In this post we explore the importance of your disc golf mental game and what to do when the course throws a few haymakers your way. As always, if you haven’t already, I welcome you to subscribe and enjoy being a part of the community I am building here. In the meantime, enjoy…
This headline is not literal. Apologies if you were hoping for an epic “You should see his face!” story of me having it out with a fellow disc golfer.
Maybe something akin to the following scene in Sideways? (Incidentally, Sideways is a good take and from a time when movies were still important and didn’t have to include over 6 Superheroes in order to get made… Also, get off my lawn.)
No, if you’ve read anything on this site, then you know that I’m a huge fan of the disc golf community. I wrote a post about that very subject here. I very much doubt I’ll get to that point on the course.
What I’m talking about, is the punch that the course gives you. It’s the tree that grows right in the path of your disc. Or the pond that fills with water while your favorite disc is in mid-flight. It’s the basket that moves a few inches to the left while you are putting…
Okay, fine, it’s me. I’m the problem (Happy?).
But we’ve all had those rounds right? One or two “events” you can take in stride and write them off as mere misses. But when you start stringing those rounds together it can really start to test your mettle.
Put enough of them in a row without any signs of improvement, and you start to questions whether disc golf is for you. Before long, you might start turning down rounds or take up other interests just to avoid those constant barrage of hits to your ego on the course.
In today’s post, I want to explore this idea and see if there is value to be had for others. This post is more of a therapy session for me. I’m just going to lay my head back on the couch and let it flow.
Here goes.
What I want for myself
We’ve all watched some sort of movie scene where someone is getting absolutely pummeled by a person stronger and more gifted then them. It could be a street/bar fight or maybe it’s in the boxing ring. Whatever the case, there’s enough of these scenes that you can probably connect.
Invariably, the poor sod keeps getting blasted to the ground, but doesn’t know when to quit. He/she just keeps getting up and going back for more.
Eventually, the winner of the fight starts yelling at him. “Stay down!” he implores after doling out yet another merciless shot. Still, the guy gets up.
Finally, even the onlookers have had enough and they step in to stop it. You know what I’m talking about right? If not, this quick video from 1967’s Cool Hand Luke captures it rather well.
Well, in essence, I want to be that guy out on the course. I want to have the ability to take a beating and keep getting up.
“Fall down seven times, get up eight.” (Japanese Proverb)
Nana Korobi Ya Oki
However, right now, I am NOT that yet that guy…
Who I am Now
Right now I’m closer to being Happy Gilmore out on the course. And not the more refined guy at the end of the movie. I’m closer to the one that javelins the golf flag at the camera guy (Just to be clear, that’s not true either. I just get broody and unnecessarily down on myself. Still not a good look, but I don’t want you thinking I’m a loose cannon either).
I’ve done too many videos already but you can watch what I’m talking about here (starting around the 1:45 mark).
And to be fair to myself, I’ve already gotten a lot better in this regard. In part, I have all of you to thank. You all set the collective tone out on the course and it has already seeped into my mindset as well. I make no secret that I’m a fan of the disc golf community…
I know I’m very lucky to have the opportunity to play such a great game. As someone who gets frustrated easily, I can rationalize all I want, but I’m not immune to these feelings either.
When I miss a putt I should easily have made or smack a tree 5 yards in front of me and 30 degrees off my intended line, it makes a mark on my psyche. Then, when I start stringing those together, I get pissed off.
And when that happens, my round can spiral. I know I’m not the only one this happens to. I read about/hear about/see others having similar experiences. That, in a peculiar way, is somewhat comforting at least.
Hopefully, at the very least, I can provide that same twisted comfort for you as well. But more importantly, I want to set about “correcting” some of these tendencies so I can save strokes and have a better time on the course as well.
Let me dive in a little deeper here.
Getting to the Root of the Matter
If I were to take a crack at rudimentary self-analysis I would say that I have an unrealistic sense of ability. Just because I can see the shot and envision what I want it to do, does NOT mean I can actually execute it.
So, when the shot does not, in fact, go nearly the way I intended, I get aggravated. If I have enough of those, the aggravation escalates and puts me off my game.
Further compounding this unrealistic sense of self, is a dearth of grit. In other words, my bad shots affect me way more than some other people’s equally bad shots.
While they take it in stride, I get knocked off the horse. This is not good.
So how do I go about fixing this?
I have ideas…
Recognize that It’s a Grind
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” and all the rest. Even though we hear that saying too much, doesn’t mean there isn’t wisdom in it. Knowing that I am just getting started in the game has to be part of the equation.
Furthermore, it’s apparent to me that I need to make a conscious effort to work on my mental game. I can’t just expect it to change on it’s own.
Before each round I should probably make some sort of pact with myself of what I will do when (not if) something goes wrong on the course.
I’ll keep you posted on how this goes, but there’s more work to be done as well…
The 5 P’s To my Mental Disc Golf Game
I’ve come up with 5 points, all starting with the letter “P”, that I think will directly or indirectly help my mental disc golf game. Here they are.
Practicality: I need to be practical about this whole thing. Realistically I haven’t put in nearly enough time to attain the results I desire. I need to continually remind myself that those results will come in time if I put in the work. Also, practically speaking, I’m not going to ever be a professional disc golfer. I should not expect every shot to be perfect and react poorly when they aren’t…
Patience: This can be on any given round but it’s more for the long haul. It’s also closely connected to being practical. I have to be patient with myself and allow my game to slowly develop over time.
Practice: Closely related to Patience, is Practice. If I want to get better results on the course I had better practice the shots I want to execute. And I’m not talking one day of field work. This should be a slow methodical build. I’ve already seen results in my putting from logging this type of effort. If I apply it to the rest of my game, the results will follow as well. Then I’ll improve and make less of those frustrating shots. But it has to start with practice.
Play Within Game: If I’m taking high-risk shots then I’m much more likely to fail on those shots. I have to be self-aware and attempt shots that I’ve practiced and feel confident that I can execute. Otherwise, I’m just setting myself up for failure/frustration. I need to learn to play within my game better.
Passion: So far this has not been a problem at all. But I have to learn to keep the passion for the game stoked. It is the passion that will keep me heading out to the practice field and keep me going back to the course. The passion will help me pick myself off the mat, when the course issues a knockout punch. So, whatever that means for each of us, find a way to keep your passion for the game alive and it will fuel you to attain the results you desire.
Recognizing those 5 P’s and putting them into practice should help me avoid those flare-ups that occur when I get frustrated on the course. It’ll also probably result in less lost-strokes because I’m off my game.
I’m sure you all have ideas as well.
Ideas from the Gallery?
What do you all do to help you in your mental game? Do you have a phrase you repeat to yourself? Is it something you work on as well?
Misery sometimes loves company, but in this case, I do think it’s helpful to hear from others who have had (or have) similar struggles. What works for you may help someone else as well.
If you have any strategies you use out on the course to avoid getting unproductively frustrated, let us know in the comments.
Disc Golf Mental Game/Taking a Punch – In Summary
Not every shot I throw on the course is going to go perfectly. I should probably recognize that a little more readily than I do.
And when it doesn’t go the way I intended, I need to be able to combat those feelings of frustration so they don’t start negatively affecting my round.
One thing I plan to work on in my disc golf mental game is somewhat of a preemptive strike. I’ll make a plan for what I will do when (not if) things go astray on the course.
In addition, I’ll put those 5 P’s into the equation as well. A little practicality, patience, practice, passion and an ability to play within your game can go a long way.
Finally, recognizing that you’re not alone in this battle can be helpful. It’s nice to know that others face similar challenges. It’s also helpful to hear what works well for others in these situations.
If you have some strategies that work for you, let us know in the comments and we’ll all get a little more Zen out on the course.
In doing so, we’ll enjoy our rounds more and keep unnecessary strokes off our score at the same time. That’s an upward spiral I can get on board with.
And when the course inevitably throws you a series of haymakers, you’ll be much more likely to pick yourself up off the ground and toss a few of your own!
Thanks for reading everyone. While I didn’t exactly bear my soul, I definitely revealed a side of my personality that’s not my favorite. I do so with the hopes that you find it helpful with your own disc golf mental game. That way, you know you are not alone if you struggle with similar challenges on the course. As always, if you have any related thoughts, please feel free to post them below. If you have strategies that help you on the course I definitely want to hear those as well.
Finally, if you want to come along for the ride as I continue to slowly dive deeper into the game and uncover new gems for our collective games then please consider subscribing. It’s free and just gets my posts delivered to your inbox so we can start building a community here as well. Thanks for considering and keep disc golf’n around your local courses.