All it takes is one big number to ruin a perfectly good round of golf. You can play great for 16 or 17 holes but one 7 or 8 on the card is all it takes to crush your confidence.
Most amateurs attribute their big numbers to hitting one bad shot or getting an unlucky bounce but the truth is that most of the time it’s simply poor course management that takes a situation on the course from bad to not recoverable. Use some of the tips below to help turn your bad situations into not so bad situations and watch as those 8s and 9s disappear from your scorecard.
Learn the Art of the Tapout – Everyone just assumes that it’s easy to hit a little low 30 yard shot under some trees into the fairway, but it’s really not. Work on hitting low 100 yard shots on the practice range so that when you get into a tricky situation, you’re confident you can pull it off.
Don’t try to Hit the Heroic Shot – Every once in a while it’s fun to try that one and a thousand shot but most of the time, it’s just not the smart play. Even if you think you can pull that shot off and put your ball on the green, what are the chances of you making the putt? It might be fun to hit that 40 yard hook around a tree but the truth is, at the end of the round your scorecard will probably look better if you don’t try it. Save the heroic shot for a day when you’re out messing around with some friends.
Take Your Medicine – Sometimes you just have to accept the fact that you’re not going to make a par. A bogey isn’t the end of the world. There are 18 holes on the course and no one’s perfect. So next time you’re in a tricky spot, take your medicine and move on. Don’t compound one bad shot with two or three bad shots.
Maintain a Positive Attitude – Often times, a double bogey simply deflates you. Don’t let it. Try to avoid thinking about what that double bogey has done to your overall score and just play one shot at a time. The last thing you want to do is get up on the next tee with negative thoughts in your mind. Good golfers have a very short memory (especially when it comes to bad swings).
Manage Your Misses – Think about your shot before you hit it. Identify the trouble on the hole and play away from it. That doesn’t mean you have to play ultra-conservative, it just means that you have to play smart. If there’s water down the right side of the hole and you’ve been hitting a slice with your driver all day, don’t hit your driver.