Opinion & Analysis

My battle with bipolar golf

Published

14 years ago

Sep 17, 2012

Matt Stansfield

By Matt Stansfield

GolfWRX Contributor

When we as golfers first hear someone describe their round by saying, “I played a little bipolar golf today,” we generally associate that with the ups and downs we all experience during a typical round of golf. It’s common expression that for others has a different meaning altogether having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

I played round-after-round of what people refer to as “bipolar golf,” but I didn’t know until recently that the ups and downs I was experiencing mentally on the golf course were actually caused due to my being bipolar. It was a diagnosis that came recently, but it gave me an opportunity to look back on my golf career and see where the challenges I’ve faced mentally on the golf course would be looked upon differently. In the moment, I had blamed it on whatever negative event that was happening in my life at the time and tried to brush it off in order to prevent myself from letting my round spiral out of control. I didn’t realize that I needed to go through the necessary treatment to put me in a position to regain my mental focus both on the range and on the course.

A Google search of ‘golfers and bipolar disorder’ will give you hundreds of success stories of golfers who have been able to overcome their bipolar disorder and achieve their golfing goals whatever they were for each respective individual. After reading a number of them, I started to see how valuable a tool these stories are not only to people that are suffering from bipolar disorder but for every golfer that’s struggling with the mental side of their game.

Golfers need to have the ability to shift their focus during a round. They do this by maintaining their routine on every shot and while visualizing every aspect of their shots. It helps to visualize how’s the wind going to change the flight of this ball, how’s the lie going to change the trajectory, how’s the slope going to change the yardage of the shot, etc. If you start putting this into practice on the range, you may be surprised when you take that same approach onto the course.

It may give a whole new meaning to describing your round by saying, “I played a little bipolar golf today” as the tools discussed in these stories could be what’s needed within your own game to take it to the next level.

Click here for more discussion in the “General Golf Talk” forum.

Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

Published

5 days ago

Jun 5, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.

I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.

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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.

With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.

Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!

Club Junkie

Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast

Published

7 days ago

Jun 4, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.

Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.

If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.

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Club Junkie

Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie

Published

2 weeks ago

May 28, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.

I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.