This is an awesome thread. It helps to see that it happens to all of us, even Pros and we have to drop it, shake it off, and come back with a plan.

I don't know how often you practice or play 18, but sometimes its best to take a break and come back fresh in a week or so.

My last two rounds of 2011 were like that. It was very frustrating. When that happens to me, I get to the range as son as I can, and try to slow everything down. Once I start making good contact again, and my confidence starts to get back to normal, I slowly take my swings back to normal speed. I ended the year with some of the worst golf in years, but since then, I have played some of my best golf yet.

I would go play another round and not keep score. Just hit the ball around the course and have fun. Then your next round should be better.

I did something similar last season, shot 81 in the first round of my club championship. My problem was simply expecting too much and trying to hard to force it.

My advice would be to go out again, and play within yourself. Make a conscious attempt to not hit anything too hard, aim for the middle of every green and take your medicine when you get in trouble.

It happens, don't let it get you down.

British Open 2010

Rory McIlroy shoots 63 in opening round, follows with 80 day 2....

It happens to EVERYBODY!

This.

When I have "one of those days", I usually try to take a day off from golf. Just do something else entirely and get some distance from the debacle. You gotta try to not let it weigh you down or give it more weight/value than it has. You had a rough 4-5 hour stretch where everything went wrong. **** happens.

Thing is that just like one good round doesn't make mean you are golfer, one bad round doesn't make you a poor golfer. We all have off-days.

Some days you just don't have it. I shot in the low 100s earlier this summer on a Sat and shot my career low of 81 the next day...go figure. When that happens to me, I just try to forget it. Sometimes, the more you think about it, the worse it'll get.

I have my old power fade coming back from a lack of playing, and in these times I just try to focus on my short iron and short game. I figure that I can get it close enough to make quite a few pars on a good day. On an off day, I'll just to what Damaikis said and not keep score and hack it around.

This seems to work best for me too.

I've had a few days like this and it's usually due to lack of concentration. I'll get lazy with my arms and not stay down on the ball through the swing. It takes a few holes to shake out of it and get back on track. Let us know how you follow up on your next round. Good Luck

If you figure it out, please share the answer with the rest of us!!

I have been there so many times I cannot count them. I was just posting in another thread how I was playing some great golf just 6 weeks ago, and now I cannot get the clubface onto the ball. Usually I take a few days off, and then when I do get back out to a range I start out with some short game shots and try to get the feel back. When I start taking full swings, I just try to make contact and don't think about distance at all.

That said, I'm in a pretty serious swing funk right now.

I play 18 at least twice a week, play 9 another once or twice and normally practice every night in some way (have a paddock out the back of my house that I practice my short game in). I actually have a pretty solid short game and I was still striking my wedges really well today. It was with anything longer than a PW that I was struggling with. Think I may take my irons out to the driving range tonight. I'm more one of those get back on the horse straight away kinda people. The more I think about it the more I think I just got myself into a bad place mentally. It really is true that the game is 90% mental.

It happens! Every time I think I'm making really good progress and becoming a consistent golfer, I have a round that goes really bad like that. I just get back out there and try not to let it bother me. My game usually comes right back. It's just a bad day mentally for whatever reason. We all have those days.

I always find it hard to come back after I shoot a really good round and do the same. I think we over try and press ourselves. We get so pumped up we forget to relax and play one shot at a time. Just don't let it get in your head. I have even seen the Pros shoot an awesome round and then hack it up the next day. It's pretty much a mental game anyway and when we try to hard it backfires.

Welcome to the game of golf that we are all trying to figure out. It amazes me to watch PGA players go out and shoot 65, 67 the first 2 days and then shoot 74, 76 the last 2. Crazy, crazy game.

How do you come back from an absolute shocker?
 

I went and played 18 today. When I got to the course I was feeling really good, the last round I played I broke 80 for the first time in a very long time. My confidence was through the roof. I had a few warm up swings in the nets and felt really good.
Went to the first hole, a par 5 and bogied it. Didn't even deserve that, should have been a double or a tripple just got lucky with a chip in. Then it went down hill from there. I didn't hit one GIR, didn't get a single par and ended up shooting 104 for the day. In just a couple of days my game went from 79 to 104. No matter what I did I couldn't hit the ball right.
Could it have been overconfidence? I was paired with a really annoying guy but normally that kind of thing doesn't affect my game. What do you do to come back from a round like that? I have mechanisms in place to cope when I mess up one hole but messing an entire round up like that just shoots your confidence.

Some great suggestions and this same exact thing just happened to me yesterday. I have no answers, but will be trying several of the suggestions you get. I have shot around 80 all year long, sometimes slightly above or below, but go out yesterday and knock down a sweet 101, lol. Honestly, I think a week off and some other distractions just might do the trick.

It just wasn't your day, the first hole sounded tough and things just snowballed. I think getting back on the horse is the way to go, especially for as often as you play. I hope you ironed out the irons tonight.

Which one was the Shocker? The 79?