How patient do i need to be?

[Foxholer]

...
What good is it knowing that you need to move from and out to in swing path if a) it doesn't feel right to you (in which case you are fighting against it straight away) or b) doesn't work for you.

I was talking to a guy at my club who is off 0.2 and asked him what he thought swing mechanics... His reply? "I don't worry about it, I just line it up and hit it".

Analysis is also fine, but after every shot and every round?

Absolutely.

Remember what Justin Rose's reply was about his thoughts while coming down the stretch in the US Open - something like 'I try to have none'!

I think the OP and I are cut from the same cloth.

That was my first or second thought when I read the OP. The other was 'Not again'!

 

[kid2]

Absolutely.

Remember what Justin Rose's reply was about his thoughts while coming down the stretch in the US Open - something like 'I try to have none'!



That was my first or second thought when I read the OP. The other was 'Not again'!

Cheers FH:thup:

 

[JustOne]

My h/cap has moved out to 6.5 now so I get 7 shots

This was my round last night...

-1 happy to start with a birdie
-1 still happy
-1 still happy
-1 still happy
0 bogie was bound to happen
+1 oh well
+2 damn! not 2 over, now I need another birdie
+3 4 bogies in a row! damn! that's my h/cap used up for the front 9
+4 oh come on!! 5 bogies in a row - I hate this game 4 over on the front and no sign of a good swing :angry:

+4 happy to make a par on the 10th
+5 damn! still going in the wrong direction
+6 Noooo that was a birdie hole and backwards I go
+8 double bogie on a par 3 - why do I play this bloody game?? :angry:
+8 no thought here, just happy to have made a par
+10 oh for God sake! another double bogie, the rough here is just freakin' ridiculous!! :angry:
+10, great another par, nothing worth being excited about
+9, ooh... a birdie 2 shame it's not a comp
+8 ooooh back to back birdies to finish ONE over h/cap

1 over h/cap and I was practically suicidal on the way round, probably because I want to play better than that but I appreciate I have a h/cap for a reason, and right now it's 7.

 

[kid2]

James thats a similar attitude to me..... I go out to Gross par everything...... that way i concentrate more..... If i make bogie im trying to get back to level..... I know some might say that this is a bad idea and that im putting too much pressure on myself.....

But its no more pressure than loosing your 12 shots after 11 or 12 holes and having to par your way home to stay in handicap......

 

[Foxholer]

James thats a similar attitude to me..... I go out to Gross par everything...... that way i concentrate more..... If i make bogie im trying to get back to level..... I know some might say that this is a bad idea and that im putting too much pressure on myself.....

But its no more pressure than loosing your 12 shots after 11 or 12 holes and having to par your way home to stay in handicap......

That certainly is a great way to load pressure on yourself imo. And it seems to me you don't handle that well.

I suggest you simply concentrate on scoring your best on each hole (and concentrating on the current shot isn't a bad idea either).

There is nothing you can do about the scores on the holes you've completed, so forget about them.

 

[Hobbit]

Instead of looking at the scores at the top of the leader board, look at those near the bottom - pro's as well as amateurs. Too many players expect too much of themselves and put far too much pressure on themselves.

 

[MashieNiblick]

We've probably all been there unless we are very new or very good. I've been playing over 40 years and this game can really get to you. However remember, to paraphrase JFK, we choose to play golf not because it is easy but because it is hard.

IBut how do you enjoy the game when your not playing well....

Just in answer to this specific issue here are some things I've tried that sometimes help.

1. Think of all the reasons you enjoy golf that aren't related to how well you are playing - the company, the suroundings, seeing your mates play well etc.

2. Approach each shot as a specific challenge. It doesn't matter how many you have already taken. You play for the challenge and you have a shot to hit, make it the best of your life. Even if it's a hack from the rough, play the best hack from the rough you've ever played. If you duff it, forget it and start the process again. Keep giving yourself a clean slate on each shot. I find it helps get my mind back in focus.

3. Make sure you stay at the club afterwards if you can, and make the the most of the social side. Have some banter in the bar about how badly you played. Have a laugh about it. You'll find lots of folks in the same situation and it doesn't seem so bad after all. It's only a silly game with sticks and a ball. It helps me to go home in a good humour and leave the bad feelings behind.

4. Remember there's always next time and there's worse things in life than a bad round of golf.

Good luck.

 

[lyden]

I probably have the same mentality as you although this is my first season. Every instructor I've had (3) has told me I have natural talent but until yesterday my season has stagnated. You say you don't want to go back to your pro mid season but in my opinion its exactly what you need. I decided to try a different instructor and on video / launch monitor he pointed out straight away my posture had slipped but my swing was still spot on. I spent two days working on it and shot net -5 for a 9 hole comp with 2..... 3 putts from 18 foot. The point is it might just be a simple tweak but unless you go you'll never know. I don't think its possible to develop a bad swing overnight it is however possible to let you basics slip.

 

[Imurg]

E
Am i asking too much of myself as a midhandicap golfer to be able to play to my handicap every week....

Simple answer is Yes!!
You will not play to it every week - if you are then it's too high - simple as that.

You have to accept that there will be bad days, very bad days and even worse days that go with the good, very good and exceptional days
There will also be countless extremely average days

Everyone wants to Par every hole but that just ain't gonna happen Buddy!
What you also have to accept is that a bogey here and a bogey there isn't the end of the World - even a couple of doubles doesn't kill you necessarily.

Put the pressure on to par evey hole and then be disappointed when you don't is only going to lead you one way - to the Looney Bin!!

To quote your tag-line "The most important 6 inchs in the game of golf is between your ears"

It's true - and you're using yours much too much. Try not using it and see what happens - it can't get any worse can it?

 

[Foxholer]

Kid.

You are the sort that I believe would really benefit from a session (probably several) with the Sports Psychologist!

You really are being too demanding of yourself to expect to shoot your handicap every time. Congu have done an analysis using a large number of scores and the 'formula' is Mean Nett Score = !.237 Handicap +1.57. That's the formula used for the Annual Review report! So your expectation on the first tee would be around 17. As an improver however, I believe this should be slightly lower.

The other thing to do is remember the 'good shot' count versus the 'truly bad shot' one. Nicklaus is on record as saying he rarely hit more than 2-3 'perfect' shots a round. So lowering your expectations of good shots should make you feel better because more will, or at least should, fall into that category.

You could always go the 'obsessed with statistics' approach. Dave Pelz is the Guru for that!

Can you actually define what you consider to be a very good shot, a good shot or a not very good one? The Stats approach is to categorise each result - even giving it a 'handicap' - and then address the ones where you are poorer than the norm. The logic is that simply saying 'I played poorly today' is absolutely meaningless.

 

[kid2]

Simple answer is Yes!!
You will not play to it every week - if you are then it's too high - simple as that.

You have to accept that there will be bad days, very bad days and even worse days that go with the good, very good and exceptional days
There will also be countless extremely average days

Everyone wants to Par every hole but that just ain't gonna happen Buddy!
What you also have to accept is that a bogey here and a bogey there isn't the end of the World - even a couple of doubles doesn't kill you necessarily.

Put the pressure on to par evey hole and then be disappointed when you don't is only going to lead you one way - to the Looney Bin!!

To quote your tag-line "The most important 6 inchs in the game of golf is between your ears"

It's true - and you're using yours much too much. Try not using it and see what happens - it can't get any worse can it?

Very wise words Murg.......... As are a lot of the replies that iv read...... Stewing over the posts since yesterday iv come to realise that i have been hard...... I have improved and my handicap reflects that....Maybe not as much as i would have thought before the lessons nut then again changing a swing path is probably one of the biggest and hardest things to do in golf.....I have to accept that..... If not then im doomed......

I have high standards set for myself....Even though one day i will reach them i have to accept that it wont happen overnight....
I see the textbook swing as being able to draw the ball..... And to be fair to myself i know there is no perfect swing and everyone is unique....But i want a swing that can repeat itself so that i can take at least 1 side of the course out of play..... If i can manage that then ill be more confident standing over the ball rather than lining myself and setting myself up to hit a draw and i end up with a push into the clag.....

I just need to start trusting the swing i have for that day and not get wrapped up in the mechanics of the situation....

Thanks for all the reassurance fella's......I really appreciate it...Especially off the lower lads (No disrespect to anyone off my handicap or above) :thup: