How to improve performance in competitive rounds?

[NevinW]

This season I have played 53 rounds of golf with an average score of 76 for the season so far.  Of those about 12 of them have been in tournaments.  My competitive rounds average about 4-5 strokes higher than my regular rounds.  My regular rounds are usually for some money ($10) and we usually putt things out.  Looking at my statistics, pretty much everything is worse including driving, approach shots and putting.  When I play in a tournament, my swing feels tighter and my most common miss, (a pull hook) occurs about 2-3 times more often and is more likely to end up with penalty strokes.   I tend to 3 putt more.   I also have a lot more trouble finishing a good round.  One recent tournament I was even par with 4 holes to go and finished 4 over due to pull hooks and 3 putts.  Bad management decisions are  more common during this reounds.  I thought that playing in more tournaments would get me more comfortable with competition but that has not happened yet.  

 

I realize that tournament golf is always different from regular golf and that everyone struggles with this problem.  What I am looking for are suggestions on how to narrow the difference between the two.  The next two months I have scheduled a lot of tournaments and I'd like to play better in them.  Suggestions and thoughts?

[goaliedad30]

You've hit on the two most important things: play more tournament golf, and make better course management decisions. The first one just takes time (and 12 rounds isn't that many, compared to the people playing serious competitive golf). The second to me can take two forms:

1. Account better for your misses. Choose targets that will allow your miss to happen (sounds like a pull / left miss in this case) without turning into doubles. You don't need to go fully into DECADE or something like that, but if you know under pressure your miss is left, then you have to allow for it.
2. Don't compound mistakes. If you get in trouble, make sure that the next shot gets you back in play somehow. Maybe you can get up & down and save par. Maybe you can drain a 20 footer. Worst case, you'll make a bogey. Similarly, if you have a 30-50 foot putt, focus purely on speed. Unless your read is horrible (which does happen), if you get the speed right, you'll have something inside of 4 feet for your next putt.

I'm not sure the level you're competing at, but in an awful lot of events, guys that make a ton of uneventful pars (reasonable drive, anywhere on the green, putt to three feet, and short putt for par) finish near the top. On days when their putter is hot, they might win. Guys trying to birdie every hole by attacking every flag, reach every par 5, and "go low" usually need binoculars to see the leaders.

 

TL/DR; manage your misses and don't compound mistakes

[wagolfer7]

I started playing better in competitive golf with 2 things coming together.  

 

#1) Better swing fundamentals.  Flaws seem to come out the most in high pressure situations.

#2) Better focus.  Getting lost in my pre-shot routine.  Not thinking of any outcomes, but simply going through the process and just focusing on my setup and execution.  

 

#2 is really hard to explain or teach.  I get so locked in on my pre-shot routine, there isn't any nerves, emotions, extra thoughts, etc.  Sometimes I may still get a little nervous, especially a putt to win or something.  I'll take a few deep breaths before my pre-shot routine, just to relax my body.  Then I'm all in on my pre-shot routine and that seems to get me to execute well. 

 

Getting my brain to focus on the right things seem to be key to me.  Also I don't dwell on bad shots.  I don't get mad, upset, disappointed, excited, happy, etc.  I'm always focused on the shot at hand.  I don't think about my swing after a bad shot, I just focus on what the next shot is. 

 

Good luck and be patient.  It took me a few years to get over this hurdle of playing better when it mattered.          

[me05501]

I've seen this question brought up so many times and it seems like the consensus advice is to participate in as many comps as you can. The more you do it the more it will start to feel comfortable to you. 

[badboggs]

I would not overlook the learning you can do from how you miss shots under pressure and in tournament.  It is way more revealing about your true swing flaws whatever they may be.  If you start hooking even more it means your swing issues that cause that miss are being exacerbated by the pressure.  Usually that has to do with trying to control the ball instead of letting the ball get in the way.  I would take it as a way to from a roadmap for your future work to improve.  

 

Maybe it means you need to improve your mechanics so that maybe a slower body doesn't let the club flip.  Or maybe it means learning to play more of a cut shot that sets you up to not have the hook miss.  Or maybe you have some equipment issues that need to be addressed.  Good on you for playing that much and playing in tournaments.  Keep working it!

[Mike_C]

I got this tip from Dustin Johnson:

 

The key to improving competitive rounds is, make sure you shoot lower scores.......

[golferdude54]

Byron Nelson said that he focused on maintaining the same walking pace between shots, never rushing, and that at his best he wouldn't talk very much. Maybe a "nice shot" a couple times for his group but that was it.

 

Jack Nicklaus didn't go for pins, he went for pin high middle of green almost exclusively so get the distance to the pin then aim of the middle of the green at that distance. If there's water on a tucked in pin, aim for the middle between the pin and the fringe which side doesn't have water, most of course management is common sense really.

[DLiver]

This is an interesting (and often asked) question. I wonder the same thing. I have played enough events that I don't even get nervous anymore. Yet I still hit shaky shots in comps, and I'm not sure why that is. My current theory is that comps create stress, and that messes with your sense of timing and rhythm.

 

I find that I don't think as clearly in comps, and sometimes make boneheaded mistakes.

 

Despite this, I still do okay (several club championships, club and regional wins, etc.). I just wish I could figure out how to perform closer to my potential in comps.

[DFS PFD]

Play more competitive rounds in addition to what others have said. Treat your casual rounds like competitive rounds. 

[Michael Shanker]

It's gotta be like playing an instrument on stage in front of a crowd, so just imagine that everyone around you is naked.

[NevinW]

Thanks to everyone who replied.  This has been very helpful.  - Nevin 

[baudi]

20 hours ago, Michael Shanker said:

It's gotta be like playing an instrument on stage in front of a crowd, so just imagine that everyone around you is naked.

 

Michael Schenker knows:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSqj7IAMnXo

[SNIPERBBB]

We all know the old quote of "There's golf and then there's tournament golf". What should be added to that quote is "and then there's being in tournament and in contention golf" You see it in all sports were guys can play well until the last minutes of the game then just cant perform as nerves and fear of failing get a hold of them.  The more in contention you get the better you'll get eventually. Some guys never do, Raymond Floyd anyone?

[ProV1Killa]

Beta Blockers?

 

Seriously, the only way to play better tournament golf is to play tournament golf and learn how to deal with pressure.

 

Best swing advice I ever received for tournament golf is to play more flighted shots as the pressure builds. Play those shots aggressively favoring the spots that get you into the least trouble if you miss.  In other words, pressure usually creates tension and adrenaline.  If you are playing full shots the combination leads to disastrous misses.  Flighted shots allow more room for error.

[AndyC]

On 7/25/2024 at 12:13 PM, NevinW said:

This season I have played 53 rounds of golf with an average score of 76 for the season so far.  Of those about 12 of them have been in tournaments.  My competitive rounds average about 4-5 strokes higher than my regular rounds.  My regular rounds are usually for some money ($10) and we usually putt things out.  Looking at my statistics, pretty much everything is worse including driving, approach shots and putting.  When I play in a tournament, my swing feels tighter and my most common miss, (a pull hook) occurs about 2-3 times more often and is more likely to end up with penalty strokes.   I tend to 3 putt more.   I also have a lot more trouble finishing a good round.  One recent tournament I was even par with 4 holes to go and finished 4 over due to pull hooks and 3 putts.  Bad management decisions are  more common during this reounds.  I thought that playing in more tournaments would get me more comfortable with competition but that has not happened yet.  

 

I realize that tournament golf is always different from regular golf and that everyone struggles with this problem.  What I am looking for are suggestions on how to narrow the difference between the two.  The next two months I have scheduled a lot of tournaments and I'd like to play better in them.  Suggestions and thoughts?

If playing for $10 doesn't produce tournament-like pressure, then play for more money!

[Mike_C]

15 hours ago, AndyC said:

If playing for $10 doesn't produce tournament-like pressure, then play for more money!

Pressure is when you play for five dollars a hole with only two in your pocket.

Lee Trevino

[golfortennis]

On 7/26/2024 at 9:54 PM, SNIPERBBB said:

We all know the old quote of "There's golf and then there's tournament golf". What should be added to that quote is "and then there's being in tournament and in contention golf" You see it in all sports were guys can play well until the last minutes of the game then just cant perform as nerves and fear of failing get a hold of them.  The more in contention you get the better you'll get eventually. Some guys never do, Raymond Floyd anyone?

 

A 4 time major champ is your example?

[SNIPERBBB]

11 minutes ago, golfortennis said:

 

A 4 time major champ is your example?

Hmm I was thinking Greg Norman but for some reason Raymond Floyd got typed.

[golfortennis]

4 minutes ago, SNIPERBBB said:

Hmm I was thinking Greg Norman but for some reason Raymond Floyd got typed.

 

That makes more sense.  Typically I would say a guy who has won 2 is not a good example, but considering *how many* chances Norman had.....