Top Reasons Why Golfers Show Frustration On The Course

Everyone is familiar with seeing frustration and anger on the golf course. It’s prolific with tournament golfers, juniors, weekend warriors and pros. There are even advertisements that center around the comedic elements of golf course tantrums. However, parents and coaches can be left scratching their heads trying to figure out some of the reasons why a game that's meant to be fun can cause such reactions to poor shots.

After coaching junior golfers for years and experiencing tournament golf myself, here are the top reasons why golfers (especially junior golfers) are frustrated or show frustration on the golf course after a bad shot.

1. Expectations Are Unrealistic / A Lack of Understanding of PGA/LPGA Tour Stats

Many juniors think good golf only comes from great shots. That is simply not true as golf is a game of mistakes and one's performance is dictated more by how a person manages misses than any other aspect of the game. Oftentimes junior golfers’ expectations even exceed those of the best players in the world. Most do not realize that an 8ft put has about a 50% make rate on tour (that's a coin flip) and berate themselves after missing any 8-10 footer. Pros average 17ft from 100 yards in the middle of the fairway and will make 4 more often than 2 from greater than 165 yards.

Even if a player’s expectations are below the tour level it can still be out of sync with their practice habits. If a player isn’t meeting or exceeding their goals in practice they are not going to consistently outperform their ability in tournaments on unfamiliar golf courses (not even tour players do).

2. The Desire To Show Others “Thats Not How I Usually Play”

This one is a little abstract but super common especially after a player has a large jump in improvement. After a poor shot there is a desire for the golfer to show their friends, family, coaches and competitors that they are better than the shot they just hit. Therefore there is a reaction, almost as if the junior golfer is putting on a small production to signal to anyone watching that they are displeased with the result. That displeasure will hopefully show anyone watching that they are usually so much better. In these cases it is typically true that a player is in fact better than the shot they just hit, however no one is immune to mistakes in golf. Some players that do this may feel that smiling after a bad shot would indicate they have lower standards or hit shots like that every time, so they keep the charade going. The first step here is a golfer realizing that their own view and performance outweighs any onlooking opinion. Being aware of this typically helps juniors deconstruct their frustration after a bad shot.

3. A Player Is Not Confident In Their Ability to Hit The Next Shot 

This is another hidden but much simpler reason. If a player hits a shot in a position that yields an uncomfortable or difficult next shot they are more likely to show frustration. For example, a player that is having an off day with their short game gets angry at a missed green. However the answer isn’t anger at the missed green but due to the lack of confidence in their ability to get up and down. The lack of confidence in themselves is the driving force and can be committed by having well rounded balanced skills on the golf course.

4. They Think About The Shot In Terms of How It Affects Their Score (Deciding What They Will Score Before The Hole Is Over) 

This happens when a player hits a poor shot and then makes an assumption about what they will make on the hole. “I hit it over there so that means I’m going to make another bogey!” However, this isn’t true. A hole isn’t over until the ball is holed, and a made putt or holed chip can more than make up for the mistake. This causes a player to lose focus and ultimately forfeit the chance of making the hole something special, especially with a remarkable recovery shot or even a birdie.

5. Mid Round Comparisons 

Golf is a competition. Even though a player’s scores are measured relative to par, for some it can be easy to be distracted by player comparisons. In a group a player could be matching another shot for shot and could get frustration when that goes off track. However, golf has so many ebbs and flows it's distracting to be enveloped in what the competitors are doing at a given moment.

6. Losing The Big Picture, Playing Golf Swing Over Golf

Sometimes a player gets mad at a shot just because their technique was wrong or the ball didn’t move with the exact shot shape they wanted. Players can then become distracted by these small details, chasing the perfect swing or ball flight and lose the big picture. The objective of golf is to get the ball in the hole in the least amount of strokes, and sometimes how it feels, looks in the air or on video is irrelevant. There are no style points or judges in golf, you win by getting the ball in the hole in less shots than everyone else. 

Of course there are other reasons depending on the tournament or round. However, the reasons listed above are ones that I have seen, coached and experienced across all levels. For more information on how to deal with mid round mistakes or how to work on any of the reasons listed above, please reach out to me at ben@inthegolfzone.com. I am a mental golf performance coach and professional golfer that has helped players remotely in 24 states.

I’m offering a FREE remote consultation via zoom (sign up here) with no obligation to all readers of the HJGT newsletter. In the consultation, we will discuss my personalized coaching program as well as answer any questions players and parents may have.

Visit inthegolfzone.com to learn more about me and how to take your game to the next level no matter where you live!