golfrewind.com

How does one keep their rhythm during the course of the round with the stop and go nature of today’s game? At the range, as has been stated on these boards in the past, one can get into a nice rhythm. So another question is how does one train for the eventual stops & the grind of slow play? I have tried to take a few practice swings while waiting but you risk becoming a social outcast & sometimes you risk wearing yourself out. Also, how does one combat boredom and a complete loss of focus? These are issues that plague a good deal of players and it is not one you can go to your local Pro about? What does one do with this sort of stuff? Where do I go from here?

A pre-shot routine. Don't go over board with it and delay play, but a ritual routine you perform every time.

How does a pre shot routine regain focus? I have a pre-shot routine but the stop and go nature of the game on our courses even works against this. One huge difference I have noticed watching a good deal of profesional players live in a variety of sprots (including PGA Tour golf) is the overall rhythm of their overall play. When watching on television you dont see a good deal of the stuff that goes on in between takes. These guys whole routine is like some sort of dance. There did not appear to be one wasted bit of energy & the level of focus is very apparent to all around. These guys don't even see the crowds of spectators because of this focus. On the Tour if someone starts playing slow they are put on the clock. Why are they being penalized? Well, slow play effects the quality and level of play of even these top notch players. When a player, no matter what his level, is unable to get into a rhythm his play will suffer no matter what his pre-shot routine. It not that I disagree because at times my pre-shot routine helps but when you end up wating all the time between shots it gets crazy. What is one to do?

this is what you do. go get your self a tv and ps3. install them on a cart that can hook up to the back of a golf cart. get a generator to power the tv and ps3. get another cart that can hook up to the back of the other cart or vise versa. btw while getting the ps3 get two games. tiger woods 10 and madden 10. on the slow play play some tiger and the extremely slow play beat your friend the pats fan at madden. that way you have somethign to do so you don't get bored. and something to get yoru mind of that bad shot you just had.

yeah i havn't realy found something that helps. i have found that the longer the wait for your next shot the worse it is. i waited so long once the ball went backwords haha.

I take a few easy practice swings and chill out. Maybe talking to one of the folks I'm playing with. All I need is 30 seconds to prepare myself mentally to hit the ball. And there is a certain serenity that comes from not being afraid to miss the shot.

I'm alwyas on the course with at least one friend, if not two or three. When we run into having to wait on a hole, we just park our carts far enough away from the tee so as not to be a distraction, and then we talk quietly - usually intentionally the subject has little or nothing to do with golf. I don't know if it works for everyone, but you kind of throw a switch and put your mental golf program on hold, and re-access it when it's your turn to take the tee box.

My issue is more the physical side of waiting to tee off on a hole. I have back problems, and excessive waiting over the course of a round can make my back stiffen up. Mechanics go out the window, and eventually just swinging a club becomes painful. Once that happens, the fun is gone from my round and it becomes a case of "let's get this over with".

Yes, I tend t socialize with those that I'M with when things slow down but I know for a fact that a great many folks games are suffering because of it. Outside of 'word salad' what has the great PGA have to say about handeling this sort of issue? Any tips or tricks of the trade are welcome. I wonder how some of the better players (outside of the Tour) in tourney competition handle this stop & go play????????????

I think if you attempt to maintain intense focus for 18 holes, it would become diluted over time and also very fatiguing. I agree the answer is preshot routine. In my case, I have a roughly 10 foot circle that when I step inside of, I am beginning the execution of the shot.

The simple act of removing the club from the bag is my signal to renew my focus. There is an old saying in archery that "the shot begins when you remove the arrow from the quiver". As I wait to enter the 10 foot circle I normally visualize the shot and might take a practice swing it it does not disturb someone else. Once I step across the 10 foot line the shot begins. Outwardly this would appear to take little time. As Billyg mentioned, 30 seconds or so is enough.
Cheers,
Bob

Ok, NorEaster, let's break it down logically...if I read you right, you like logic, yes? This will take a moment so stay with me. Most, not all, but most folks play better when they are alone on an open track with no distractions, including slow players ahead of them. Okay, there are some that don't play as well unless they're playing against someone else but I think even they would concede that if their group was the only one on the course they'd play better because of the uninterrupted rhythm. But as a general rule I'd say that most people play and concentrate better on each shot when going out solo with open holes ahead, wouldn't you agree? It's just like saying that someone at the free throw line alone might be able to can dozens in a row but send him up there in a game when it counts, out of breath, noise all around...different story, right? Rhythm's important to a quarterback, too, but he doesn't always get it his way, right? In fact, in competitive team sports it's the defense's job to interrupt the offense's rhythm at every opportunity so that, right there, highlights its importance. Now, in golf, we don't have someone making a conscious effort to upset our rhythm of play (well, a gamer, maybe...more on that later) but, nonetheless, the fact is that, especially in competition play, you will never be allowed the luxury of enjoying the rhythmic pace of play that you'd enjoy playing alone. Go boast to any good player about how you broke you personal best score while out alone and he'll immediately discount it's legitimacy, if for no other reason than the fact that you played without the normal distractions...it wasn't a real round. Stop-and-go play is a fact of life. So, step number one is to accept it. That's no small task...you can try all kinds of little "tricks" to overcome it but they won't work without first fully accepting it as a fact of life. In other words you have to expect it and not get angry about it. That's the one thing that really separates the player from the weekend duffer. Only then can you move on to overcome it and minimize it as a factor in YOUR (as OnePutt would put it) game.

So, what do you do to overcome it is the question, yes? SoCal Bob's physical concern's are a different issue to be addressed in a separate post...you're asking about the mental aspect of not being allowed to play at a rhythm of your choosing. You may not like my answer but it is my sincere belief that the solution is as unique as your game is from that of the guy next to you. In every sport the player that excels above the others is the one that can compartmentalize his focus and energy. Basketball players save their physical and mental energy as much as possible during a game so they can ramp it up at just the right moment so as to be able to give 100% (there's no such thing as 101%) effort to the task, be it defending, driving, dunking, shooting a free throw, etc. Every player on the football field has to "save it" for the play itself because, like Bob38 says, if you try to leave the switch on all the way you'll give out, both mentally and physically. Same goes for the golfer...you must learn to "turn it on" and "turn it off". You need to be able to "turn it on" so intently that the guy behind you hollering "Noonan!" doesn't even register...that's what Noonan did, right? Somehow I think that you probably already instinctively understand that part. What you want to know is how to "turn it off" only to be able to come back and "turn it on" with the same intensity as before, correct? Well, like I say, that solution is unique to you...every player has his/her own way of finding their happy place between shots just as they have their own way of mustering up the calm focus and concentration required to execute the shot. First and foremost is unequivocally accepting the fact that you no longer get to choose the rhythm or pace of play...all you can do is your part to ensure that play moves along at an expedient pace. If it doesn't, at least no one can point at you as a contributing factor. Then you must find your own stress-free way of relaxing while staying in the present...Trevino joked with the gallery, Tiger doesn't do that. Btw, the "great PGA" doesn't care how you do it, that one's on you...all they're gonna do is penalize slow play when it's warranted. Besides, the PGA can't help or hurt you 'cause you're not a pro. Last, but certainly not least, I have found that little noises, rotten lies, poor conditions, and, yes, stop-and-go play bother me a lot more when my game isn't as honed as it should be...practice breeds confidence and calm and the willingness to address any situation. When I'm confident over my shots, because I've been practicing, you can "game" me all you want (I take it as a compliment) because, even if I mis-hit the shot, I know there's a good one comin', probably right behind it. And I'm not gonna fret about it until the next shot comes...that shot's over, didn't come off like I wanted but I'm gonna relax and save my energy until it's time to call up my brilliance (no matter how long that takes) and make D'Annunzio wish he'd never opened his yap.

There's no easy answer, amigo, you have to find your own happy place. Btw, I'm glad you didn't give up the game (never thought you would) and I'm glad you decided to stick around GR. You stimulate the discourse here, and for that I'm grateful.

Shade

Great post Shade!

Shade pretty much nailed it: when served lemons......
Here are a few practical things I find useful.
First is practice routines. Consider that if your normal round with your group is four hours, you actually want as much time to lapse between shots as possible. If your average is 2.5 minutes between shots, you will be taking about 95 strokes. 3 minutes will produce an 80,and 3.5 will will be par. Dedicate some of your practice to waiting one full minute between shots, then increase the interval to two minutes. Another very good way to practice is to find an open field where you can hit a wedge or sand wedge, pick a target, hit, and walk to the ball. Pick another target, hit, etc...practice with only one ball. Both of these methods replicate the pace of play so there is less disconnect between practice and play than if you just go to the range and pound balls. It also helps overcome the anxiety associated with having to wait excessively between shots on the course.
If a course is a little bit backed up, so much so that there is a minute or two wait on every tee, I try to convince my group to slow our play pace down so we don't have to wait so much. Very few are willing to do that however, prefering instead to play each hole quickly, then waiting on the tee, so I end up slowing my pace as much as possible in order to match the pace of the course. I would rather keep moving slowly than fall into the accordian syndrone of hurrying up only to wait.
Regarding being a social outcast if play is delayed, that should not be a factor. If a person's prefered style is to be absorbed in the game and not socialize, there should be nothing wrong with finding a spot to make practice swings and not join in about last night's football games.
Ultimately.....make lemonade. Everyone in your group is playing the same course and the same conditions. The one who is agitated the least, or actually finds something to like about whatever the conditions are, is usually the winner.

Yep. Great posts before this one.

I assume you're stopping at the tee, waiting behind a group or two.

Here are some things I do--I'm about a 10 handicap and don't compete in tournaments, just against friends--to deal with stop and go where I play, where today/tonight it took me two hours to play six holes:

1. take out a wedge and a ball and bounce it as many times as I can
2. talk story
3. make practice swings with various clubs, imagining those swings with a particular shot I'll face later in the round, even a drive
4. make a phone call (I apologize in advance to those against cells on the course, but hey, a round is over five hours and plenty can happen in that kind of time)
5. read a book (this doesn't work well because I'm not actually waiting that long, but this post has me thinking I should use a golf magazine, read an article while I wait if there's enough time)

Hope this helps

And "Go Steelers!"