Even the greatest golfers in the world have a round that is less than stellar. However, they are professionals because they know it’s only temporary, and subpar rounds are bound to happen. Thinking about the negatives can ruin your enjoyment of the game, but knowing the best ways to get over a bad round of golf will put you back in the right frame of mind.
Fuhgeddaboudit!
When something or someone traumatizes you, it can feel cathartic to eliminate them or it from your life. Use that same line of thinking when you have more double bogeys than parts and symbolically bury the round.
Burn the scorecard or erase the round from the golfing app on your phone. Do whatever you need to do to forget that you played the round. If your golfing buddy asks how your round went, act like you don’t even know what they’re talking about.
Temporarily Step Away
The quick fix doesn’t always do the trick, so you may need to take additional measures to overcome your deficiencies. Taking a break from the game can help clear your mind and stop you from dwelling on your shaky round.
In the meantime, do something else you enjoy, spend time with your grandkids, or go on a nice walk. But don’t do anything that has to do with golf, including watching how-to videos.
Don’t Overthink Things
All it takes is one errant tee shot to turn your mind into a pretzel. So many things can go wrong in a golf swing, so trying to do the mental gymnastics to figure it out may open the door for other bad habits to creep in.
Stick with what works for you and your game. You can try to change your grip, stand differently, dip your shoulder, bend your knee, or change your swing plane, but the odds are that’s only going to make things worse if you don’t have an instructor there to guide you.
Get Back on the Horse
If you aren’t the type who can sit on your hands and get into a zen-like mindset, practicing can help you feel better about your game. Everyone’s had rounds they can’t explain, and you may question whether you can hit the ball anymore. Going to the range and crushing drives like you know you’re capable is a nice confidence booster. Or you can use a golf simulator to play exclusive courses while you receive helpful feedback on your swing.
Focus on the Positives
Rather than thinking about hitting in the water twice on the 16th hole, reminiscence about the positives in that round or rounds past. The beautiful thing about golf is that it only takes one shot to love the game all over again. You could have a series of bad drives, approach shots, chips, and putts for three straight holes, but that stinger you hit on the next one will soon be the only thing you can remember.
Keep these ways of getting over a bad round of golf in the front of your mind before you tee up again. The glass-half-full approach should help you overcome your previous hardship on the course.
