I've never had a slump b4. How do you get out?!

[DJYoshi]

Since I started playing in January of 07, I've only gotten better and seen tremendous gains in ball striking, accuracy, distance, touch, putting and scoring. I'm extremely proud of myself to have achieved a mid-low handicap within a year and a half of playing this crazy game.

The past 3 weeks or so, I'll shoot 1 great round, and then the other 2 or 3 in the week are crap...barely breaking 90 or sometimes not even breaking 90. I'm not striking the ball well. My drive accuracy which would really keep me in play and give me a chance to score or make par has left me. I'm questioning distances with clubs... FYE: 1 hole I'll be 155 out and I'll stick a 7 iron. Another hole I'll be 155 out, and I'll fly the green. Other times I'm 155 out and I'll come up 15 yards short. All in the same day, the same course, and relatively no wind or elevation change.

For some reason I'm playing the ball back in my stance more than I should be (7 iron is being played where the 8 iron normally would be). I've turned into the biggest digger. Army golf at its finest.

My friends that have been playing much longer than me (at least 5 years for all of them) say: don't worry about it..it's just a slump. who cares if your HC goes up and you'll eventually get out of it. I really don't care about the HC...I just want to be consistent at a level that I appreciate.
Do you have slumps? How did you get out of it? I'll have a slump in a round and then turn around and have 4 great holes..then back to the slump again.
The club doesn't feel comfortable in my hands anymore...
Other people say: I play way too much and I should take a few days off (which is what I'm doing now... 5 days off from not touching a club, putter, anything).

I just don't know how to get out of this. It's all in my head now and I can't shake it off.

[immts007]

Try listening to one of the mental game audiobooks? Or experimenting with a new technique? My brief experience has led me to believe that occasional "shocks to the system" can get you out of slumps or stagnation whether or not you truly incorporate the new stuff into your game long term.

I'd be proud too, If I had your game. Heck, I'm proud as it is... I've gone from 130 to just under 100ish in 2.5 years.

Man, you deserve some of the frustration golf gives the rest of us mere mortals ;-P

I REALLY like The Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game by Dr. Joseph Parent.

Check it out, maybe?

The Rotella tapes are good too.

[Billiam]

Or experimenting with a new technique? My brief experience has led me to believe that occasional "shocks to the system" can get you out of slumps or stagnation whether or not you truly incorporate the new stuff into your game long term.

My advice would be to NOT do that. I got into a slump after I tried tweaking my swing and I kept tweaking it more to break out of my bad habits and now I'm stuck without a swing I feel comfortable with. I'm in a slump myself now, and I just don't feel confident at all when going to hit the ball. I would advise just grinding it out and hoping you get out of it. Maybe a few buckets at the range for a few days might be beneficial. I wouldn't tinker with anything serious.

[bcollins]

I wouldn't try tinkering with your swing either. It seems like you play a lot, maybe you just need a little break from golf altogether. This has worked for me with golf and other sports. Just take a week and don't play or even go to the range. You might be slumping because it is feeling like the same ole same ole, so taking a week or two off will allow to to come back with a fresh feel and more enthusiasm.

[Billiam]

Just as bcollins agreed about tinkering the swing, I agree with him about maybe taking some rest. I've done that too, just to clear my mind of golf and to knock off any small bad habits I might be developing. If you take a little time off you'll come back swinging what you're used to, and most likely if you're making some minor error all of sudden it won't come back with you.

[MRW]

I would take some time off like you said. Usually if I'm in a slump it's because I picked up a twitch with my swing that will go away if I don't hit any balls for a few days.

[ERC7.5]

I've been in a major slump for the past month or so. All I can say is you have to grind. Concentrate a little more.....especially if you're aware of things such as placing the ball back too far in your stance.....but make sure you stay relaxed and smooth. That's my .02 anyway.

[polodinks]

i was in a bad slump..... just couldent hit the ball at all like i just took up the game...... i took a 4 day break and got out there and i was back to my self.....dont swing the clubs on your break, dont touch them, dont look at them, and when you get back out there youll be back to normal

[Tristan]

hit balls again until you feel comfortable again and confident. Once you've got the negatitivity into your head it is hard to remove. The range will also help you find your yardages, once out on the course trust yourself and your swing as you did before

[DJYoshi]

hit balls again until you feel comfortable again and confident. Once you've got the negatitivity into your head it is hard to remove. The range will also help you find your yardages, once out on the course trust yourself and your swing as you did before

would you do this right away or take some time off before hitting the range? Our weekly skins game is on Sunday this week & I can't back out of that. I was gonna break until Saturday...then hit some balls on Saturday b4 going to the club to dj.

[JaY_B]

just go out and enjoy it, the harder you blindly work at a slump the worse it gets, obviously try and pin point whats going wrong in your game and try to improve that but make sure you go out there and have a good time, this in my opinion will lead to a quicker fix to a depressing slump then bashing balls on the range.

[Klean]

Time off is always a key for me. It erases a lot of bad thoughts and maybe bad habits. Take a couple weeks off from the range and maybe just work on putting for two weeks.

[jowlar]

Time off never helps me when I am in a slump, I usually beat range balls until I figure it out.
Is your ball flight the same with the varying 7 iron distances? Shot shape the same?

Check your grip, alignment and ball position. It is most likely one of the 3. Mine is usually the grip, I have a tendency to get weak to stop the hooks. I also tend to get too close to the ball and get trapped.

[ndirishgolf]

I just got out of my slump. I had played really well for a couple weeks. Then all of a sudden, I started hitting fades with a swing that was used to hitting draws. I spent about a week trying everything to fix it. This only made it worse. Finally, I decided to take two days off (which is a lot for me. I play almost every day). This fixed everything. I went to the practice green to work on some chipping and putting just to get some touch back. I went out and didn't think about swing thoughts or anything. I am +3 over my last 27. Which is good considering the club championship is Sunday.

You are doing the right thing taking a few days off. You will most likely get rid of your minor faults and your swing will go back to normal and, most importantly, will feel comfortable over the ball again.

Good luck with everything. Hopefully you will keep improving and we will see you on the tour in a few years.