“BAD STREAK” You’re Not Alone.

We all go through “Good Streaks” on the golf course and “Bad Streaks”. Even Tiger and Annika go through their share of “Bad Streaks”. So you shouldn’t feel too bad when you go through your own “Bad Streak”.

The key is what you do while in the midst of a “Bad Streak”. Or maybe I should say – it’s what you don’t do while in a “Bad Streak” that has a positive affect on your golf scores!

What’s the worst thing to do while in a “Bad Streak”? Panic! So many Golfers go to the golf course and hit a “Bad Streak” and then panic. We get so upset with ourselves that we start to do things a sane person wouldn’t do.

When the Player goes on a “Bad Streak” – the Player will take it in stride. They know that sooner or later, it’ll happen. Though, the Player doesn’t let their “Bad Streak” ruin their entire round. Meaning that a Player will limit themselves to making a double bogey at worst on a hole.

So after a “Bad Streak” of 5 holes, the worst they’d be is 10 over Par. Now that’s the worst. Though, the Player will probably come out better than that. And for Golfers that are looking to break 90 or 100 – if you only have 5 double bogeys during a round – you should easily break that magic number!

On the other hand, when the Monkey goes on a “Bad Streak” – they panic. They think that this “Bad Streak” is going to last the rest of their life if they don’t do something drastic to stop it. And because the Monkey is trying all the golf swing tips they’ve heard in the past; one after another in the effort to get rid of the “Bad Streak”, they continually fall farther and deeper into their “Bad Streak”.

So a “Bad Streak” is now not only limited to 5 holes and to only double bogeys. The “Bad Streak” tends to last all the way to the 18th hole and this “Bad Streak” leaves you wishing for double bogeys. Often times the Monkey will see triple bogeys, quadruple bogeys, X’s or the infamous Double Par Rule on their scorecard.

Now, the Monkey will say that it’s because their swing isn’t very good and they need to work harder on developing a one plane swing or being able to keep their head down or even following through to a higher finish position. And if you feel these issues are important (though I feel they’re just Monkey Talk), even if you did all those things perfectly, you’re still going to go through “Bad Streaks” on the golf course. Like I said, nobody swings as perfect as Tiger and Annika and they still have “Bad Streaks”.

So the key to getting out of that “Bad Streak” has less to do with your swing mechanics than it does with having a PLAN based on your Strengths and Weaknesses.

What’s your PLAN? Well, its understanding what caused you to enter into your “Bad Streak”. Yet so many Monkeys are so concerned with their swing mechanics, they don’t even notice how or when they entered into their “Bad Streak”.

For example – Where did your “Bad Streak” start?

Was it the drive on the 5th hole that went too far to the right and ended up behind a tree? Then because you wanted to make up for that bad shot, you decided to “punch out” with your 3 iron between two trees so that you could get within 20 yards of the green (or possibly roll up on to the green). And unfortunately your ball grazed a tree which deflected it solidly into another tree which caused the ball to land behind the biggest tree you’ve ever seen. Then you had to waste another shot just to “chip out” to the middle of the fairway (the smart shot) – which then left you with a 230 yard shot to the green. So because you’re already laying 3/hitting 4, you decide you need to get on the green by hitting your 3 wood. And because your name isn’t Tiger or Annika, you hit a grounder about 150 yards into a fairway bunker. And then things start to really get bad!

Thus, the beginning of your “Bad Streak”.

And yet, the Player would’ve avoided that situation by playing smart from the trees. The Player would’ve avoided the big number (or possibly the Double Par limit) by making the smart shot from the trees back into the field of play, then hit a 5 iron or 7 iron to put them into position to have a wedge for their next shot on to the green and then 2-putt for a double bogey or one putt for a bogey.

And I know that someone reading this is saying – “That’s old man golf! I’ll never break 90 if I start to play for double bogeys.” Well, I don’t think it’s old man golf – it’s more about limiting your worst tee shots to double bogey golf as opposed to the Monkey making 8’s, 9’s and X’s. The “Bad Streak” didn’t start with the errant drive – it started with not playing smart from the trees!

Again, you can break 100 or 90 or even 80 if you limit your big numbers to double bogeys!

Because after making a double bogey, the Player is not in a panic or pissed off on the next tee. They only made double bogey – no big deal. On the other hand, the Monkey is standing on the tee after making an 8, saying to themselves that they need to hit a big tee shot down the middle on this hole so that they have an easy wedge into the green, so that they can make birdie and make up for the last hole.

So the Monkey tries to hit a big tee shot – Well, you know the story, you’re back into the trees and trying to “punch out” like the previous hole and the whole scenario continues to where you’re standing on the tee of the next hole thinking about how your entire round is ruined because you just made two 8’s in a row. So now you’re so mad and discouraged, you try for another big tee shot on the next hole and – the “Bad Streak” continues.

While the Player is just taking their time, playing to their Strengths and avoiding their Weaknesses and sticking with their PLAN until their “Bad Streak” comes to an end. And sometimes that “Bad Streak” will include 5 holes of double bogey golf and sometimes it will include only 2 double bogeys. The key is that the Player never gets panicked during a “Bad Streak” and thus is able to keep themselves in the game.

The Monkey gets frustrated after making a couple of double bogeys and because of that, they make triple bogeys

The Player never panics – they take the “Bad Streaks” in stride and convert them into “Good Streaks”

Go ahead, Be a Player!

Regards,

Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life