re: Need golfers opinion: question I've never heard asked before

Your problem is probably that you are splitting up the 18 holes as "front 9" and "back 9".

This almost makes it seem like you are playing 2 different games of golf.

You'll put everything you have into the front 9, and then since you are picturing the back 9 in your mind like a "new game", you aren't concentrating the same as you were on the front 9.

If you picture a round of golf in your mind as 18 holes, and don't split it up between front and back 9, you will be able to concentrate better the whole way through.

Put it in your mind before you play that 18 holes makes a round. There is no such thing as 9 holes and another 9 holes. It's 18 holes all the way through.