Breaking 40 vs. Breaking 80

The Mental Side of Things
#1

While this is going to be a “The Mental Side of Things” post, I think it could also tie into several other facets of the game:

Over the past 18 months I’ve really turned a corner in my golf game, but I find the more holes I play the higher my score goes.
Midway through this summer, I found myself able to break 40 over 9 holes on a fairly consistent basis; this was true within a round of 18 as a front or back 9, or just a 9 hole round. This finally culminated with me shooting a rather eventful level-par 9 hole round (3 birdies, 3 pars, 3 bogeys) over the weekend.
Meanwhile, I still have not been able to crack 80 in a full round of 18 (a couple 80s and several 81s). I don’t think it’s a physical issue, because my dropped shots vary from early to middle to late in the round–generally more towards the middle: my last full 18 I shot an 81 and doubled holes 9 and 10. This leads me to conclude there must be a mental lapse/block I need to overcome to string back to back sub-40s together to get that 80 monkey off my back.
Has anyone else had this struggle? What helped you finally get past it?
Perhaps I just need to treat them as separate 9 hole rounds and play against themselves instead of playing it as an 18 hole round?

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#2

At a lower score level I’m seemingly the same way. I’m average about 74 but never seem to go lower than one, maybe two under. I know it’s not exactly the same but maybe some mental block about going low. Good front - bad back. Bad front - good back.

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#3

Let’s break this down a little bit. When you first broke 40 or made level par for 9 were you thinking about your score?

Same applies when you’re playing 18, are you thinking about your score?

Maybe you’re not consciously thinking about it. It when you make the turn after 9 and you’re shot 40 or just under are you thinking to yourself this is the day I break 80? If not, what is your thought process? Do you feel you change your game play at all? Like I’m playing really well, maybe I should lay up here to stay out of trouble. Or maybe I should really go after this one?

These are all of the basic questions to ask. The subconscious is an evil thing. When you sit and think about 79 when not playing golf what does your conscious mind bring to the forefront? It’s impossible? I’m always so close but then I mess it up somehow.

It’s not an answer that is easily dissected because it could be a multitude of things. What I suggest is mental imagery. Like finishing the last hole of the course you play the best at and signing your card of 77. Think about that a lot. Daydream about it. Go to sleep visualizing it. You clearly have the talent to make it happen, your subconscious mind is effing you. Battle back against it. Those are some of the best ways I can think to do it.

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#4

It’s a difficult brain leap, but see if you can stop thinking about the round as 18 holes or even 9 holes. Breaking up the round into smaller chunks can help us stay in the moment and reset our focus at regular intervals. If you use a paper scorecard, try folding or tearing into sections so you only see three holes at a time. After each three hole set, do a little retrospective on those holes and then move on to the next set and don’t add everything up until you’ve finished the whole round. If you catch yourself thinking about the overall score, pause and acknowledge the thought, but then return the focus to the three hole set you’re in. Ideally, you’ll not even be sure of the total score until the very end. Given the 9’s you’ve already been putting up, I’m confident you’ll be breaking 80 soon.

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#5

It’s naturally a lot easier to break 40 than it is to break 80 because its a lot easier to play way above your ability for nine holes, than it is eighteen. For the same reason I’d venture you have 50+ nines more often than 100+ eighteens.

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#6

Take it one shot at a time. If you have the game to shoot even on 9, you have the game to break 80. Don’t press. Don’t tell yourself oh I have to make this many pars or this many birdies to get there. Just focus on the one shot in front of you. If a shot gets away from you, don’t stress. Focus on playing the recovery shot that puts you in the best position to avoid a big number.

That’s it. The only thing in your mind should be what is needed on the shot in front of you.

Do that and you’ll break through. I guarantee it.

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#7

That was my thought as well… though shooting even par should show you breaking 80 is coming…

I think one of the best things you can do for your score is play for par, take the birdies you get and avoid doubles…

With 11 pars you can break 80… I think that’s the secret to golf. Avoid mistakes, and you’ll end up consistently shooting better…

The easiest way to shoot 79 is to be consistently shooting low 80s and have a good day.

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#8

Yeah if you can shoot 36 on a nine, you’re definitely capable of shooting 79 (or lower) for a full eighteen.

I’ve broken par a handful of times for nine holes but I’ve never done better than +2 for a full eighteen. Its not that I have any mental hangups about shooting par its just that its really hard to put two of those spectacular nines back to back.

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#9

I might take time to build out a dumb math model about score variance based on average outcome…

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#10

Two things likely affecting this. One is if you have a 20% chance of breaking 40, that roughly is a 4% chance of breaking 80. It’s not quite that because you could do 39-40 but it’s still much less.

The other is when you play 18, if you start poorly then you relax and play better, while if you start well, you get nervous and tighten up.

Honestly the solution to both of these is to play as much as possible. It’ll happen. Good luck!

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#11

I thinks the others are right. You have a mental obstacle to breaking 80.

#12

When I 18 I was playing 7 days a week and practicing every day and living with a golf pro. I was getting close to breaking 80 on a par 70 course for the first time. I kept having really good front nines and then blow up on the back nine for a low-mid 80s score. Then one day I was 7 over on the front nine and thought I had blown it and came home in 2 over for a 79. I’m sure that once I stopped “trying” and had mentally given up I played more freely leading to a new lowest round. That knocked me down to 12 hcp and then I was never able to play to it. Probably feeling too much pressure.

At my current course I have shot +2 on the front and back nines but not together and my best round is +10

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#13

The advice from @Craigers is spot on. Play for par and don’t put the pressure on yourself to make birdie. Tiger said his best scoring year wasn’t when he made more birdies, those he says, have stayed consistent throughout his career. However, what he did was make more pars. He put himself in a position to not make bogies. Narrowed down his area to miss. It is so important to remember this, if you are playing to make par you won’t care about birdie, and you’ll have plenty of opportunities for birdie. I think one of the huge mistakes we as amateurs make, is approaching a hole that we think we should make birdie on. I would often times believe most amateurs think they should make birdie on par 3’s. When in fact, par 3’s actually play over par on the PGA tour.

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#14

Yeah, I’ve become more convinced that getting into the low 70s is more avoiding compounding mistakes than anything else…

Taking medicine when you are in the trees… picking smart targets out of the rough. Playing to the middle of the green.

I think if I ignored the pin from 50 yards out, my score would improve… whether or not I can implement that is a different question.

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#15

Yeah, I get pin lock like my range finder. It’s the strangest thing, I start shaking and buzzing…

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#16

Yeah, I need to internalize scores the pros make from various distances… they average 3 shots from 100 yards? Why am I disappointed with a par from the fairway?

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#17

Wow, I was not aware of that stat!!! Those are the things I need to tell myself to be mentally better.

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#18

follow @LouStagner on twitter and you’ll feel a lot better about your game!

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#19

Completely agree and would add Scott Fawcett, as well. Scott is a really, really good man who has been through some unimaginable trauma and is doing his part to turn his pain into ways to help others.

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#20

Just googled him… whoa. That’s some stuff.