Finally broke 80!!!

[LeftDaddy]

I've posted a few times about my quest to break 80. I've come really close several times but ultimately concluded that my iron game had to get better for me to really have a chance. I even posted a couple of weeks ago that I had a really good 9 holes and I felt that would be a confidence booster.

 

Well, here's my story...I was 1 over through 14 holes. I had just birdied the 14th to get back to 1 over. I had two birdies and 3 bogeys at that point. When I made the turn at 37, I definitely was thinking about my score...but for whatever reason I was able to manage my emotions or whatever through 14. I somehow knew when I made that birdie though, that it would be almost impossible for me not to break 80, so that immediately led me to start "counting strokes" as one of the guys said.

 

Anyway, so next hole I hit iron off the tee to not get in trouble but hid a poor shot...made bogey. No biggie.

 

Now, on 16, hit a great 7 iron approach within 2 yards of my intended landing spot but just off the green. No worries though...uphill chip with plenty of green to work with. BUT, I had a really fluffy lie in the rough and swiped under the ball...another bogey.

 

Again no biggie. In fact, at this point, I knew that if I got my ball in the fairway on 17 (a really tight par 4 with trouble everywhere) that it was all but done. The tee shot calls for a fade, and like an idiot I try to hit a 3 wood stinger just to get a fairway. I double-cross it and hit a big slice. The good news, though, was that the slice was so bad that it actually opened up an approach to the hole somewhat...a couple of strokes later I tap in for bogey (just missed my par putt on the edge).

 

OK...so now I know I'm in. No way I'm quadrupling 18. But I decide that, dammit, I don't want to limp in. I want a freaking birdie to shoot 75. I calm my nerves and bust a drive right down the middle of the fairway. At that point I just let off the gas. I knew I was home-free. EXCEPT, I had an approach over water and a really bad hanging lie where my ball ended up. I'm not going to spend anymore text describing what happened, but I ultimately tapped in for a triple-bogey 7 and a 79.

 

So "Yay! I finally did it". But boy, it sucked to see me choke away what should have been a 74 or 75. I hope I'm not scarred for life :)

 

The weird thing is that I was certainly "nervous", and certainly aware of where I was...I didn't really hit any terrible shots. Things just started to snowball a bit. It's a lot like what I assume Adam Scott felt like in the British Open years back...hard to put your finger on exactly how and why the "choke" happened, but it certainly happened.

 

Hopefully now that I'm over the hump, I can start accessing my "power" to just shoot really good scores.

[Dr. Block]

Nicely done! Next time you feel like you're playing well try not writing your scores down till after you're done playing. I can assure you you'll remember them just fine, and its a good way to get your mind off of the outcome and into the mode of thinking in the moment and the next shot ahead of you.

 

Training myself to think as such is what has gotten me from 73's and 74's to 69's and 71's. Many of those rounds that ended up under par weren't necessarily spectacular ball striking wise, but my mental game stayed strong and I scrambled and scored my best instead of trying to safeguard my way in.

[alittleoverpar]

Congrats on reaching your goal. As you've already identified, if you can find a way to not focus on your overall score, but on the shot you are playing you'll play your best.