Bulldog,
2 things jump out at me from your post, and yes, I agree with Rob, a great post it is...
First, forget the score through the round. There's plenty of time to add up the numbers and disect the round in the clubrooms after the round over the obligatory frothy or two with your playing partners. On more than one occasion I have have been guilty of checking my card mid round to see how I am going and promptly blowing up what might have been a PB round. The game can be hard enough for us without ADDING pressure. You have got to the point of the round where it is going well without thinking about score, why start before the round is over. Just keep doing whatever it was you were doing that got you in position. OK, now I'm repeating myself...
Second, "swing easy" IMHO is the greatest advice you will ever give yourself during a round. On the course during a round is no place to be analysing your swing. That's what the practice fairway is for. (Mental Post It Note to Self: Must find time to use one...!!!)
And one more thing whilst I think of it, if and when a round looks like it might go to "hell in a handcart" (love that term) as I see it at that point you have two choices... First, you can indulge your anger/frustration and quickly ensure that it does or, you can try to forget what has happened in the round to date, and effectively start again, clean slate, so to speak. For me last Sunday in a Pennant match, I was 3 down through 3 holes after having played as badly as I think I ever have. My frustrations were apparent, my opponent could see me struggling and as a result, his play was improving. Both bad things. So, I simply said to myself, right, now that I'm 3 down, the match could well have been gone, so I just started again. From that point I can't tell you if I carried myself any differently outwardly or not, but I was determined not to give my opponent any more ammunition to beat me with than he already had. I put a massive smile on my face, swung easy, and from there I went on to win 8 of the next 10 holes to go from 3 down through 3 to 4 up through 13. Eventually taking the match 4 and 3 after halving 14 and 15.
Bottom line, as I've said before in other threads, we should enjoy ourselves first, worry about the results after the ink has dried on the scorecard. For me, that is the first opportunity we get to change things.
Good luck in your handicap rounds, just enjoy yourself. For me, you obviously do...
Cheers
