Most frustrating game known to ma

[timd77]

Most frustrating game known?

I'm a high handicapper, play once or twice a month (as much as I can) and golf is on my mind daily. However, what a nightmare of a game it is!

Played 18 on my own yesterday, pretty tough course, quite densely tree lined fairways on a lot of the holes. I used to suffer with slicing my driver but ok with irons. That now seems to have changed. I now hit my driver pretty well but with a fair bit of a hook (I'm not good enough to refer to it as a draw!), but my irons are either thinned, caught heavy. But always a good 10-20 yards of target. This has come out of nowhere over the last few rounds and I've not consciously changed anything in my swing to account for it.

Watched an instruction video last night talking about hitting the ball straight mainly being down to connecting on and around the sweet spot, and that the power comes from compressing the ball and letting the club do the work, rather than you trying to lift it off the deck etc. Gave me food for thought, but I've now got to wait over a month before I get chance to play again.

Anyone else experience similar frustrations?

 

[Khamelion]

Re: Most frustrating game known?

This season I've played worse and worse and worse, I'm going backwards, HC is up 2 strokes and shows no sign of halting, that rate I'm going I'll be off 20 or 21 by the end of the season.

Not got enough time to practice, nothing is working for me at the moment, I'm just pleased that after my two weeks off I'm back to work next week and I'm on-call so won't be able to go to the range or course.

At the moment I'd quite happily stick all my gear on ebay, sell it and never play the game again,

 

[Doh]

Re: Most frustrating game known?

I don't think there is a golfer in the world that hasn't felt frustrated with this game in one way or another, However good you are.

 

[RGDave]

Re: Most frustrating game known?

Watched an instruction video last night talking about hitting the ball straight mainly being down to connecting on and around the sweet spot, and that the power comes from compressing the ball and letting the club do the work, rather than you trying to lift it off the deck etc.

Hitting the sweet spot helps keep the ball straight, but the path and face angle are what controls the direction, but obviously missing the centre of the club causes it's own issues.
The word "compression" never existed when I first picked up a golf club and went from scoring 120 to 80 over 2 years of hard work. To this day, it's not a word I would invest even 1 minutes thought on.
Hit the ball correctly and the compression will look after itself.

(or hit the ball like me and get very little....)

Keep trying though. It does get easier.... if you have time to hit balls at a range, do it often and work on your swing between games.

 

[timd77]

Re: Most frustrating game known?

Hitting the sweet spot helps keep the ball straight, but the path and face angle are what controls the direction, but obviously missing the centre of the club causes it's own issues.
The word "compression" never existed when I first picked up a golf club and went from scoring 120 to 80 over 2 years of hard work. To this day, it's not a word I would invest even 1 minutes thought on.
Hit the ball correctly and the compression will look after itself.

(or hit the ball like me and get very little....)

Keep trying though. It does get easier.... if you have time to hit balls at a range, do it often and work on your swing between games.

But is compression just not a label for something that happens during a good strike? When you hit a great shot you recognise it immediately; the nice click sound, hardly feeling the impact etc etc. How I understand it, that happens when you hit the sweet spot, connect with the turf underneath the ball, let the club do the work etc. The opposite of that is how i seem to hit most balls, ie, you feel the connection up the club, the noise isn't good, you lift the ball off the ground with the leading edge making no contact with the grass etc etc, resulting in lack of distance at best, and thins, slices and duffs at worst.

Poxy game!

 

[RGDave]

Re: Most frustrating game known?

But is compression just not a label for something that happens during a good strike?

Yes, for sure. But it's chicken and eggs stuff. Somehow (for me) it's just not a helpful expression. I know when I've hit it sweet and conversely when not. Oddly, since writing my first comment, I do realise the word was around (last century..! ) to describe the relative softness/hardness (ability to "squash" on impact) of a ball. I have played some low compression balls in my time. i.i.r.c. they were rated 70, 80, 90, that kind of thing. There is an ideal way to "catch" the ball, after that clubhead speed and the physical loft angle of the face are paramount for determining the distance the ball will travel. For example, I need more loft (than average) to hit longer drives. Some players need lower loft.

I've always been into maxing out my driving for my (not very good) physical ability. I find it fascinating.

http://www.golf.com/photos/secret-2...cret-25-more-yards-your-attack-angle-0#233650

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Re: Most frustrating game known?

Stupid game. 36 hole medal over the weekend and shot a decent net 71 (+1) yesterday, including three doubles and duffed chips. Whole lot worse today with a net 78 (+8) including a glorious 9 on a par five, a seven on another and mistakes and bad shots all over the place. Felt like two different golfers and today was annoying on a grand scale. Still a bad medal is still better than doing the rounds at a garden centre or supermarket and there's always next week

 

[guest100718]

Re: Most frustrating game known?

Yep tough game alright, and if you're playing only twice a month then its not going to get any easier untill you put some hard graft in im afraid.

 

[dontfancythisputt]

Re: Most frustrating game known?

Can relate to this alright..

This season has been very poor to say the least only hit buffer or better 3 times but two of those rounds were my best golf to date.
Can birdie any hole easy as anything but just as likely to rack up a triple.

This week saw 4 7s in the first 8 holes (1 on a par 3) with 2 birdies and nine pars in the mix to miss buffer by 1!

To summarise my game, two very simlar holes on my course are short but tight par 4s yesterday both tee shots were good leaving only short iron in. First approach was a horrid short right that left me short sided, two duff chips, for triple bogey second approach was to 3 feet for birdie. Stupid game!

 

[DaveyG]

Re: Most frustrating game known?

Im in the same boat mate.

Parred the first 4 holes then doubled the next 4 the other day... I cant tell you what I did differently

Other than play shocking on the 2nd four holes...


It either works or it doesn't... Thinking about booking a block of lessons and asking for a strong PSR/ checklist to follow... Am I the only one who cant tell what they have done differently?

 

[RGDave]

Re: Most frustrating game known?

Parred the first 4 holes then doubled the next 4 the other day... I cant tell you what I did differently

Other than play shocking on the 2nd four holes...

Tell me about it. That's why we keep coming back (partly... )

 

[Jensen]

Re: Most frustrating game known?

Yup I too can agree, very frustrating game. Start of the season thought I would get my handicap down, but it's going the opposite way. However just at the start of the season, sods law, I got and still have a back injury which is restricting my swing - so I can't be too hard on myself.