Let it go man. Golf isn't nearly as intense as hockey and there's nobody putting a stick in your ribs, no winger that misses an open net after you serve him up a beauty sauce, it's just you and the course bud. Relax and learn to accept the result of every shot. That means going to work and assessing what your options are after a bad swing, not dwelling on that bad swing. If you focus on the recovery and not what you just did wrong, you'll have a way better chance of going bar down, top cheddar with your next swing buds. Now crush a sando and hit the range.

Forget it and move onto the next shot. You won't forget the shot but you need to going into the next shot. After the round reflect on your round, mentally note any corrections you need to make and hit the range practicing it. As Bobby Jones said, "Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots - but you have to play the ball where it lies."

Oops I mean the quote from Darron. But "smack it pure" is good enough to quote for me BA. Thanks again.

In golf, your opponent is the course. You want to stick it to your opponent, then hole the shot. You can also take it out on your ball on the next tee shot. Feels great to smack it pure!

Hey team! Thanks to you all for your great posts. Your advice speaks truely to me and makes perfect sense. The more that I play the more I will understand how self assessment and letting go are the tools that I need to crush the course. I like the quote B.A. it really makes sense. And thinking about the course as the opponent is something that I will instill in my mental preparation. All excellent advice. Thanks again all! Hockey might have been an intense game of physical punishment but golf is just as punishing and challenging mentally or so I think. It's a new challenge for me to take on and your advice feeds my need for answers. Thanks again!

Hi Benjamin ... I played hockey for a long time and at a pretty high level too. Even in hockey, you can't have hot headed players running around - they take stupid penalties and/or make silly plays (going out of their way to hit someone, etc.). One must still keep their emotions in check.

In golf, as you are discovering, it is a totally different "creature" in terms of what each participant must go through. Unlike team sports, golf is a solitary one -- you against the course. In stroke play, we generally play against "Old Man Par".

Golf is one of those rare games in which competitors/participants must find the inner strength to remain focused and in control of their emotions. I find that when anger creeps into my game, it distracts me from what I should be focusing on. It will manifest itself in different ways - whether it is wanting to hit the next shot so hard that I tear the cover off of the ball, or smacking my club on the ground, etc.

My best success comes from good mental preparation - even before I get to the course. One quote that I came across that has worked well for me is: "You don't play golf to relax; you must relax in order to play golf!".

So, if I am warming up on the range and notice that certain shots are not working too well for me, I start to mentally make adjustments to my thinking and my expectations. I come to accept that it may not be working for me on that day and that I must "let go" of the idea of trying to control that particular shot and be open to just playing it when it arises and doing my best to recover.

When I start playing poorly and/or feel anger inside, one thing that I do is remove myself from the situation briefly, walk on ahead of the group for a bit, take deep breathes, look around and look hard at the sky, trees, flowers, birds, etc. and find an inner place of serenity or something that makes me feel happy or calm. Then I reset my self for the next shot.

As Arnold Palmer was quoted as saying "golf is deceptively simple yet endlessly complicated...". I hope that helps shed some insight into my thinking Benjamin.

Dino thank you for your advice as well. Keep calm and move on seems to be the way to go. I like the separation from the group and the moment when you feel distress or anger. Not dwelling. And all of the quotes are ones which I will save and keep. I can't say it enough. But thank you guys for the advice.

Mahalo Benjamin, may your fairways be wide and greens true!

There is no better place then walking down a nice green fairway! Those are by far the best 4 or so hours of a day.. #golf Enjoy! Even a bad shot can be turned around in a second.

As a former hockey player, one of my favorite parts of playing was showing up early to practice and working on my shot with a bag of pucks and a net. You gain confidence and develop a sense of trust in your skills and put them to the test in practice and games.
Golf is so similar with the aspect of repetition and testing yourself against the elements on the course. I'm a firm believer of preparation which alleviates getting yourself into mental trouble. Your new opponent is yourself and there's no reason to drop the gloves.
There are also few better feelings than ripping a clapper down the fairway after a bad hole. Enjoy!

Last week I was on a golf trip... Was playing pretty poorly when the sky opened up... Went to the club house, had a captain and coke and boy did that relax me.. Ended up playing better and won my flight with a bunch of guys...
Now, that works for me so I'm not sure if you drink or not but usually a drink or two relaxes me and allows me to have more fun..

But you need to remember, golf is a game that will NEVER, EVER EVER be perfected... That's why I love the game of golf, every day is different and challenging.. Not to mention the great people you get to meet while playing...

With 2 little boys it's tough for me to get out so those 4-5 hours on a golf course, I'm going to enjoy every minute regardless of how i'm playing... Life is too short to be angry or upset about a shot.. That's why there's 18 holes of golf to be played....

Enjoy and have fun!

Having played hockey in college, I can relate. Golfers have their own level of adrenaline based on how the round is going. Just relax and know it probably won't hurt when you get out of bed the next morning. Of course Chris' Captain and coke theory is also helpful.....LOL