Dilemma time.

[Andy808]

So it's been a while since I have posted or even visited the site but I have been having a personal conundrum running around in my head and need some advice from my friends on here.
When I became captain last November our Pro offered me a series of free lessons so we have a better chance of getting to the captain pro challenge at the end of the year. Obviously I agreed as he's a great teacher and who would turn down free lessons.
All started well enough and I was in the full knowledge that it would take a while for any swing changes to take full effect even with me putting a lot of practice time in.
I have put in more time than I think I can remember and it's getting worse not better now.
I have gone from a fade of 5 to 10 yards with the occasional slice to a draw or a straight pull or a hideous snap hook.
My scores are getting worse too. My first stableford was 31 points but I wasn't worried as it was only a week after all this started. My next medal was +27 again not too many weeks after we embarked on the swing rebuild. I have since shot stablefords of 29 and 27 points with not even the slightest sniff of a 2 or anything worse putting the card in for. My medals have been worse with a 29 over and my worst round since coming back to playing of +37!
Now I don't mind not playing well or the scores being a bit rubbish but this is getting beyond a joke now. I have spoken to our pro and he has looked at it and he said my swing is really coming along but what's the point in having a lovely swing that you can't use for toffee to which I get told to stick with it.
The guy I played with on Saturday in the stableford plays off 27 and when we played in the mens matchplay knockout I beat him 7 and 6 but when I looked at the cards after we played he would have been dormie 6 to beat me!
I'm still putting well with around 28 putts a round but the rest of it is pretty crud.
I play this game for fun, which it's not for me anymore. As the advert says "When the fun stops, stop!"
I really am at the point of giving the game up.
Do I or don't I?

 

[Hobbit]

Sometimes lessons don't work. Sometimes you just can't do what the pro is trying to get you to do. Just stop having them, and go out and play with freedom and your old swing.

About 15 years ago, after languishing around 4 for an eternity, I booked a series of lessons with a well respected teaching pro who also had a few European tour players on his books. After a few months I was shooting in the 90's and my handicap was going up after each Medal. I decided that I needed to return to my old swing. It took a couple of months to get rid of the conflicting swing thoughts before normal service was resumed.

Perhaps the most improved golfer, following swing changes, was Nick Faldo. Sandy Lyle also tried it at the same time, and went from being one of the best golfers in Europe to one of the worst. More recently, Martin Kaymer is an example that sometimes it just doesn't suit your game to make wholesale changes.

Don't give up the game, just give up the lessons.

 

[Imurg]

Pressure of Captaincy..?

 

[Oddsocks]

I would personally just it obits merits for validation

Are the good ones a lot better than your old swing?

Has your ball striking improved?

These are 2 key questions I would be asking. If for example your old drives were 225 and your new ones when right are 250 then there has to be some merit in the pro's ethos.

I'm using the above as one example but no doubt there are many more. If you have been playing 10years plus, I reckon a complete swing rebuild could take 6 months?

 

[Carpfather1]

Last summer I went to a local pro for my first ever lessons after hitting a bit of a brick wall with my golf and wanting to drop my handicap ect (mid 20 cap then).he ripped me to shreds changed my grip changed my take away with the club changed my swing the works.i had a horrid good 3 months after this it got to the stage I couldn't hit a ball and kept saying im going back to my old swing ect,but I kept at it everything he had me doing felt awful but I stuck at it all winter.in the new year I started to shoot some better scores hitting some solid irons shots and some more consistant ball striking which gave me a more consistant gentle fade at the end of all my shots rather than a massive draw or hook which I conuldnt control at all. Now all the new things he had me doing feel natural to me I could never go back to my old swing and grip it would feel awfull I just stuck at it and grinded it out and kept saying there's light at the end of the tunnel ,well anyway with a better aproach with course management,more consistant swing and practice with purpose my handicap has come down to 11 and im consistantly shooting in the low 80s now .next target is break into The 70s so my advice keep at it and it will click and you'll look back and say im glad I done that now .

 

[Three]

Bear in mind that the Pro would probably secretly be delighted if he didn't have to teach you for free any more.
Just don't bother with any more lessons, tell him you're busy, win win.

 

[Andy808]

Oddsocks, yes the good ones are better but they are becoming few and far between. No my ball striking hasn't changed as I have always struck the ball well.
Imurg, ha ha. No there is very little pressure being captain as at our place all your hard work is done as vice captain.
Three, after helping him win 12 grand at the Lombard 18 months ago, doing a lot of work for him on the driving range for free they aren't exactly "free".
I don't know maybe I'm just tired of putting cards in the bin rather than having something worth putting them in for. In those 5 cards I only have about 10 pars and a few birdies which I have been known to do in one round.

 

[Three]

When I became captain last November our Pro offered me a series of free lessons so we have a better chance of getting to the captain pro challenge....

Well we can only comment on what you wrote.

 

[Canmore]

I would hang on in there - it will come good eventually - I went to a new pro and had my grip, stance, takeaway etc chnaged

I was actually hitting ball much straighter and with a better strike on the range but it didn't translate to good scores on the course for a while - think it was due to not being confident with direction / distance changes

Anyway after a season of 0.1 increases - I started to reap the rewards and getting decent cuts

I have to say it was depressing sometimes but I don't regret sticking with it

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Tricky one. Personally I'd persevere and go back to the pro and go back over the issues. However if you are struggling it can be soul destroying and I can see how you're getting frustrated. Perhaps have a teaching and practice hiatus for two months, just go and play free of swing thoughts and see how the game goes

 

[dufferman]

Have you had playing lessons with your pro?

 

[SocketRocket]

Has your Pro not explained why you are now hitting these shots that are creating your problems. Seems to me he's not being a lot of help to you.

Regarding your problems it sounds to me that you have either strengthened your grip too much and/or you are dropping the club too much inside

 

[Andy808]

I will be speaking to him but he's not back until Tuesday as he's been in Florida trying to qualify for the US open. Sadly he failed by just two shots.

As soon as we have a chance we are going to have to have a serious conversation about how it's really going not how we hope it will turn out in the end.

 

[Sats]

I'd agree that a beautiful swing is fruitless next to a functioning swing. Also I'm never a fan of the idea that you'll get worse before you get better mantra when it comes to lessons - apply this to anything in life and you'd build a reputation of being a poor teacher. Surely, by having lessons you'd then improve?

 

[dougajmcdonald]

I would say that confidence is a big factor in scores. Making the correct decisions and executing them only comes from knowing you're going to make it.

If you're not confident or happy with your swing at the moment then the scores will likely suffer as indecision sets in.

If you're prepared to continue to work through this patch I would suspect things will come good again. I have had a similar experience over the winter where my swing felt like it went backwards, but things are now looking up.

It depends if you are happy to score badly for a while and stubbornly work away at it, or if you were 100% happy beforehand. The fact you agreed to have a set of lessons suggests you felt you had areas which could improve. If that's still the case, stick with it.

 

[Andy808]

Quick update.
Well it's getting better after a chat with the assistant pro and we have adjusted a couple of things so the new swing is a hybrid of the old swing and what the pro wanted me to do. It's certainly working better with a +2 gross back nine of Friday with back to back birdies to boot.

Will have to see what he has to say tomorrow but I'm not going backwards again this close to the summer season.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Has your Pro not explained why you are now hitting these shots that are creating your problems. Seems to me he's not being a lot of help to you.

Regarding your problems it sounds to me that you have either strengthened your grip too much and/or you are dropping the club too much inside

Could be this, I find after a lesson its VERY easy to take the advice and overapply it.

If you strengthen a grip it can go TOO strong. If you take away on the inside more you can take TOO much on the inside.

As a feeling becomes more normal our mind strives to get the "new" feeling, which by that point is past where you want to be.


Last question would be how much do you practice at home or away from the range? I dont mean with a ball, I mean sitting on the sofa gripping a club or checking stance and posture in a mirror every night.

 

[Cheifi0]

Quick update.
Well it's getting better after a chat with the assistant pro and we have adjusted a couple of things so the new swing is a hybrid of the old swing and what the pro wanted me to do. It's certainly working better with a +2 gross back nine of Friday with back to back birdies to boot.

Will have to see what he has to say tomorrow but I'm not going backwards again this close to the summer season.

Good to see that there are some good scores in there. Personally I think for a major swing change to work you need to feel like all your hard work is leading somewhere which is all part of been a good coach, if there's no light at the end of the tunnel it can be very demoralising. It's also beneficial to have shorter lessons at more frequent intervals to make sure you are actually doing the movements that you think you are. Often only slight changes to one of your movements can have a dramatic impact on your consistency. Another thing I decided was that I wouldn't do any major changes during the season because trying to figure things out in a comp round can destroy any confidence you have and lead to some. I would take the swing that you have through to the end of the season and then reassess after that.