All time Golfing low

[mickh68]

I feel at all time golfing low . Some days I can hardly hit a ball. I've gone from a decent 17 hc, to a complete hacker. The reason I couldn't get my handicap down , was because all to often I'd slice off the Tee & have no 2nd shot. So I've tried to rectify this . I've had a few lessons . 2 with a pro I felt got too ginicky & just filled my head with too many thoughts. & 1 lesson with Nigel Lee at chelsfield Lakes. I feel a lot happier with him , but am struggling to implement changes. I stayed & hit some balls after the lesson ,& have never hit it sweeter. Since then I have played 1 round & had a couple of practice sessions at range , & was simply awful.
This just a golfing cry for help & a little golfing cuddle , just wondering if any 1 else been through this. Some days I'm close to throwing the towel in.

 

[Hobbit]

30+ years ago I hit a low point, like you, slicing and after working at it for a few months nothing was improving. I deliberately put the clubs away for a couple of months, and when I came back the fault had gone.

 

[Crow]

Being rubbish after a lesson is pretty normal in my experience, even if immediately after I've hit a few balls and they're all going great.

Lots of possible reasons but the most likely is that immediatley after the lesson the changes were fresh in your mind and you could replicate them. The next day some of your old habits will have crept back without you noticing and while you think you're doing what was taught in the lesson, you might actually be doing something slightly different.

Even slight changes to the swing take a while to bed in so just persevere and it will pay off! :thup:

 

[Liverbirdie]

Lessons can take weeks and even longer to bed in, stick with it.

 

[mat100p]

Don't think your on your own mate feel the same myself this morning. Played well last weekend got big comp at silloth Sunday thought I fit in 9 last night after work for final practice and I shanked nearly ever iron I was near physical sick, came home got drunk and received no sympathy of the Mrs was up before the kids checking out shanking cures on YouTube at 6am, Mrs says I was practicing my swing in my sleep last night , which again received little sympathy off to range after work to try out the cure. If I shank it round silloth on Sunday clubs going in bin lives to sort . Good luck with your golfing troubles , bet we'll be back next weekend for more pain

 

[G1BB0]

I have been there since just before the TM fitting day, my swing is in tatters, confidence super low and right now I fancy swapping golf for tiddlywinks!

I have been ill all week and no golf this weekend as still got the swimming head syndrome so apart from coming on here plan to play no golf for the next 2 weeks, not look at any videos etc etc.

Take a break, its a hobby after all and should be fun, not a complete head (insert expletive)

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Stick with it, it will come. Changes take time and patience.

 

[bladeplayer]

This just a golfing cry for help & a little golfing cuddle , just wondering if any 1 else been through this. Some days I'm close to throwing the towel in.

yep got first lessons ever this year &the aftermath left me wanting to pack it in .. not blaming the pro by the way , im blaming a little knowledge being a dangerous thing in the wrong hands .. just as you said too many thoughts going on , geting in my own way on the course .. hopefuly coming through the other side ..

Just keep at it.. its a strange horrible battle but try remember its supose to fun & a way of relaxing ..

Good Luck

 

[Birchy]

Ive been having lessons and my game at the moment, ive just no idea what is gonna happen. Goes from the sublime to the ridiculous and when i get in a rut during a round i just cant snap out of it.

Played with a guy off scratch today and he said posture and position at top were lovely and im just lacking confidence. Was in bar while pro was having his dinner and he said its very close even though it feels miles away :lol:

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Had a shocking week with shanks and all sorts after feeling in the last few weeks it was right on the cusp. Lesson last night and corrected some fundamentals and in particular the posture. Played in the monthly stableford today and although I only got 26 points it didn't tell the whole story. I think from a low, a real low, I am climbing back up. The great thing with this game is there is always tomorrow. Keep working hard and believing and it will come

 

[full_throttle]

It takes time, I'm lucky I live very close to my club and can play every day, so after a lesson I can play a few times before the comps to bed in any changes. In the last 3 medals since my lessons I have shot under handicap and had 1.8 taken off me, buffer today is guaranteed, maybe another cut.

 

[Iaing]

I went through something similar last year about this time.
Don't put your sticks away. Get out on the course by yourself when it's quiet and think outside the box.
Golf shouldn't be about robotics, it should be about fun. If you've got 150 to the green, don't just automatically reach for your 7 iron or whatever. Visualise it and try to hit your 3 wood or hybrid that distance.
On your longest par 4 or 5, hit a short iron off the tee instead of driver. Get a bit of feel for the ball.
Do what the pro's do when they're playing a practice round and drop some balls in some difficult spots around the greens.
Above all try to have fun!

 

[mickh68]

Cheers lads . It's a mental game that drives us mental, yet we keep going back. I'll persevere , what don't kill you makes you stronger & all that .

 

[chrisd]

Keep plugging away at the right things and a good swing will return. Most problems I see seem to stem from players trying to wack the ball far too hard, good rhythm and slow the swing might be all you need to do

 

[Fader]

I feel the pain being felt by the OP & others in this thread. Worked hard through the winter to develop some consistency was hitting the superb on the range but since I've taken it all to the course I just don't know how my swings meant to feel. It's now entered into my short game to.

For every good swing or good hole it's followed by several bad ones that feel like I've no idea how to play the game! Yesterday prime example first tee split the fairway with a good drive, followed by a topped 7 iron, pulled 9 iron and fat pitch into bunker for a blobbed first hole. It wet that way all the way round pulls, hooks, slices, fats the lot then on the 13th eureka moment smashed the driver right up into greenside bunker, splashed out 1 putt birdie happy days! Walked onto the 14th tee happy and pull hooked my drive oob down the road! 3 off the tee sliced into a new post code area of fodder! It continued that way again!

Some serious work needs doing not just on my patchwork swing but on my confidence to! Sad times

 

[Keyser Soze]

Only had one lesson before, then the first round after that was woefull. I think you have so many things going round in your head that you cant concentrate properly ! JUst out of interest, is it only your driver your slicing off the tee ? Maybe an idea to just try maybe a rescue club, hopefully hit that abit straighter and get some confidence back?

 

[Wolfman]

Been there myself a few times and same sort of fault slice

I had a few lessons but to be fair a lot of it is in the mind as well

For me I changed clubs ( course ) to where I had more friendly group to play ( less pressure ) and changed my clubs ( PING G25 )

Then I learnt to enjoy the game again and my game improved and the knowledge from my lessons started to make more sense

Each time I played I made slight adjustments and now my game is far better and I am scoring the best I have ever

The slice plagues most golfers and for me it can creep back in if I try to lash it

Most of the time its the upper half moving before the lower half in the downswing and this can take along time to change

If you slow your swing down to give yourself time to turn the lower half first you will see a change, I did it was a draw !

Once that is sorted you can then work on your short game

 

[Simbo]

It's quite common to get worse before you get better after lessons, you are breaking out of bad habits and grooving good ones, lessons make you think LOTS during your swing , trying to "feel" if you are implementing the changes etc. this feels odd and strange to your body and mental game because your not used to it. Often lessons can put a bit pressure on you because you think because you have had a lesson you should be better. They need time!!
I had a lesson when I first started and the pro changed my grip, my hand was sore for a full season!!! I hit the ball everywhere.!!!! I had a couple of lessons 2 years ago and for a full season I felt like I was fighting with the club/ball every time I went out, it was a lottery where the ball was going, I'm only now feeling the benefit of the lessons though and I'm controlling the ball much better than I was 2 years ago.
try not to think about it to much, practice hard. It will come in time.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Golf is work to some folk when it should be fun.
I stopped playing competitively a couple of years ago as I was so frustrated by inconsistency and the quality of my poor shots.
Eg last handicap was 15, last medal I played in I had 9 pars on the trot and scored in the high 80's.

High handicap golfers nowadays are now thinking about the technicalities of the sport way beyond their level of ken and ability.

Play for fun [like I do] for a few weeks. Just think about freedom to play the shot you see and hitting good shots. Ignore the bad shots. Once you get towards hitting about 20 really good shots in a round start thinking about playing in competitions again.

Think about the shepherd in the field hitting small rocks with his crook.

 

[dazzio78]

I feel the pain being felt by the OP & others in this thread. Worked hard through the winter to develop some consistency was hitting the superb on the range but since I've taken it all to the course I just don't know how my swings meant to feel. It's now entered into my short game to.

The exact same thing has happened to me. Loads of lessons and practice over the winter on driving range mats and everything was feeling good. Now I'm out on the course it's a completely different story...headbanger!!