What do you do when your game falls apart?

[Beedee]

Recently my game has started to disintegrate. Last year I was an 18 handicap who was showing signs of improvement (apart from truly awful bunker play that cost me a few cuts and buffers). My driving was good, my irons were pleasantly long enough and high with a soft draw. My swing path was a consistent in-to-out.

This year I can't break 100. My soft draw has become a fade/slice/hook/top/fat/s***k. My swing path is now mostly out-to-in, but variable. My driver works sporadically. My fairway woods are topped more than they're sweet. My distances with irons used to be reasonably consistent. 8 iron was 145ish (Game Golf user for a couple of seasons so I know the 145 is pretty accurate). Now most are about 125 with a occasional 145 so I don't know whether to play for my current crap or my previous usual. At the moment when I step up to the ball I don't have a clue what's going to happen.

I had a lesson. My pro identified rather too much vertical movement on the backswing that is leading to a lot of inconsistencies, but I can't seem to fix it. Or get my swing path back in line either.

So what do you do when things go pear-shaped in your game?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Go back to basics. Have one or two clear thoughts, triggers, and no more.

Forget distance for a while, just hit slow and cleanly to try and get your technique and confidence back. Just use your favourite clubs, forget the tricky ones.

It's almost like coming back from an injury, this is your rehab. Good luck, happens to most of us at some point, whether for one round or more.

 

[patricks148]

carry on, its a game i do it for enjoyment, if i play badly... i play badly, its not the end of the world.

 

[jusme]

carry on, its a game i do it for enjoyment, if i play badly... i play badly, its not the end of the world.

All day long, but its easy for me to say as I'm not competitive and score does not matter to me. I play for pleasure.

I do find when it goes of a visit to the range quickly sorts it. I start hitting as expected when relaxed there and the confidence from such is carried to the course. I need the range visit 3/4 times a year

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Keep going and try new things out and different thoughts in the hope I break the trend and start playing better golf. Normally I lose control of left/right dispersion and is a mare until it passes.

Only good thing with long game problems, is that you get better at your short game elements, as have more chips, putting etc

Best of luck.

 

[Tashyboy]

Swear, and if that falls apart like today swear louder.

 

[pendodave]

Check grip & alignment.
I find the feet together drill gets me back in rhythm and helps get centered.
Everyone has peaks and troughs. The longer I play, the more perspective I get and the less I worry about it.

 

[Slab]

You know that saying 'Form is temporary, class is permanent'

Well we all know a dip in form in golf can mean anything from couple bad holes to a couple of bad months

Some will fix it with a break, others will hit the range or lessons, some will buy new kit, hell even just new grips and still others will find their own ways through a slump but unless you've always been bad then the slump is just that, a dip in form and certainly temporary. Choose your fix




I've posted it before but this for me is the perfect illustration to fix any slump:


As before credit & thanks to the forumer who originally posted this

 

[inc0gnito]

carry on, its a game i do it for enjoyment, if i play badly... i play badly, its not the end of the world.

This is the least comforting thing anyone can say when your game falls apart.

OP, I feel your pain. Going through a similarly tough time myself and have ranted about it in a thread here too. At the moment I’m enjoying the range and have chosen to go there instead of the course recently. I’m using this time to work on technique and as an opportunity to get better than I was before.

I booked 4 lessons. Have had one so far and whilst I don’t have complete faith in his advice from the lesson, I did identify something else from the video which I’m working even more so.

Your pro said you had high hands but the old saying is there is always at least two faults. Perhaps you could get to the range and video your swing and see what are the most important things to work on (balance, hip turn, transition, etc).

 

[Scozzy]

When I struggle I go straight for the short game area and work on chipping and putting, anything and everything from 30 yds and in.Its fun, challenging,time saving and makes a massive difference to my confidence in other parts of my game

 

[bobmac]

The angle between your upper body and lower body is set by the tilt of your pelvis.
On your backswing, focus on keeping that angle the same.
That will reduce the vertical movement identified by your pro therefor improving the consistency of contact

 

[Deleted member 17920]

Swear, and if that falls apart like today swear louder.

Oh you've been to the @Captainron school of training.

Saunton 36 holer on Monday I gave up counting once we had passed one million F bombs

 

[Orikoru]

Go back to basics. Have one or two clear thoughts, triggers, and no more.

Forget distance for a while, just hit slow and cleanly to try and get your technique and confidence back. Just use your favourite clubs, forget the tricky ones.

It's almost like coming back from an injury, this is your rehab. Good luck, happens to most of us at some point, whether for one round or more.

This is the one. I had a few shockers early this year, and I just decided to focus on keeping my head relatively still and let the rest the swing be completely natural with as little thought as possible. Managed to get a swing back that way. Not a great one, but back to normal anyway.

Might be a good time to check out what Robin Matthews-Williams / FlowMotion advocate, which is having a few swings with your eyes shut, or not looking at the ball, just focus on feeling the weight of the club and getting your natural rhythm back, and forget all those niggling swing thoughts.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Its something I've come to deal with regularly in the last few weeks. I basically just try and keep it in play and play within myself. If I get a shot I am tending to ensure I hit a green and two putt for nett par. My issues tend to be tempo related anyway so trying to slow it all down can help but can also throw the swing further out of kilter.

 

[Beedee]

Thanks for the comments. I think "back to basics" is right.

At address, all my angles are good and the grip is fine. The pro's video showed that I'm straightening up in my backswing. With all that movement I can understand where the inconsistencies are coming from. So hard to fix tho. I can't feel what I'm doing well enough. Maybe time to start recording myself at the range.

Just hope it comes good before the clubs end up in a lake!

 

[Slab]

Thanks for the comments. I think "back to basics" is right.

At address, all my angles are good and the grip is fine. The pro's video showed that I'm straightening up in my backswing. With all that movement I can understand where the inconsistencies are coming from. So hard to fix tho. I can't feel what I'm doing well enough. Maybe time to start recording myself at the range.

Just hope it comes good before the clubs end up in a lake!

I think the Golf Channel did a video with a drill for correctly throwing a club. Sergio & Rory co-produced it
Its amazing how different the back-swing is if its a 3 or 4 iron as opposed to a wedge, much more lean in the turn and less wristy with a longer club

 

[GG26]

I usually find that my game falls apart when I do everything too quickly.

 

[hairball_89]

I usually find that my game falls apart when I do everything too quickly.

This *exactly* for me. I usually go back to a 7i or similar and try and slow right down. I find when I swing (how I feel is) slowly, I have a really good rhythm and get through the ball nicely. Speed up, rhythm goes, body moves all over the place and the shot is appropriately awful!

 

[GB72]

Swear, and if that falls apart like today swear louder.

Same for me, turned the air blue when I shot over 100 in the medal on Monday, even managed a 10 on a par 4

 

[Grant85]

Recently my game has started to disintegrate. Last year I was an 18 handicap who was showing signs of improvement (apart from truly awful bunker play that cost me a few cuts and buffers). My driving was good, my irons were pleasantly long enough and high with a soft draw. My swing path was a consistent in-to-out.

This year I can't break 100. My soft draw has become a fade/slice/hook/top/fat/s***k. My swing path is now mostly out-to-in, but variable. My driver works sporadically. My fairway woods are topped more than they're sweet. My distances with irons used to be reasonably consistent. 8 iron was 145ish (Game Golf user for a couple of seasons so I know the 145 is pretty accurate). Now most are about 125 with a occasional 145 so I don't know whether to play for my current crap or my previous usual. At the moment when I step up to the ball I don't have a clue what's going to happen.

I had a lesson. My pro identified rather too much vertical movement on the backswing that is leading to a lot of inconsistencies, but I can't seem to fix it. Or get my swing path back in line either.

So what do you do when things go pear-shaped in your game?

I always think about rhythm when struggling. Try and make a good solid turn and make a good strike without trying to hit it too hard. Usually my game has gone downhill when I am trying to hit the ball too hard and I get long and loose.