Really Down about Playing

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I feel I am starting again with my game and I don't think I can face building a new swing from scratch. Two years ago had a major infestation of the s****s that I thought a couple of lessons and a fair bit of practice had sorted. But a month ago it became obvious that I'd drifted back to my 35yr-engrained swing that had caused me so much heartache 2yrs back. I have had another lesson - but it feels so odd - and my swing and striking are so shockingly poor - that I don't know that I can be bothered any more. The thought of going out and playing - knowing that it's going to be awful - just makes me feel really, really down about playing.

Anyone been there and can help 'buck me up'

 

[patricks148]

I feel I am starting again with my game and I don't think I can face building a new swing from scratch. Two years ago had a major infestation of the s****s that I thought a couple of lessons and a fair bit of practice had sorted. But a month ago it became obvious that I'd drifted back to my 35yr-engrained swing that had caused me so much heartache 2yrs back. I have had another lesson - but it feels so odd - and my swing and striking are so shockingly poor - that I don't know that I can be bothered any more. The thought of going out and playing - knowing that it's going to be awful - just makes me feel really, really down about playing.

Anyone been there and can help 'buck me up'

yep...

shot a 93 in the medal on sat and was truly awful, played today, didn't hit a fairway till the 7th.. but 6 one puts saved me and managed to scrape level par gross.

driving is really ttting me off at the moment but its only a game and make sure i enjoy it, its better than working that's for sure.

also had a crisis about 3 years a go where i the only consistent shot a could hit was a sherman was off 7 at the time. made the changes down and got down to 5 and hardly hit one since.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

yep...

shot a 93 in the medal on sat and was truly awful, played today, didn't hit a fairway till the 7th.. but 6 one puts saved me and managed to scrape level par gross.

driving is really ttting me off at the moment but its only a game and make sure i enjoy it, its better than working that's for sure.

also had a crisis about 3 years a go where i the only consistent shot a could hit was a sherman was off 7 at the time. made the changes down and got down to 5 and hardly hit one since.

B ut all I can see ahead are lots of awful shots and rounds - and lots of practice. And as I never used to practice (and got to 6 without lessons or practice) the thought of spending hours on the practice ground fills me with dread and woe.

I'm sure the feelings will pass - but at the moment ...

 

[ManinBlack]

I have been a shanker on & off for over 50 years & have recently gone back to my natural, very simple, swing. At the moment I'm hitting the ball really well. I have tried learning new swings & it never works. I firmly believe that if you can modify your natural swing as little as possible so that it works reasonably consistently this is mile better than trying to groove something that feels totally unnatural.

For what it's worth, I never shank if I remember that the club has to come down along the same path as it went up. I find it so easy to throw the club onto an outside path as soon as I begin the downswing and my only swing thought at the moment is "on the downswing stay on the backswing path"

Hope you manage to resolve your problems. I firmly believe "simple & natural" is best.

 

[ruff-driver]

 

[Break90]

Have always been prone to the Sherman's since I took the game up, they come and go. Sometimes don't see them for months, then they appear, then disappear at some point.

Last summer I went through a particularly bad bout, for 10 rounds in a row I didn't hit an iron shot that wasn't a shank to some extent.

I booked a couple of lessons, and within about 30 seconds of the first one starting the pro had identified 3 things that were contributing to them.

By the end of the lesson I was striking the middle of the club face better than ever.

Since then, there have been a few, but it always comes down to one or more of the three things identified by the pro.

They are soul destroying, but the way I see it is that when they come, the bad days are nowhere near as bad as the good days are good.

Good luck, hope you work it out

 

[ScienceBoy]

Go out to a different course, local par 3 or 9 hole pay n play. Get away from "club" golf.

Don't play another competition until you have shot under your handicap 3 times off the yellows. Take all the pressure off and just enjoy getting out, hitting a ball and having fun.

Club golfers go through this a lot and often end up in the cycle of 0.1s causing stress causing 0.1s. I had that and I found a break to just playing for fun made a world of difference.

You don't need to practice to just go out off the yellows and enjoy yourself.

What are you practising for and why? Analyse your beliefs to change your behaviour.

 

[Three]

I feel I am starting again with my game and I don't think I can face building a new swing from scratch. Two years ago had a major infestation of the s****s that I thought a couple of lessons and a fair bit of practice had sorted. But a month ago it became obvious that I'd drifted back to my 35yr-engrained swing that had caused me so much heartache 2yrs back. I have had another lesson - but it feels so odd - and my swing and striking are so shockingly poor - that I don't know that I can be bothered any more. The thought of going out and playing - knowing that it's going to be awful - just makes me feel really, really down about playing.

Anyone been there and can help 'buck me up'

First step is change your screen name

 

[Lump]

Im also prone to shanks. It take a few practice sessions to get rid. (Mine come from becoming disconnected in the down swing)

 

[Crow]

My golf has been crap for over a year now, I'm becoming resigned to it and just enjoy the company and the one or two half decent shots I might hit in a round.

Stop worrying about your scoring and just enjoy the view, the fresh air and the time with your playing partners.
The slump will probably pass quicker that way.

 

[Tashyboy]

This is why I am glad I am crap playing off 21, your expectations are not as high and you expect some duff shots.
the scary thing is that when you get to 18 and below you have to get pars to play to hcap but at the mo a par is an achievement.
looking at the Big boys playing below hcap of 10 I sort of expect players to be able to analyse there swing where it is goin wrong. Flippin glad I will never have that problem.
Hope you get it sorted and get back your mojo.

 

[Swingalot]

I feel I am starting again with my game and I don't think I can face building a new swing from scratch. Two years ago had a major infestation of the s****s that I thought a couple of lessons and a fair bit of practice had sorted. But a month ago it became obvious that I'd drifted back to my 35yr-engrained swing that had caused me so much heartache 2yrs back. I have had another lesson - but it feels so odd - and my swing and striking are so shockingly poor - that I don't know that I can be bothered any more. The thought of going out and playing - knowing that it's going to be awful - just makes me feel really, really down about playing.

Anyone been there and can help 'buck me up'

You have typed exactly where I am with my golf. If like me your swing is mainky based on a decent hand/eye and not a connected arm/body then you like I go through this horrible dip every so often.
Have decided to sort with my pro and going to start next week, but it's going to be a long and painful road. Just hope it will be worth it.
People who have never had the proper shanks (90 out of 100 balls stuff) have no idea!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Had high hopes this season until recent health issues arose. Got problems that are affecting the golf and know every round won't be anywhere near what it could be. Practice suffering too but I'm one of those that needs to hit a few balls regularly to try and maintain a semblance of timing.

I can really sympathise and empathise with the feelings, especially to get to a good standard without too much effort,lessons or practice (no-one likes a smarty pants) and while it seems the lessons several years ago you've regressed. It's a tough one if you don't like tuition and practice but my tuppence worth would be to get say three lessons, let a pro see where you are swing wise and tell him you aren't looking to reinvent the wheel and see where it takes you. Hard to enjoy it though when you aren't sure if the next one is going forward or right at a 45 degree angle. Hope you get it sorted

 

[Hobbit]

I developed the mother of all slices about 30 years ago, playing off 5 at the time. I was losing 3 or 4 balls a round and heading for a 20's handicap. I tried lessons, practicing etc but all I seemed to be doing was ingraining a horrendous fault. I decided to take two full months off. As much as I was itching to get out I refrained.

Eventually came back to the game, and the fault was pretty much gone bar the odd one you might expect.

I had another spell a few years back, which all but disappeared when I replaced my driver. Unfortunately, it looks like it's rearing its ugly head again. I'm swapping back to a driver I garaged a few weeks back to see if that cures it.

 

[HankMarvin]

I feel I am starting again with my game and I don't think I can face building a new swing from scratch. Two years ago had a major infestation of the s****s that I thought a couple of lessons and a fair bit of practice had sorted. But a month ago it became obvious that I'd drifted back to my 35yr-engrained swing that had caused me so much heartache 2yrs back. I have had another lesson - but it feels so odd - and my swing and striking are so shockingly poor - that I don't know that I can be bothered any more. The thought of going out and playing - knowing that it's going to be awful - just makes me feel really, really down about playing.

Anyone been there and can help 'buck me up'

Just do what it says on your profile

Just Swing Like Hogan..

Anytime I feel my swing is not right I alway click on YouTube & watch his swing video, the guy is Legand.....

 

[kid2]

Can I ask. What was the problem before the lessons?
And how was your ball striking before them?

The reason I ask is that I went through a batch of 8 lessons about 3 yrs ago. Haven't had one since but the pro I saw albeit a good one tried in vain to get me to swing the club from the inside out at the ball as I had a fair throw across the line from the top.

I was playing army golf for the best part of 18 months. I was always a decent iron player and like many I yearned for a good consistent swing..

I ha a two way miss going on because in my head I was supposed to attack the ball from the inside. At the time what the pro was trying to get me to do was neutralize my swing by going from one extreme to the other. It was working to an extent but I felt I wasn't improving relative to the practice I was putting in.

I've since went back to playing my natural shot which is a fade. I have accepted it and embraced it as I always thought that better players play a draw.

My ball striking is better. My miss now is only the one side of the course and my swing is what it is. I've concentrated more on playing golf than golf swing...

I know it's easy to say but do what comes natural to you and try and improve on it...
For the record. Before I went back to playing my fade I had nearly 2 and half months of shanks that Neely made me give the game up.. since going back I haven't had 1..

 

[Piece]

I feel I am starting again with my game and I don't think I can face building a new swing from scratch. Two years ago had a major infestation of the s****s that I thought a couple of lessons and a fair bit of practice had sorted. But a month ago it became obvious that I'd drifted back to my 35yr-engrained swing that had caused me so much heartache 2yrs back. I have had another lesson - but it feels so odd - and my swing and striking are so shockingly poor - that I don't know that I can be bothered any more. The thought of going out and playing - knowing that it's going to be awful - just makes me feel really, really down about playing.

Anyone been there and can help 'buck me up'

If I do hit one of those shots, I know what I have done to hit that. For me, if I don't turn enough AND if my right elbow doesn't tuck in on the downswing, one result happens... This is not professional advice at all, something that just works for me.

 

[Curls]

Man I was feeling you pain, until Sunday. Swing changes had me struggling to find consitency and I had no hope of scoring. The solution?

Grind.

Just get out there and grind, because following another poor front 9 I just found something else, a different gear, and probably played the best golf of my life on the back 9. It has completely changed my perspective. Get down the range, course, pitch and putt, whatever, you have ability you're just letting something get in the way of it. Buck up and face the first tee like you're going to kill it. And if you don't, get on the 2nd. None of us are consistent, not even the pros are, so there's no point beating yourself up over a slump, best thing about a trough is there's a peak to come, but you won't find it if you don't grind it out.

Chin up.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Just do what it says on your profile

Just Swing Like Hogan..

Anytime I feel my swing is not right I alway click on YouTube & watch his swing video, the guy is Legand.....

When I was a young teen and learning the game I was given Hogan's book. I'd go into our garden and face the big window in our garage which was at the side of the garden - so that I could see my reflection. I'd put Hogan's book down on the grass in front of me and - watching my reflection - match my swing position to the pictures (I hope everyone knows the pictures I mean ).

Some 20yrs later I was playing with a guy I'd played with only once before. Half way round (it was on the 9th fairway) he turned to me and said 'I've just twigged why it is that thogh we've only played once before I think I've played with you loads of times - it's because you .... SiLH )

I played this swing for 35yrs and got it grooved - playing 6 rounds a week through the 80s - but I knew there was stuff wrong with it - but playing to 6 why change it? But as already posted - I guess I was all spot-on hand/eye coordination - so after I had a break in playing for about 8yrs (family and home move) and then played 1-2 times a week when I started again - I fell out of my groove - except it wasn't a groove - it was a knife-edge - little did I realise it through the good years.

And so today - 2yrs back I managed to get OK with what I was taught and stopped sh***ing it. And if I did one I knew why. But over the two years I have slid back into my old 'swing and so back on the knife edge, off of which I have now fallen...

It's painful....but you are all right - it's just a game...

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Sometimes focusing on one slight change can alter your confidence.
I used to grip down an inch and club up one club. Playing within yourself.

A minor grip thought like gripping tighter with your left hand pinkie may sound weird but can just do the trick.
Sounds like loss of confidence, we all get that from time to time, even Tiger.