Does one horrible round of golf tend to lead to another for you?
Why does it seem so difficult to move on from a bad day and mentally recover for your next round?
The reason so many golfers have difficulty moving on from a bad round is something called recency bias. A negative recency bias is when you over-emphasize recent mistakes or poor play and ignore past successes.
If you played poorly yesterday, you expect to play poorly today, even though you played some of your best golf a week ago. In other words, recency bias is expecting more of the same.
Recency bias can also impact your play within a round. If you double-bogey the 15th hole, you may expect to double-bogey the next hole despite hitting two birdies on the front nine.
A golfer who responded to our Golf Mental Game Survey asked the following question: “How can I move on from a bad day of golf and stay positive?”
Your concern about rebounding from a bad day is common in golf. First things first, you should understand that you are not alone. Even the best golfers in the world have been in your shoes before.
When you realize you are not the only one working through similar issues, you can alleviate some of the frustration you are experiencing. The causes of a golfer repeating a poor performance are often the result of memory and expectations.
An off day during a competitive round is usually coupled with intense, unproductive emotions such as anger, frustration, resignation, and sadness. When these emotions are left unchecked, your confidence slowly erodes.
As you replay the mental movies of all the mistakes you made, you further compound the problem. Your success during the round or recent tournaments is pushed to the back of your mind.
When you play your next competitive round, your mind is cluttered with negativity, and you expect to play poorly because that is all you can see in your mind.
The key to bouncing back is objectively processing your performance, reminding yourself of past successes, highlighting positive aspects of your last round, and focusing on your plan for your next round.
This process allows you to mentally reset so the memories of past performances don’t interfere with your ability to concentrate on playing your best in the moment.
Objectively evaluating your play helps minimize the impact of negative emotions, and recognizing successes helps keep your confidence intact.
At the 152nd Open Championship, Bryson DeChambeau started the tournament on a bad note, carding a 76 in the first round. Despite a tough start, DeChambeau finished strong.
After the round, DeChambeau credited himself for grinding through the day and highlighted the importance of resetting for the next round.
DeCHAMBEAU: “I’m just proud of the way I persevered today. Shoot, man, I could have thrown in the towel after nine and could have been like, ‘I’m going home.’ But no, I’ve got a chance tomorrow. I’m excited for the challenge.”
To give yourself a chance tomorrow, it is crucial to process your most recent performance, hit the reset button, and develop a game plan for your next round.
Establish a post-round routine for evaluating your performance after each round. Identify areas needing improvement, positive aspects of your performance, the impact of mental factors on your game, and a plan for future rounds.
This strategy helps process performance, turn the page on what has happened in the past, and reset for what is next.
Related Golf Psychology Articles
- How to Handle Disappointment During a Round of Golf
- How to Regroup After a Bad Round of Golf
- Why Some Golfers Expect to Play Poorly
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- Subscribe to The Golf Psychology Podcast on Spotify
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