Club Championship failure again

[AcesAZ]

Had our CC over the weekend. I want to quit golf. I just cant get any better than I am and its not good enough to even win my CC. 2 Day stroke play. Been between scratch and plus 3 for the last 5 years (finished 2nd and 3rd once). I just am not able to improve, I guess I have to reassess why I play golf.

 

Just so frusterated had to vent. :russian_roulette: :russian_roulette: :russian_roulette:

[obsessedgolfer]

I would be mad too if I was scratch to +3 which is bettter that 99.5% of golfers will ever get. Relax if you cna average 3 under par you must be doing losts of things correctly.

[SteveL1]

I hope you play for the fun of it and not for a living. If you spent as much time on your golf game as you do on your normal job, you might get better. If it's a hobby, enjoy the fact that you're a scratch to plus 3 hdcp. If it's a job, you may want to call a head hunter. j/k

What part of your game is keeping you from being better?

[Dizz]

[quote name='obsessedgolfer' post='1910114' date='Aug 23 2009, 11:53 PM']I would be mad too if I was scratch to +3 which is bettter that 99.5% of golfers will ever get. Relax if you cna average 3 under par you must be doing losts of things correctly.[/quote]

Chances are if he averaged 3 under par he'd be far better than +3.

[AcesAZ]

I understand what you are saying but I put in so much work, practice at least 20 hours a week, plus working out too. Just not getting any better, Even if I could see some improvement, maybe my ballstriking has gotten a tad better but my shortgame is maybe a little worse. I use to putt lights out too, now just so-so. Its just putting in so much effort into something and not seeing any results is just hard to take.

[AcesAZ]

[quote name='SteveL1' post='1910123' date='Aug 23 2009, 11:03 PM']I hope you play for the fun of it and not for a living. If you spent as much time on your golf game as you do on your normal job, you might get better. If it's a hobby, enjoy the fact that you're a scratch to plus 3 hdcp. If it's a job, you may want to call a head hunter. j/k

What part of your game is keeping you from being better?[/quote]

A little bit of everything, Im not stellar in anything. Putt OK, Short games pretty decent, Ballstriking OK. Mental game could improve I guess too.

[Dizz]

What did you shoot?
What did the winner shoot?
Do you think hes better than you?

[boulAAYYY]

sad, but I just won mine by 1 stroke this week end with a chip in on 18 ( 70 - 71 )

[Johnny]

all else fails buy new clubs..

[AcesAZ]

[quote name='Dizzub' post='1910142' date='Aug 23 2009, 11:12 PM']What did you shoot?
What did the winner shoot?
Do you think hes better than you?[/quote]

I blew up the second day and shot 7 over. Winner shot 6 under. Yes hes better than me no doubt. I guess I hate losing, its hard for me to take.

[AcesAZ]

[quote name='Johnny' post='1910151' date='Aug 23 2009, 11:15 PM']all else fails buy new clubs..[/quote]

Thats true, maybe I need to look at some new putters.

[joekelli]

you do not have any Taylormade stuff in your bag, thats why you cant win!!!! J/K you do have a Spider.

Maybe its not so much your putter as it is you are not hitting your approach shots and chips close enough? Maybe your just puting too much pressure on yourself when you get in the CC? I am sure if you give it time and just relax you will see the improvements your looking for. Good luck

[Medicaptain]

Howz the nerves?

At my old Club...I won nearly every regular event I played in..twice a week for about 9 months a year....Averaged around par with some as low as Five under and some as much as 6-7 over depending on conditions etc.....

But the Club Championship eluding my grasp.....and I blame the pressure I put on myself...

Year 1-I threw it away on 18 by "Mickelsoning" it with a wayward high rate block
Year 2-I blew it on 16 with a blocked short putt
Year 3-A guy holed out from a bunker on the 5th playoff shot and I missed a 7 footer to match it
Year 4-I blew up the first day and couldnt recover (I knew it was my last year there before I moved...so I put a TON of pressure on myself)

Try really hard to not try hard

[AcesAZ]

I tried to say its no big deal, its just another tourney. No biggie. But wait. Im just lying to myself. It is a big deal to me, especially since Ive been close but never coming through. Im actually more nervous in the stupid CC than a US Open qualifier. Way more, dont know why.

[rymail00]

Maybe you are just putting to much pressure on yourself to win. I Know I do it to myself sometimes to. Make a bogey or two and then start getting a way from my game plan and start trying to force the issue. Shooting at a sucker pin or trying to squeeze an extra 5-10 yards out of a drive on a par 5.

The worst though is plateau'ing, especially after making improvements. For me it was getting to a 7 handicap (I'm a 6 now). I started the year at 12 and dropped 6 strokes pretty quickly and now I feel like I'm stuck. But you should know more than most that when you start getting to like a 5 or 6 it hets really hard to start knocking off those last few strokes. But being scratch or even a + cap, it really comes down to putting. Its making an extra 20 footer a round or a lucky or unlucky kick that could really make a difference.

The course I play at is the narrowest course you will probably ever find. Each hole is cut out in the woods, so there is trees on all sides of you. Some of the fairways have some good slope to them. So you could hit the fairway and take a hard kick left or right and next thing you know you are punching out of the and trying to get up and down from anywhere from 50-190 yards. Or clip a limb that hangs over the fairway, and instead of falling straight down it kicks hard into the woods, BOOM, 3 off the tee.

It just sounds like you are just not making some of the long bomb putts that you were making before, thats all. That can make a huge difference. I go on streaks where it feels like I am going to drain putts from everywhere, and have days that those same putts don't drop.

Thats why I think the pros are so good, because even the worst putter on tour is probaly a better putter than anyone I know. Hang in there, I bet it will come back to you.

Good luck,
rymail00

[HISPL]

Sounds like you need to take a vacation from the game, take a month off and relax go fishing, hunting go hiking put in some extra hours at the office or do whatever you have to do to forget about golf, then bust your a** off at the office until you can't take it any longer and you need to get out on the course.

You need to be hungry to play, at the moment is almost sounds like you are burnt out. If you are hungry to play you tend to play better than when you are burnt out.

Just my 2c

Adam

[Medicaptain]

[quote name='AcesAZ' post='1910182' date='Aug 23 2009, 09:31 PM']I tried to say its no big deal, its just another tourney. No biggie. But wait. Im just lying to myself. It is a big deal to me, especially since Ive been close but never coming through. Im actually more nervous in the stupid CC than a US Open qualifier. Way more, dont know why.[/quote]

Thats easy to answer....

The US Open qualifier is by your choice...and since you already carry a good enough HDCP to compete...its a statement of your skill to just play in it.

The CC is different...cause everyone you play with is clued into what's going on...and ALL YEAR people say "Thats the Club Champion".....name on the trophy in the lobby.....every player at your club KNOWS who won..who choked...and who didnt live up to their potential......(the latter two would be ME! and it has bugged the sheeeite out of me ever since)

[bjackson]

[quote name='Medicaptain' post='1910170' date='Aug 23 2009, 09:25 PM']Try really hard to not try hard[/quote]

Quote worthy statement there.

[AcesAZ]

[quote name='Medicaptain' post='1910206' date='Aug 23 2009, 11:50 PM'][quote name='AcesAZ' post='1910182' date='Aug 23 2009, 09:31 PM']I tried to say its no big deal, its just another tourney. No biggie. But wait. Im just lying to myself. It is a big deal to me, especially since Ive been close but never coming through. Im actually more nervous in the stupid CC than a US Open qualifier. Way more, dont know why.[/quote]

Thats easy to answer....

The US Open qualifier is by your choice...and since you already carry a good enough HDCP to compete...its a statement of your skill to just play in it.

The CC is different...cause everyone you play with is clued into what's going on...and ALL YEAR people say "Thats the Club Champion".....name on the trophy in the lobby.....every player at your club KNOWS who won..who choked...and who didnt live up to their potential......(the latter two would be ME! and it has bugged the sheeeite out of me ever since)
[/quote]

Yeah you're right on. Its the guy you play with that brings up the club championship and having to rehash the horror. Or walking by the lobby all the time and not seeing your name on the trophy or worse seeing the other persons name when you choked it away. I know that all too well and it bugs the shheeeit out of me too.

[viperstudio]

[quote name='HISPL' post='1910199' date='Aug 23 2009, 11:44 PM']Sounds like you need to take a vacation from the game, take a month off and relax go fishing, hunting go hiking put in some extra hours at the office or do whatever you have to do to forget about golf, then bust your a** off at the office until you can't take it any longer and you need to get out on the course.

You need to be hungry to play, at the moment is almost sounds like you are burnt out. If you are hungry to play you tend to play better than when you are burnt out.

Just my 2c

Adam[/quote]

I agree maybe take a week off or a couple, spent time with family. I do this trick and when I get back playing I was relax and very well rested and play very well.

-viper

[Headgames]

[quote name='AcesAZ' post='1910182' date='Aug 24 2009, 12:31 AM']I tried to say its no big deal, its just another tourney. No biggie. But wait. Im just lying to myself. It is a big deal to me, especially since Ive been close but never coming through. Im actually more nervous in the stupid CC than a US Open qualifier. Way more, dont know why.[/quote]

IMO - you're focusing on the wrong things.

This is one of the most common mistakes people make when setting goals for themselves, especially in sports. They go out and say "I want to win my club championship" without understanding that there is VERY LITTLE they can do to actually CONTROL that outcome.

On any given day, you cannot control how someone else is going to play. You say the winner shot a -6. You shot a +7, but could have shot a -5 (assuming equal HDCP) and STILL lost. Now, I don't know what world you may live in, but -5 on ANY course, on ANY day is a great score. It doesn;t make you any worseof a golfer becuase you lost.

My advice - start focusing on theose things DIRECTLY UNDER YOUR CONTROL. Be specific. Instead of saying "I want to win my championship" focus instead on a target score. Break that down as well. How many fairways do you want to hit on a given day. How many greens? How many putts? The go out there and try to do it. You may still lose the championship, but at the end of the day you'll be able to look at yourself and definitively evaluate your performance.

Fousing on those things will ultimately allow you to stay focused on yourself and play better golf. Rather than trying to convince yourself that this is "just another tournament" instead you'll be actively focusing on something you can acehive. This may (though not always) take your mind to a better place where you can relax and actually play the golf you need to.

I understand how frustrating it can be to not acheive a goal you've been after for a while, but you'll never acheive that goal until you start focusing on the right things. At the end of the day, that is the only thing that you can do.

[DRGJR72]

[quote name='AcesAZ' post='1910217' date='Aug 23 2009, 09:57 PM'][quote name='Medicaptain' post='1910206' date='Aug 23 2009, 11:50 PM'][quote name='AcesAZ' post='1910182' date='Aug 23 2009, 09:31 PM']I tried to say its no big deal, its just another tourney. No biggie. But wait. Im just lying to myself. It is a big deal to me, especially since Ive been close but never coming through. Im actually more nervous in the stupid CC than a US Open qualifier. Way more, dont know why.[/quote]

Thats easy to answer....

The US Open qualifier is by your choice...and since you already carry a good enough HDCP to compete...its a statement of your skill to just play in it.

The CC is different...cause everyone you play with is clued into what's going on...and ALL YEAR people say "Thats the Club Champion".....name on the trophy in the lobby.....every player at your club KNOWS who won..who choked...and who didnt live up to their potential......(the latter two would be ME! and it has bugged the sheeeite out of me ever since)
[/quote]

Yeah you're right on. Its the guy you play with that brings up the club championship and having to rehash the horror. Or walking by the lobby all the time and not seeing your name on the trophy or worse seeing the other persons name when you [b]choked it away[/b]. I know that all too well and it bugs the shheeeit out of me too.
[/quote]

I was just curious from your previous post where you said the winner shot 6 under and you shot 7 over. I find it hard to think that 13 strokes difference is "choking it away". A couple of strokes yes...but 13 illustrates to me that something else is going on.

While I completely understand your frustration it seems to me that maybe your vision of where your game is relative to the competition is a little skewed and maybe that is something that is holding you back from greatness. You might be expecting too much from your game and think that you should be shooting 68 instead of 72. That can cause problems with the mental side which in turn affects the physical execution of your shots.

Maybe a shift in your mental approach to the game and the expectations that go along with it may help propel you to the top.

I wish you the best in your pursuit of the CC. There is always next year!!! Dominate.

[trickyx]

focus on the process not the result!

[Tim Delgado]

[quote name='DRGJR72' post='1910250' date='Aug 24 2009, 12:42 AM']I was just curious from your previous post where you said the winner shot 6 under and you shot 7 over. I find it hard to think that 13 strokes difference is "choking it away". A couple of strokes yes...but 13 illustrates to me that something else is going on.[/quote]



Agreed.

13 strokes is not even close. Its not like you 3-putted 18 and lost by one.

Not trying to be mean BUT.....Set some [b]realistic[/b] goals. Getting upset about losing by 13 shots is sort of silly. Obviously you never had a chance against this guy.

Tim

[ktbfsu]

Arnie and Tom, two guys who we're once the greatest players on planet earth, both had white whales: the PGA championship. It's sounds like yours is your CC. My advice to you? Give not thyself up, then, to fire, lest it invert thee, deaden thee; as for the time it did me. There is a wisdom that is woe; but there is a woe that is madness!!

Finally, as for quitting the game, whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off--then, I account it high time to get to the golf course as soon as I can. That's the only way to look at the game, in my opinion -- as a haven, a respite, a retreat, a joy; it is, after all, a game.

Sincerely,

Izzy

p.s. If you're a plus three, you probably fall in the top .0005%, but the poster above's point is well taken.

[myreside]

[quote name='Tim Delgado' post='1910301' date='Aug 24 2009, 08:02 AM'][quote name='DRGJR72' post='1910250' date='Aug 24 2009, 12:42 AM']I was just curious from your previous post where you said the winner shot 6 under and you shot 7 over. I find it hard to think that 13 strokes difference is "choking it away". A couple of strokes yes...but 13 illustrates to me that something else is going on.[/quote]



Agreed.

13 strokes is not even close. Its not like you 3-putted 18 and lost by one.

Not trying to be mean BUT.....Set some [b]realistic[/b] goals. Getting upset about losing by 13 shots is sort of silly. Obviously you never had a chance against this guy.

Tim
[/quote]

I think the O/P was referring to just missing out in the previous years and then blew out this year as he knew this was his final shot at the championship and put way too much pressure on himself.

[monkeyboy]

join a different club

[psygolf]

[quote name='AcesAZ' post='1910155' date='Aug 23 2009, 11:16 PM'][quote name='Dizzub' post='1910142' date='Aug 23 2009, 11:12 PM']What did you shoot?
What did the winner shoot?
Do you think hes better than you?[/quote]

I blew up the second day and shot 7 over. Winner shot 6 under. Yes hes better than me no doubt. I guess I hate losing, its hard for me to take.
[/quote]
Being disappointed in not doing your best after putting in the preperation is understandable, but it needs to be fleeting. Though winning your cc's championship would be a nice accomplishment, it needs to be put in proper perspective for what it is...a dubious distinction at best. One thing for sure, there will always be someone better than you (and that goes for the gent who shot 6 under), and we all lose in the end.

[goldwolf]

I came 3rd in my CC yesterday after finishing 3rd in 07, 2nd last year. This year was going to be my year. Shot 74 leader was on 67, then blew round 2 when I had got to within 2 of the lead and eventually finished 5 off the lead.

I know exactly how you feel, maybe we put too much pressure on ouselves, but I had the same feelings and actually thought half way through the 2nd round "I'm not enjoying this as much as I should be, why am I playing?".

Ironically this thought came after I sank a birdie putt to close to within 2! You know that feeling you get when you hole a long putt, strike a clean iron or drive down the middle? It just isn't there at the moment.

There's always next year. I need to re-assess my goals and expectations I think, maybe you should also?

[dachtor]

Think for a moment, if you will, what you would be doing in absence of this. I mean, you had the thrill of competing for your gross (I assume) Club Championship. You can talk about it here, you can obsess about it all year long, practice to try and get better.

Or, you can quit, and then what? Take up fishing? Been there, done that, came back to golf. And I'm a 6 that has no chance of winning anything in my CC this weekend......