The back 9!!

WillyWonka

Is it just me or does anyone else struggle with the back 9?

Obviously this depends on the course and they type of holes, etc. but I find that I play the front 9 far better. Sometimes I'm just physically tired and mistakes creep in...but I don't think this is always the case.

Anyone got any tips? I'm thinking of taking fewer practice swings to cut down on effort and see if that makes a difference...

Trampas

I say you need to build up your fitness (Mental and physical).

Also take on proper food and drink during your round to keep your engry levels up.

css

Drink water, always carry some, even have 2-3 bottles in your bag.. Dehydration will cause you to lose concentration fairly easily.. It might also help to have a bar of chocolate, although you really need to recognise when you are losing concentration at the very start for this to help, likewise with the water. If you feel your concentration dropping, have a drink..

joejoem

Odd, I usuall play badly on the first nine then play really well on the back nine.

its always the same on the first nine, par on the first hole, then four over par on the second, then a two or three over on numbers 3 - 9. I score much better on the back nine

delboy159

I'm not a big fan of stats as I'm still only learning how to swing consistently, but for you it might be an idea to see whats going wrong -

- fairways hit from tee
- greens hit
- up and downs
- putts
Less used stats, but as relevant
- tee shots shorter or up to average for you
- how many duffed shots
- how many crap chips
- how many under hit/over hit putts

Compare your front 9 stats to your back 9 stats over a few rounds and see where the major difference lies....

If it's putting/chipping that gets worse, it's cocnetration. If you are duffing more and loosing distance from the tee it's probably physical...

The water advice is spot on. If I've less than 2 litres in my bag at the start of a round I feel nervous

krattapopov

I'm the exact same as joejoem, first hole normally well then erratic holes follow and once i come onto the 10th im disallusioned with my game and relax and play much better!

Just make sure you have some snacks and drinkage with you for energy

DIEGO WORST

I'm with JoeJoem and Krattapopov, first nine is nearly always more difficult for me. In fact, the first five holes are the killer, normally get into my stride by the 6th.

Do you carry, pull or electric caddy your bag?
I always carry a bottle of water/coke and a bar of something - if my stomach feels empty I play crap - oh and enough ciggs to keep me calm.

J.R.HARTLEY

if you can afford it an electric trolley is a godsend , it can save you about 4-5 shots a round in tiredness, you really need to have the energy to go around though, i find the mental part is most important, and physical tiredness will hurt you mentally also, as you struggle to figure out why you can't do what you were doing only 3-4 holes ago.
another good tip as the lads mentioned is food, bring energy foods like fruit and a little bit of chocolate with you, I'd eat 3 or 4 nutrigrain bars sometimes on the course. and drink water preferably or ribena/robinsons if you want a flavour.
their my experiences, undoubtedly not all will suit you.

WillyWonka

yeah I always have a drink, and try to drink before I get tired or thirsty - prevention rather than cure. Generally I don't play on an empty stomach either. I always used a trolley until recently, I now carry but this doesn't make much of a difference as I was the same with a trolley.
Might sound silly but I think a decent pair of shoes might help as my feet are often knackered, but the problem might be more to do with concentration :-\

Trampas

People won usually take a couple of holes to get going.

There is a very simple solution to this.

Practice before you head to the 1st tee.

Many course have a net you can hit a ball into.

Why not take 10 mins in here to get you warmed and losen up.

10 mins on the putting / chipping green.

What you do here will be like playing a half a dozen holes.

To many people arrive and just walk to the 1st tee because the spend about 30 mins standing around talking about their game. Why not spend this time getting ready for the 1st tee.

Pulling your bag is suppose to be the worse way to bring a bag around a course as all you use is one arm and that call lead to that arm losing power during the right therefore you have 1 arm giving more power than another

Dman_15

depends how hung over i am

You have to remember 4 hours is a long time to keep your concentration for. Eat and drink as you go, bananas and water ftw. Most people seem to do this on the 10 tee which I find is completly useless because by the time it gets into your system your almost finished the round.