jimihendrix

A subtopic in a earlier thread is triggering me to write this post and see if anyone else is going through the same thing I am. (I hope this stimulates a "performance" conversation and not a "random golf talk" conversation).

My quick background:
I'm in my 40's. Was a weekend binge drinker who quit for good 5 months ago.
I played college golf and stayed competitive throughout adulthood winning city tournaments, and competing in national events.

I was binge drinker since 18. Heavy on Friday and Saturday nights. Until 5 years ago, I never drank when playing competitive golf. I felt it dulled my edge.

But starting 5 years ago, I found myself getting more and more "nerves" when playing golf (ie: performing). The pressure felt in golf tournament is *identical* to the pressure felt in performing on stage or other individual performance events where there is a lot of time to think (ie: non-reflex performance).

I tried drinking before and during golf tournaments. This was *very* effective in calming my nerves and turning my brain "off". With my brain off, I could let muscle memory take over the results were very very good (lots of scores under par, always around par, no bad rounds).

Beyond the obvious problems, this led to an "other side of the coin". I evolved to *not* being able to play without drinking. Drinking not only made my performance good - without drinking, my performance was *terrible*. If I didn't drink, my average score would go from 72 to 85 (for non-golfers, this is equivalent to "singing beautifully" changing to "sounds like the song, but not pretty".

The biggest hurdle I've had to overcome since quitting is learning how to play golf without booze. The first month was really hard. I had to gut out performing very poorly. Now that i'm five months sober, I'm noticing some changes. Primary, that my "nerves" have mostly gone away. I think that 25 years of binge drinking was slowing damaging my nervous system and creating that performance anxiety. But my system is recovering and I'm feeling less anxiety. My new sober performance is still not as good as my old drunk performance and I'm still dealing with some golf "ticks" (when I was drinking, those ticks didn't exist) due to doubt generated by conscious thought. But, I hope to fight through those over the next year.

I know that there are musicians and other performers on this forum.

Have any of you experienced this? How did you deal with it?

(Don't worry. I'm not going to start drinking again just to play good golf. I'm 100% committed to not drinking for tons of great reasons. I'm mostly interested in "performance in recovery")

Mark75

I had some of that with skiing... Not so much performance, but more of dealing with the whole "holy sh1t" sense of skiing gnarly, steep and tight terrain. Yes, I had to gut it out as well at first.

I suppose some of whatever performance enhancing effect there was may have just upped the recklessness, I don't know though, I was never reckless, just aggressive.

I am less so now... and that's OK, I still LOVE it!!

Threshold

Very interesting! Thanks for starting this, I am definitely going to be reading along. I have heard many people say that they are "more creative" when drinking, drugging, etc. I believe that is a similar thing, substance removing fears and inhibitions or even a layer of "rationality" that blocks the free flow of "muscle memory" or creativity.

AGuyLeftAlone

ok, lets be clear here!!!! Golf is not a sport!!!! LOL.

All kidding aside, I think that once you use to doing anything while drinking, it would be hard to get use to doing the samething without drinking. I believe this is true for anything that alcohol has become a part of.

I believe there had to be something to make someone pick out such ugly pants and hats to been seen in public in!!!!! I know realize it was the booze!!!!!

2granddaughters

Substitute steroids for alcohol. Your performance will improve again but it will be a drug based false performance.
Your true performance is done when clean/sober, not store-bought hype.

You want true muscle memory "in the zone" performance, you may need to practice/learn to meditate (not medicate).

Good luck jimi, I hope you don't follow too closely in your namesake's footprints. I was born in '44 and remember his life/death well. Take care.

Bob R.

DayTrader

I've been an avid golfer since I was in 8th grad (I'm 43 now). For a decade or more I couldn't get below an 8 handicap....maybe a 7 a couple times. I'll just say I practiced a LOT (range 3x per week - 3 to 4 buckets hit each time), played more often (3-6x per week), went to tougher courses, played with better players, played back tees then tried middle tees........etc etc.

During my 2nd year I started applying some of the AA principles to my golf game. Due to losing my driver's license I couldn't practice or play like I used to. A got a ride to a crappy course once per week and played 9 holes and a couple extra after each round. That was it. Midway through the season I went to one of the better courses around and shot 72. About a month later I got to play another higher-end place and shot 73. Routinely in my league I'd shoot 33 - 37. I had learned no new swing techniques, no practice, not playing much......just started applying some of the principles I'd been practicing in my life to my golf game. That year I went down to a 2. Was a 2 the next year as well.

So...... I'll tell ya......playing sober when you're dry will likely suck.......playing sober when you're recovered and looking at it from a different angle, it can rock.