Regaining trust in my swing, vicious cycle

[ScienceBoy]

I have been through it all this year it seems.

I have sorted out my driving and short game, either improving or as good as I can get them.

My iron play it seems is all over the place. I changed out my old beginner irons for some lovely new better player ones as my pro keeps telling me I have the iron swing of a single figure player, in lessons I am flawless.

Well he is right, I hit a lot of lovely shots but also I tend to end up with a strong draw as I cannot attack the ball as I fear a shank ( I rarely shank on the course but I do it a lot on the range).

When I come to practice I seem to just ruin my trust in my swing. I go to do some practice, a drill or aim and I end up just trying to hit the ball as after 10-15 perfect warm-up shots I shank everything.

This leads me to distrust my swing which then reflects on subsequent competitive rounds.

Then suddenly it all clicks and I play well when I go out for a practice 9 or go back on the range another day.

I have this weekend off golf, hopefully I can come back to practice next week refreshed.

I go round and round in contradicting circles of only a few days or hours in duration. Everyone keeps telling me how amazing my swing is then I go out and when I have a shot for the green it always ends up on the left side and I have to do a good chip to have a go at par (no birdie chances though). Back on the range and I shank half a bucket and the cycle begins again.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think you've been reading my blog too much. Sounds like the same circle I have although I tend to trust it implicity at the range and then as soon as a horror shot appears on the course the trust goes. Hawkeye mentioned elsewhere being a confidence player and being short of it after his round on Saturday and I'm the same. If I get the opening four hands out of the way and can be level 2's I'll usually go on and play well. If I struggle particularly if I blob one then the confidence is low and the cycle begins. The usual scenario is get some points back and then give the, straight back.

I'm trying so hard to hit it and find it and hit it again as I started to do last year without worrying about the swing or consequence but it is still a difficult thing for me especially in a comp.

Not sure what the answer is (although I'm hoping the psychologist session I got derided for last night will help) other than to use the work I've done on the range this winter as a catalyst and just trust the hours spent freezing my knackers off are in the memory. Usually once a round has gone and 36 points or a buffer zone are unachievable I'll hit shots properly and with the new swing functioning. It is in there and it is close to happening. Maybe tomorrow

 

[ScienceBoy]

Huh, maybe just getting that post off my chest helped!

I went to the range tonight and things were perfect. I just tweaked two things, moved my ball more towards my leading (left) foot and steepend the swing.

I played my little game I call 5s, I pick a target as a flag and if I get close I score 5 points, 4 for kind of close, 3 for a missed green range, 2 for a wide, 1 for a poor shot that went somewhere and 0 for a duff/top/thin.

I took aim at the 150 yard marker with my 7 iron and proceeded to score: 5,5,4,5,5! My best ever doing that drill! I usually score 21 with most things, I do it with all clubs but driver has a wider and different shaped 5 zone than a PW.

I repeated it with my PW and scored 22, still very good!

I am going out to keep doing that drill as much as possible and I hope east brighton a week today will be a fun day out!

I just feel like I can trust my swing again! Its fantastic!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I went out this afternoon. I'd had a diabetic eye test this morning and the eyes hadn't quite recovered from the drops they use so bright sunlight a white ball and green grass were a heady cocktail. It wasn't a great idea as it was really hard to focus and follow the ball once it had been hit. However it did get better.

I played on my own and there were some good shots on the front nine. The chipping has reached a crisis akin to that in Libya and like their government is in meltdown. That aside I struck the ball much better. I met up with two guys from the Saturday swindle on the 10th and it all fell apart. None of us played well but the concentration I had had on my own went and it was a case of just standing and hitting. The chipping ebbed away until I had zero confidence taking the club back. There were some good shots and the last three holes were good. I am learning to trust it more and it is repaying that faith. Off to the range on Friday and then first out in the stableford on Saturday which'll be the true test of whether I can trust it or not