Golf has to be the most infuriating game ever

[rudebhoy]

Have hardly played for the last 3 months because of a wrist injury. Tried to come back too soon and it was making it worse, so took a break for a good few weeks.

Started playing again in earnest last week. Have been absolute pants since I started again so decided to book a lesson for Tuesday, prior to my next game yesterday. Pro phoned on Tuesday morning asking to reschedule the lesson as his club was having an emergency meeting. Moved it to yesterday afternoon.

Went out beforehand as arranged, played 12 holes, and was absolutely flushing my irons and driver! Went to the lesson, and was the same. He made a little tweak to make me stop locking my right knee which made things even better. Even tried the 3 wood which I have never been able to hit, and was blasting it miles. Hit two bad shots in a 45 minute lesson, the rest were great.

Came home in a brilliant mood, thinking I'd finally sorted whatever had gone wrong.

Went out this morning brimming with confidence, was absolutely pants again! Hit 2 decent shots in 9 holes.

Head all over the place now, how can I go from being awful to great and back to awful in the space of 3 days?

 

[Fabia999]

"you hit some, you miss some" - probably someone, some time.

Was your lesson on a mat? I can launch a 3 wood off a mat but put that ball onto grass it'll be a disaster every time.

 

[Orikoru]

Yup, that sounds right. It's one of those things where something simple like sleeping a bit funny on your shoulder, or simply being tired, can make you pull the club back like a centremetre off your usual plane, and completely bugger the whole thing up.

 

[Imurg]

Have hardly played for the last 3 months because of a wrist injury. Tried to come back too soon and it was making it worse, so took a break for a good few weeks.

Started playing again in earnest last week. Have been absolute pants since I started again so decided to book a lesson for Tuesday, prior to my next game yesterday. Pro phoned on Tuesday morning asking to reschedule the lesson as his club was having an emergency meeting. Moved it to yesterday afternoon.

Went out beforehand as arranged, played 12 holes, and was absolutely flushing my irons and driver! Went to the lesson, and was the same. He made a little tweak to make me stop locking my right knee which made things even better. Even tried the 3 wood which I have never been able to hit, and was blasting it miles. Hit two bad shots in a 45 minute lesson, the rest were great.

Came home in a brilliant mood, thinking I'd finally sorted whatever had gone wrong.

Went out this morning brimming with confidence, was absolutely pants again! Hit 2 decent shots in 9 holes.

Head all over the place now, how can I go from being awful to great and back to awful in the space of 3 days?

Believe me...I can go from one to other in the space of 3 holes let alone 3 days.
My capacity for Sublime to the Ridiculous is infinite

 

[rudebhoy]

"you hit some, you miss some" - probably someone, some time.

Was your lesson on a mat? I can launch a 3 wood off a mat but put that ball onto grass it'll be a disaster every time.

yes, the lesson was off a mat, but I was flushing my irons on the course yesterday, today I must have duffed 90% of them. asked my PPs what they thought I was doing differently to yesterday, they couldn't see any difference.

 

[Wolf]

Believe me...I can go from one to other in the space of 3 holes let alone 3 days.
My capacity for Sublime to the Ridiculous is infinite

Mine to and it doesn't even have to be 3 holes. It can literally be the 3 minute walk ?
Good tee shot, pants approach. Next hole tee shot into Gash, recovery shot Seve would be proud of.

 

[Fabia999]

yes, the lesson was off a mat, but I was flushing my irons on the course yesterday, today I must have duffed 90% of them. asked my PPs what they thought I was doing differently to yesterday, they couldn't see any difference.

Find Irons a lot easier to hit than woods but I know what you mean. Once you start to lose your head the rest of your game goes. I think it's just part of golf haha.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Believe me...I can go from one to other in the space of 3 holes let alone 3 days.
My capacity for Sublime to the Ridiculous is infinite

Think I wrote the book. Can be going along like a competent golfer and then from nowhere have several car crash holes. Get it back a little and feel the ship has steadied and then chuck another spate of bad shots for good measure. It is a hard game. Harder still to play well over 18 holes and harder again still to do it day after day

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

My experience is that the longer I have between rounds the better that first round back seems to be. So by extension if I stop playing then I will become a scratch golfer - just that I'll never know

 

[ferenezejohn]

The game drives most of us mad.
Many a time my first port of call after the 18th green was the pro shop to get a club reshafted.
Mellowed now.
Once launched a club into the gorse playing partner said I'd better throw a provisional in case I never found it.
In our minds we all think we could be open champion, alas!

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

My club is closed for the duration of the pandemic crisis.
I long for the opportunity to be maddeningly infuriated by golf.

 

[RangeMonkey]

Believe me...I can go from one to other in the space of 3 holes let alone 3 days.
My capacity for Sublime to the Ridiculous is infinite

Don’t even get me started!

Im slowly becoming able to accept that this is, as many have said, just a part of the game of golf.

It just gets a bit maddening when a bad day lasts 5 weeks... Fortunately, that has happened to me for a while now, fingers crossed.

 

[rudebhoy]

The game drives most of us mad.
Many a time my first port of call after the 18th green was the pro shop to get a club reshafted.
Mellowed now.
Once launched a club into the gorse playing partner said I'd better throw a provisional in case I never found it.
In our minds we all think we could be open champion, alas!

Did laugh when I saw a snapped shaft sticking out of the bin on the 2nd tee. Someone was obviously having an even worse morning than me.

 

[Tashyboy]

Just think it will all come together one day. You will.smash it for your lowest score.
Then you will be called a bandit ?
Think of the positives. Your back golfing ?

 

[Smiffy]

I've posted this before, but for fear of repetition..........
Held the annual golf day at Cooden a few years ago, 36 holes of Stableford. Came in with 41 points in the morning, stopped for lunch, went out in the afternoon and came in with the same score again. Not one blob all day, the only hole I cocked my drive up on, I still managed to salvage a point on it playing three off the tee. One of those days where I could do nothing wrong. All was well in my world, I'd finally cracked it.
3 days later playing in an open competition at Hankley Common. I stepped up to the 1st tee full of confidence. It was going to be "my day"....
9 points out and not many more on the way back in made me realise that actually, I was a bit of a chomper. How I laughed during the longer than usual drive home.

 

[Springveldt]

I've posted this before, but for fear of repetition..........
Held the annual golf day at Cooden a few years ago, 36 holes of Stableford. Came in with 41 points in the morning, stopped for lunch, went out in the afternoon and came in with the same score again. Not one blob all day, the only hole I cocked my drive up on, I still managed to salvage a point on it playing three off the tee. One of those days where I could do nothing wrong. All was well in my world, I'd finally cracked it.
3 days later playing in an open competition at Hankley Common. I stepped up to the 1st tee full of confidence. It was going to be "my day"....
9 points out and not many more on the way back in made me realise that actually, I was a bit of a chomper. How I laughed during the longer than usual drive home.

I once shot 79 on a Friday afternoon and then 97 the next morning in the comp.

 

[GG26]

I’ve scored 22 points on a Society day, no confidence with my iron shots, and 48 hours later went out and won a board comp with 41 points. I have probably not played a comp with so little expectation - so may be that’s the key.

 

[patricks148]

some days its good some bad, like the saying goes a bad day on the course is still better than a good day at work

 

[bobmac]

I'd say don't panic, you haven't lost the ability to play, you just need a tweak.
If as you say you are duffing 90% of shots, that means the clubhead is bottoming out behind the ball.
That would normally mean your weight is behind the ball at impact. Perhaps you have swayed during your swing.

Next time you play/practice, focus on keeping your head still which should reduce the sway and improve the contact
Hope this helps

 

[Imurg]

I've been a swayer for many a year but I've recently started bracing my knees apart a little before swinging.
I find it reducess the sway considerably.....