Serious question

[jack1]

Is there a pro out there who can do magic? I have a handicap of 14. In the last two years i have not played to it. My average score is less than 30 and yesterday i had 18. I have had lessons from 3 different pros and they all talk sense, (of course), but i am no further forward. Maybe it us possible that someone, (me), can just loose it? And should hang them up and stop fighting?

 

[Sybez]

How often do you play and practise?
Do you practise with purpose or just wack balls?
What's your weakness in your game?

Answer those and readjust your expectations until you can see a movement towards improvement.

 

[freddielong]

IMO you cant just loose it physically your golf swing will be more or less where it was, but mentally you can destroy yourself pretty much overnight.

If I was you I would start making a note or a chart of recent rounds have a look at were things go wrong if its the same thing over and over then put a plan together to fix it, if its lots of little mistakes then it is possibly a lack of confidence, try to be more positive put an easy PSR together that helps you feel positive about the shot you are about to hit.

 

[6inchcup]

wrong h/c would be my suggestion forget all the clap trap about thinking writing down this that and the other,just enjoy playing forget your scores as thinking about them will only get you tighter and more anxious,free your mind and have fun,the score will take care of itself my friend.

 

[jack1]

How often do you play and practise?
Do you practise with purpose or just wack balls?
What's your weakness in your game?

Answer those and readjust your expectations until you can see a movement towards improvement.

Practice at least twice a week and with purpose. Can,t hit irons to save my life. We have a 160 par 3. I can stand there all day and not get one on the green. Woods are not the problem.

6inchcup, thanks but how can you have fun with 18 points?

 

[OldMate]

IMO you cant just loose it physically your golf swing will be more or less where it was, but mentally you can destroy yourself pretty much overnight.

Agree completely with this. I am going through a similar thing Jack. Almost always coming in with less than 30 points. Every round for a period of about 4-10 holes I lose the plot mentally and start trying to guide/punch the ball/avoid all risks and just generally play negatively. I did the usual yesterday - 4 points after 6 holes and ended up with 27.

When I play matchplay it is the opposite, I swing freely and am always competitive. For me it is clearly an issue of fearing the course. When I play directly against another player I am able to attack as I know that it may force a mistake. I just don't seem to be able to transfer that mindset across to strokeplay.

 

[JCW]

Practice at least twice a week and with purpose. Can,t hit irons to save my life. We have a 160 par 3. I can stand there all day and not get one on the green. Woods are not the problem.

6inchcup, thanks but how can you have fun with 18 points?

What do the pros say , are they just taking your money and giving you lessons that you feel are getting you no where ?

 

[Oddsocks]

I can shoot a pb one week and not be able to hit a ball 100 yards if I get on the thought train, my tip would be find a few drills that clear your head and just hit balls at the range grinding them drills in to find some natural fluidity in your swing and go from there.

IMHO a solid pre shot routine to clear your head is a must have .... It's almost training your brain to get into shot mode.

 

[Foxholer]

Is there a pro out there who can do magic? I have a handicap of 14. In the last two years i have not played to it. My average score is less than 30 and yesterday i had 18. I have had lessons from 3 different pros and they all talk sense, (of course), but i am no further forward. Maybe it us possible that someone, (me), can just loose it? And should hang them up and stop fighting?

No magicians!

Average score less than 30 isn't horrendous - Congu stats would suggest 31-32 average.

How did you get to 14? What's different now?

 

[woody69]

Practice at least twice a week and with purpose. Can,t hit irons to save my life. We have a 160 par 3. I can stand there all day and not get one on the green. Woods are not the problem.

What is the problem with your irons, fat? thin? hooks, slices?

 

[duncan mackie]

Practice at least twice a week and with purpose. Can,t hit irons to save my life. We have a 160 par 3. I can stand there all day and not get one on the green. Woods are not the problem.

up until I read this bit I would have suggested a 9 hole playing lesson to bring what you are learning into play on the course (normally one of the biggest issues for those looking to improve with lessons/practice etc)

however, I struggle to understand how you can be doing what the professionals are suggesting and be unable to hit an iron 160 yds with this sort of issue - we all miss from that range, we all (most) completely miss hit middle irons occasionally etc etc but it's a basic bread and butter shot; it's why 6 irons are used as demo clubs!

so what is it that you pro is trying to get you to do with your irons that is causing the issue for you?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Start with basics and the pro. Are you really connecting with the pro(s) you're using or been to. Have you actually set down and written down exactly what you are looking for, how often you're able to work on the game realistically. Some people hate the range and hate drills or trying to bed in swing changes. If you're one of those or really can't get to the range regularly (once or twice per week) then you need to let them know and adjust your goals accordingly

What are you going to the pro for? Is it a total swing rebuild. I started using the pro I go to in December 2012 with the long term goal of changing the swing completely. I made a lot of progress early on but on the course 2013 was a write off and a huge frustration. I stuck with it and have come out the other side with a swing that repeats more regularly and which I understand. It isn't and never will be textbook and can still have horror rounds. However the bad days are less catastrophic and the quality of the ball strike between December 2012 and now is chalk and cheese.

What are the faults. Do you have one stock bad shot, or is it a combination of tops, thins, lefts and rights?

Personally in your shoes, I'd be deciding if I'm getting value for money from my lessons (and would be saying a definite no) and decide what I want, how much time I'm prepared to invest and look locally for someone that I like, can get on with and understand exactly what they are doing to my swing. Word of mouth is the best recommendation in my book

 

[SocketRocket]

I can only suggest you try to simplify things in your golf swing and build from there. Have you tried to hit shots with your feet together? If you can strike balls better like this (most people can) then you need to check your stability and reduce sway. Are you hitting thin and/or fat, if you are then you may be swatting your wrists and hitting up on the ball.

What are these Pros asking you to work on?

Any chance of a video.

 

[G_Mulligan]

No there is no magic trick I'm afraid but it is very possible to enjoy golf while scoring badly. Commit to a long term improvement plan and forget short term scores. Build trust into your range work by hitting at least half your shots without any technical or mechanical thoughts, just pick a target, quieten the mind and swing.

After a round write down your 5 best shots. Detail the specifics of hole, club, distance etc. but also how it looked and how it felt. Go over them again in your head while going to sleep and again when you wake up. Over time you will build up a positive journal of great shots which you can picture out on the course when you hit similar shots with the same club. You don't have to think about how the body executed the shot just picture it and your brain will know what to do and the body will follow more often than not.

 

[CMAC]

instinctivegolf


[video=youtube_share;QsGsYtuI2mc]http://youtu.be/QsGsYtuI2mc[/video]

 

[williamalex1]

Is there a pro out there who can do magic? I have a handicap of 14. In the last two years i have not played to it. My average score is less than 30 and yesterday i had 18. I have had lessons from 3 different pros and they all talk sense, (of course), but i am no further forward. Maybe it us possible that someone, (me), can just loose it? And should hang them up and stop fighting?

Jack give me 2 shots and i'll play you for a tenner and we'll have a good close competitive game believe me.

We all go through bad patches, every year without fail there's a period [ bad] when i can't even imagine what a golf shot looks like.
But i carry on even when my mates suggest i join a bowling clubs. :rof

 

[bobmac]

I would suggest an on course lesson. Even just 2 or 3 holes and the pro will sort it out.
Failing that.......

Can't hit irons to save my life. Woods are not the problem.

I'm guessing you mean woods off the tee?

If so, and I can only guess with the limited info.....

I would guess you're head is moving all over the place meaning the impact position is different every time.
Assuming your grip posture and swing path aren't too bad, I would just concentrate on keeping your head still during the backswing.
That will give you a more consistent impact. When you're striking it better, then get the rest checked.
HTH

 

[jack1]

Thanks for all the advice. The shots are big push right, miss hits, big pulls left. The later i think is when i try and hit too hard. What are the pros saying? Well first one tried to get my take away further away from the body in order to bring the club back more consistently square. Too difficult. The second was similar but on video with stills and lines drawn over the place. The third included two on course playing lessons where the swing was deemed fine, the grip and set up fine and really all i needed was a better PSR and to focus on alignment. Then after stop fiddling around and changing things. But....it doesn,t work! I hit 13 balls into one of our greens from 140 with an 8 iron last night. 3 on the green, three to the right, 20 yards, 5 to the left 20 yards, two short by 30 yards.!

 

[duncan mackie]

But....it doesn,t work! I hit 13 balls into one of our greens from 140 with an 8 iron last night. 3 on the green, three to the right, 20 yards, 5 to the left 20 yards, two short by 30 yards.!

go back and do the same thing with a 7 iron ....then let us know how it went.

 

[G_Mulligan]

Thanks for all the advice. The shots are big push right, miss hits, big pulls left. The later i think is when i try and hit too hard. What are the pros saying? Well first one tried to get my take away further away from the body in order to bring the club back more consistently square. Too difficult. The second was similar but on video with stills and lines drawn over the place. The third included two on course playing lessons where the swing was deemed fine, the grip and set up fine and really all i needed was a better PSR and to focus on alignment. Then after stop fiddling around and changing things. But....it doesn,t work! I hit 13 balls into one of our greens from 140 with an 8 iron last night. 3 on the green, three to the right, 20 yards, 5 to the left 20 yards, two short by 30 yards.!

So have you followed the last pro's advice? Have you worked on alignment and developed a short repeatable PSR? If your swing has been deemed fine during a playing lesson then it does seem like you might be trying too hard and focussing on technique which will rob you of tempo and rhythm. It also sounds like you might be practicing a bit angry and frustrated, expecting to hit bad shots and berating yourself when you. Try and exercise a little patience and discipline in your practice and play.