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How to control your anger on the golf course

Golf is a game of precision, patience—and sometimes, pure frustration. Here’s how to manage your emotions when the pressure builds, and what we can all learn from high-profile blowups like Adam Hadwin’s sprinkler-smashing moment.

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Golf and Anger: A Tough Combo on the Course

Golf is often praised as a game of mental toughness. Yet even the most seasoned professionals are not immune to letting emotions get the best of them. Just ask Adam Hadwin, who, during the 2025 Valspar Championship, made headlines after smashing a sprinkler head in frustration during his round at Innisbrook.

The moment—caught on camera—spread quickly across social media, sparking debates around sportsmanship, mental health, and the psychological toll of high-pressure competition. But while it’s easy to point fingers, the truth is: golf is hard. And controlling anger on the golf course is a skill many of us are still trying to master.

Why Golf Makes Us So Angry

Let’s be honest—golf can feel cruel. One minute you’re striping drives down the fairway, and the next, you’re chipping back and forth across a green like you’ve never held a club before. It’s a game that challenges both your skill and your patience.

The mental pressure in golf is unique:

  • You’re often alone with your thoughts.
  • There’s time to stew between shots.
  • Every swing carries weight, especially in competition.
  • And most golfers are their own worst critics.

For pros like Hadwin, there’s the added layer of TV cameras, fans, sponsors, and expectations. But even for weekend warriors, the emotional stakes feel real.

The Consequences of Losing Control

Lashing out in anger might feel good in the moment—but it rarely helps your game. In fact, it often leads to a downward spiral:

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  • Loss of focus
  • Tension in the swing
  • Poor decision-making
  • Embarrassment or regret afterward

Hadwin’s sprinkler moment is a prime example of how pressure can boil over—even for seasoned tour pros. But it’s also a reminder that anger, if left unchecked, can sabotage your performance and your reputation.

How to Manage Anger on the Golf Course

So what can you do when the frustration starts to build? Here are proven anger management tips for golfers that can help you stay calm, focused, and in control.

1. Recognize the Warning Signs

Before you snap, your body often sends subtle signals—tight chest, clenched jaw, shallow breathing. Learn to recognize these cues so you can catch yourself early.

2. Have a Reset Routine

Pros like Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa use breathing exercises, grounding techniques, or visual routines between shots. Try:

  • Taking a deep breath through your nose and exhaling slowly.
  • Looking at the treetops or sky for a few seconds to reset your focus.
  • Repeating a calming phrase like “next shot” or “stay loose.”

3. Walk It Off

Walking between shots gives you a chance to cool down—literally and mentally. Use that time to reset and detach emotionally from the last swing.

4. Use Humor or Self-Talk

Sometimes, laughter really is the best medicine. Making a light comment or reminding yourself it’s just a game can diffuse tension and help you stay grounded.

5. Set Process Goals, Not Outcome Goals

Instead of obsessing over score, focus on things you can control—like tempo, alignment, or course management. This shift in mindset can reduce frustration when things don’t go perfectly.

6. Keep Perspective

Ask yourself: “Will I remember this shot a week from now?” If not, it’s probably not worth the outburst. Golf is a lifelong game—one bad hole doesn’t define you.

Golf Is an Emotional Game—But It’s Also a Teacher

Every round presents an opportunity—not just to shoot a lower score, but to practice patience, resilience, and grace under pressure. Yes, moments like Adam Hadwin’s sprinkler smash are dramatic. But they’re also human.

The key isn’t to avoid frustration altogether—it’s learning how to respond to it.

So next time you chunk a wedge or lip out a birdie putt, take a breath. Channel your inner pro—not the angry one—and move on to the next shot with purpose.

Because in golf, as in life, how you handle the tough moments says more than any scorecard ever could.

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The Bogey Man’s Guide to Accidental Course Exploration: Or, How I Found My Ball (Eventually) in the Rough of Life

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Ah, golf. The gentle game of precision, patience, and occasionally, profound personal humiliation. You know, the kind that makes you question all your life choices, particularly the one where you decided to spend your Saturday morning chasing a tiny white ball around 18 acres of manicured torture.

Boo here, reporting live from the depths of a particularly thorny patch of “rough” that I’m fairly certain wasn’t on the course map. My mission? To recount a tale of a golf shot so spectacularly off-target, it became less about breaking par and more about breaking new ground. Literally.

It was a glorious Tuesday. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and my swing felt… well, it felt like something. I was on the par-4 7th, a hole notorious for its deceptive dogleg and a bunker that swallows balls faster than a hungry teenager devours pizza. My plan was simple: a nice, controlled fade, landing gently just short of the green. A textbook approach, really.

What actually happened was less “textbook” and more “abstract expressionism.” My driver, bless its misguided heart, decided that “fade” was merely a suggestion, and “controlled” was a concept best left to professional pilots. The ball, a brand-new, gleaming Titleist Pro V1 (because, you know, optimism), launched with the trajectory of a startled pheasant and veered sharply right. So sharply, in fact, it cleared the cart path, hopped over the maintenance shed, and disappeared into what I can only describe as a dense, untamed jungle previously known as “the woods bordering the 7th fairway.”

Now, a lesser golfer, a more sensible golfer, might have declared it lost, taken a drop, and moved on with their dignity mostly intact. But I, dear readers, am Mr. Bogey Man. And the Bogey Man doesn’t abandon his children, especially when they cost $5 a pop.

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PING Hoofer

So, armed with a 7-iron (optimism again, clearly), a profound sense of misplaced determination, and a faint hope that perhaps a deer had picked it up and was using it as a chew toy, I plunged into the abyss.

The first five minutes were a blur of tangled vines, unseen roots, and the distinct feeling that I was being watched by small, judgmental woodland creatures. My pristine golf shoes quickly became mud-caked relics. My carefully tucked-in shirt became a casualty of low-hanging branches. I swear, I heard a squirrel snicker.

Then, a glimmer! A flash of white amidst the green. “Aha!” I cried, startling a family of robins. I pushed through a particularly stubborn bush, only to find… a discarded plastic water bottle. My heart sank faster than my last putt from 3 feet.

I pressed on, muttering to myself about the unfairness of golf, the existential dread of lost balls, and whether it was too late to take up competitive napping. Just as I was about to give up and declare the ball a permanent resident of the arboreal underworld, I saw it. Nestled perfectly at the base of an ancient oak, gleaming defiantly, was my Pro V1.

The triumph! The sheer, unadulterated joy! It was like finding the Holy Grail, if the Holy Grail was spherical and prone to slicing. I carefully extracted it, brushed off a few leaves, and held it aloft.

Then I looked around. I had no idea where I was. The fairway was a distant, hazy memory. The cart path? A myth. I was utterly, gloriously lost.

It took another fifteen minutes of bushwhacking, a brief but intense wrestling match with a particularly aggressive thistle, and the accidental discovery of what I’m pretty sure was a very old, very moldy sandwich, but I eventually stumbled back onto the course. My playing partners, who had long since finished the hole and were contemplating sending out a search party (or at least ordering another round of drinks), looked at me with a mixture of pity and amusement.

My score on the 7th? Let’s just say it involved a number that would make a mathematician weep. But the story? The adventure? The sheer ridiculousness of it all? Priceless.

So, the next time your ball decides to take an unscheduled tour of the local flora and fauna, don’t despair. Embrace it. See it as an opportunity for accidental exploration. You might not break 80, but you’ll definitely have a story. And isn’t that what golf is really about? (Besides the frustration, the lost balls, and the occasional snickering squirrel, of course.)

Until next time, keep those swings (mostly) in bounds, and remember: even a bogey can be an adventure.

Boo

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Make watching golf more interesting.

Does the idea of sports betting intimidate you? Stick with me and learn how to make watching sports with your partner more engaging and fun.

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Hey there, ClickItGolf fam!

I’m the Sports Betting Babe, and I’m here to shake up your Sundays and sprinkle a little extra thrill on your tee times. I know most of the guys on here already love golf, but this one’s for the ladies, especially those of you who’ve been watching golf with your boyfriend or hubby and secretly thinking, “Wait, can I actually bet on this stuff?”

The answer is yes, you absolutely can and you should.

I’m going to make golf betting super easy to understand, a little sexy, and a whole lot of fun. You don’t need to be a pro or know who won the Ryder Cup in 1999. You just need to know how to make smart, simple bets and enjoy the ride.

Let’s Start with the Basics: How to Bet on Golf

Betting on golf is like picking your favorite brunch spot. You check the vibe, pick someone reliable, and hope it all works out. Here are the easiest ways to get started:

1. Pick the Winner (Outright)

This one’s like calling your shot. You’re betting on who will win the whole tournament. Odds are listed next to each golfer. For example, +1200 means a $10 bet would win you $120. Favorites are usually listed around +800 to +1400 and less favorites, or long shots, are usually +5000 and up. Big swings, big rewards.

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2. Top 5 / Top 10 Finish

If you’re not ready to go all-in, no worries. These bets are like hedging your weekend plans – low commitment, still fun. Bet on a golfer to finish strong (in the top 5 or 10) instead of winning outright. It’s a safer bet, but still gives you a reason to cheer all weekend long.

3. Matchups

This one’s juicy. Sportsbooks will pit two golfers against each other, and you just pick which one finishes higher. 

For example, if you see a matchup like Viktor Hovland vs. Tony Finau, and you think Viktor is trending hotter, bet on him to beat Tony. Even if neither of them wins, if Viktor finishes 8th and Tony finishes 9th, you win. It’s a simpler way to stay engaged without needing to track the entire tournament field because even if they’re not winning the tournament, you’re winning your bet. It’s low drama, high payoff.

Bonus? It’s a perfect way to gain low-key bragging rights during Sunday brunch.

4. Live Bets

Tournaments stretch over four days. That means the odds shift, players rise and fall, and you can jump in with bets mid-tourney. It’s like shopping sales in real time—see who’s hot in real time and grab the value before it’s gone.

Why Women Should Love Golf Betting

Golf is the perfect sport to ease into betting. It’s slow enough to follow, exciting enough to matter, and gives you tons of chances to win over the weekend. Plus, nothing gets a guy’s attention like a woman who casually drops, “I’ve got Rickie to finish top 10. Let’s go.”

You don’t need to know every stat or swing path. You just need to be curious, confident, and down to learn. The goal? Make betting approachable for women and show the guys we can hold our own.

Why I Love ClickItGolf

ClickItGolf is all about making golf more fun and accessible and I’m all about the same. Whether you’re here for gear deals, course perks, or just that perfect swing tip, this site is your clubhouse. Adding a little betting action into the mix? That’s just next-level fun.

So, ladies go grab your iced coffee, fire up the PGA app, and get ready to make golf weekends a lot more interesting.

Follow me here at ClickItGolf or on Instagram @sportsbettingbabe_official and let’s turn birdies into bankroll.

See you on the green (and in the winner’s circle).

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Meet the Sports Betting Babe: ClickitGolf’s Newest Voice Bringing Style, Smarts, and a Whole Lot of Fun to the Game

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Hey ClickitGolf family,

I’m thrilled to introduce someone who’s about to shake up your sports weekends in the best way possible.

She’s smart, stylish, funny, and knows her way around a betting slip—please welcome The Sports Betting Babe to the ClickitGolf crew.

Now before you assume this is just another picks column or dry rundown of odds, let me stop you right there. The Sports Betting Babe is anything but ordinary. She’s not here to act like a Vegas oddsmaker or overwhelm you with stats. She’s here to make sports betting fun, flirty, and totally approachable—especially for the ladies.

So who is she?

She’s the kind of woman who can turn heads at a cocktail party in heels one night, then toss on a tee and jeans the next morning to watch a game on the couch with wings and a cold beer. She’s sharp, relatable, and yes she actually loves sports. Not the fake kind of “I’m just here for the vibes” love, but the “I scream at the TV when my parlay falls apart in the 4th quarter” kind of love.

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She lives for big Sunday slates, nail-biter golf finishes, buzzer-beaters, and 9th-inning home runs.

But here’s the best part, her mission is to bring more women into the sports conversation, and she’s doing it through betting.

Betting… but make it fun and responsible

The Sports Betting Babe isn’t trying to be your gambling guru. She’s not claiming to have inside info on who’s winning the Masters or who’s hitting a triple-double tonight. What she is doing is giving you the tools, confidence, and attitude to get in the game and have a damn good time doing it.

She believes sports betting can be empowering. It’s a way to connect, to learn, and yes, to make Sunday brunch with your partner a little more competitive. She’s all about responsible fun, setting limits, understanding your bets, and never taking it too seriously.

More Than Just Golf

Yes, she’ll be writing about golf betting often (because we are ClickitGolf after all), but don’t be surprised when she drops takes on NFL Sundays, March Madness upsets, NHL playoff runs, and MLB long shots. She’s a cornucopia of sports knowledge, and she’s bringing it all to the table served with a smile and a wink.

Her First Article Drops Tomorrow

Her debut piece hits the site tomorrow:
👉 “Ladies, Let’s Bet on Golf—Your Intro from the Sports Betting Babe”

It’s part pep talk, part how-to, and all personality. Whether you’ve never placed a bet in your life or you’ve been riding parlays for years, this one’s for you.

Follow Her Journey

Want more from The Sports Betting Babe?
You can follow her on Instagram at @sportsbettingbabe_official for daily takes, behind-the-scenes fun, and maybe the occasional outfit inspo for your next girls’ night and game day.

We couldn’t be more excited to welcome her to the team. Get ready for bold opinions, plenty of laughs, and a whole new way to fall in love with sports.

Stay tuned,
Bobby

#ClickItGolf #SportsBettingBabe #GolfBetting #SportsBettingForWomen #SmartIsSexy #GameDayFun #ResponsibleGaming

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