Mental Game improves scores

[jrod17320]

I play far less than I used to due to my new job. But the funny thing is my tournament finishes have improved greatly this year. I have two advanced wins this year and I have been playing advanced for almost 3 years now. I do not have any new shots that I did not used to have. In fact my sidearm and my putting I feel are worse than they used to be. However my blow ups are far less often and I can control myself better. I shot a 1023 round this weekend for my 2nd 1000 rated round ever! So I believe once you get to a certain point the mental game is more important than being able to throw and putt better than your competitors.

 

[jrod17320]

to clarify I had never won an advanced event before this year.

 

[knettles]

I agree. Mental game can make a huge difference. For me, it's mostly about being able to phase out any distractions. I'm getting better at it, but I still don't play quite as well with certain things going on. If there's a group behind me, I might not do well because I feel rushed so they're not waiting. If there's a hole where you absolutely CANNOT go left/right, I'll sometimes throw in the direction I'm not supposed to even though it's an easy shot. For me, I think just staying relaxed and enjoying the game really helps.

 

[Hill Hopper]

Mental > Physical

 

[jchoate7]

This article I read while waiting at the barber shop in a golf magazine has done me wonders. Try reading it. It seriously is one of the best articles I've ever read. It's all about the mental game that goes into the sport of golf (easily used for disc golf).

http://www.golf.com/instruction/mental-coach-luke-donald-trains-three-amateur-golfers

 

[Jay Dub]

If you have no mental game then you have no game. The mental aspect is everything to your game.

 

[Noogabooga]

I def play better with a clear head and early in the day when I'm the.most rested.

 

[GLong]

this helped me a lot. hard to describe, really.

 

[racer93]

I play far less than I used to due to my new job. But the funny thing is my tournament finishes have improved greatly this year. I have two advanced wins this year and I have been playing advanced for almost 3 years now. I do not have any new shots that I did not used to have. In fact my sidearm and my putting I feel are worse than they used to be. However my blow ups are far less often and I can control myself better. I shot a 1023 round this weekend for my 2nd 1000 rated round ever! So I believe once you get to a certain point the mental game is more important than being able to throw and putt better than your competitors.

Yup. When I got sick and couldn't play but one round per day/in an outing, my scores got waaaaay better. I'm talking 50-60 rating points better (from ~970). I think it was that I just relaxed because I knew I couldn't play in tourneys, that it would only be for fun. I still played as if it were a tourney round, though. It's interesting how that happens.

Daniel

 

[Discwrangler]

I remember the day/week it all came together for me. I had recently read Zen Golf and spent a month playing big tournaments in California. Brad Hammock spent a week at my house and I picked his brain for everything I could. The next weekend I cashed for the first time, and I've cashed in almost every event since that day in 2004.

A couple years of practice and hard work and dedication paid off. It's that jump from 950 to 1000.

 

[jcarroll]

Time and time again, if I find myself in a slump it is often due to a mental flaw than a physical miscue. Lately, my putting has been suffering because I think about the shot over and over as I'm walking to my disc. I scrutinize myself and tell myself "don't miss this, it's just a 20 footer" and then I'll end up blowing it 25 ft past the basket.

Point is, I play a lot better when I don't have time to think about my shots. Finding a good rhythm and just letting the body motions take over did wonders for my self-doubt.

Here's another great golf game that has a lot of interesting points that can be transferred to the mental game of disc golf:

 

[DiscJunkie]

I have been working on my mental game a lot lately, and I can tel in the results.
Here are a few of my "Keys", which you'll see a lot when people talk about the "Mental Game".
1. Visualize every shot, but throw to your target point.
2. Use the throw that has the best possibility of the lowest score (lay up or go for it, hyzer or hammer, thread the needle or go around). How can I improve my chances?
3. Forget about every throw, once it's done (good and bad throws).
4. Pre-shot routine, pre-putt routine. Routine, routine, routine...
5. Settle in your head what you're going to throw, and then do that (stop thinking about shot possibilities once you begin your pre-shot routine).

 

[Stankyjahnke]

I agree. Mental game can make a huge difference. For me, it's mostly about being able to phase out any distractions. I'm getting better at it, but I still don't play quite as well with certain things going on. If there's a group behind me, I might not do well because I feel rushed so they're not waiting. If there's a hole where you absolutely CANNOT go left/right, I'll sometimes throw in the direction I'm not supposed to even though it's an easy shot. For me, I think just staying relaxed and enjoying the game really helps.

i hate when a group is riding right behind your group and you feel rushed.

 

[Discwrangler]

i hate when a group is riding right behind your group and you feel rushed.

I hear that. Some days I care, some days I don't. I rarely care in a tournament, especially if everyone is waiting.

Any extra mental chatter is worthless.

 

[teemkey]

"This game is 50% physical and 90% mental." -- Yogi Berra

 

[Stankyjahnke]

I hear that. Some days I care, some days I don't. I rarely care in a tournament, especially if everyone is waiting.

Any extra mental chatter is worthless.

In a tourney it's usually everyone's moving at the same slow place that's why I like to have one headphone in to block out all my bored thinking with music.

But during casual play when the course is packed and there's like 6 groups of huckers behind you being arseholes it kinda rushes you and my putting game is usually off

 

[wake911]

I forget who it was saying this, but it made sense. You only have 27 minutes of golf to play in a round (if you shoot a 54, and use your whole 30 seconds a shot). Focus during that time period, and let your mind relax outside of that. You can't stay perfectly focused for 4+ hours, but only 27 minutes is easy enough when you break it down.

I am REALLY working on being more mentally tough this year. Back in my baseball days i was ridiculously mentally tough. Over the past 14 years I have lost that mental edge. Getting it back is way tougher than I expected. But i've been working on it in my practice sessions, and i'm seeing some gains over last year in similar situations.

 

[chain_ape7]

The mental game is everything...
I played the 3 consecutive best rounds of my DG career yesterday. I've only been playing around 7 months but my average score has dropped from +20 to +2 in that time. First round I shot a +1 and was really excited but somehow....calm and hungry. I knew what mistakes I made and really felt that I could do even better. 2nd round I shot even par and I was kind of in shock...but still calm and the pressure wasn't there. On the third round I had a 1 stroke lead against my friend for his bag tag and I knew I had to play good, relaxed, fundamental golf to take this round also. Every tee shot I deliberately looked up at the sky and reset my emotions, put a smile on my face, and just executed my shots. Same with every upshot and putt. I finished at -1 for the 3rd round and a 3 stroke lead for the tag! I'm still in shock today but also confident and I hope that I can calm the anxiety in future rounds. Sometimes you don't have control over the results but you can definitely control your thought process.

 

[prettyboyfloyd]

I second "Golf is not a game of perfect". I keep going back to it and I have improved and am enjoying the game much more. I came away with a couple mantras:

1. Always only play your next shot
2. Know your abilities and weaknesses
3. Don't get cute (or Don't be a hero)
4. Let the disc do the work for you
5. Birdes are better than par, par is better than bogey, bogey is better than double bogey, etc. (related to number 3)

I know number 5 seems obvious, but when your in a situation where you either play an easy out out of the woods for an easy bogey, or be a hero trying to make par and you double bogey, therefore "bogey is better than a double bogey". Say you slay the course for the rest of the round, then you go back and think you could've been one shot better if you stayed within your ability. "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect" is full of stories like this.

 

[Discwrangler]

Jack Nicklaus was the best at not being a hero in the course.

It's so interesting to hear these guys talk about how they saw the game. I'd recommend any Arnie Palmer, Jack, or Gary Player books.