My game...

[Scrindle]

has completely fallen apart .

Granted I haven't played much since the beginning of December due to weather so some degradation is to be expected. However, I can't even hit the ball at the moment. I'm on holiday this week and arranged to play golf with a good friend of mine every day aside from Thursday.

I'm a high handicapper so inconsistency is there anyway, but the thing that has generally saved my game and been reasonably consistent historically - iron play - is completely atrocious at the moment (I normally lose shots on the drive and <60 yards from the green where I can't use a full swing with an iron). If I'm lucky I'm hitting the ball out of the toe and it's going straight or with a slight draw but losing loads of distance. Sometimes I'm opening my wrists and slicing the ball off to the right; sometimes I'm overturning and hooking it like a madman. I'm topping shots. I'm catching them thin. I don't seem to be able to play anything at all from under 100 yards (wedges); blading everything in this range. I'm blading every chip that I'm attempting.

The only thing that is keeping me from having a complete meltdown is putting and for some reason the use of my 3 wood off the tee which is going as far as my drives used to with a lovely draw.

My friend's comment was 'um, Dave...what on earth have you done to your swing over the Winter?'. Attempts to protest that I haven't actually worked on anything over the Winter have failed. He's convinced I've tried to change things on the sly and ballsed up my entire game in the process!!

So yeh...I'm at a complete loss. What positives existed in my game appear to have completely transformed into a disgusting mess and I now have a confused and hugely disjointed swing that I'm trying to do to frustrating and demoralising effect. To make matters worse, I'm not consciously changing anything from how I used to play (not sure if that makes sense - in my head I'm trying to swing in the same way).

Got a short notice lesson booked with my pro tomorrow to try and find out what the **** is going on.

I've heard of the yips, but whatever this is...well it's ridiculous. I'm tempted to say it's upsetting!

Anyone experience anything similar before?

 

[Foxholer]

It can happen - in fact probably does in some way for me if I don't play pretty regularly.

Go back to fundamentals, make sure you are balanced and relax! It'll come back. Of course, that's when your putting action gores to pot, but that's why Golf is a 4-letter word!

Good Luck
but
Don't take it too seriously!

 

[Junior]

Hard to bare Scrindle , but it can happen to anyone. When it has happened to me, my best way out has been not to think too much about club position and technique at all. My thought process has just been to swing smooth and hit it hard!

 

[G1BB0]

I usually get this at forum meets

I play well before, practice a few times the week before then turn up and play terrible!

I also find if I play irregularly without practice everything that was good goes sour so dont beat yourself up. I am sure you hit some good shots aswell so only remember the good and positives otherwise this game can reduce you to a gibbering wreck

Good idea with the lesson as I usually find its something small that can make all the difference and a teaching pro usually picks up on it fairly immediately. Good Luck :thup:

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I've only played once in 2014 and that was pretty mediocre. Playing on my own this afternoon though and hoping for an improvement. I wouldn't worry Scrindle. If you haven't been able to play much there will be rustiness. My advice would be to just try and get out as much as you can as nothing beats learning on the course. That and get a lesson on pitching from <60 yards!

 

[the_coach]

has completely fallen apart
So yeh...I'm at a complete loss. What positives existed in my game appear to have completely transformed into a disgusting mess and I now have a confused and hugely disjointed swing that I'm trying to do to frustrating and demoralising effect. To make matters worse, I'm not consciously changing anything from how I used to play (not sure if that makes sense - in my head I'm trying to swing in the same way).

Many ways this sort of thing happens, though often spells like this can be traced back to 'swaying right' at start of backswing, instead of gently moving the club and your arm triangle by the 'turning' of your upper body against a 'still flexed' right leg, as well as and/or coming out of your posture (spine angle) going back. So you lose sequencing and rhythm, balance & timing.


Often good if/when this happens to you to go back to an old drill.


Just have your 7i a short tee and bunch of balls.
Put short tee right into ground up to the 'cup', this will take an anxiety about fat shots away.


Check your grip is correct, more in fingers not in palm of either hand, and that the left hand isn't too 'weak', neutral grip, 2 to 2&1/2 knuckles at address, right palm then should be parallel to left palm grip, both 'V's pointing at center-ish right shoulder.


Get an image of your ball target line and make sure your shoulders, hips, knees, feet all parallel left to your ball/target line.


Your stance for this drill will be your heels being only 3" apart, your swing speed for it will only be at 55/60% of your normal 7i swing.


The length of backswing is just back to when your left arm is parallel to the ground at this point left arm is also parallel to your toe line & to your ball/target line, the angle between your left arm and shaft should be 90 degrees.
At this point the butt end of club should point at your ball/target line, the club should also feel quite light, & balanced, these things indicate the club is on plane.


Remember as you do this you "turn" not sway, any swaying with this narrow stance will cause you to lose balance easily.


As you make this backswing and turn, keep your spine angle and your posture height, don't allow your right leg to straighten.


Once in this "L" shape (the end of your backswing position for this drill) start back by your left foot gently pressing some weight downwards into the ground to start transition and your downswing.


Swing through impact, head remaining behind the ball(keeping posture and balance) and when your now extended right arm is parallel to the ground in the through swing the angle between right arm and shaft should again be 90 degrees.

You should feel as you do this your right foot roll inwards through impact, roll towards the left so the whole length of the inside of your right foot remains on the ground while the whole of the outside of your right foot is just off the ground.


Keep posture until this point then just relax up out of posture as your chest finishes facing at or slightly left of target.


This drill swing finishes when your hands reach just above your left shoulder in height (your not swinging right through to the normal shaft behind neck position for this drill)
So your arms & club will still be more in front of you as a finish position, chest turned through to face target or slightly left of that.


This drill should help you to get your swing co-ordination, rhythm and balance back.


When you can hit 15-20 centered strikes with the drill with this narrow stance in total balance.


Keep the balls on tee, but put your feet back to normal 7i width and gradually at 60% speed lengthen the swing so your hands in the backswing 'feel' as if they are level in height with your shoulders (feeling this in actuality will mean you'll really be in a perfect slightly short of parallel position at the top) and again swing through to a full finish in balance.


When you can achieve 20 or so like this, just then hit some at what you feel is 70% then 75% then 80% at this point you'll more likely be back to the speed you use normally and hopefully all in balance, in rhythm and in sequence and ..... hopefully all back & good

 

[Scrindle]

Thank you for the replies all - nice to know I'm not alone .

@Coach: Huge thank you for taking the time to write that. I've printed it out to take with me to the range. Unfortunately I was called into work today despite being on holiday so had to cancel my lesson :sbox:. Still, I'm off tomorrow and playing with my mate once again. Will have to struggle through that and then I've got a few hours on the range on Saturday going through that drill, and a lesson with the pro on Sunday morning.

Things can only get better!!

 

[mcbroon]

Good luck Scrindle. I didn't play from the beginning of October until I went to the range in mid-Jan and in the first 30 balls I hit, at least half of them were s***ks

As others have said, go back to fundamentals and don't try too hard. It will come back :thup:

 

[Dave B]

Good response coach particularly the reference to coiling/turning against the right leg,

"Many ways this sort of thing happens, though often spells like this can be traced back to 'swaying right' at start of backswing, instead of gently moving the club and your arm triangle by the 'turning' of your upper body against a 'still flexed' right leg, as well as and/or coming out of your posture (spine angle) going back. So you lose sequencing and rhythm, balance & timing."

If I start hitting the ball right particularly with the driver, 8 times out of 10 it is because I've turned my lower body to try and get a full shoulder rotation. Lay off's, stiff lower back and lack of a proper warm up can all be contributing factors.

I also found this video to be very good by Herman Williams, not particularly well known in the UK but a very good video relating to the takeaway and wrist set which is where many go wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRETM2zLYzA

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Played nine yesterday. Course to myself and perky and optimistic. Nine of the most miserable holes I've endured in a long time. Nothing worked and the harder I tried the worse it got. Never hit so many bad shots in my life (until I partner Hawkeye on Sunday). And the wheel came off my go-kart several times. Bad day!

 

[CMAC]

Played nine yesterday. Course to myself and perky and optimistic. Nine of the most miserable holes I've endured in a long time. Nothing worked and the harder I tried the worse it got. Never hit so many bad shots in my life (until I partner Hawkeye on Sunday). And the wheel came off my go-kart several times. Bad day!

worth getting a lesson.


@scrindle, John Jacobs calls it total swing disintegration, only thing to do is go back to basics, literally. So your lesson with the pro should establish the foundations.

 

[Hack-Man-Hob]

I seemed to have suffered from complete swing yips too, every drive is topped or skied every iron is off at a right angle or 6 inches fat my brain gets hot my entire body gets tense and NOTHING works heartbreaking demoralising and frustrating. 2nd time about 6 months ago I shot the round of my life on the saturday (12 over gross) sunday 40 over!!!! A fortnight off the course and a very loose relaxed session at the range and all was well, if i even sense its coming back the clubs go away for a few days and i have faith in my ability that it will come back. THIS GAME HAS TAUGHT ME ALLLLLLLL ABOUT PATIENCE!!!! its so much more mental with me i think, i have every faith you will play superb on your holiday because you have done it before. One sweet spotted strike it will flood back the angels will sing and the monkey on your back will whimper off into the distance and probably jump back on mine. have a great time

 

[Hack-Man-Hob]

my mind set stood over the ball used to be : "I could nail this perfect but I probably won't, ill probably duff/ slice / hook etc it"

my mind set stood over the ball now is : " I could duff / slice / hook etc this but I'll probably won't, I'll probably nail it"

I usually dont nail it but the outcome tends to be a lot less horrific than the other way, just helps me manage my expectations far better now and it seems to help

 

[Scrindle]

Thought some of you may appreciate an update.

The lesson with my pro went really well and I have a follow up next week some time now that I've been practicing heavily again. He identified that my grip had become really weak and I was executing my backswing with far too steep an angle, forcing me to come over the top to hit the ball. Weak grip and weak swing.

I've sorted the grip issue out and backswing is now looking quite nice so we're working on producing a nice in to out swing path now and I'm really happy with progress.

As always, the pro knows what he's doing; go and see him instead of tinkering!!