Quitting? Serious advice wanted.

[jmjacj1118]

Hi all. I have played for 19 years. I love the game but am now thinking of quitting. I am completely frustrated that I have been struggling with the exact same problem for nearly two decades. Slicing, inconsistent ball-striking - it's always the same. I have now taken packages of lessons from nine different pro's over the years. My current pro has told me that he doesn't know what I should do because he says my swing is great and I hit the ball perfectly during lessons on the range. Everyone of my pro's always says the same thing: "I dont understand why you're not consistently in the 70's." But I'm not. I'm barely in the mid-90's. I don't need to be a scratch golfer...I just want to stop being embarrassed when I play with clients and friends. Is there a time when you just have to realize "I'm terrible at this game" and give it up? Thanks for the advice.

[hunterxaz]

I'm just getting started, but I've heard a lot of issues are mental. How are your thoughts when hitting? Think about it much? Focusing on hitting it straight, etc? Maybe when you are getting lessons, you are "distracted" -- ya know?

[jshots]

I would say don't give up... I have a slice i can't get rid of too. Even when i straighten it out for a few days it still comes back. I have had the problem for 9 years or so, since I really started to golf a lot. I get so extremely frustrated that I have been between a 13 and 15 hdcap since I was 13 years old but I can't quit, its just too much fun when you do have a good day. Even the bad days are a lot more awesome than anything else I could be doing.

[newtogolf]

Sounds like you need an instructor that will take you off the mats and onto the course to see your game under real conditions.   If you hit well off the mats and not on a course getting more lessons or  practice on mats is not likely going to fix your problems.

[jmjacj1118]

Jshots, thanks. I know exactly what you're saying. The worst part is that it is just simple physics...why can't I correct this ONE thing?! :-)

[jshots]

Originally Posted by jmjacj1118

My current pro has told me that he doesn't know what I should do because he says my swing is great and I hit the ball perfectly during lessons on the range. Everyone of my pro's always says the same thing: "I dont understand why you're not consistently in the 70's." But I'm not.

Originally Posted by jmjacj1118

Jshots, thanks. I know exactly what you're saying. The worst part is that it is just simple physics...why can't I correct this ONE thing?!

I already posted but i'll elaborate. You sound exactly like me lol. After hitting balls on the range I have even had people come up to me and ask for advice. I get to the first hole and am like yeah I'm gonna hit this just like on the range! BOOM right trees. If I'm lucky I end up clearing the trees into the next fairway and have a good shot at the green . If I figure out how to change it permanently i'll let you know lol!

At this point my theory is that I've never really played enough. Sure I play a good amount during the summer, but I always take breaks and then come winter I can't play for several months. During those breaks my body forgets the new things and just goes straight back to my old muscle memory when I start swinging again. I even think maybe just being out on the course triggers that same old muscle memory. For this reason this summer I am hitting 100s of balls a day in hopes that I can build new muscle memory and completely forget the old stuff.

Like I said, even the bad days are better than most other things, to me anyways.

[PockyStick]

Get a coach that will take you on the course and watch you play for at least 9 holes.

[inthehole]

It's not the correct fix I know, but when I have a temporary slice, I just cant the face of the club to the left - just slightly closing the club face will minimize your slice.

[shades9323]

Are you thinking too much? Free your mind and the rest will follow...

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

Sounds like you need an instructor that will take you off the mats and onto the course to see your game under real conditions.   If you hit well off the mats and not on a course getting more lessons or  practice on mats is not likely going to fix your problems.

Originally Posted by PockyStick

Get a coach that will take you on the course and watch you play for at least 9 holes.

I would at least do this.  I mean if your instructors can't understand why you hit it good on the range and not on the course, it should be obvious that you need an instructor to watch you on the course.  IMO, it seems mental.  It's almost like you are so worried about what you are going to do on the course, that you revert back to your old habits.  This is usually what happens when nerves set in.  Maybe you come up out of your posture on the course because you are thinking more about distance.   I know if I come out of my posture, it goes right.  It could be just a little subconscious thing like this that changes your swing every so slightly.

If you love the game, don't quit.  Just think of how great you will feel if you can figure this out.  It can be frustrating....I know exactly how you feel.

Originally Posted by shades9323

Free your mind and the rest will follow...

Is this a song reference.....

[Kieran123]

Charles Barkley can hit it on the range, but not on the course

It's all in the head.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Kieran123

Charles Barkley can hit it on the range, but not on the course

It's all in the head.

Do you have any video of that? How about the one where on his home court he can run like a cheetah?!?

[SamW]

Originally Posted by shades9323

Are you thinking too much? Free your mind and the rest will follow...

This is the right answer!.... too many swing thought not only make you too aware of what you are doing right and wrong, but also they MAKE YOU SLICE... seriously if you are aware of what the club head is exactly doing while hitting the ball then by definition you didn't release the club and you will slice it.

You had all the lessons you did the practice, so you did the hard work... now just swing the club and hit the ball forget it all if the lessons and practice were worth anything then your body will remember it anyway.

[Dr. Strangeclub]

Visualization.  You have to teach yourself to see the shot you are going to hit and HIT THAT SHOT.  The cerebellum will take care of coordinating everything to "Make it so," as Picard would say.  Amazingly enough, even clumsy mechanics will often still produce the shot you were looking at in your mind (more or less), because the brain will make adjustments to match your vision of your shot to whatever the swing mechanics turned out to be on a given shot.

Conversely, if you see yourself hitting it into the trees with a slice, previewing your embarrassment so to speak, the cerebellum will "Make it so." no matter what your swing mechanics might be.  The part of your brain that computes all this stuff doesn't know anything about good shots and bad shots, only how to do the last thing that was plugged into the visual/muscular packet.  If you're thinking about knocking it in the pond before you hit, that will happen as often as not.  If you see it arching majestically into the sky, landing on the green next to hole, that will be what the cerebellum will try to do and coordinate your movements accordingly.

I don't mean that this is automatic or easy, but you have to learn to do it if you want to get better.  Swing mechanics don't cut it.

[Kieran123]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

Do you have any video of that? How about the one where on his home court he can run like a cheetah?!?

Now, he still can't hit it well, but it ain't so ugly and there's no pause - that only comes out on the course

[rustyredcab]

Here's and alternative suggestion: Instead of bringing your range game to the course, try bringing the course to the range.

ADD pressure to your range work. Create a game of ten excellent (straight) shots in a row. Bt the time you've hit five or six in a row, those last few become much harder. Mix up clubs after each shot. Go through whatever pre-shot routine you use for every shot. "Play" a hole on the range by starting with a driver, then hit the iron you'd have left...

If none of these ideas work (mine and others), then consider that your swing may not be simple enough to hold up under pressure. You may be relying too much on timing your hips or something that makes it great when it is great but not very dependable. Consider starting over with a new instructor and a simple swing. I did in 2005 when I found Moe Norman's swing as taught by Graves Golf. I'm not as good as I plan to be. But I can play with friends and clients and feel comfortable on any course.

[Kieran123]

Originally Posted by rustyredcab

Here's and alternative suggestion: Instead of bringing your range game to the course, try bringing the course to the range.

ADD pressure to your range work. Create a game of ten excellent (straight) shots in a row. Bt the time you've hit five or six in a row, those last few become much harder. Mix up clubs after each shot. Go through whatever pre-shot routine you use for every shot. "Play" a hole on the range by starting with a driver, then hit the iron you'd have left...

If none of these ideas work (mine and others), then consider that your swing may not be simple enough to hold up under pressure. You may be relying too much on timing your hips or something that makes it great when it is great but not very dependable. Consider starting over with a new instructor and a simple swing. I did in 2005 when I found Moe Norman's swing as taught by Graves Golf. I'm not as good as I plan to be. But I can play with friends and clients and feel comfortable on any course.

Very good idea.

I like to pretend I am playing holes.

Say a par 5

I would hit driver, assess how well it was hit and if I hit my target, then I can either 'go for it' or lay up

Then, pick a flag or whatever out on the range and make that the imaginary pin, then see how close I get and if I have to pitch or chip

[aschroeger]

Originally Posted by Kieran123

Now, he still can't hit it well, but it ain't so ugly and there's no pause - that only comes out on the course

He was on Feherty this week.

He said he doesn't have his hitch when he takes his practice swings.  But when he lines up to a ball his brain gets all weird and he panics.