Freezing over shot

[BrianM]

Long story short, was playing Fortrose yesterday, couldn’t release the club, was like an idiot standing over the ball and basically couldn’t do anything, pretty sure it’s all in my head but not sure what to do about it.
Was playing with my Dad and brother who weren’t bothered and trying to be supportive but I wanted the ground to swallow me up.
I’ve not been playing great the last few months so I’m maybe trying harder to force the issue.
Anyone been in this situation before....

 

[patricks148]

can't say ive ever had that problem, but having played with a you a couple of times Brian you are a bit stiff and think about what you are trying to do too much.

try losening up a bit more and holding the club a bit lighter... and try smashing the ball as hard as you can on occasion rather that think about the perfect swing.

or go see piggy

 

[Curls]

Maybe a set routine would be a good thing and something you could practice on the range before taking it to the course. I have 5 steps each of which should only take a second or 2 and when I get to 5 I just pull the trigger. They’re mostly about grip and alignment so that those variables are removed before I swing, I know I’ve done that bit so I’m not doubting myself at the moment of truth. Give it a go!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I would suggest getting out for a few holes, no cares, no worries and see if it comes back. We have a guy at our club that will stand for anything from 20 to 42 seconds (and yes we've timed him). Hits it well enough and has done it for ages but no idea why he does it and when we ask him he has no real thoughts in his head. Just stops and waits. As you cam imagine it means he's slow (a real culprit and his group will usually lose a hole or more) but he refuses to accept he's the cause or there's an issue (but that's a whole different thread)

 

[Jacko_G]

Have a routine or at worst a "trigger" that starts your golf swing.

 

[IanM]

Tim Gawley's book "The Inner Game of Golf" ..he says start a backswing by saying "BACK!" either out loud or in your head, then say "HIT" as you come back to the ball...... Pennick swore by just "clipping a tee out of the ground a few times" till the feeling comes back!

..or try half a bottle of whisky before you go out and get a lift home!!

 

[Hobbit]

Went through a sniff of that many years ago. I deliberately put a trigger into my routine, a forward press. It worked.

 

[Lump]

I get it from time to time. As others have said, a trigger helps but I dislike triggers. I simply work on the club moving back away from the ball before starting my swing.
Don’t worry so much, pro’s get it too (Kevin Na had it big time).
Time and drilling a routine is the only way.

 

[BrianM]

can't say ive ever had that problem, but having played with a you a couple of times Brian you are a bit stiff and think about what you are trying to do too much.

try losening up a bit more and holding the club a bit lighter... and try smashing the ball as hard as you can on occasion rather that think about the perfect swing.

or go see piggy

Going to try and see Martin on Thursday morning, explain the situation.

 

[BrianM]

Thanks for the replies, a few things to think about.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Sometimes I can get like that with putting, was like it the other week at Ganton playing in a matchplay game against a couple we had never played against before. For a few putts took me a while to take the putter back(probably only 3-4 seconds but felt like ever, when compared to my normal routine) and then the putter was shaking all over the place. After a while I just decided knickers to it and just let it happen rather than freezing over the ball and not care about the result but it took about 9 holes for the stroke to be smooth.

I quite often go out playing really old balls that I don't care if I lose or not. I will just play without thinking about golf or the golf shot to be played at all. I don't care if I lose the ball and marvel at the good shots and laugh at those silly wild shots you get. Even when putting or chipping I would not think or care and just hit the ball.

Surprising how liberating and relaxing it is to and enables you to free up your motions(swinging & mind). Certainly helps me relax and get the enjoyment of just being out there. Life is to short to take a silly unforgiving game as golf to seriously, as it just wants to beat you up.

Best of luck.

 

[cliveb]

We have a guy at our club that will stand for anything from 20 to 42 seconds (and yes we've timed him).

One of the guys I play with tends to stand there for about 5 to 10 secs before pulling the trigger - that's irritating enough.
How can 4 times that not drive you absolutely mental?

 

[BrianM]

One of the guys I play with tends to stand there for about 5 to 10 secs before pulling the trigger - that's irritating enough.
How can 4 times that not drive you absolutely mental?

That must be his routine?
Im trying to do something but nothing happens, it is soul destroying, then it feels like you have a million sets of eyes on you.
Then you eventually ’hit’ it and you’ve chunked your 7 iron 50 yards down the fairway.

 

[Yant]

Yep i can relate. But i get this with my putting sometimes. As others have said, a 'kick' to start your swing is one way of doing it. Another is to hover the club which will help you move the club away more smoothly.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

Having a drink beforehand is not as silly as might be thought😀

Alcohol suppresses inhibitions. Inhibitions is the only thing causing what you describe ( because you can most times do what you cannot bring yourself to do when you get these episodes, yes.)

The other suggested remedies are the sensible ones, but....if you get desperate.......😉

 

[Curls]

That must be his routine?
Im trying to do something but nothing happens, it is soul destroying, then it feels like you have a million sets of eyes on you.
Then you eventually ’hit’ it and you’ve chunked your 7 iron 50 yards down the fairway.

There's something in that Brian, the eyes on you, it sounds like something I only realised this year and have become much better at doing which is staying in the here and now - realising that those are two different things. My example is being put off by external movement/noises but the feeling that people are looking at you is almost certainly going to have the same effect

Present in terms of time and location

I wrote this a while ago and it's one of those things like I imagine they'd teach someone in CBT, even just realising it's a thing is a step towards improvement. I failed at this many more times than I succeeded this season, but now I'm so much better at it it's unreal. I catch myself distracted and it must only take a second for me to shift my focus away from whatever that is and back to what I'm doing. The routine helps, but it isn't that exactly, it's a mindset and one you have to work at but can develop as long as you appreciate you'll slip up plenty before getting there. Again it's something you can do at the range.

Put 10 balls on the mat and say to yourself you're going to hit 10 different targets with randomly, different clubs. You're going to score how closely each lands to a target, adding all the yards missed together to give you a total dispersion, something you can measure against in later sessions.

Then when you're done, ask yourself how many times you were right there, exactly present in the shot. Don't overthink this while doing the exercise, just recall afterwards. Which shots were you distracted on? What distracted you? For me it would often be "I was still asking myself if I was aligned properly when I took the club away", but sometimes it was some guys talking at the other end of the range. That could equally be the thought someone was watching you take your shot. That's all you have to do, is notice. Then say to yourself "OKay, do the exercise again but this time if I feel distracted because I think someone is watching, I'll step off and stand behind the ball and start again". Now lengthening the process sounds like a recipe for getting stuck in paralysis again but it really isn't and it's why you should train yourself at the range where the jeapordy is a lot less. It might take you 10 seconds the first time, 15 the next, and you might not be able to shut it out completely on all 10 shots, but you might manage it once and once is enough of an improvement to make you think you could manage it twice next time. Every time you do it you get stronger, and accept that you'll fail too but that's not important, certainly I still do but now it's 1 in 10 times instead of 8 or 9 in 10. You just need to get your mind in the right frame, in ways it is easier said than done, but it is completely doable with practice. Its something I bet very few people actually practice at the range but would save them more shots than rattling off another 100.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

One of the guys I play with tends to stand there for about 5 to 10 secs before pulling the trigger - that's irritating enough.
How can 4 times that not drive you absolutely mental?

It does and a horror to be in a 4 ball with him. The biggest issue is the delay it causes and the fact without fail, every group he is in whether its a roll up or competition will lose ground on the group ahead but he doesn't see it as a problem and so reluctant (to put it mildly) to admit he's the issue and even more reluctant to let those behind through. It is a common issue and one that gets mentioned regularly and has been reported to the club but as a board member seems to be one rule for them and all that

 

[Tashyboy]

When I first started golfing and had lessons, it was emphasised for me to find a ritual, not routine. Routines are a negative and rituals a positive. 😉
Anyway, when it came to swings, in essence it was a couple of practice swings to get muscle memory going re your swing. Then stand over ball and do exactly the same. Just hit it exactly the same as your practice swings. Same tempo, same swing. That is for full swings re drives and irons. The closer you get to the hole then your chipping and pitching, it's all about touch. Quarter swing, half swing etc. But do more than two practice swings.
Practice swings then hit it.

 

[BrianM]

Lesson booked for tomorrow.....

 

[Slime]

I suffer from similar 'freezing up' problems.
It's got to the point where I haven't taken a practice swing, for a full shot, for many years because I spend enough time just staring at the bloody golf ball!