CHOKE... help me or shoot me?!

[7ontheline]

I asked four Pro Grandmasters if I could could join their group at this mornings singles. On the first hole, one said that there was over 100 years experience in our fivesome (including my 10 months.) The 60 year old birthday boy shot -7 on Shelby Forest's toughest course to tie for first cash while I shot one of my worst rounds this year, +8. I missed 4 putts inside 15' with my Ion, early released and grip locked tee shots, and blew several upshots too far by to make the comeback. Nothing felt right, so stupid me paid again for an impromtu round of doubles with a few veterans that stuck around including the 60 year old kung fu master... no seriously he's known as "Karate Don." These guys are never going to let me play with them again

Any suggestions to break yourself out of a funk during play AND how do I convince these guys to let me play with them again so I can redeem myself?

[Flipflat]

After only 10 months of playing, those dudes were probably not expecting much out of you. They've probably played with lots of noobs. Probably the best way to hang with them is to keep it in the fairway, and make basic shots, accuracy over power, etc... It kinda sounds like you're putting alot of pressure on yourself, so just think of how low their expectations and relax.

[Jsw]

I love playing with really good GM/oldschool guys. Those guys have so much control , deadly spin-putt technique, and usually have interesting or obscure discs in the bag. You would do yourself a service by paying attention to their approach to the game instead of wasting the round beating yourself up over your game.

Comparing what you can do next to someone who's been playing for a few decades after only playing 10 months yourself doesn't sound like a fun way to go about playing disc golf.

As for your two questions...

1. You probably just lost focus because you were overly concerned with your score or "keeping up" with the veteran players. Take your head out of the game by focusing on making the shot at hand.

2. Who the hell cares how bad/good you play? If you have good golf etiquette and aren't obnoxious 95% of people will have no problem playing with you. The other 5% probably just like to play solo or with their close friends so they can bitch about their wives more comfortably.

TL:DR = cheer up, it isn't the end of the world.

[JR]

Monitor shaking BANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




























Or take a chill pill and let the fact that disc golf is hard and takes a long time to learn and never to really master sink in. Unrealistic expectations add your anxiety and tales your focus away from what you need to perform in the throw. Don't worry about the veterans or how you look. I'm not saying that you need not look to more experienced players but you throw on your turn, not them. That goes for training too. You just gotta pay your dues and go to a field and practice form and different lines and later once you've mastered the basics also practicing shot manipulation is a good idea. You do need trick shots to get out of trouble. Once you get the hang of stuff on the field you need to test your mettle in actual courses. That will play with your mind because things that work in the field often fail in an actual situation. The reason is another thing you need to train -your mind. You gotta develop a set of steely ones and let your nerves shrivel and die out of a lack of use. Whenever you are afraid and don't commit fully to a shot the chances are that you won't perform your throw with as good a form as you can do in practice in an open field.

A quick first tip on the course is to make sure you don't pussyfoot your throws by always following through fully. Another longer term tip is to truly gain skills in basic shots so that you know beforehand that you can perform this shot at will and thus have the track record to prove it and so are calm even in tighter spots. Once you know you can make it there's nothing holding you back. Your mind is your worst enemy. No kind of working from the other players will mind fuck you and mess your throw as bad as your own head. Once you are Teflon coated mentally outside and inside pressure just passes through you without negative side effects.