I used to get angry and frustrated on the course. After reading Rotella's books, I realized how much fun this game can be once you truly assess your ability and set proper expectations. The game lures you in. You start playing better and if you're not careful, you may start thinking you can hit solid shots at will. I remember the 1st time I broke 80. I thought, OK, I'm at that level now. It was almost a year before it happened again. I was trying way to hard to be a player that shoots in the 70s i found that once I realized that zero practice and all play, my true potential only shows up about 20% of the rounds, and I relaxed, accepting that and expecting it. More fun now, and I started playing better in a relaxed state. If you can convince yourself you don't care what you shoot, the state of mind is awesome.
Another game I play in my head after realizing I'm having another off day is "let's see what I kind of score I can cobble together with today's swing". I chocke down, club up and get into course mgmnt, scramble mode. I have buddies who mentally tank after one or two bad holes. I don't give up......it's fun trying to turn it around!
Like SWMBO says: golf is the only game that gives you 17 chances to start over.
I've always agreed with Barney Adams opinions on course design. My home course is a P.B. Dye-abolical design and from a rewarding standard, it is just plain stupid. It's a punishing design that sends well struck or even decent shots into the woods or water if those shots are off just a few yards. All greens are elevated, and there's forced carries everywhere. The white tees are 5800 yards and the damn slope is 133. Bad for growing the game. We have a neat executive ckurse in Ocala called Baseline. It's a par 62 (I think). It's a BLAST to play. Actually fun and beginners love it.