The brawn's there but the brain is not! Help!

[barrybridges]

Evening all!

I've just got back from a really good 9 holes after work. It drizzled a bit, but I pretty much had the course to myself.

I went round the 9 in 7 over which I was pretty happy with generally.

However, I'm getting really angry with myself because I think the main problem with my game is what is going on in my brain, and I don't know how best to cure it!

Tonight, for the first time ever, my game really clicked. I had good power and distance, but that was my problem. On every approach to every green, I massively overpowered my shots and of the 7 I dropped, almost all were because I overshot the green - by 20 yards in some circumstances.

I'm really having trouble reading distances is my first issue. Or at least I think it is. Whenever I look at a shot in front of me, my brain does some calculations and tells me what club to pick. But I then go through a crisis of confidence when my brain says to itself, 'don't be stupid Barry, that's never going to be enough'.

So, I take a club more and what happens? I blast it past the green.

I'm really scared though that when I take a club I'm going to come up short.

I know everyone might say the answer is simple: know your distances. But the problem is, I think I do. I know this might sound mental but on the course I just seem to hit it much better than on the range.

Tonight, on pretty much 7 out of 7 holes, I found myself with a PW or less to get on in regulation. 3 out of 7 holes was pretty much a driver then PW. I used my 5 and 6i once each.

I'm not a massive hitter, but when it comes to the course I'm worried I'm crap at the mental side of things and plotting my way around.

What's the best way to address this? I almost need lessons in how to navigate the course. Would a playing lesson help?

 

[pokerjoke]

Barry you dont need a lesson on how to manage the course,anyone who leaves himself a wedge into the green is doing well.As you said you know your distances[i would question this,or question your confidence in those distancs].The main objective when hitting the green is not to leave yourself a nightmare of a putt.Make sure when you take your club you try to leave yourself an uphill putt or a straight putt.Be confident in the club your taking and commit.Take everything into consideration,wind,uphill,downhill etc and go for it.

 

[GOLFBALL_WHACKER_GUY]

Saw a chap using one of those swing speed readers up the range a while back, and I thought it might be a good idea to try one to help measuring distances, might be worth a shot.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

One (contentious) suggestion would be get a GPS either buying or borrowing (skycaddy etc) and then go out and measure how far you hit each club. Even if you only borrow one at least you'll know an average 7 iron goes maybe 155 and a pure one goes 161. At least you can stand there and feel more comfy knowing what club for what distance

 

[Imurg]

Stick to the first club you choose. If you come up short then so be it. At my place you don't want to be long on most greens so being short is the place to be if you don't hit the green. Ok often there's trouble short so go for what's best at your course.
Getting hold of some sort of DMD is a good call just to be sure.

 

[Region3]

Do you mean you don't know how far you have left, or that you're not sure how far each club will go?

 

[sawtooth]

Barry get someone to video or spot how long your backswing is. Overswing is 1 possible reason that you are inconsistent with length.

 

[Mattyboy]

Why not incorprate this as part of a pre shout routine?
E.G.
1)Reach ball
2)Laser distance
3)Consider lie, wind, slope , green firmness etc.
4)Consider what flight I want to hit the shot on (low/hi/draw/fade).
5)Consider where I want to play my next shot from.
6)Select club (based on 2-4 above.
7)Practice swing / picture shot.
8)Fire.

You must need to know exactly how far you carry your irons (especially the shorter ones).

Best Wishes

Matt

 

[barrybridges]

Thanks for your replies.

Having thought about this overnight I think there are probably a few issues here.

The first is lack of knowledge about my distance. At the moment I say that I 'know' my distances, but only based on how things look on the range. The range I use might not be accurate, and the distances can vary bay-to-bay. Also, from 200 yards, it's difficult to judge where a ball carried too.

So, I think correctly learning my distances will be key.

The second issue is judging distance on the course. I'm probably going to invest in a GPS app for my phone as I feel last night I was probably let down more by letting my 'feel' guide my choice of club. The ground was bone hard and I expect my drives rolled much further than I thought.

Around that, I need more confidence that I can hit the ball with distance. In January when I started playing golf after a huge absence I could barely hit the ball and I don't think my brain has caught up with how much I'm improved since then. Back then, I couldn't reach any green in regulation. Now, I have room to spare and should play more intelligently.

So, conclusion:

- Learn my distances and measure them accurately
- Invest in GPS to ensure accurate distances on the the course
- Be confident that I can hit the ball well enough

 

[Oddsocks]

With most courses unless you have a hazzard to carry Lake/Pond/BUnker/Hether short is not normally a problem, and 90% of short shots will find a good lie, now over th green is a different ball park.

Barry, My Caddie Pro on the iphone has a shot tracking facilty and is free to download. get it downloaded, get to the practice ground/old field and just hit balls. As homer said make a note of average, short and pured ones.

With things like SW/LW/PW its a hole different game.

Id personally
Grip Standard, 1 inch down and 2 inches down
Swing at 1/2 and full swings,

this should give you 6 different combinations for each wedge and help your distance control.