Quote:
Originally Posted by malcolmk14
Two rounds in a row I've shot 37 on the front and followed it up with a back 9 accident!
37-41-78 on Wednesday
37-43-80 today
Can't put two good nines together!
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Consistency is something we all strive for but seldom achieve.
My last 40 rounds, dating back to the start of the year, are just an example of how frustrating golf can be in the elusive chase of some consistency. 80, 75, 82, 78, 79, 92(!), 80, 73, 74, 84, 78, 79, 70, 76, 78, 84, 83, 77, 82, 77, 79, 69, 83, 76, 77, 76, 73, 83, 83, 78, 72, 81, 68, 74, 69, 72, 85, 73, 86, 78. Just when you think you have it coming together, a round jumps in that completely destroys your confidence.
The thing is you have to practice, and you need to practice as much as you play. Most of us can't afford the time and energy to commit to the type of regiment it takes to develop the consistency to limit the peaks and valleys. With practice comes the ability to get out of a jam and scramble to save strokes. Also, the putter needs to be razor sharp, and most players have poor putting skills and the dedication to develop good putting skills.
I've kind of stopped caring about scores and have become more focused on how I hit the ball. If I come off the course with a bad score but struck the ball well I am much happier than if I score well and beat the ball all over the course. Like my last two rounds are a good display of that. I hit the ball great but had some bad luck around the greens and could make a put to save my life, and shot 86. The next round I went out and played army golf (left-right-left-right) by scrambled well and trimmed eight shots off the previous round. Which one was I more content with? The bigger number because I hit the ball consistently but got hurt by some bad bounces and a cold putter (six hard 90 degree lip outs). The only thing you can do is recognize that the ups and downs are part of golf and work to minimize the peaks and valleys.
The way I deal with consistency challenges and the crazy swings is to take to to the putting and pitching greens. Instead of hitting more drivers or wedges I'll go and spend my vast majority of my practice/warm-up time on the green doing putting drills, or pitching for feel. Usually after a few rounds of that warm-up I get into a better groove and have a better outlook on recovering from a bad hole, so they don't turn into two or three bad holes in a row - my personal nemesis on the golf course. Give that a shot and see how it helps your game.