Feedback on expectations....

[Mike_Tour_Striker]

I am starting golf, aged 46... I have played for now 1 year and get lessons on a monthly basis. I practice 5 days a week.
My strike remains poor... I really struggle to get into the impact position.
My swing speed is also very slow... I have not played much sport before. I probably could swing 73 mph with a 6 iron, 88 mph with a driver.
I use TheStack to gain speed, but progress is slow.
I need realistic feedback as to what my expectations should be.
I am healthy, normal weight, but not overly athletic... I am generally active.
Any feedback?

 

[GreiginFife]

With a slow swing speed you may want to start with looking at soft shafts. Don’t be put off by senior flex just because you aren’t old.

A slow swing does not exclude you from golf.

 

[Pin-seeker]

Maybe get lessons with someone else.
If you’re getting regular lessons but feeling the need to ask for help from amateurs on a forum it’s not good.
Where are you based?
maybe someone can recommend a good pro to get lessons from.

 

[bobmac]

If your strike isn't very good, you may be swaying a little bit.
Try and keep your head still on the backswing, use video if possible.

 

[abjectplop]

Any interest in doing some gym work? That will increase your strength and flexibility though just like golf practice it needs commitment over a long period of time!
I can recommend Fit for Golf which has a range of workouts from simple 10 min home sessions with no weights, to a range of different routines for the gym.

And get some lessons too!

 

[Lord Tyrion]

What do you want out of the game? Low scores or the pleasure / challenge of the game, walk, social side?

I have a slow swing speed and a dodgy back which means that won't improve. I accept the distances I hit but try to make my ball striking as clean as I can. That's my big target each round. Good scores, relative to my ability, tends to follow clean hitting. I'm happy with that. Some get eaten up if they are not going to reach single figures or scratch. You need to realistically gauge where you are at and set mini targets at that point.

If you are having regular lessons and not hitting it well that suggests you aren't clicking with your pro. You could just be ignoring his advice, not deliberately, but I'd be tempted to try someone else. I'm not criticising the pro but if you aren't improving it indicates the advice is not getting through. Regular practice of the wrong thing isn't going to improve you.

 

[Skytot]

If your strike isn't very good, you may be swaying a little bit.
Try and keep your head still on the backswing, use video if possible.

Funny enough I’m reading a book at the moment from Brain & Philip Sparks that encourages you to do all those things . I will caveat with ,they say turn rather than sway. In doing the turn there is a little dance called Le Danse du Golf they tell you to do . You hold a club horizontally across your hips and just gently turn , lifting your left heal up and your head automatically moves with the turn … I’m 59 and this move and the Easiest Swing philosophy (no tension) has really helped my ball striking. Check it out on YouTube

 

[jim8flog]

With those swing speeds I would certainly be taking a look at you specs for the clubs. They might well indicate too stiff shafts or too heavy shafts.

Slow swing speeds as a beginner might well be common and you may well get faster as you improve.

I know when I started the pro sold me active flex irons rather regular flex irons.

 

[nickjdavis]

I am starting golf, aged 46... I have played for now 1 year and get lessons on a monthly basis. I practice 5 days a week.
My strike remains poor... I really struggle to get into the impact position.
My swing speed is also very slow... I have not played much sport before. I probably could swing 73 mph with a 6 iron, 88 mph with a driver.
I use TheStack to gain speed, but progress is slow.
I need realistic feedback as to what my expectations should be.
I am healthy, normal weight, but not overly athletic... I am generally active.
Any feedback?

Swing speed/the stack....whilst 88mph is not a fast driver swing speed it is still plenty enough to get the ball out there a reasonable distance to allow you to score well. For comparison. I'm 59, carrying excess weight, generally inflexible, my swing speed is similar to yours (maybe a touch higher...75 mph 6iron and 91 mph driver)....I play off a single figure handicap.....all i am saying is don't get hung up on your swing speed....yours is plenty enough to enable you to play the game at a reasonable standard and is likely to increase slightly as you play more.

As others have said though...it might be wise to check that your clubs shafts are not too stiff/heavy....you dont have to go down the full club fitting route at this stage, but at that swing speed I'd at least ensure i was playing with shafts that are suitable (for both the swing speed and the tempo).

When you say you practice 5 times a week....are you talking about on the range or is it a mixture of range and actually getting out on the course? Is your ball striking OK on the range but less good on the softer turf conditions of the course? It can take some time to "modify" the range swing to account for softer turf conditions....maybe you need a change in emphasis in your practice, if it is mostly range or mat based. I know from my own experience if i do a lot of range work over the winter it does take a little bit of adjustment when getting back out on the course.

Do you ever find that when you have a lesson that your teacher is teaching you the same things as he did in a previous lesson(s)? It is quite easy to think you are practicing what they told you, only to find that (especially with the amount of practice you are doing) you are drifting away from what has previously been taught and ingraining something negative in your swing that then has to be coached out of you.

If you have used the same pro over the year it may well be that his teaching style is not matched with your learning style...it may well be that a different pro might be able to impart that little nugget of information that clicks with you. Also...if you are reading magazines or watching on-line you tube videos trying to solve your problem...my advice is to burn them and forget your computers password....having multiple sources telling you how to do XY or Z is simply a recipe for disaster in any teaching/learning environment.

When you do practicse....is there any structure as to how you practice....or are you hitting ball after ball down a bank featureless range? If your range has targets/greens/flags...event rusty old cars are popular at some ranges... see if you can (or get your pro to suggest some) develop some "target" oriented games that can bring some focus to your practice.

Also....5 times a week practicing....its a lot....its almost akin to over revising for an exam...whilst I'll applaud you for the effort you are putting in, sometimes it is good to take a day or two off, have a break. Eventually, especially if you still feel you are struggling to improve, you may become a bit jaded and lose enthusiasm

You dont mention what sort of scores you are shooting when you play. would be useful to see what sort of standard you have attained during your first year.

 

[Orikoru]

I am starting golf, aged 46... I have played for now 1 year and get lessons on a monthly basis. I practice 5 days a week.
My strike remains poor... I really struggle to get into the impact position.
My swing speed is also very slow... I have not played much sport before. I probably could swing 73 mph with a 6 iron, 88 mph with a driver.
I use TheStack to gain speed, but progress is slow.
I need realistic feedback as to what my expectations should be.
I am healthy, normal weight, but not overly athletic... I am generally active.
Any feedback?

Is that very slow?? That's the same as mine! I guess it's slightly slower than average but not exactly decrepit.

Ultimately golfing prowess at our level can still be achieved if your ball-striking is good, no matter how slow. Takes work though of course.

 

[garyinderry]

I am starting golf, aged 46... I have played for now 1 year and get lessons on a monthly basis. I practice 5 days a week.
My strike remains poor... I really struggle to get into the impact position.
My swing speed is also very slow... I have not played much sport before. I probably could swing 73 mph with a 6 iron, 88 mph with a driver.
I use TheStack to gain speed, but progress is slow.
I need realistic feedback as to what my expectations should be.
I am healthy, normal weight, but not overly athletic... I am generally active.
Any feedback?

Post a video of your swing. Iron and driver if you have them.

Always worth a look to see if there's anything obvious right off the bat.