I've finally realised my golf potenial

[Khamelion]

:rant:After a year of lifts last year going from 17.1 to 19.5 and after playing a few rounds this year I've realised my golfing potential. Crap. Absolutely bleedin useless, to inconsistent to score well, not enough time to practice and while some of you may see them as excuses, they're not, they are fact for me.

So knowing all this I know that my true HC should be and will be over time around the 22-24 mark probably closer 24 or more.

I kept track of my scores last year and over the season my scores went up from a 91 average at the start of the season to a 98 at the end, best I managed was to shoot an 86 worst was a 113.

This year it's been 94, 94 and a 96, I'm now on-call for a week, so no chance to get to the range or the course for 7 days.

Some of you may remind me about 'New Golf Thinking' and positive thoughts, well I do use it, I take each hole as it comes, I don't dwell on previous holes, I picture the shot I want to make and all that is good stuff, but when all is said and done, thinking about hitting a straight drive does not change ones ability to be able to pull it off, I see a straight shot on every tee, but my golf ability or lack there of means there's only a 1 in 50 chance of me pulling it off.

So as I wrote at the start, I know my HC will probably level off around the 24 mark as I know that is where my ability currently sits.:rant:

Tis a bit of a rant, but I had to get it off my chest.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Got to start forgetting about the numbers - both handicap and scores - and find enjoyment somewhere first.

Find the enjoyment and happy place and the scores and HC will take care of itself

Just play golf and not worry about the scores

Can clearly see when I played with you at H4H that you can play to mid HC easily

Just IMO have the wrong focus and it's that focus that is putting far too much pressure on yourself

Forget NGT , forget your HC , forget your scores - just go out and have a laugh

 

[Marshy77]

Maybe your putting too much pressure on yourself to play well? Accept your level and then build from there. You must have something to have had a handicap of 17, stop pushing it and you might get it back or starting making shots and scores again.

 

[Khamelion]

Got to start forgetting about the numbers - both handicap and scores - and find enjoyment somewhere first.

Find the enjoyment and happy place and the scores and HC will take care of itself

Just play golf and not worry about the scores

Can clearly see when I played with you at H4H that you can play to mid HC easily

Just IMO have the wrong focus and it's that focus that is putting far too much pressure on yourself

My OP may have read a little wrong, I'm not thinking about lowering my HC, I'm just going out now to play, get some exercise and fresh air. What I was more getting at was that my game is way to inconsistent. I can play, I made 4 pars this evening and should have had a couple of birdies, but that is down to our greens not being the best at the moment and me horribly pushing the putts from inside 18inches, nothing a little putting practice wouldn't cure and I can sort that in the house.

It's the inconsistency that is eating me, I'll par the hardest hole on the course (for me), a par 4, the next is a par 3 and I'll miss the green, duff the chip, thin the next one and finish with a 5, the next is a par 4 which I'll then go par, par 5 after that and it'll be a 7.

My Golf is a roller coaster ride, it was all last year and this year has started no different.

 

[Hobbit]

:rant:After a year of lifts last year going from 17.1 to 19.5 and after playing a few rounds this year I've realised my golfing potential. Crap. Absolutely bleedin useless, to inconsistent to score well, not enough time to practice and while some of you may see them as excuses, they're not, they are fact for me.

So knowing all this I know that my true HC should be and will be over time around the 22-24 mark probably closer 24 or more.

I kept track of my scores last year and over the season my scores went up from a 91 average at the start of the season to a 98 at the end, best I managed was to shoot an 86 worst was a 113.

This year it's been 94, 94 and a 96, I'm now on-call for a week, so no chance to get to the range or the course for 7 days.

Some of you may remind me about 'New Golf Thinking' and positive thoughts, well I do use it, I take each hole as it comes, I don't dwell on previous holes, I picture the shot I want to make and all that is good stuff, but when all is said and done, thinking about hitting a straight drive does not change ones ability to be able to pull it off, I see a straight shot on every tee, but my golf ability or lack there of means there's only a 1 in 50 chance of me pulling it off.

So as I wrote at the start, I know my HC will probably level off around the 24 mark as I know that is where my ability currently sits.:rant:

Tis a bit of a rant, but I had to get it off my chest.

Dave, we need some range time, or at least a round. Golf is easy, seriously easy. You put a 100% into every shot, or you have when I've played with you. You need to hit everything at 80%. 100% is at the limit of everyone's control.

 

[garyinderry]

Maybe try not to hit things straight. Its quite difficult to do. if you have an over the top swing then go with playing a fade. aim left and let it come back.

Bit silly trying to hit things straight if you can only do it once in fifty attempts.

 

[Khamelion]

Maybe try not to hit things straight. Its quite difficult to do. if you have an over the top swing then go with playing a fade. aim left and let it come back.

Bit silly trying to hit things straight if you can only do it once in fifty attempts.

Out to in has always been my swing path, it was a bad habit grooved in from playing as a kid and then when I started playing again, before I went for lessons. The bad shot used to be a massive slice, out to in path face open, not a pretty sight. More often these days it's still out to in but with face closed and straight shot well left of target, sometimes I get the face closed and I get a massive pull hook, still the same swing patch but lots of different results.

I am working of getting my path more in to out, or less out to in, but as I wrote in my OP, it's all about consistency or the lack of it.

 

[Khamelion]

Dave, we need some range time, or at least a round. Golf is easy, seriously easy. You put a 100% into every shot, or you have when I've played with you. You need to hit everything at 80%. 100% is at the limit of everyone's control.

When at the range I'll be hitting balls and it'll not be pretty, I'm trying to muscle the ball down range, there is no finesse at all. Then I'll realise what I'm doing and I'll slow the swing down, I'll attempt to create some lag and just swing through the ball, and lo and behold, the ball goes where I'm aiming and goes further than what it had been when I was muscling it.

Daft thing is I know what it is I do wrong, I know what I need to do to correct it, but can I get it in to my brain, can I hell.

If, big if I could just remember to slow down, relax and just swing, I would get better end results and better scores, but this is where the inconsistency creeps in, some good swings and a good hole, followed by trying to murder the ball and a bad hole, sometimes the light will flick on and I'll remember to slow down and I'll then have a good hole, then the light gets switched off and it's murder ball again.

 

[garyinderry]

I played quite happily with a massive slice until I got down to 14. Remarkable how consistent it was. Aim at trees on left and end up slap bang in middle of fairway.

It helps to learn to score rather than try to hit a perfect shot every time.

 

[Khamelion]

I played quite happily with a massive slice until I got down to 14. Remarkable how consistent it was. Aim at trees on left and end up slap bang in middle of fairway.

It helps to learn to score rather than try to hit a perfect shot every time.

With the driver, my slice an the tightness of my course I don't really have the luxury of aiming left and landing right, as I wrote about, the chances are I'd aim left and then hit one straight left. My swing is not repeatable enough for me to say with any certainty where the ball will go, very rarely will it be in the direction I want it to.

Hobbit's post above is spot on, I just need to slow down, but I just need to get that into my thick head first.

 

[Face breaker]

I don't bother scoring proper, I just keep a track of em for my own benefit !...:thup:

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm struggling and nowhere near making my goal. At the moment I've parked the idea of single figures, I'm going out and trying my hardest to get a buffer and if I don't (which is every round at the moment) I'll come back for more and try as hard next time. Keep going, keep enjoying and stop worrying. I still reckon you'd take a five off me at the moment

 

[Deleted member 15344]

My OP may have read a little wrong, I'm not thinking about lowering my HC, I'm just going out now to play, get some exercise and fresh air. What I was more getting at was that my game is way to inconsistent. I can play, I made 4 pars this evening and should have had a couple of birdies, but that is down to our greens not being the best at the moment and me horribly pushing the putts from inside 18inches, nothing a little putting practice wouldn't cure and I can sort that in the house.

It's the inconsistency that is eating me, I'll par the hardest hole on the course (for me), a par 4, the next is a par 3 and I'll miss the green, duff the chip, thin the next one and finish with a 5, the next is a par 4 which I'll then go par, par 5 after that and it'll be a 7.

My Golf is a roller coaster ride, it was all last year and this year has started no different.

Slow it all down mate

When you hit it smoothly and not going at it you hit the ball really well - hit some crackers at H4H and it looked like you hardly hit the ball

Find a way to control the tempo - maybe try the old "Severiano Ballesteros" trick in your head to get a nice tempo.

Look at ways to not rush inbetween shots or get over excited

Certainly take up Brian's offer as he looks like he has a very good tempo of playing

As HC golfers consistency will always be what we struggle with - just need to laugh at the downs and cheer the ups mate

 

[HomerJSimpson]

With the driver, my slice an the tightness of my course I don't really have the luxury of aiming left and landing right, as I wrote about, the chances are I'd aim left and then hit one straight left. My swing is not repeatable enough for me to say with any certainty where the ball will go, very rarely will it be in the direction I want it to.

Hobbit's post above is spot on, I just need to slow down, but I just need to get that into my thick head first.

Had a lesson this week and the guy got me to swing in slow motion. Its a real mind flip as my swing borders on supersonic and so to take it back in what seems like ten seconds is really tough but it is beginning to work. That and reduce your grip pressure. I bet your throttling the life out of it especially the driver

 

[garyinderry]

I don't bother scoring proper, I just keep a track of em for my own benefit !...:thup:

Hobbit is right. When you lash at it 100% you tend to lose control and also put loads of spin on the ball. This spin coupled with a slice only makes it go further right.

Last night on a bounce game I convinced Scousers to let me caddie for him on the back 9. He let me choose the shot and line to take. I asked him to aim left and let it slide back to the middle of the fairway. I also got him to take 75% practice swings and asked him to do this on the proper tee shot. The actual shot he upped it to maybe 85% . Thus is natural. The result was he found pretty much the middle of every fairway bar one and they were as long as he ever hits them. Contact was way better. Overall he was able to shoot under handicap by playing smart golf and playing within his limits.

We talked about holes he normally runs up bit numbers on in comps so he has an idea how to approach these in future. He can safe at least 7 strokes a round by avoiding these big numbers on dangers holes by playing smart. In essence he can drop his handicap by quite a few shots without technically changing anything in his game.

 

[Hobbit]

What you are realising, and your own analysis confirms it, is you need to control what you are doing. How about a football analogy; if you're making a pass to someone 30yds away you don't hit it as hard as you can. You hit it with control.

If you're 150yds from the green don't hit an 8 iron flat out. Go with a 7, or even a 6. If you're on the tee don't try and hit it 260yds, hit it 240yds. On Thursday night I played in windy conditions. I was hitting 3/4 drives to keep the ball in play, and punting it up to the green with low 4 and 5 irons. I dropped 6 shots by never getting too much out of position.

 

[Wayman]

dave go and see brian ridley he is based at beamish park hotel
i know a few people that has went to see him and everyone said he is very good
teaches pro county very good ams.

Go and see him

ive had three lessons off him over the winter and its improved my game and to be honest im not playing much this year

 

[Imurg]

It's the inconsistency that is eating me, I'll par the hardest hole on the course (for me), a par 4, the next is a par 3 and I'll miss the green, duff the chip, thin the next one and finish with a 5, the next is a par 4 which I'll then go par, par 5 after that and it'll be a 7.

.

You need to have another game with Fragger - you're describing his game perfectly.

It really is about accepting your current ability and not trying shots you can't accomplish.
Consolidate what you have - you'll still be inconsistent but once you've accepted where you are you'll be able to progress.
Don't forget, the majority never get to play to single figures.
Harsh but true - you could try as hard as you can but you may not get there. That doesn't diminish your effort and desire to get better.
Start playing for the sake of playing rather than the sake of scoring.
Good luck!

 

[ScienceBoy]

If you really want to just accept you ability then the best thing to do is stop tracking scores, enter the fun competitions only and get on with just enjoying the course, the people and the freedom.

I have had to do that as I don't get much course time while not a member so I try just to enjoy every moment of golf as I get it.

 

[Midnight]

Mate,
You are describing my game to a tee. As most people who have had a round with me will agree i am pretty crap at this game and even though i keep praying and trying to get better it ain't working to well.
What i would say is that i still play as much as i can and really enjoy it.
You never know one day we both may have that rush of form and end up with the consistency that we both want mate.😆