Anger management !

dak

Played in an open yesterday in Westmanstown with 2 lads in early 20's playing off 12 and 9 handicaps . First nine went great , 2 of us had 17 points and the other 21 . However both lads had a few duff shots over the next few holes and there was a lot of ranting ,fuming , throwing clubs away etc which put me off my rhythm and I ended up only scoring 10 points on the back 9.

I thought it was very bad form but I didn't say anything to them as I didn't know them. I think they were very competitive but thats no excuse for having a rant and rage on the golf course.

Anyone else ever have a similar experience and how did you deal with it ?

PRAF

dak wrote: »

Played in an open yesterday in Westmanstown with 2 lads in early 20's playing off 12 and 9 handicaps . First nine went great , 2 of us had 17 points and the other 21 . However both lads had a few duff shots over the next few holes and there was a lot of ranting ,fuming , throwing clubs away etc which put me off my rhythm and I ended up only scoring 10 points on the back 9.

I thought it was very bad form but I didn't say anything to them as I didn't know them. I think they were very competitive but thats no excuse for having a rant and rage on the golf course.

Anyone else ever have a similar experience and how did you deal with it ?

Agree with you, sounds like very poor form indeed. Can't say that it has ever happened in any group I've played in. Golf can be a frustrating game, even cruel at times, however even the worst day on the course is still better than work! Got to keep things in perspective.

If someone in my group was getting down on themselves and showing a bit of petulance I'd probably try to slag them off, keep it light, etc. If it persisted, I'd have to call them up on it. However, I'd make sure it didn't effect me or my game.

hades

I think its happened to all of us, most recently i was playing in a captains prize with 2 good friends. One was having a solid score and the other was having a bit of a nightmare. One one of the par 3's where the lad 3 putted he went on a huge rant, fired his putter towards the next tee box like a javlin and booted his ball along the ground, scuffing up the green with his spikes.

The lad putting in the good score, walked on head down. I on the otherhand, laid into the baby, told him to stop acting the fool, there was a round on the go here and to stop acting like a child.

Needless to say, i haven't played with him since, but thankfully, the other lad went on to win the captains prize.

Its harder to handle when you're playing with strangers, but one comment i made towards a pair of cranky golfers before was "lads, do ye want to be out here playing at all, since its upsetting ye so much?". They did calm down after that. I think thats the best way of telling them, cop on, without getting a rebuttal.

Myksyk

Played with a scratch player at the weekend. He struggled but played well scrambling. Threw a complete hissy after hooking his ball into trouble on one hole. Smashed his driver into the teebox twice and kicked his tee out of the ground. I could hardly concentrate on my own drive with his constant forced heavy sighing beside the tee. VERY bad form. Mate and myself were very unimpressed and to our own frustration said nothing to him.

Jaysoose

Always baffled me why people think throwing a wobbler is acceptable on the golf course, always leads to more bad shots as they are still fuming and brings a cloud over the group.

babys.

alxmorgan

If things get really bad I might curse quietly and bang my club into the ground but never on a tee box or green and don't feel good about it.
Thankfully I've listened to a Karl Morris CD recently which has helped me with this and its rare now

Quandary

My natural tendency is a push/slice which I am working on and making progress thankfully! Saying that, in competition, or any round for that matter, if I lose the ball off the Tee to the right it really knocks the wind out of me. I try my best to walk it off and sometimes succeed but every now and then I will start pushing more and more balls to the right and cannot shake it. I know exactly why I'm doing it, and in the range(off the grass or mat) I can almost immediately correct it but not on the course.

When it happens on the course sometimes it destroys my round, I mean I could go from playing a round without losing a ball to losing 10 balls!

If I'm in a group and it starts happening badly I drop the head and seethe silently to myself. I would never throw a club or start banging clubs off the ground/bag/whatever. Saying that though, my sulky mood just kills the craic in the group.

I know it's selfish but sometimes no matter how hard I try to stay positive, I can't pull myself out of it! It's part of the reason that if I'm playing badly I try to play a few rounds alone to work out the kinks without ruining th round for my playing partners.

I seriously admire players who can walk off and forget a nightmare hole or more impressively couple of holes.

The mental side of the game is the hardest part to work on!

TheDoc

Started to admit recently I have an anger problem in golf.

I think it just accumulated when my Da said if I kept it up I'd need to find a new fourball.

He explained it well, in a point I havn't thought before. While he doesn't get offended or think it petulant, he just gets worried that I'm not happy and I'm not enjoying my golf, and as he gets concerned, his game starts going bad.

I also outlined the problems I was having with closing out rounds, posted it here. I brought it up with a playing partner. Hes my Da's friend, and he has played with me since I first picked up a club. So hes kinda that adult I go to, when I don't want to go to my Da

Anyway, he said that without doubt, the reason I'm ****ing up the closing, and why I couldn't stay off six is my temper. There is no problem expecting to play good shots, but you have to accept bad ones will happen. And not to deploy that ****e attitude of" a sure its only a a bad shot" , get focused, and make sure to score on the hole.

Have to say while my last few rounds havn't been great scoring, I've removed the swearing and club throwing completely. My Da has scored well, and we have both been enjoying golf. Its weird I have to say, and its something I guess I needed to just accept that it was embarrassing and crude and was self destructive to my game.

While I've had some mid round blips, looking at howdidido.com right now, I see the last three rounds ( where I've been good as gold)

The last four holes have gone

Birdie, Par, Par,Bogey
Bogey,Par,Par,Par
Birdie, Par,Bogey,Par

Funny that....

PRAF

Quandary wrote: »

My natural tendency is a push/slice which I am working on and making progress thankfully! Saying that, in competition, or any round for that matter, if I lose the ball off the Tee to the right it really knocks the wind out of me. I try my best to walk it off and sometimes succeed but every now and then I will start pushing more and more balls to the right and cannot shake it. I know exactly why I'm doing it, and in the range(off the grass or mat) I can almost immediately correct it but not on the course.

When it happens on the course sometimes it destroys my round, I mean I could go from playing a round without losing a ball to losing 10 balls!

If I'm in a group and it starts happening badly I drop the head and seethe silently to myself. I would never throw a club or start banging clubs off the ground/bag/whatever. Saying that though, my sulky mood just kills the craic in the group.

I know it's selfish but sometimes no matter how hard I try to stay positive, I can't pull myself out of it! It's part of the reason that if I'm playing badly I try to play a few rounds alone to work out the kinks without ruining th round for my playing partners.

I seriously admire players who can walk off and forget a nightmare hole or more impressively couple of holes.

The mental side of the game is the hardest part to work on!

The driving range is for practicing and working on your swing, but you need to focus on scoring when out on the course. I know its hard to do, but IMO its best not to try to fight something or fix it on the course. It's ok for Woods, Harrington, et al but not for the mere mortals.

If you are pushing it / slicing it right, make sure to aim a little left (especially if there is danger there) or just leave the driver in the bag (assuming its worse with a driver). Fighting it, thinking about how to fix it, etc. is only likely to frustrate you more and get you even more pi$$ed off!!

Again, very hard to do but one of the best clubs in your bag needs to be a selective memory. The ability to remember the good shots, forget about the bad ones, and focus on the next shot must be worth at least 2 or 3 shots per round IMO.

Quandary

PRAF wrote: »

The driving range is for practicing and working on your swing, but you need to focus on scoring when out on the course. I know its hard to do, but IMO its best not to try to fight something or fix it on the course. It's ok for Woods, Harrington, et al but not for the mere mortals.

If you are pushing it / slicing it right, make sure to aim a little left (especially if there is danger there) or just leave the driver in the bag (assuming its worse with a driver). Fighting it, thinking about how to fix it, etc. is only likely to frustrate you more and get you even more pi$$ed off!!

Again, very hard to do but one of the best clubs in your bag needs to be a selective memory. The ability to remember the good shots, forget about the bad ones, and focus on the next shot must be worth at least 2 or 3 shots per round IMO.

I agree with you but...


If the problem starts happening persistently It happens with every club. I start pushing things right. The longer the iron, the more pronounced the push. Sometimes it's so bad that if I put the driver away and take out my 4 iron i can still lose a ball to the right if there is an OB or water hazard!

The only fail safe is to select a club like a 7 iron which simplly could not reach th hazard no matter how right it goes. Some holes which have water all the way down the right are my ultimate nightmare

Like I said I have made massive massive strides and it RARELY happens anymore but if the problem happens mid round it literally destroys my score/card because I lose so many balls!

Also, aiming to the left encourages the problem to happen, so that is out!

I never get angry if I duff/top/blade a shot, miss a 2 foot putt etc... But when I miss a shot badly to the right from the middle of the fairway sometimes the red mist descends, i become furious quietly to myself, but it can be so devastating that it's hard to shake off!

I have had some lessons from an excellent Pro which have helped me immeasurably, but I'm still working on getting the changes imprinted onto my swing muscle memory. It will take time(so far about 6 months) but I'll get there.

charlieIRL

I was told by my playing partners on saturday that I had some colourful golf language.:o:o

99.9% of the time i can keep it to myself but when you are playing well and come to an easy par 5 and then push one out to the right OOB when there is 2 acres of fairway, it can frustrate the hell out of you. :mad:

Quandary

charlieIRL wrote: »

I was told by my playing partners on saturday that I had some colourful golf language.:o:o

99.9% of the time i can keep it to myself but when you are playing well and come to an easy par 5 and then push one out to the right OOB when there is 2 acres of fairway, it can frustrate the hell out of you. :mad:

You're singing my song man

It's just devastating! I tip my hat to anyone who can rescue something from that hole! Even worse again on a long par 4 with OOB on the right!

charlieIRL

Quandary wrote: »

You're singing my song man

It's just devastating! I tip my hat to anyone who can rescue something from that hole! Even worse again on a long par 4 with OOB on the right!

I reloaded and blasted a drive to the middle of the fairway, just off the edge of the green with 4th and got down in 2 to rescue a point so hole was not lost.

Have got to a point now, thankfully, where i can let the bad shot go and start again on the next one and not loost the hole comlpetly.

dak

I never lose the head audibly on the course but lose concentration especially if the first couple of holes are bad. I reckon a lot of the bad days are when you rush , don't warm up etc.

I always put a bit of Biofreeze on the lower back before playing and find it really helps to loosen me up.. hence better golf ...no anger management required !

PRAF

charlieIRL wrote: »

I reloaded and blasted a drive to the middle of the fairway, just off the edge of the green with 4th and got down in 2 to rescue a point so hole was not lost.

Have got to a point now, thankfully, where i can let the bad shot go and start again on the next one and not loost the hole comlpetly.

Bouncebackability!

TheDoc

Started with a 9 on Sunday in our medal, thats usually signs for me to have a rage, turn around and go straight home.

Managed to scramble an 84grss so was happy enough considering I started +5

ForeRight

I was playing in Roganstown a while back and was waiting to play a shot into a green. The two lads in front of us were putting out. One of them obviously missed a short put because I could see him go into a rage after a putt and he kicked his ball from holeside off the green.
When I got up to the green he had left a huge divot something like a pitching wedge would leave right beside the cup and all the dislodged muck and grass all over the green. My mate had to putt through his divot!!!

I felt like exploding at this. It was the angriest I had ever been on a golf course no matter how bad ive been playing. I just couldnt believe what an absolute first class prick this fella was.

I immediately rang the club shop and informed them of what had happened. Ive no idea what came of it though.

Personally I only really lose control if I do a terrible 3 putt. They make me want to explode but I try keep it in then use my golf ball as a stress ball on the walk to the next tee box while quietly having a word with myself. The constant squeezing of the ball reliefs alot of tension before teeing back up when its very important to score again after a scratch or a 1 pointer due to the 3 putt.

Danny dyers double

First off I'll admit to having a big hissy fit like a proper girl on Saturday .

I'm not playing the game that long (6 months ) . But lately iv being decent, but on Saturday I was terrible simple as that .

So my problem was I was getting ahead of myself and thinking I was better then I was .

I was playing with 2 mates and after 4 holes I was moaning and complaining that much I could see I was starting to piss them off .
And if I'm honest I hate playing with moany little ......... . Only last week I swore I'd never play with a workmate again because of his constant moaning . But anyway from 5th on I said to myself zip it and try enjoy the rest of my round . And funny enough from there on I started to play alot better .

On the 17th a easy par 3 .I lost the head after a bad tee shot . I was ashamed of my reaction and I swore to myself as I was driving home no matter how bad I play in future I will try enjoy it andnever react the way I did ever again.

Alrite Chief

Iv seen some hilarious wobblers on a course. Heard of great ones too where lads have broken their putter over the back of their necks, broken their driver in the bag after smashing the side of the bag with an iron and launching a club 30 feet up into a tree only to stay up there.

Iv had my fair share of freakers so i know what its like. Its bang out of order in a comp and i normally wait until nobody is looking to dig myself in the face, slap my putter off my forehead or call myself terribly offensive names in an angry voice. Worst part is the disregard for another player who are playing well.