My handicap is 12 and, generally, I more or less play to it. But every now and again I have a stinker and score 95 plus and anybody watching would think I was a beginner. It used to bug me and I'd go home and brood over it and wonder what went wrong. Well I've figured out that its just simple tiredness. If I've worked a long day before it or not slept very well then it transfers to my game. The body wants to hit good shots but the head just can't be bothered. I think we all question technique when we play badly but I reckon that much of it is down to fatigue. Anybody agree?

I agree totally Dave, I have often found that when playing golf after a bad nights sleep I am unable to have the same level of concentration as usual. With me this usually manifests itself in the curse of lifting ones head up to see where the ball has gone before actually hitting it, a schoolboy error which means embarrasing topped drives that go about 70 yards along the ground and shanked iron shots flying off at 45 degrees to the right endagering the golfers on the next fairway. Other symptoms in my case can be bad sweary language and concerted muttering.

The mental side off the game is very important, whether its concentration,nerves,bottle, or mental tiredness, if your mind is not on the game you will invariabley suffer technically. If you have not seen hightlights of this week scotish open, take alook. Marc Warren when leading by 4, hit two bad shots and one bad putt, im no expert but it was mental, hes not all of a sudden a bad technical player, his head was the issue.

Agree totally Dave.

dave couldnt agree with you more, isnt it the so called experts say that the game is 50% fun, 90% mental ???

It's not just me then! I sometimes wonder how professional sportspeople "don't turn up" as they say but I guess it's the same sort of thing, mental tiredness.

I find that in your case Dave it is just that you are garbage and nothing to do with tiredness. I also suffer from fatigue and having recently had 20-24 points on the front 9 I have been getting only about 10 on the back. The fatigue in my case is because I am a clinically obese. Hey Ho. G1

Mr Green, I beg to differ. You are not clinically obese, only extremely chubby. Lol. Trotts