On course anxiety

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However, my mental side is holding me back from making a few more putts a round

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What does this mean? Pros make 50% from 8 feet, you aren't being held back because you are missing 6 to 8 footers.

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How do you get rid of the anxiety of missing opportunities and let yourself play without fear or stress?

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Learned that pros average 29 feet from the hole from 150 yards and Ams average like 60 feet. When you learn the actual value of your shot its a lot easier to not get mad when you miss a green from 180 yards.

Eta: and those are median numbers not averages so they're representative of where you are most likely to hit the ball.

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How do you get rid of the anxiety of missing opportunities and let yourself play without fear or stress?

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They don’t have cart girls at courses for no reason baw. Buy yourself some beers.


If that doesn’t help, just remember it’s only golf and you aren’t getting paid to play. No one cares if you shoot 76 or 96 in reality so just enjoy it.

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How do you get rid of the anxiety of missing opportunities and let yourself play without fear or stress?

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There are golf apps that focus on the mental aspect
Of your game. If you’re a big believer in positive thinking, try those. Look at Imagine Golf.

Personally, the more I participated in activities the less self conscious I was doing them. I think I’ve just shite the bed enough times to not care about the disappointment of the outcome- which led to better outcomes.

Buy and read Harvey Penick Little Red Book. I have read it twice. I probably will read it agin this month. It has probably taken 3-5 shots off my game. Take dead aim.

My family is not relying on me to put a roof over their heads or food on the table by my ability to score well on the golf course. If you’re having anxiety in the course, it might be time to find a less stressful hobby.

I’m a scratch golfer, it’s not that I don’t have fun doing it, I simply want to get to the next level.

Breaking each barrier in golf is always the toughest part. I don’t think quitting is the answer.

And I do drink a good bit on the course. Doesn’t help much.

Beer helps me.

A few weeks ago I had 7 beers and made 7 birdies

The next time I played I had 2 beers and only made 2 birdies

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approaching your best round ever.. do you get anxiety?

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You’re beat when you start thinking about best round ever. Don’t think about the last hole or the next hole.

On the tee, figure out where the pin is, where you want to hit your approach from, and what you need to hit off the tee to get there.

Also, learn to control your breathing.

I've got a few thoughts that I run through my head before each shot. Just swing path, and keeping my head still, and how I want to use my lower body. I try to limit it to just a few easy bullet points per stroke.

Driver has one set of thoughts, fairway woods, have their own, irons, wedges and putter have their own.

My $.02 is having consistent thought patterns for each shot helps get past the mental breakdown that occurs periodically.

Small goals can also help.

One of the best golfers that I ever played with outside of Pro's ( a +4 hcp) told me that he sets small goals like trying to get 3 birdies which negate 3 bogeys and eliminates a third of the course. if he hits that goal early, it really loosens him up.

He also played off the tee to specific yardages for his second shots. He was ridiculously good at 135yds from the green with a punch 9 iron.