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Does the game really get harder...?

• kavvz 2,195 Posts

  Tue, Jan 2 2018 6:21 PM

  What I mean by that is if you have a really good front 9, does the game tighten things up for the back?  

  The reason I ask is VT @ Merion went...

  bird, eagle, HIO, bird, managed to par both 5 and 6, bird 7 & 8 par 9 and eagle the short par 4 10th.  I'm thinking alright alright alright.. 

  From 11 to 17 made 2 bogies and the rest pars -- no more birdies and ended the round after a 60 on VT round 1 wouldn't be any good at all.  I just thought what just happened...same player doing the same things on the same round.

  So, is that really a thing?  i.e. the game gets harder the better you shoot during a single round?

  I watch the top players videos and they're always able to seal the deal on good rounds duplicating the back and front 9s.  Do they know to adjust or am I imagining the game tightening down?

  I hope I'm imagining it its just so frustrating all I had to do was birdie half the holes coming home and it would have been a 56 but would have hoped to birdie 2/3 of them perhaps.

  How do y'all seal the deal on good rounds?  I think maybe I just got careless.

   

• lonniescott711 4,207 Posts

  Tue, Jan 2 2018 7:27 PM

  Yes  it happens just like a real course . Sometimes the front 9 is the easy start and the back 9 plays harder . Sometimes its the front that plays harder just depends on the course setup . Here`s a secret  play a couple of practice rounds first  . This will help you be more familiar with the course and better ball placement . Even though we have the same courses all of the time its hard to remember how to play them all of the time .

  So a practice round or 2 before you actually play really does help . Play with the same settings as the tournament just in practice setting . This will also help keep you calm and takes the edge off .

  If you ever watch real golf you will see the same thing happen . Player may have a good round one day and a terrible one the next . Also may start off hot and get cold or cold and then get hot . Thats golf in real life and it plays out that way here too . But the game isnt out to get you its nothing like that . Starting off good gets you pumped and then the anxiety will start to cause you to mis-hit if ever so slightly . Then before you know it bamm game starts to go south .

  If playing a full 18 take a break after the turn and take a deep breath . Get a cold drink and calm yourself before starting the final 9 and see if that helps .Staying calm and cool is a plus . :-)

• HackWilson1930 1,437 Posts

  Wed, Jan 3 2018 4:06 AM

  The challenge of golf is really consistency. Like any other sport from archery to bowling to curling and on and on, it is the player's ability to do the same activity over and over and over in exactly the same way that gets the best results. Tiny variations in how and where the ball was gripped made a world of difference in the World Series in 2017 when one of the best pitchers in the National League "tipped" some of his pitches. Perfection is hard!

• craigswan 32,172 Posts

  Wed, Jan 3 2018 4:28 AM

  Concentration is my problem .

  just today played 18 holes at pebble . First nine I was 6 under . Second nine I was 4 over .

  How can you concentrate for 18 holes .

  Wife asks for a cup of tea , neighbour knocks on door , text message to read , goal scored by celtic on live television .

  I cannot get peace to concentrate for 18 holes . The only way is to play nine holes , do your chores , log off and come back later to finish .

  

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Wed, Jan 3 2018 5:32 AM

  kavvz:

  So, is that really a thing?  i.e. the game gets harder the better you shoot during a single round?

  With uncanny regularity. The galling part is knowing that it does and not being able to do anything about it except execute better. Invariably, the game doesn't monkey with your shots, you just don't get forgiven like you did on the front. The just-missed ding on the front was OK but with the low score, that same just-missed ding wreaks havoc on the back.

  Ironically, it works the other way around, too. Play like a hack on the front and crush the back.  LOL

• JimbeauC 5,835 Posts

  Wed, Jan 3 2018 9:12 AM

  I remember a post long ago where someone said if they had a great front, they'd save the game, take a break and clear cache before tackling the back.

  I never tried it, but who knows?

  :^)

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Wed, Jan 3 2018 9:54 AM

  Personally, I think it's more mental than anything. You start thinking about it and the mind gets in the way. Or your ADHD kicks in. LOL  ;-)

• kavvz 2,195 Posts

  Wed, Jan 3 2018 3:23 PM

  Thanks for the thoughts and insight everyone.

  2nd guessing initial lines gets me every time but still can't help myself sometimes.  Ahhhh.   

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Wed, Jan 3 2018 4:01 PM

  kavvz:

  2nd guessing initial lines

  I miss every one, every time. It's what happens when the feel gets overridden by the mind. OTOH, I'm perfect in hindsight.  LOL

   

• kavvz 2,195 Posts

  Wed, Jan 3 2018 5:43 PM

  JimbeauC:

  I remember a post long ago where someone said if they had a great front, they'd save the game, take a break and clear cache before tackling the back.

  I never tried it, but who knows?

  :^)

  Interesting...I'll give it a try some day soon.  Just gotta get that great front first!  :)