How to overcome the nuclear melt down....

[shags17]

Like a few people have said, look at a bad drive as an opportunity to make an awesome upshot! Sometimes you have to stay out of your own head by not expecting to birdie every hole or throw a perfect shot every time you step up. Also, for me, having that preshot routine is key. It helps get you in and focused on the shot at hand. Whether its making your throwing motion three, four, five times before you actually throw, or flipping your disc a certain number of times, or spitting out the seed that you are cracking open. It just helps me come back and think, "hey, here's another opportunity to throw a disc and make a great shot."

The "Golf Is Not A Game of Perfect" is a great book! I would recommend it to anybody whether they needed help with their mental game or not. It is just a great read and helps you see some aspects of the game differently!

 

[filobedo]

Ben Hogan, one of the best ball golfers ever, said he only had 2 or 3 perfect shots a round. He won tournaments by minimizing the impact of his inevitable mistakes on his scorecard.

If you're having one of those days/hours where something is wrong with your form, rather than go for the basket, look an easier line that gets you to a good line for the next shot. The more you miss the high risk shots, the worse your attitude; so play the safer lines for a hole or two until your confidence comes back.

Hogan was supposedly not the nicest guy to be around I guess because he was so focused. When PGA Tour player's think a peer has a large ego it must be enormous. The funniest story I have ever read was,

A PGA tour rookie was paired with Ben Hogan in the first round of a tournament and being very nervous was not playing well. About the fourth hole he sliced a shot badly into the woods and in disgust said "Is that the worst shot you've ever seen in your life?" "Yes, yes it was" replied Mr. Hogan.

 

[Violets caddy]

if you're about to nail your new girlfriend do you ever think about the time you came too quick with your ex? Hell no you don't. You're completely caught in the moment, focused on the prize in front of you.
Disc golf is the same way, focus on the hole you're on and the one you screwed up will never come to mind

 

[Rockiesfan4ever]

if you're about to nail your new girlfriend do you ever think about the time you came too quick with your ex? Hell no you don't.

Bests. Analogy. Ever.

/thread

 

[Hampstead]

It helps to take a moment, breathe deep, shake it off and keep going.

Life is too long of a journey to carry around any unnecessary baggage with you.

 

[1978]

Its just experience. The more you play in tournaments the less you get down when things go bad.

Ive started a tournament in 65th after the first round and was 17th, 6th, 5th to finish.

Few weekends ago, I had 3 100' roll aways (trying to lay up) after having a birdie putt from 25 for a 2. Was +2 after 11 and finished Ace & 6 birdies (-6 final) Those roll aways werent preventable (unless I could putt) but you get it together and make up for it on the next holes. Experience bouncing back will serve you well.

 

[Menacewarf]

Its just experience. The more you play in tournaments the less you get down when things go bad.

Ive started a tournament in 65th after the first round and was 17th, 6th, 5th to finish.

Few weekends ago, I had 3 100' roll aways (trying to lay up) after having a birdie putt from 25 for a 2. Was +2 after 11 and finished Ace & 6 birdies (-6 final) Those roll aways werent preventable (unless I could putt) but you get it together and make up for it on the next holes. Experience bouncing back will serve you well.

Yup it's all about experience. First the experience of just playing a tournament, then the experience of whatever division you are in, and then there are just tons of situations you will come into in tournaments that will feel stressful at first but after having them happen a few times they become old hat.

Examples are , big roll away's, playing with the lead, having a horrible card of players to play with, a bad start to the day, a bad start to a second round, poor putting ect....

The first time such things happen you say to yourself " today of all the days..." and I think it's self pity that keeps the negativity floating around in ones head. Once you've experienced the adversity a few times it makes you much more proactive and instead you just say "that's golf for you....next shot please!"

Focussing your energy on the course instead of other players or your score of course rarely hurts as well.

 

[knettles]

I still have trouble with my mental game from time to time. It's definitely getting better, but still an issue. One thing I CANNOT do is rush myself. If I start rushing for whatever reason (weather, people behind me), it will usually throw me off. Also, sometimes a bad mental state will be causing a problem that's actually form related. Like, my frustrated mental state might make me forget to wait for my plant foot to land to start the throw. So my plant foot lands off to the right a bit, then my throw follows my plant foot and goes right. Point being, just slowing down, relaxing, and going over your form can sometimes get you out of a mental/physical rut.

 

[alpha_dave]

Recent Top Pro Meltdowns

I'm reminded of a couple of recent examples of this happening to a pro. Anyone, please feel free to correct me on any details I misremember...

The first is Nate Doss during the 2011 Worlds, I believe. Shot an 8 on a hole early on in the round, but then went on to rattle off 6? birdies in a row and ended up winning. He was so consistent that year, that sort of crazy blow-up didn't even phase him, he just moved on and got done what he needed to.

The second is Nikko during the Memorial this year. Near the end of the 3rd? round, he carded a double circle 7 after having his birdie putt hit the basket and roll out of bounds...hit the heart of the chains with his try for bogie from the same lie only to have it roll out of bounds again. Now Nikko has been known to have a hot head and let situations like this rattle him, but the accounts from that day said that Nikko made a comment to the effect of "I don't like that spot very much." with a little laugh and took his lay up shot from where the second putt had rolled out of bounds.
There were only a couple of holes left, so he didn't really have a chance to correct much of the damage to that round and ended up dropping way off the top card. He did, however, come back the next day, shot great and ended the tourney back up near the top.

 

[Tmart]

You just gotta pause for the cause and then remember what you learned as a kid watching Lion King - Hakuna Matata.

 

[Agricolae]

Look forward to the chance to throw the next shot. Really look forward to it. Next shot. Next shot. Until the round is over and there are no more "next shots".

The mental game is just brainwashing. If I have negative thoughts, my brain needs washing. Use whatever dumb, corny, crazy thing necessary to convince yourself you love what you're doing and you can't wait to have the chance to throw the next shot.

Plus, everything everyone said above. Good luck!

 

[Agricolae]

Also, another one I like from B. Rotella (paraphrased):

'Positive thinking does not necessarily guarantee success. However, negative thinking is almost 100% effective in guaranteeing failure.' 'Trust the swing. Let it fly.'

 

[smyith]

So my biggest achillies heel in most sports is myself. I try to maintain a short term memory but usually I am good for one epic meltdown a round as far as strokes go.

What I was wondering is what strategies do you guys use to not just put the last hole behind you, but the shot as well?

I feel like if I can get over that hump, then my game and confidence will really start to improve.

learn to live in the moment. not just in disc golf but all of your life. what happened happened and what hasnt happened is happening.

no expectations....just know your line and hit it, don't expect any definitive result. confidence in your line not the result is key. what do pros always say, "I just hit my lines all day" not "I put it where I wanted all day".

and literally, dance a little, you cannot dance without smiling. And the dumber you dance the better. crack jokes, be goofy, just try to keep your mind on the up swing. HAVE FUN!!!!! Your group will appreciate this. Nothing worse than a mopey player in the group.

 

[mopar]

This was me this weekend. I played a new course I had never played before. It is only a 12 hole course and a little on the short side.

I started out great, was putting well. Birdied the first 6 holes.

Threw a short drive on 7. Missed a putt. Ended up bogeying it.

Long story short I had 2 bogeys and 4 pars the last 6 holes after birdieing the first 6 and ended up -4.

I definitely crumbled after 1 bad hole, oh well.

 

[RussMB]

I used to I be that way as well. I tried the shake off method, but... I admit it, I'm a brooder. I used to fume about a bad shot. I had an epiphany during a round with friends, as I was hitting every tree in sight. I just said to myself "Well... I guess I'm not going to win, I might as well enjoy the rest of the round" I took my mind off trying to win, and just played. I ended up playing better the rest of the day. For casual rounds, especially when I'm meeting someone new, I'm uber casual. When I'm playing casual with friends, I've learned the art of not thinking about winning. Now I'm to the point where I can loose a disc in a pond, and shake it off.

I can shake off a bad hole, but I am still human. The points I'm still working on: When a disc doesn't do what it's supposed to do. i.e. My beat in Beast not turning over and going directly into a stream (18@The Sarge) or most recently, I lost a Brand new Mamba when it turned over rounded a dogleg right, and landed near the basket as a roller. THEN proceeded to roll in a rainbow formation 150ft BACK across the fairway into a Pond on the opposite side!!
(That was on #1 @Youth Park)
I'm a work in progress, but I'm a lot better than I used to be!

 

[Tiny]

My meltdowns are 3-4 bogeys back to back. sometimes throw a double bogey in there... If I get super frustrated at the first one, I'll have 2-3 more. If I can shrug it off and enjoy the good on the hole then It'll just be the 1.

 

[Notverygood]

I let the head game beat me if I'm having a meltdown, or if I'm doing well...

I start making birdies, I start expecting them and get more upset the next hole when I par or worse.
Tried a 420 break, tried beer, tried throwing a dip in, all somewhat help.

I usually just have to stop, take a few deep breaths, and re-focus on the current shot/hole, not the previous.

 

[McFer]

Play the hole, not the course.

 

[eegor]

Play the hole, not the course.

I've brought it down to playing the shot. If you carefully plan each shot, you drastically reduce the amount of "meltdown" holes you play. I rarely double bogey anymore. Getting wild and haphazard will create problems. Avoiding them is the key.

 

[Tiny]

I've brought it down to playing the shot. If you carefully plan each shot, you drastically reduce the amount of "meltdown" holes you play. I rarely double bogey anymore. Getting wild and haphazard will create problems. Avoiding them is the key.

Yeah, there is certain courses where I'm thinking ahead of myself (gateway in ftworth is one of them), I am always thinking about hole 12. Then of course, after parring 10, then birding 11, I get to cross the road to 12. Always shoot par, never less... Stupid par 5 which should be a par 4 but they have tons of trees and no lines lol.