Total despair

[mickytwodesks]

Below is today’s score card, first number is the holes par – in the bracket is my score and after the dash is the number of putts for the hole, e.g. hole 1. par 4 (I took 7 strokes in total for the hole and – 3 of them where putts)

Northenden Golf Course

1. 4 (7 – 3)
2. 5 (8 – 4)
3. 4 (5 – 3)
4. 3 (4 – 2)
5. 4 (6 – 2)
6. 5 (8 – 2)
7. 4 (7 – 3)
8. 3 (8 – 3)
9. 4 (9 – 4)
10. 4 (7 – 2)
11. 4 (7 – 3)
12. 3 (3 – 2)
13. 5 (8 – 3)
14. 4 (11 – 3) Stuck in sandpit!
15. 3 (3 – 1)
16. 5 (7 – 2)
17. 4 (5 – 1)
18. 4 (6 – 2)

Total score 119 strokes and 25 points.

I took 46 putts in total but this is because I always end up 20+ yards from the hole, so end up 3-4 putting.

My driving started out OK for the first 3 holes, then it turned into a big slice for the remaining 10 drives!

My Course Management is terrible, I always try and go for the flag even if I’m stuck behind a forest. I’ll then hit the ball Ok but it usually ends up hitting a tree and vanishing into deep undergrowth.

I’m playing at Tytherington Golf Club on Thursday and Belton Woods next month and I’m sick of playing rubbish!!

 

[Parmo]

I tend to go for the middle of the green as it makes me less pressured and leaves me more to aim at that.

 

[Ham]

Know how you feel, I have only just started to improve myself having been at 26 last summer now 23 and hopefully under 20 soon all I would suggest is if you have not all ready done so get lessons from a good pro and then practise what he tells you down thew range at least once a week or more mand play at least once a week if poss ?

 

[pierreman]

As a novice, i can only speak from 6 months experience. I had never gone below 33 over. But I took driver, fairway wood, 7 iron and pitching wedge to the range 3 times last week. Mainly because I was terrible with all three, an still am. I play safe now (mostly) instead of going for it all the time, i'm no tiger woods! But this sat I went round in 18 over, nearly wet myself at the end! Went round today in 30.

Perserverance and patience should work for me, it did yesterday. I guess we just have to put each previous bad shot behind us and just concentrate on the next, do our best and hope it lands somewhere good. Chin up, you're not alone. I am still looking forward to next saturday, even though I doubt i'll get anywhere near 18 again. the memory will live on!!

Good luck!

 

[bunkered]

Micky, here,s a we tip you can try and use, try and make nothing worse than a bogey on each hole, years ago i used this to get my handicap down.

 

[Parmo]

Totally agree divot, I use this and I am on 20 at the moment after 6 months.

 

[mickytwodesks]

Cheers, chin is up I’m just frustrated. I have lessons at Playgolf Manchester but unfortunately I don’t drive (a car!) so getting to the range to practice is very difficult as I have to rely on a mate to take me. The best I can do at the moment is use an air-ball in the flat, Mrs goes mental

I'm moving into a new house in a couple of weeks with a good size garden and I’m seriously considering getting a swing net for the back garden:

http://www.golfnetsonline.co.uk/acatalog/golfnets.html

Does anyone else have one? Are they worth the money?

 

[bunkered]

Good stuff, keep it going.

 

[brendy]

Fellas the best advice that I can give short of referring you to your pro, is to go out with a low handicapper on a weekday where there is no pressure, they will be honoured to help out and help you navigate round the course, you would need to be willing to listen though. I wouldnt try to change anyones swing, just point out better management.

 

[RGuk]

I think divot has the right idea, but single bogey is not really an option for you at the moment. (c'mon divot....this plan of attack requires a pretty solid game, where you can scramble out of nowhere!!)
Firstly, forget the 11 (this can happen to anyone). Secondly, 46 putts is way too many, but this WILL come down as you get more experienced and winter greens are not good for counting putts.
If it important that somewhere along the line you learn to make the most of a bad job with these disaster holes, and that is where course management becomes crucial. This is another thing that will improve in time.

I know the thread on your swing kind of dried up.....I didn't want to get into the stuff me and MVP were arguing over.....you don't have a bad swing mate! BUT, you need to sort out your pull/slice quickly and this will mean a few more lessons. I totaly underatand where you are with all this......you will make headway soon......
In reality, I got from 28 - ? by curing the bad stuff, not necessarily improving the good/straight-ish hits. and....like divot suggests, once you can scramble decent scores after a bad drive or poor 2nd shot, the game seems a whole lot easier.

Good luck.

 

[GB72]

I agree with Brendy's suggestion of going round with a low handicapper. Having conquered some of my beginners nerves I have been playing with a few single figure golfers who are more than happy to give advice on course management etc.

 

[RGuk]

go out with a low handicapper on a weekday where there is no pressure, they will be honoured to help out and help you navigate round the course, you would need to be willing to listen though.

Well said mate.....good call.

When I was learning, my mate was already able to make plenty of pars and knock it round under 90. He never said anything to me, but I soon got the feeling that he thought I was being silly if I tried too hard to force a decent return on a potentially bad hole. I got into the habit of taking my medicine, learning to hit a manageable club up the long holes and leaving a good percentage 3rd shot. He would laugh me off greens when I left putts way too short and 3 putted (you might as well race it up past the hole if you are going to 3 putt).etc.etc.

If you take advice from a good player, you have to swallow your pride, take the sensible option, bin the driver when it's landing you in trouble, and practice a load of shots under 100 yards to turn those ugly doubles into secure bogeys.

 

[TonyN]

Mickey, do you tend to leave your putts short? If you do it may be worth practicing some drills. Good one i use is

Place an object 2 foot behind the hole.using 4 balls Putt from distance (about 30 ft) and score your self on where the ball lands.

Anywhere short of the hole is minus 3 points

Anywhere between the hole and the object is plus 3 points

Past the object is nothing.

Hole it and its plus 5.

Idea of this drill is basically not to finish up short, if you do, it doesn't matter how good your line was, your ball will never drop. if it goes past the hole it has a chance (if your line is good) Just remember you have to give the ball a chance.

Practice this weekly and in no time am sure your 4 putts will turn too mostly two's, mine did and my scores have dropped dramatically.

 

[RGuk]

At the muni in B'ham the captain used to fine members of his 4 ball (the other 3!) 10p every time they left a putt short.....we soon learned to hit em better, and the team frequently won matches just on confident putting.

 

[TonyN]

Yeah my mate who is a pro always has a comp with me before we play our round. If i loose i only have to buy the coffee's. If i win he says he will buy me a dozen balls of my choice

(still ain't won but am getting closer)

Once you get good enough, 10p a time for short putts helps you to hole the pressure putts more often. I now actually look forward to my drills.

 

[mickytwodesks]

Good advice guys, cheers. I would like to go round with a low handicapper (although i would be pretty nervous). I dont know anyone under 24, I'm not a member of a club either. So not sure of the best way to find someone - maybe a Personal Ad:

Inconsistant Golfer seeks low handicapper with GSOH

My putting like my swing is completely inconsistant - ranging from too short to too long. I have to be honest, practice putting is the thing i enjoy least in golf so dont do it enough. Its obviously costing me shots.

 

[Harry_Putter]

As a newcomer to the game myself I know exactly what you are going through! I now get to the course 45 mins before I tee off and hit some balls on the driving range and have about 10 mins on the practice putting green. I find this helps enormously. If you hit a bad shot try and forget it straight away and concentrate on the next. I also try and play well within myself on the course and remember to slow down. I find that if I play a bad shot my next swing gets quicker so that shot isn't good either and so on. I find the slower I swing the more accurate I am. After the game I try and focus on the good shots/holes I played so I can repeat them next time.

 

[mickytwodesks]

Harry_Putter - genius name mate

Absolutely, looking back i definatley start speeding up, which recks the tempo and timing of my swing. Maybe a couple of valium before the round

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My advice would be to forget working on your long stuff at the range and get on the putting green. If you can putt consistently you will find the scores dropping very quickly.

I would advise a putting lesson to make sure you are aiming correctly (eyes directly over the ball, shoulders square, neutral grip etc).

 

[viscount17]

micky, I was given this a putting drill by a mate at work. I offer it for what it's worth. You may already know this and you need to be a bit possessive over the practice green.
Start out with eight balls (can be fewer but the principle is the same), spaced out around a pin at about a club's length. Putt them all, miss any and you start again.
Once you've putted them all, you've established a roughly 6 ft diameter bucket to lag into.
Pick a hole, lay out however many balls it takes from 6 ft at about 2 yard intervals right across the practice green. You are not now trying to sink these balls but to get them in your kill zone. If you sink one it's a bonus and it's not a disaster if it doesn't reach the hole, though it's better if it does.

Best I've done since practising this routine is to average 2-putts over 27 holes in one day - only done it once but now I know it can be done.