Peaks & Troughs

[John_Findlay]

So I put in my 3rd card at my new club for my handicap yesterday. What a nightmare! A 93 to follow an 88 and a 75. Consistent eh?

Admittedly it was a poor day for golf. Very windy and cold. But my game feels in pieces. My driving isn't great. I'm leaving my irons half way sometimes. My chipping and pitching is a joke ( my sand wedge went over the knee on the 17th) and I had 4 three putts. Through my own fault my most lofted club is now 47 degrees!

New handicap is 6. That will be fun to play to. Roll on some decent play. Thing is I'm standing over the ball not knowing what I'm meant to be doing and the confidence is now officially at an all time low after 3 crap rounds in a row.

Seriously thinking of just getting lessons and hitting balls at the range until the ball striking returns. It is awful just now. But I seriously need to sort my chipping and pitching and I only have one wedge to practice with now.

Sometimes this game just does my head in.

Rant over. I feel better for that. Is anyone else sharing my pain just now?

 

[USER1999]

Yes.

Have lost any idea of how to hit a golf ball. Have been going to the range in the evenings and hitting a 6i to get some sort of swing back. I am hitting about 100 balls every night, and have a spread between 140 to 170 yards, with a sideways spread of up to 70 yards. Barn door and banjo spring to mind. Half of them hook, some block, and frustratingly, the odd one is perfect.

I have even videoed my swing. If I didn't know what happened to the ball, I would be really happy with it. Looks fine.

Am going to try more lag tonight, as I think the issue may be coming in a bit flat. I have tried most other things, so why not this.

Oddly, looking at the video last night, I tried hitting it faster, softer, shorter swing, longer swing, late hitting, flat swing, upright swing, all sorts, and they all look the flippin same on the telly.

Not broken any clubs recently, but then I am not putting any cards in. Next medal is on the 6th, after I play 36 with Leftie and Pieman on the friday. I might not have any balls left to medal with.

Played last weekend, Friday I won £12, and Sunday I won another £12 off the guys. I have no idea how. I was 3 over par on the back 9 on Friday, playing like a berk. Sunday even the putter went cold.

Seriously not happy with my golf at the moment, and wondering whether to shelve the clubs for the winter.

 

[brendy]

I know exactly what you are feeling, on the good side, I have had my name in the local paper 3 weeks in a row now, won 2 club comps this year and my proshop account has never been so fat. All because I figured a couple of flaws out and have turned my driving back down from 11 to around a 9 (nice spinal tap reference there I thought).
Chin up J, there was light at the end of my tunnel especially considering I started the year with the worst case of shanks known to my 4ball ever! It'll come good fella.

 

[bobmac]

John, I promise when you learn to chip and pitch well, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.
Do you take a divot after the ball when you hit your pitches?

 

[Adi2Dassler]

If your getting lessons, I suggest either Matt or Jamie at KA mate, they're offering 4 hour lessons for £90, or 4 1/2 lessons for £60.Both good lads and cheaper than Alan

 

[John_Findlay]

Bob. Sadly there's either no divot (and the ball's waving at the pin as it scuds past it at speed) or the divot is the size of a rug and starts 2 inches behind the ball. Oh, pointing to the left usually in spite of me aiming square. I'm a chunking champion.

 

[thecraw]

John.

Try this one Jose Maria Olazabal tip when pitching.


Have both thumbs pointing straight down the shaft!

 

[bunkered]

75% of your weight on the front foot and keep it there throught the shot.

 

[bigslice]

with my high handicap i may not be the best for advise. i visualise every shot before i take it. even before i get to the ball im already seeing what i want to do. everyone has there own wee routines and i try and stick to this.
well done for finally getting your cards in

 

[stef92]

The same has happened to me too!

I went to play in the Woburn Junior Open yesterday, and (if I am honest) was expecting great things!

I was playing off a handicap of 15, my official one despite calls of "Bandit" most times I play with someone, plus my most recent rounds included a 10 over at Little Aston, so I was feeling good especially with 9 prizes up for grabs!

I got to my first tee, the 12th on the Marquess, and I knew from the 1st tee it was going to be interesting…

If you don't know the hole, it is a 270 yard Par 4 over two sets of water. Here, is the strokesaver guide.
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I tried to hit hybrid onto the fairway, ended up short on the edge of the water. Then I thought, well I can go for it anyway, thinned and shanked at the same time a 9 iron, aquaplaning it across the first pond to the middle of the fairway.

I then proceeded to hit a pitch into the trap back right of the green, when the pin was front left! Leaving myself a horror of a bunker shot, from a downhill lie to a dowhill pin. I stuck that to a foot… and wait for it…

3 PUTTED! 7!

Then, when a 45 foot putt for birdie on the next hole S.I 1 jumped out of the hole, I knew I wasn't in for a good day!

I ended up with a NETT 83, GROSS 98!!!

However, the course was stunning so I didn't mind.

Bring on the under par round next!!!

 

[Owen_Thomas_14]

Ball in line with your right foot, hands and weight forward. Rock your shoulders(like putting) and you should find a nice strike in there, dont try and take a divot(if you dont get it, who cares? aslong as you get a good strike)

 

[JustOne]

My up and down days are caused by tweaking little things here and there during my actual rounds instead of on the practice ground.

Might be a godsend if they actually closed all golf courses and forced us all to practice in the Winter

 

[birdieman]

Ach John you're worrying over nothing, 6 handicap is pretty good going no matter a couple of poor rounds lately, most golfers will never get near a handicap like that.
Maybe you're just a streaky player when you want to be more consistent.
Short game needs a few good long sessions around a practice green to recover some feel and build confidence, once that confidence returns you'll relax over the chip shots and you'll do fine again. Nothing wrong with your technique just confidence missing.
It's all in yer heed!

Sorry if I'm unsympathetic but I haven't hit a ball since August 4th! DT's are bad.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I know my handicap represents my best golf, I play off 15 but I know my average round is about 91-93, 6 shots worse. Usually that is because I have the odd 8 or a trio of 7s taking the total up. The days I do not have them I easily break 90 and score around 86-88, I have even shot two 84s inbetween two 93s!

Golf is all about peaks and troughs as every time you play you find differnt lies to different pins. Some rounds I come off thinking the course is too easy and golf is simple, the next day can be even better or much worse.

Look at your golf from your average bad round then your golf is not peaks and troughs but all highlights and average days

 

[HomerJSimpson]

John,

I feel your pain. I've pretty much forgotten what it feels like to be in contention coming down the last few holes and a buffer zone is a mini triumph. I'm trying hard not to get too stressed about it but there is no fun hacking it around knowing it won't get any better no matter how many shots you have on a hole.

I'm limiting myself to 4 lessons over the winter with a caveat. I had the first one last week after finding out about my mum so I wasn't totally focussed and haven't had a chance to put the changes into practice and so have decided not to count it.

I am deliberately trying not to get too technical. You are a single figure golfer and so I think your scale of misery and mine are poles apart. Maybe forget about playing, especially in tricky conditions and focus on the simple stuff at the range. Your game will come back a damn sight quicker than mine

 

[kid2]

I think that there will be a hell of alot of replies to this thread of yours John!

Iv had a season of peaks and troughs.....
Iv had heaps above the 90's and alot in the high 80's
And in between all that clutter iv shot 2 nett 70's a nett 65 and a nett 64

And iv a feeling there is more to come as im going through a swing change at the moment with the help and guidance of a certain person on this forum .

Its all for the best though.......But at the moment things are looking good so far...It feels a little awkward but as the experts say....If it feels comfortable your not doing it right

 

[HomerJSimpson]

More troughs than peaks but I expected it to be honest. A lot of work on tempo etc over the winter and so knew I'd be a slow starter. Had a good six week patch culminating with my pairs win with HTL and then a deep, deep trough culminating in a match at Maidenhead where I shanked topped and sliced the whole way round. Never fel so embarrased in my life. An upturn on Longest Day Challenge and then a lot of rounds with 15 good holes and 3 horrors. Not playing or practicing because of my mum so that's pretty much it for the year

 

[Marko77]

On reflection I can claim more peaks than troughs. I have been steady buffer throughout the season but don't feel myself I've played that well - am looking forward to next season and hopefully breaking that 4 barrier!

 

[Tommo21]

Mind that game at the merchants, I was just cut to 5 and I couldnt hit a coo n the arse with a shovel.

Just play through it mate and drop me a line if you want to come along to the Royal practice area and I'll have your short game sorted toot sweet.....honest.

 

[StuartD]

John

I played the Torrance at St Andrews on the same day and was under pressure the last 4/5 holes as the 100 barrier was getting close

I lost 6 balls. 2 were in the driving rain on the 10th and i halved the hole in 9 with my dad (He hit all his 9!!!). A 9 iron on six travelled 70 yards into the wind and on 9 it travelled 170 yards downwind.

Forget it and move on, the weather was terrible. It just was not a day for golf, end of.