Do most golfers over complicate thngs?

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scottbrown

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There have been and currently are many discussions on here and every forum around swng mchanics, postures etc etc.

I have never had a lesson and only really grip checks etc from scratch golfers that I play with but knock it around consistantly this year to mid 70s.Currently off 6, but should make cat 1 this year.

I am a firm believer in find a way t get it round that works and stick to it.
I play a par 72 sss 72 course of about 6500 yards so not an easy track.

Do some golfers just have far too many thoughts going on to actually be able to improve?

This may sond harsh but anyone over 20 years old that is still playing off double digits is never going to e a pro so why all the lessons etc?

This is not a dig at anyone as live and let live and all that, just a genuine interest.
 
The thing is with golf is you have a handicap, which is a measurement and everything in golf has figures against it.

You may be good at football, rugby, badminton,squash but generally in that you just win a match. In golf you can lose a match, hit your best score by a mile and come off ecstatic.

Due to par/handicap/stableford and lots of other things centred around figures you always want to improve, as there is a bar/standard that is measurable.

We'll fall for any guff also. :)
 
Yes. Most golfers do. it isn't a complicated game, despite what many post on this forum.
 
Im over twenty years old by a long ,long ,long way , never going to be pro as you say but would love to get down as low as i`m capable of going for my own satisfaction , who knows how good or rubbish i may turn out to be because i`ve only been playing for a year and 6 months of that was pitch and putt , basically i wanna beat my mate apart from that im happy to be out on the golf course playing
 
I think it depends on what you are looking for and what your expectations are. if you want to get to single figures etc then I suspect that you do have to complicate things to achieve the technical skill that you need.

If, like me, you are in it for the fun of just playing golf then it is easy to over complicate things. I have started lessons again but the instruction is that I am just looking for some improvement and, more importantly, consistancy. I did not want my swing taken apart and started from scratch, I just want some (hopefully) small changes that will help me play to my handicap more, maybe lose a few shots off it and generally just improve my enjoyment of the game.
 
everybody wants to be as good as they can be - your post does more than infer that to me with your statements re your own ability!

so they take an interest in the factors they perceive will help them in that endeavor.

they may over complicate things from time to time, focus energy where it isn't going to deliver the big gains and talk balls about balls, but the end of it is a reflection of the wish to improve.
 
scottbrown said:
This may sond harsh but anyone over 20 years old that is still playing off double digits is never going to e a pro so why all the lessons etc?
Click to expand...

Because one of the really, really annoying things about this game is that every now and again even a high handicapper will hit a perfect shot that a tour pro would be proud of.

This invariably leads to the thought of 'well if I can do it once I can do it again'

Hence lessons, hours on the range and spunking hundreds on the latest fully adjustable, high inertia, carbon ceramic wonder club.

It would be a bit boring if it wasnt like this though!

My target is to get to single figures which is perfectly achievable for me. Its just fun trying to improve at a very difficult game.
 
scottbrown said:
There have been and currently are many discussions on here and every forum around swng mchanics, postures etc etc.

I have never had a lesson and only really grip checks etc from scratch golfers that I play with but knock it around consistantly this year to mid 70s.Currently off 6, but should make cat 1 this year.

I am a firm believer in find a way t get it round that works and stick to it.
I play a par 72 sss 72 course of about 6500 yards so not an easy track.

Do some golfers just have far too many thoughts going on to actually be able to improve?

This may sond harsh but anyone over 20 years old that is still playing off double digits is never going to e a pro so why all the lessons etc?

This is not a dig at anyone as live and let live and all that, just a genuine interest.
Click to expand...


You are clearly a pretty talented guy and I would think from your questioning you have never had to try that hard or practice that much so you have a swing that works for you and you can trust. How much can go wrong when you have skill and are in control?

I am a crap golfer, I have no talent at all but I dearly love the game, it is a very important part of my life. I am 37 this year, I have been playing 8-10 years and will never be a pro, nor do I want to be. I do however want to be better than I am now, I enjoy talking about golf, I really enjoy practising golf and learning about the golf swing. I am quite happy to spend the rest of my life trying to be better than I am. If I were you though I would not play golf, I would have see that I am good at it, it would have won a few comps and become board.

Its a quest, at times it is complicated because I try to educate myself and in the past I have over complicated it but its a quest and for me one that will never end, its part of the charm of the game.


Hope this somewhat explains your question.
 
scottbrown said:
There have been and currently are many discussions on here and every forum around swng mchanics, postures etc etc.

I have never had a lesson and only really grip checks etc from scratch golfers that I play with but knock it around consistantly this year to mid 70s.Currently off 6, but should make cat 1 this year.

I am a firm believer in find a way t get it round that works and stick to it.
I play a par 72 sss 72 course of about 6500 yards so not an easy track.

Do some golfers just have far too many thoughts going on to actually be able to improve?

This may sond harsh but anyone over 20 years old that is still playing off double digits is never going to e a pro so why all the lessons etc?

This is not a dig at anyone as live and let live and all that, just a genuine interest.
Click to expand...

The real question is if someone told you could play off scratch if you took some lessons would you do it or consider it?
 
Yes I do think we over think it. Well I do/did. But its fun to talk about golf and all its bits.

But back to the over thinking bit. I first started hitting a golf ball at 7/8 years old. With no thought or fear. I always had an eye for a ball. Not a boast just a fact. got down to a low single figure handicap. Never really gave any thought to the swing, right up to when I stopped playing though injury. It had stopped being fun and hurt to much plus my handicap had drifted out to 14.

Anyway came back to golf around 12 months ago. Older wiser. I wish, older yes but wiser, turns out to be no. Really started to think and study the swing(big mistake). Only the other week I was thinking why do I hit driver so well but the irons rubbish. Came to the conclusion I expect to hit the driver well. Ok not every one goes right. But the thing is I expect it to. So I just swing no thought no fear. But then as I walk to the ball I'm thinking about my rubbish iron play. Saying to myself right do this do that etc. So when I'm stood over it there are so many things going on I make a total mess of it.

The last 2 round I have just said to myself no more swing thought. Just swing have fun and to hell where the ball goes. Suddenly I am hitting my irons great. So no more thoughts on the course for me. They belong on the practise ground only.

Sorry this is such a long ramble just to say Yes I over think the game.
 
Great thread Scott :thup: As someone who has been guilty of this you are spot on. I actually I think more of it stems from the time of life a lot of people get into the game as well as the nature of the game. I was pretty good at sport as a kid. Never got the chance to play rugby at school (was a hockey goalkeeper) but played it at university. Though I had coaching and did drills what made me better was playing the game: whether that was kickabouts/street cricket, small sided games in training or full matches.

Cricket is a great example: bowling/batting in the nets is great practice but not a true simulation of the game.

I think because golf is an individual sport, with lots of kit, measurable performance (as astutely mentioned above) and played in later life when we are less free spirited and blase that it naturally lends itself to obsession and overcomplication. That said it keeps me very happy indeed :)
 
Do MOST golfers over complicate things?

Most would mean majority? then the answer is No.

The minority (that's us forumers) over complicate things sometimes... generally because 90% of what is posted is WRONG and that leads to more trouble :D

I would add that 99% of us here would like to improve, in order to do so there's questions we would like to ask... this could easily be misinterpreted as 'making things more complicated' however that may not be the case as often it can make things EASIER for the postee :D

Better players definitely like to talk amongst themselves (shared thoughts/advice/feelings etc)... whereas crap players talk about something else! :clap:
 
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The ones I play with at the club don't, but the majority on here seem to.

Must admit since I put Justone on 'ignore' I don't see many technical threads now.:whistle:
 
Sadly any sporting prowess I've had ( had a modicum of success in footie and cricket) particularly golf I've had to work at. I'm not a natural sportsman. I have lessons on a regular basis and beleive I can still get to single figures. I don't really care what people think about whether I make it hard, take too many lessons etc. I am happy to plough my own furrow, believe in what my pro is working with me on, and see where I get to that way. I am enjoying my practicing a lot and my golf even more.

I think if you ask Hawkeye and those that see me play regularly I am hitting it as well in 2012 as I have done for a number of years.
 
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