Being afraid to go low

It’s typically about caring too much about the number you’re going to post. You get a couple under and think if I just par in and not make a mistake this score will be “good enough”. Playing with better players helps curb that because you’re trying to compete with them and not some arbitrary number like par.

You really need to block out the score and play what the shot justifies. If you’ve got a back left pin at 136 and that is your exact pitching wedge number and hit a draw, then take on that flag. That said, it’s a very difficult mindset. I was always a super conservative golfer, but the best players that I have played with knew to keep the gas pedal down at all times.

When you're doing well, and then come to the holes where you bogey, do you catch yourself having a more relaxed mental state?

Me personally, when I'm having a good round, the second I relax and lose a bit of focus is when the bogeys and doubles crop up.

This is where you see the pros have a very specific routine before every stroke. It helps keep the focus on each shot consistent.

Also, it isn't easy to pile birdies and pars without any bogeys or you'd be on the PGA. So figuring out how to mitigate a bad score when you have a bad shot is going to keep your score lower than trying a hero shot.

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the second I relax and lose a bit of focus is when the bogeys and doubles crop up.

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Had a turkey queued up the other day. Birdied a par 3 and par 5 back to back. Hit a monster drive on the next par 4. Partial wedge shot in. I was so concerned about the birdie I shanked my shot. A literal shank.

Stay focused my friends.

I use what I call “The Art of Pessimism “.

I assume that I will inevitably make some bad scores in the holes coming up, so I need to make birdies to counter the future bad holes. Then I run out of holes, and add up the score.

I use it in putting, too. If I run a birdie putt 5 feet past the hole, I think, and often say out loud, “I can’t believe I just bogeyed this hole “. So the pressure’s off, since I’ve already predicted the miss. I’ll hit a good stroke, and if it goes in, it’s a bonus.

Honestly I’ve never played the up tees, though I’ve been giving it serious consideration since I passed 60 just to see what it’s like.

It really sounds like you’re fighting the same thing I did when I was younger and playing my best. When i started thinking score, is when bad things happened.

I was playing out of my mind one day, 13 under after 15, got rained out the last 3. Came back next day to finish after spending all night thinking if I went 4 under on the last 3, which I had done several times before i could shoot 55, I’d never heard of anyone doing that. So naturally I was playing for score instead of just swinging the club. 3 bogies later my only chance of ever shooting in the 50’s was gone and i finished with a 62.

The real thing that helps me still, more than anything is play a hole at a time, and trying to play smart. You’ll be surprised how many birdies you’ll make if you know your yardages and don’t go for the hero shot every time. (When I was young I always thought I could make it)

Example these days: I’ve got 140 into a par 4, trouble is short. I can hit a 9 iron if I hit it well that far, or I can hit my 8 and just see if I can make the 30 footer coming back if I hit it well. Maybe it goes in, maybe I two putt and go to the next hole. Maybe I miss hit it a bit and I’ve got 15 feet. Chunked one a bit yesterday and was 5 feet short, oh darn.

Play smart and remember the goal on each hole is par and you can only play one hole at a time. Play it that way IMO and one day soon you’ll look down at your card and realize you just shot 66.

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playing from the reds to force me to think the low numbers aren’t as big of a deal

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^this works

I play better under pressure so I might not be able to help. I have 3 67s under my belt. All three rounds I reached hole 16 with the mindset of staying under 70 and hit some of the best shots of the day to finish -5.

It's all mindset

I think it’s already been mentioned here but if it’s possible, try to find the best golfers around you and play with them as much as possible.

It doesn’t sound like you’re trying to play tournament golf, but if you have a way to play with good tournament golfers, try to do that as well.

When I started taking golf seriously, it helped me to consistently play with people that were better than me. It also helped my mind set to stay in a frame where I wasn’t ‘doing anything special’ and just played normal golf regardless of score.

For example, you mentioned being a couple under par and then making bogies. In the grand scheme of things, there’s nothing earth shattering about being a couple under par. So don’t treat the rest of your round like it is. Just keep putting it in the fairway and hitting solid shots.

It's funny how the game and your mindset changes as you age as far as trying to score.

20 years ago I was so strong that all I wanted to do was crush the ball as far as possible because I knew that I could get it on the green from any lie or rough.

Now I am more focused on hitting the fairway because that's my best chance to score.

Jack Nicklaus won a lot of tournaments just hitting the middle of the green.