I feel like @jon probably has an article for this. I played 18 holes today and I shot 83. As a 4.2 handicap, 83 should be in my realm of expected scores. It was also blowing 15-25 mph, and a new course for me. So I shouldn’t be disappointed, but yet I feel disappointed about my round.
I think part of my disappointment is coming from the fact that I had a lesson a month ago. I’m hitting it better, but scoring the same or worse. So today kinda pushed my buttons…I dunno.
83 is a fine score for a new course on a windy day… if you want to focus on mistakes, what mistakes are actionable?
I think it is very common to underestimate the effects of a high wind. It affects not only ball flight but also your swing and equilibrium.
When you begin a round, do you have a score in mind for what you expect to shoot?
If it makes you feel any better I played in a tournament the other week in very windy/firm conditions. I grinded my butt off for 16 holes, and then finished quadruple, bogey for a 83
Golf 
Golf is hard-
I played a two day tournament on a new course this week. I am a 7 handicap right now. I couldn’t figure out the greens the first day and three putted the first 4 or 5 holes after hitting the gir. Finished with a 99 after a couple triples. The next day my first two drives went OB- re teeing twice. Gathered myself and finished with an 85. Not bad for starting the day with a snowman. New courses can be tough physically, emotionally, spiritually, haha. I haven’t shot a 99 in several years. Just a bad day. If I haven’t been reading practical golf and changed my mental game I would have been wanting to quit. But I cut that out a while ago lol. One day makes a difference.
Excellent question. There were about 5-6 non-committed swings that cost me 4 shots. I would say lack of commitment to my shot is one of my biggest weaknesses. And it is exacerbated in wind.
I do not really. I know my average score is 78.4, so generally 78 or better I feel pretty good, 79 or worse and I start to feel like I didn’t play well.
It doesn’t make me feel better. I mean, it kinda does, but I feel bad for you.
I know 83 is totally possible for me. Not sure why it triggered more disappointment than normal today.
Thankfully I don’t want to quit.
Kudos to you for coming back the next day and finishing. Some guys would have WD’d after that first round. I don’t understand guys who do that, but it’s fairly common around here.
I think one of the mistakes we make with our expectations is not to factor in course and weather conditions. A 79 on a fast course on a windy day might be a great score for you yet in your mind it’s barely adequate.
New course + wind = a freaking grind.
You don’t know the lines. You don’t know where you can miss. You don’t know the greens. Throw in some gusty wind and that’s a tough task for golfers of any level.
Wind throws everything off. Depending on where you live and have played the majority of your golf, it can tear your game apart.
Out here in the wide open spaces of the Midwest wind is an every day occurrence. We kind of have to tailor our game to it. I hit it low with as little spin as possible off the tee - thus the 7.5 deg driver with Hulk shaft. My irons are penetrating and mostly pop and stop. I don’t suck the ball back like crazy. I’ve had to fit my game to the elements. If I lived somewhere else I might hit it completely different.
That’s what wind does to you. So don’t worry about a less than great round in the wind, especially on a new course.
Well I can tell you after the quad happened I was not happy. And I had a few choice words for myself. But by the time I got in the car I was mostly over it. It was a tough day, and I made only one really bad swing that cost me.
Either way, I don’t have an explanation for you because sometimes certain rounds just get to you!
Agreed. My mind is dumb.
Also a buddy of mine who is scratch shot 81 on the same course today. So it was tough.
I guess I just felt like I had a lot of self inflicted wounds today.
Another thing about our “average” score. If 78 is your average, than means that half the time you shoot higher than that. It doesn’t make sense to set your expectations such that half of the time you will be disappointed. Golf is supposed to be fun.
Golfing in extreme wind is really an entirely different skill set. You need to adjust mentally and understand what you don’t want the ball to do, which is usually counterintuitive to what most think (swing harder into the wind 
)
I live in Iowa and grew up in South Dakota. I know wind. I generally try to make it my friend, but seemed like every hole today was either into or down. I do much better in crosswinds.
It’s a lot like playing in a steady rain. You can enjoy it just as much as a sunny day but it requires lowering your expectations and changing your mindset. Too often we focus on how unlucky we re to be playing in the rain rather than enjoying the challenge it presents.
Where at in SD? I grew up in Dakota Dunes. Played my high school golf there.
Rapid City. Played my high school golf at Rapid City Stevens.
Do you know Rodd Slater at Two Rivers? Great dude and Two Rivers is sneaky good.