Rebounding After a Tough Tourney

[DearLeader]

So I'm relatively new to the forum, mostly just been lurking for a while. I've been playing dg for roughly 10 years, and started getting really into it and trying to up my game in the last couple of years. I played my 3rd tournament over the weekend and absolutely tanked. The course just ate me up. Granted, I am new to this particular course and had virtually zero practice there, but I threw two sub-800 rounds on Saturday, and I feel like garbage now. I was so frustrated after the first round on Saturday, I almost left with a DNF. Then I came out of the gates in the second round almost as bad. Made up strokes on the front 9 only to give them back up on the back. It just seemed like every throw found either a tree or water. Nothing was falling for me. Threw through the chains a couple of times, missing every birdie putt, etc. etc.

How do you come back from getting beat up like that? I normally throw 830-870 rated rounds, especially at my home courses. I know the mental aspect has a lot to do with bringing your regular game to a tourney. Do you have tricks, mantras, etc. you use to settle your head before or during a round to get back to zero (so to speak) when you're frustrated?

 

[GLong]

play every round one stroke at a time. the only one that matters is the next one you throw.

check out 'Golf is Not a Game of Perfect' by Bob Rotella.

 

[bradharris]

I've had my share of rough tourney days. When you're not playing to your expectations, it can definitely kill the fun factor, which to 99% of us, is the most important reason to play.

So what I like to do is change up my bag for my first post-tourney round. Usually I'll use my bag of new/trial discs. It's a lineup that I have no expectations of scoring well with. Instead I'm just testing out new stuff and enjoying throwing. For rounds like that, the score isn't important, it's all about just having fun again.

So just find a way to make your next round fun. It will remind you why you play in the first place and help put the sour feeling of the bad tournament behind you.

 

[Jax11]

Read "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect" by Bob Rotella. Even though it was written for golf, most of the mental techniques are just as relevant to disc golf.

 

[ThrowBot]

Disclaimer: I have a lot of fun playing disc golf.

That having been said, nothing is ever good enough. There's always room for improvement. Your best round ever could still have been better.

Frustration is motivation.

If you can achieve that mode of thinking, then recovering from a really bad tournament performance is easier than recovering from a good showing. There's a lot more room for improvement!

 

[DearLeader]

play every round one stroke at a time. the only one that matters is the next one you throw.

check out 'Golf is Not a Game of Perfect' by Bob Rotella.

I always try that mentality, but the demons start creeping in as soon as I throw something I'm not proud of during a tourney round. I'll definitely pick that book up. Thanks for the input!

I've had my share of rough tourney days. When you're not playing to your expectations, it can definitely kill the fun factor, which to 99% of us, is the most important reason to play.

So what I like to do is change up my bag for my first post-tourney round. Usually I'll use my bag of new/trial discs. It's a lineup that I have no expectations of scoring well with. Instead I'm just testing out new stuff and enjoying throwing. For rounds like that, the score isn't important, it's all about just having fun again.

So just find a way to make your next round fun. It will remind you why you play in the first place and help put the sour feeling of the bad tournament behind you.

This is a great suggestion. I might go throw a putter round or something too. I certainly have plenty of unthrown discs I need to practice with anyways.

Disclaimer: I have a lot of fun playing disc golf.

That having been said, nothing is ever good enough. There's always room for improvement. Your best round ever could still have been better.

Frustration is motivation.

If you can achieve that mode of thinking, then recovering from a really bad tournament performance is easier than recovering from a good showing. There's a lot more room for improvement!

For sure I can already see some upside to my meltdown on Saturday, I'm now determined to go back to Towne Lake in McKinney, TX and throw at 65 or better. My biggest fear though, after my poor showing this weekend, is losing confidence in throws I know I have in my bag but I couldn't nail this past weekend. I think bradharris's suggestion may be good as just a reset button for me.

 

[professorkevlar]

Having tough tourney rounds is all part of the game, believe me. What I like to do, is go back to my home course either after the tournament or the next day and just play a round. It builds the confidence back up and also allows for you to work on some things. I recommend reading "Zen and the Art of Disc Golf". Great book. It puts everything in perspective. Keep the head up and good luck next time. :thmbup:

 

[Hampstead]

Life is too long of a journey to carry extra baggage with you. It happened, now let it go. You can't change the past, best you can do is prepare for the future. You can make the shots, you know you can make the shots. Stop thinking about what could go wrong and play like you know you're capable of playing.

 

[DiscFifty]

10 years playing and only your 3rd tournament...sounds like your mental game isn't there yet. I decided early on to play ALOT of tournaments because I had some good advice from better players that said, get out there and compete and get your mental game adjusted as quickly as possible. NEVER think about other player's scores and NEVER worry about your current score. Just focus on each hole and do the best you can. Bogies are bound to happen...but it's how you rebound on the next hole that matters, and that requires a bit of a reset, deep breaths, stretching, etc, etc. It's amazing how my game changed when I stopped competing against the field and just started competing against myself. My goal every tournament is to play my rating or above, and as long as I do that I don't care if I come in first or last. Btw..forget playing intermediate for now. Play in rec more often, once you get a couple of wins and your mental game gets more relaxed then move up. Towne Lake is not an easy course btw. :thmbup:

 

[corin_brown]

This sounds familiar to me because this has happened to me since I started playing tournaments a few years ago. But the longer I stay at it, the less frequently these disaster rounds crop up.

Tournament disc golf is a unique competition that you're never gonna crack, no matter how long you play or how good you get. That's the whole allure! For me, at least. So, keeping that in mind, I try to maintain a steady one-shot-at-a-time approach, as way mentioned above. That's the goal, at least.

Just keep grinding. Practice, play in more tourneys and your performances will improve no matter what.

 

[RobA]

So I'm relatively new to the forum, mostly just been lurking for a while. I've been playing dg for roughly 10 years, and started getting really into it and trying to up my game in the last couple of years. I played my 3rd tournament over the weekend and absolutely tanked. The course just ate me up. Granted, I am new to this particular course and had virtually zero practice there, but I threw two sub-800 rounds on Saturday, and I feel like garbage now. I was so frustrated after the first round on Saturday, I almost left with a DNF. Then I came out of the gates in the second round almost as bad. Made up strokes on the front 9 only to give them back up on the back. It just seemed like every throw found either a tree or water. Nothing was falling for me. Threw through the chains a couple of times, missing every birdie putt, etc. etc.

How do you come back from getting beat up like that? I normally throw 830-870 rated rounds, especially at my home courses. I know the mental aspect has a lot to do with bringing your regular game to a tourney. Do you have tricks, mantras, etc. you use to settle your head before or during a round to get back to zero (so to speak) when you're frustrated?

Preparation is key. If you didn't play the courses before hand, you put yourself behind the 8 ball big time.

 

[DearLeader]

Having tough tourney rounds is all part of the game, believe me. What I like to do, is go back to my home course either after the tournament or the next day and just play a round. It builds the confidence back up and also allows for you to work on some things. I recommend reading "Zen and the Art of Disc Golf". Great book. It puts everything in perspective. Keep the head up and good luck next time. :thmbup:

I actually just ordered that book and plan on giving it a read very soon...

10 years playing and only your 3rd tournament...sounds like your mental game isn't there yet. I decided early on to play ALOT of tournaments because I had some good advice from better players that said, get out there and compete and get your mental game adjusted as quickly as possible. NEVER think about other player's scores and NEVER worry about your current score. Just focus on each hole and do the best you can. Bogies are bound to happen...but it's how you rebound on the next hole that matters, and that requires a bit of a reset, deep breaths, stretching, etc, etc. It's amazing how my game changed when I stopped competing against the field and just started competing against myself. My goal every tournament is to play my rating or above, and as long as I do that I don't care if I come in first or last. Btw..forget playing intermediate for now. Play in rec more often, once you get a couple of wins and your mental game gets more relaxed then move up. Towne Lake is not an easy course btw. :thmbup:

I say 10 years because I played rounds after high school only as an excuse to drink and smoke with my buddies. I didn't even know tournament disc golf existed until about 2 years ago, and hadn't mustered the will to compete until I wrote off tournament softball because of the constant drama in favor of tournament disc golf about 6 months ago. I played 2 tourneys in rec and placed in both. The group of guys I play with all play intermediate, and I can hang with them all day in casual rounds. I think my biggest mistake going in was what RobA mentioned below, especially at Towne Lake in retrospect. But to your point, I am certain my mental game is not there yet to be competitive in intermediate play. This weekend solidified that. I went in knowing I had no chance at winning, but just wanted to raise my rating. Then I melted down and lost my cool and that plan went out the window in favor of "just don't come in last". Having fun and playing consistent needs to be way further up my mental checklist.

Preparation is key. If you didn't play the courses before hand, you put yourself behind the 8 ball big time.

Lesson learned for sure, it was eye opening to say the least.

 

[Tpro]

So I'm relatively new to the forum, mostly just been lurking for a while. I've been playing dg for roughly 10 years, and started getting really into it and trying to up my game in the last couple of years. I played my 3rd tournament over the weekend and absolutely tanked. The course just ate me up. Granted, I am new to this particular course and had virtually zero practice there, but I threw two sub-800 rounds on Saturday, and I feel like garbage now. I was so frustrated after the first round on Saturday, I almost left with a DNF. Then I came out of the gates in the second round almost as bad. Made up strokes on the front 9 only to give them back up on the back. It just seemed like every throw found either a tree or water. Nothing was falling for me. Threw through the chains a couple of times, missing every birdie putt, etc. etc.

How do you come back from getting beat up like that? I normally throw 830-870 rated rounds, especially at my home courses. I know the mental aspect has a lot to do with bringing your regular game to a tourney. Do you have tricks, mantras, etc. you use to settle your head before or during a round to get back to zero (so to speak) when you're frustrated?

830-870 rated rounds are pretty low (Not trying to be a D*ck, but yeah). I would start by rethinking how I challenge the courses I play. Take some off and keep it in the middle! Most people that play this game can score tons of strokes better if they just lay off the driver and throw to a spot. Know your Risk and Reward shots and don't play outside of yourself. As for coming back from a bad tournament. Take a few days off and don't think about it.. Then go out to the field NOT the course and put in the time. Honestly work on getting better and it will happen.

 

[eric40817]

I just played my first tournament this past weekend. It was at my home course, a course I've averaged +3 on for the past few months. The pressure of the first tournament, the environment, plus the heat and humidity got to me in the second round. Although I some how shot two strokes better, I finished both rounds at a +9 and +7. First round I had some horrid moments off the tee, but had some awesome puts to save par or bogey... not enough to keep me closer to my average capability though. Second round I was better off the tee but had some get out of trouble moments that I pooped out on. My putting was pretty bad outside of about 15 feet though. I couldnt get a comfortable stance or grip and couldnt get a rhythm down that I had in the first round. My focus was gone. Sure I still had an awesome time, but I know all my mistakes were errors that I made, not unlucky roll aways, just thing I did or didnt do which frustrated the hell out of me. To recoop, I didnt even look at a disc Monday, gave myself time to clear my mind and relax from the long weekend. Today I'll be doing some putting practice in the yard inside 15ft. Something reachable, maybe it will be a confidence boost. Tomorrow I plan on playing a casual round at a different course, probably 3 or 4 discs. Just things to take away any left over tension from that course and give me back some confidence, while playing just a fun round, no scores, nothing serious.

 

[DearLeader]

830-870 rated rounds are pretty low (Not trying to be a D*ck, but yeah). I would start by rethinking how I challenge the courses I play. Take some off and keep it in the middle! Most people that play this game can score tons of strokes better if they just lay off the driver and throw to a spot. Know your Risk and Reward shots and don't play outside of yourself. As for coming back from a bad tournament. Take a few days off and don't think about it.. Then go out to the field NOT the course and put in the time. Honestly work on getting better and it will happen.

I know they're not great ratings, I only mentioned it for perspective on how poorly I threw this weekend. I've thrown 900+ rated rounds before, just not consistently. I already know some of my weak areas, mentality and short game. I miss far too many putts inside the circle. I'd bump my ratings up 30-40 points or more if I just became automatic inside 25, you'd be astounded at how many birdie putts I miss. Field work is certainly in my near future. Throwing to a spot and laying off the driver is something I also need to try more. I try and make up for a poor hole by taking risks later on and often pay for it. Laying up is something I need to take more seriously.

 

[JNichols]

I am just coming back after a 2 year Hiatus from DG. I have played only One sanctioned tourney since I started playing, and 5-6 non sanctioned tourneys. I Prepped really well for the one Sanctioned Tourney wanting to establish my rating, also. Even after feeling pretty good about all my prep and shooting 920-940 rated practice rounds, I TANKED HARD during the tourney and ended up shooting an 864 overall rating. It took me awhile to figure it out, but I practiced ALONE. I took my time, focused, made my shots, figured out my lines, etc. During the tourney, I allowed myself to think scores, watch other players scores go down while mine climbed, and overall, played a HORRIBLE Mental game.

At the time, and I don't remember how, I ended up meeting and chatting at length with Sheila Kirkham from Team Discraft. She gave me great advice on the Mental Game and Suggested I read the Book "Zen Golf" Over, and Over, and Over, and Over. I did.

The book someone else mentioned here is "Zen and the Art of Disc Golf". I actually like it more than any other title I have read on the Mental Game because it pertains to Life in general, BUT, also Specifically Disc Golf. It was a Much easier read than a lot of the other books for me, too.

Keep your chin up and do what you Know you need to do. You will find your game. Good Luck!

 

[DearLeader]

I am just coming back after a 2 year Hiatus from DG. I have played only One sanctioned tourney since I started playing, and 5-6 non sanctioned tourneys. I Prepped really well for the one Sanctioned Tourney wanting to establish my rating, also. Even after feeling pretty good about all my prep and shooting 920-940 rated practice rounds, I TANKED HARD during the tourney and ended up shooting an 864 overall rating. It took me awhile to figure it out, but I practiced ALONE. I took my time, focused, made my shots, figured out my lines, etc. During the tourney, I allowed myself to think scores, watch other players scores go down while mine climbed, and overall, played a HORRIBLE Mental game.

At the time, and I don't remember how, I ended up meeting and chatting at length with Sheila Kirkham from Team Discraft. She gave me great advice on the Mental Game and Suggested I read the Book "Zen Golf" Over, and Over, and Over, and Over. I did.

The book someone else mentioned here is "Zen and the Art of Disc Golf". I actually like it more than any other title I have read on the Mental Game because it pertains to Life in general, BUT, also Specifically Disc Golf. It was a Much easier read than a lot of the other books for me, too.

Keep your chin up and do what you Know you need to do. You will find your game. Good Luck!

Thanks for the words of encouragement! I know it's a process and a journey!

 

[corin_brown]

Preparation is key. If you didn't play the courses before hand, you put yourself behind the 8 ball big time.

This ^.

Also, before your first shot of each round of the tournament, do a little stretching and throwing to warm up. And not necessarily just putting. Find a little space and air out your putters or mid ranges a little bit. Even if it's just 10 minutes, it'll make a huge difference compared to just getting out of your car and walking straight to your first tee box - I know, from experience.

 

[Toro71]

check out 'Golf is Not a Game of Perfect' by Bob Rotella.

Read "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect" by Bob Rotella.

This. You can get copies used for like $1 on Amazon. Easy read. Everything in it translates to any golf.

Nothing wrong, too, with taking a few rounds off. Like, if you usually play 3-5/week, take a week off. After a real stinker sometimes this is better for me than going out the next day intent on "fixing" myself.

 

[DearLeader]

This ^.

Also, before your first shot of each round of the tournament, do a little stretching and throwing to warm up. And not necessarily just putting. Find a little space and air out your putters or mid ranges a little bit. Even if it's just 10 minutes, it'll make a huge difference compared to just getting out of your car and walking straight to your first tee box - I know, from experience.

Me and a buddy actually went out and walked the course beforehand and tossed a couple of practice shots. I just was really unprepared for tackling the course as a whole. Like, you walk the course and get an idea of what you're in for, but not having thrown discs on each hole, I wasn't sure what discs and what throws would work best for me on every hole. There were multiple cases where I imagined how a shot would go, but once I did it, it turned out to be a terrible line or just an unnecessarily risky shot. This particular course has creeks running throughout it, with water in play on probably 15 out of 20 holes. I ended up losing 3 discs because I made poor decisions based on lack of preparation and sheer frustration. And 1 more I lost because 90% humidity and sweaty hands didn't work out with Gstar plastic too well (can you say griplock?) lol