While it is definitely easier said than done, I always try to focus on the shot at hand and do my best to not even think about the scores I'm posting during the round.

I have a pretty long commute, so I listen to a lot of audiobooks and a few of Dr. Bob Rotella's classics are frequently on the playlist. He has a lot of great concepts and ideas on how to stay in the right frame of mind and how to stay in the moment.

Josh - Been there...done that!  I agree with Mike on focusing just on the current shot (not even thinking about what a good shot will set me up for).  I also did some analysis of where my "blow up" holes were occuring and realized that I needed to eat and drink more while on the course to maintain my energy and focus.  I now pack a baggie of fruit/nut mix and drink about 10oz of water every two holes.

I know I have been done this. Happens to me toward the end of a round where I try to stay hydrated but have run out of energy because I usually do not eat anything while I am playing. This time of year when the heat index gets up into triple digits I tend to lose focus very easily. I am going to try the fruit/nut mix (trail mix) this week and see if that helps. Thanks for something so simple.

Carl - Here's a good article/study I found from 2007 that talks about nutrition and energy consumption during golf.

http://www.rcga.org/_uploads/documents/Greg%20Wells%20-%20Golf%20Nutrition.pdf

Hope it helps-

Thomas,

This is great, thank you.

Just the opposite happens to me. It seems like when I eat I lose focus. I usually begin to eat something on the fourth hole. More often than not I will bogey 5, 6, & 7. Not as often if I don't eat.  Then usually eat again beginning on 11, and usually bogey 12, 13,14 (easiest hole on the course)  By 18 I know it is just fatigue. I usually eat an apple (takes two holes) or almonds, peanuts, peach, raisins). Any suggestions?

Josh -

When I get ahead of myself on a round, I typically get into trouble as well.  It seems when I start thinking about how well I am playing, things fall apart.  As others have commented, I just try to focus on the immediate shot and executing that shot.  I have found it useful to focus on an individual dimple on the ball, and making contact on that dimple.  When I do this, it seems to block everything else out for the moment.  I then focus on my next shot as I am walking to my ball. 

There were alot of comments that focused on diet.  Personally, I find when I am a little hungry, I play better but the key for me is not to be too hungry.  I always eat before I start my pre-torunament round warm up routine to give me a good base.  I then try to eat a little snack half way through the round to keep my sugar level up a bit, but not too much.  You will have to experiment to see what works best for you.

Good luck!