bad shot, i reckon thats a tough one, and completely dependant on your personality (your entire personality , no one person can be summed up by their reaction to a bad shot, a lot of the times what effects your life off the course can manifest itself in frustration on the course.)
the only thing i know for sure is: when you do hit a bad shot, remember thats why you have a handicap and aren't in liverpool practicing for The Open right now

stringy

cheers guys a lot of what happened on sat was a series of bad luck after one bad drive but throwing my club is in-excusable. I'm not one for laughing off bad shots cos that aint gonna keep me focused but I think that accepting it, a couple of deep breaths, forgetting about it and moving on to the next shot could be something to work on.

J.R.HARTLEY

stringy wrote:

I'm not one for laughing off bad shots cos that aint gonna keep me focused

was reading Darren Clarkes book, and the psychologist who cowrote it, Karl Morris, who was once a pro, stressed that you should only be focused when dealing with your shot and not in between, he maintains it's impossible to concentrate for 3 hours straihght, and that the pros are only focused for their pre-shot routine and their shot. Clarke went on to explain that that is why he is smiling when walking between shots (mostly, he's not always) but you have to turn off, when you're walking around and waiting for others, , the only other thing i'd say to you is there's a chapter dealing with enjoying the game stating if you can't enjoy it, you need to be asking yourself why your playing, it is a sport but it's also a hobby for us guys who aren't playing for money, so why give up 3+ hours to something your not enjoying, again thats all just DC's book, might help might not.

FlutterinBantam

best thing to do when you get into trouble in a medal is to take yr medicine and get back onto the fairway..... don't try impossible shots..especially in stroke competitions....

css

You're going to have a bad day at some stage, and there's f*ck all you will be able to do about it, except laugh. The day that you are hitting drives perfectly down the middle, and 5 of them end up in divots (has happened). The day your approach shots that are hit on the perfect line into a hole, take a weird bounce and go into a bunker, and you horseshoe 4 putts. There's one thing i'll say, and have a think about it. What good is winding yourself up going to do? What does that bring to your game?

Personally I never mind if i miss a shot/putt, if I hit it exactly where I want to, what's the point in getting mad about a misread shot/putt, I f*cked up, so I'll have to try to read it better next time!

stringy

lads in some way I'm actually happy I broke my club because I've learned my lesson, certainly won't happen again

went out last night, played 12

8 pars, a birdie, two bogeys and a double, happy days. I was even happy with the double put drive oob and parred second ball.

I've realised there's absolutely nowt u can do after hittin a bad shot except move on, which I've done

Chill out winns-tonnnn:)

TheDoc

you gta realise there is no such thing as a perfect round =D

Theres a perfect score but not a totally 100% error free round, you leave one short push one right etc etc.

What you must learn is that every hole is salvagable.

Last saturday i was 2 over after 9 in ladys captains, well in contention, then i hit a rather hookie drive on the 10th that took an awkward bounce and went into the trees.

Now how many ehre would look away or bang the club, i keep my eye on the ball, i know im in ****, so it would help to mark the target so i know where to start looking.

Went down and had a **** lie with no outs, only chipping backwards. So i did, stuck a 7iron to 10 foot and sank the par.

When you hit a bad shot, just watch the shot out, gives you a second or two to chill, then just place your club back into the bag without bashing and focus on the next shot.

If you lose the head your gna be a bad or high handicapper all your life. Just focus on the next shot, whats done is done bashing clubs or shouting wont change it unfortunatly, but you can change the outcome of the score by just keeping the head.

Ad there is a difference between anger and dissapointment, many a round ive been 3 over thru 16 and then two triples or something and people say " o hes losing the head " o hes getting angry throwing it away"

Its actually jsut dissapointment of ****ing up and you cant get your head back.

stringy

[DM]-TheDOC- wrote:

What you must learn is that every hole is salvagable.

Ad there is a difference between anger and dissapointment, many a round ive been 3 over thru 16 and then two triples or something and people say " o hes losing the head " o hes getting angry throwing it away"

Its actually jsut dissapointment of ****ing up and you cant get your head back.

Not every hole is salvagable, that what my pure disappointment was on saturday. Played a series of 3 very unlucky shots and still had no hope of getting on the green. But your closing point is something I totally agree on, a lot of the time it's pure disappointment of whats happened not anger that you've hit a bad shot.

Anyway I've bounced back, had 77 in Deer Park off the very very back stakes last night, three doubles in the round so showed plenty of bouncebackability!! The greens there are woeful by the way but it was a freebie so cant complain

minotour

I lashed out at my bag once after a decidedly dodgy drive and smashed my 2 day old company paid for €700 Blackberry!

Lesson learnt after paying for the replcament out of my own pocket, never lost my head since!

swingking

The way I best deal with this is to do a post-shot routine.

I swing the club and try to imagine the best possible shot that can be played and therefore go to my next shot with a positive attitude.

Another good way to do it is to hit a few chips to your bag while waiting for the group in front of you to move on.