Down to 7 in two years?

[jammydodger]

For me though the beauty is being able to work on your swing without going to the pro. I've spent hours and hours working through things on the range to groove what I think is a very repeatable swing. I have no idea what it looks like on video and couldnt care less tbh. I hit it long and can work it both ways at will , I work very hard at the short game and all the types of shot you need to score well.

I've had probably 5 lessons in 13 years ( 5 of those not even playing). I gained nothing but confusion from these , with pros telling me to change this and move that. I dont want a pros swing I want a good amateurs swing that will enable me to repeat it time and again.

I hardly ever practice my putting as I see this as the one part where I prefer to trust my feel and natural talent.

The biggest thing for me when getting down lower and lower is the mental aspect of golf. You have to learn to trust yourself in pressure situations and let the golf flow. No getting stroppy and cursing and club throwing. You cant play golf when angry or frustrated

 

[Screwback]

I've had probably 5 lessons in 13 years ( 5 of those not even playing). I gained nothing but confusion from these , with pros telling me to change this and move that. I dont want a pros swing I want a good amateurs swing that will enable me to repeat it time and again.

Jammydodger, Nail on the Head

This is the point i was trying to make earlier about pros trying to teach a pro like swing rather than a good repetitive amatuer swing.

 

[EaseNgrace]

I have always thought of myself as a natural in the sense that I learnt to play golf aged 4 just by watching other golfers like my Dad and brothers. They say I hit the ball well from the first time of trying, and I still to this day haven't had a lesson. I think the key to getting 'down to 7 in two years' for example, is not only having natural ability, but having the ability to shoot low scores, which I believe is a different thing entirely. This may sound stupid I know. I guess this is where the lessons come in, to have a coach/mentor working with you regularly to help apply the natural ability on the course and improve scoring and consistency by way of efficient methodology.
Too much of this 'swing thoughts' and tweaking the swing on the range way of thinking just confuses things and is more of a hinderance when it comes to good fluent golf IMO.
Now that i've written that, makes me think I ought to try it myself, then maybe i'd be playing off 7. Bloody hypocrite.

 

[Up_Point_1]

At the end of the day if you have the talent to get down to 7 then you'll get to 7. If you don't you wont.

Have a few lessons by all means to get the fundamentals sorted but it doesn't guarantee you single figure golf.

A guy at my club manages to maintain his scratch handicap throughout the year with no practice whatsoever. Yet, another guy at our club throws literally hundreds of pounds at the pro on lessons and by his own admission accepts he will never be better than an 28 handicapper.

Don't be swayed by the advice from the "know it all paralysis by analysis" brigade who insist on disecting every single minute detail of their golf swing in the quest for ultimate perfection. If they insist on checking: the temperature of their testicles, the angle of their penis at 4 o'clock, the time in Dubai, the current pound/euro exchange rate, the weather in the Faroe Isles, the angle of a protractor on a mole hill...................before making a golf swing I suggest they're in the wrong sport

If you have the talent you'll get there, if you don't you wont, simples.

At the end of the day enjoy it whatever level you get to and accept it for what it is.

 

[JustOne]

Don't be swayed by the advice from the "know it all paralysis by analysis" brigade who insist on disecting every single minute detail of their golf swing in the quest for ultimate perfection. If they insist on checking: the temperature of their testicles, the angle of their penis at 4 o'clock, the time in Dubai, the current pound/euro exchange rate, the weather in the Faroe Isles, the angle of a protractor on a mole hill...................before making a golf swing I suggest they're in the wrong sport

Ahhh, if only it were that simple. Put most golfers on the driving range when they are having a not so good hitting day.. they want to know what's wrong and what to do to put it right asap. If only it were that easy to fix ones own swing we would all be pro's.

 

[Smiffy]

With regular practice, lessons and playing more regularly, I reckon I could go from 12 to 18 in six months.
Somebody with natural ability could most probably go the other way.

 

[jammydodger]

If only it were that easy to fix ones own swing we would all be pro's.

I may have to disagree slilghtly here. You're assuming the swing was a pros standard swing in the first place. When I 'fix' my swing I get it back to what it was before (which is a good amateurs one) , not one thats going to earn me a living unfortunately.

I couldnt physically attain the 'pros' swing anyway , and most of us on here probably couldnt either

 

[Roops]

Goal setting is a great idea, however, beware. I spent most of this year listening to people tell me that my handicap would tumble and that I was much better than my handicap indicated. When it didn't happen, I started to wonder what the hell was going on.

Taking a step back, fogetting about the handicap and just playing and enjoying saw a cut straight away.

So my advice, set goals, but never at the expense of enjoyment. Learn to laugh at the duffed chips, let the poor shots go, this game is difficult enough without overburdening yourself with expectation.

 

[AMcC]

Have to agree with Roops, I also tended to focus too much on making a score, instead of just playing one shot at a time and seeing what happens. Just relax and enjoy.