Jump to content
IGNORED

consistency?


bagadonutz
Note: This thread is 3625 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Recommended Posts

I know this is a very vague question but about how long does it take to become a consistent golfer. I know I have the ability to make good shots and good holes, I just want to be a bogey golfer right now and hit in 90's consistent. I will be doing great and then lay up a 8 or a 7 at least twice if not more on a round, it kills my score, I know everyone has bad shots, but it gets frusturating when you duff one or slice one off the tee, or chip it over green, it seems the more I get better/ the worse I get as well if that make sense? any thoughts
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Administrator
I know this is a very vague question but about how long does it take to become a consistent golfer. I know I have the ability to make good shots and good holes, I just want to be a bogey golfer right now and hit in 90's consistent. I will be doing great and then lay up a 8 or a 7 at least twice if not more on a round, it kills my score, I know everyone has bad shots, but it gets frusturating when you duff one or slice one off the tee, or chip it over green, it seems the more I get better/ the worse I get as well if that make sense? any thoughts

Uhm, even Tiger Woods has bad days. So, never?

Better answer: depends on your definition of "consistency." Which isn't much of an answer at all.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

I think you might be able to define consistancy in terms of ball striking. That is what percent of the time you could hit a club (e.g. a 5-iron) and get an acceptable shot. This is what I am working on very hard. Of course then your definition of "acceptable" changes.

Robert Reid

In the bag:

Driver Cobra M/F Speed3 Cleveland LauncherCleveland Halo 2i Nike CPR 23 degree5-PW Mizuno MX 23 (graphite shafts)56 degree SW Mizuno MT

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Well, like at Lakeview for instance, I can't break a 100, I mean I will have a good round for me, and then blow it on one or two holes, I just want to quit laying up triple bogeys I guess for now. I will par that #1 handicap at Lakeview, then lay up a damn 6 on the next par 3!! That I guess is what I am trying to ask if that makes sense! ha
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I feel your pain. Been there, done that, go the tee shirt. It's maddening I know. Kind of hard to reply if we don't know why you are posting big numbers. Are you whacking ball OB? Are you 4 putting? Are you skulling shots? Are you trying to hit shots you're not capable of?

Still, in the end it boils down to identifying the problem and practicing enough to fix it.

Robert Reid

In the bag:

Driver Cobra M/F Speed3 Cleveland LauncherCleveland Halo 2i Nike CPR 23 degree5-PW Mizuno MX 23 (graphite shafts)56 degree SW Mizuno MT

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Someone hit it above - "ball striking." There is WAY too much focus on "the swing," and I think we all get hung up on: generating speed, generating power, hitting a X-iron Y yards, etc.... In my experience, the biggest reason holes blow up can be summed up with extraneous motion.

You try to wind up and really kill one, or you try to hit a cute little pitch shot and your stance sways or your torso lifts up. My general advice is, simplify your swing, on all shots. Keep your moving parts to a minimum and work on simply contacting the ball with the clubface, squared up to your target.

The follow-up is, pick easy targets. If you can simply hit a fairway - anywhere in the fairway - then get on the green - anywhere on/near the green, you should be in EVERY hole for bogey, at a maximum. You don't guarantee yourself pars or even bogeys, just by keeping it in play like that, but you sure can eliminate the possibility of them if you don't.

Nothing in the swing is done at the expense of balance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Some days you must change with the course to play well, most days when you usually hit a seven Iron you may need to hit a six or eight not the seven so quit trying to hit your usual club on days when your long or short with the shot. After 2-3 holes you should be able to tell if you need more or less club.

R7 9.5 S Shaft
560 R7 quad R shaft
RAC LT irons
Scotty Cameron Pro Platinum

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Two factors to consistency... ball striking and course management. You have to adjust one to compliment the other on any given day. If your swing is "on", you can take some risks, shoot for some pins or even for some tricky layups that you might not otherwise try.... always keeping in mind that the risk is still there and taking it CAN make that the hole that bites you.

As a bogey golfer, I think you need to really focus on taking the shots that you KNOW you can make, not the ones you made once 2 months ago and have tried and failed at ever since. Playing within yourself is the best way I know to build confidence, and with confidence will come consistency. If your driver is off (or 3 wood if that's your tee club) then use a shorter club for tee shots that day. If your irons are just not quite there, then play your approaches for the safest miss, even if that is 20 yards short of the green.

The other thing that is absolutely necessary to lowering your score is to practice your short game. Believe it or not, practicing the short game will actually help your full swing too. The rhythm and tempo should be virtually the same for full shots as they are for chips and pitches, so working on the short game will make you more consistent around the greens, but it can also help you hit better shots from the fairway.

In summary, know your capabilities and play YOUR game. Don't worry about what your buddy is doing. And work to develop a solid short game.

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

The other thing that is absolutely necessary to lowering your score is to practice your short game. Believe it or not, practicing the short game will actually help your full swing too. The rhythm and tempo should be virtually the same for full shots as they are for chips and pitches, so working on the short game will make you more consistent around the greens, but it can also help you hit better shots from the fairway.

I tell anyone who is just starting, to go to the range with a pitching wedge. Practice hitting it about 50 yards, and right at a specific target. When you can do that crisply and consistently, you're 90% of the way toward learning the entire game.

Nothing in the swing is done at the expense of balance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I think Fourputt makes a good point, course management is key. Know your game, and play to your strengths. I was in your shoes not too long ago, and I felt like I needed to use every club in the bag and try to hit perfect shots. I hated getting advice from someone like "just use whatever club you feel most confortable with right here." But it is sound advice, especially when you are a beginner.

Finally, I started to use "go-to" clubs in certain situations....clubs that I had been hitting well lately to make sure I could execute a certain shot. My scores dropped and I gained confidence which helped me to start hitting better shots with those "other" clubs that I didn't like.

As far as feeling like "the better you get the worse you get" I know what you mean. The better you get and the better shots that you start to hit, the more the bad shots frustrate you. It's all mental, and it's normal, don't worry about it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I used to have a real bad problem with doubles and triples. They always snuck on me around the same time in my rounds. I evaluated the problem behind them and realized that I was hitting the ball OB two or three times a round. To fix the problem, I hit 3-wood or 2-iron off the box on hole less than 400yds, and bam, no more doubles or triples. Well for the most part anyway.

To get your score better, try to eliminate what makes it bad. If you're hitting crappy little chips with your wedge, pull out the ole 7-iron and bump it up there. A 5 footer is a whole lot easier than a 25 footer. If it's your driver, quit hitting it unless you have to. If it's a tight fairway, hit your 3-iron if you have to. There's no rule in golf that says you must hit a Driver off every tee box and a wedge around greens. find what you're comfortable with and work it to your advantage. Good luck
What I play:
Cleveland HiBore XLS 9.5 Fujikura Stiff flex | Titleist 735.cm Stainless Steel True Temper S300 3-PW | Titleist Vokey GW 52 | Cleveland 588 SW 56 | Titleist Vokey LW 60 | Scotty Cameron Studio Stainless | Titleist Pro V1x

Where I play:
Texas A&M UniversityHow I play:Goals for 2008
Link to comment
Share on other sites


As far as feeling like "the better you get the worse you get" I know what you mean. The better you get and the better shots that you start to hit, the more the bad shots frustrate you. It's all mental, and it's normal, don't worry about it.

Yes, you're right. The more you improve, the higher standards you begin to set. You don't actually starting sucking more, you think you do because your standard or excellence has been raised. I am constantly batteling this mental aspect of the game. Sometimes I'll hit a drive off the toe a little bit and I'll get all worked up at the 15yds I lost, and then I'll remember that a year ago I would be celebrating the exact same shot. Just stay modest and don't worry about the shot after you hit it, you can't change it.

What I play:
Cleveland HiBore XLS 9.5 Fujikura Stiff flex | Titleist 735.cm Stainless Steel True Temper S300 3-PW | Titleist Vokey GW 52 | Cleveland 588 SW 56 | Titleist Vokey LW 60 | Scotty Cameron Studio Stainless | Titleist Pro V1x

Where I play:
Texas A&M UniversityHow I play:Goals for 2008
Link to comment
Share on other sites


The more you play the better and more consistent you become imo.

In the Wilson Stand Bag

Driver:........Ping........G5 Reg shaft
3 Wood:......Mitsushiba.........M575-15°

Irons:.........Taylormade RocketBallz......3 Hybrid - PW..Stiff Shafts

Wedges:....Cleveland CG16 56 & 60

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I tell anyone who is just starting, to go to the range with a pitching wedge. Practice hitting it about 50 yards, and right at a specific target. When you can do that crisply and consistently, you're 90% of the way toward learning the entire game.

I would agree with that, I see the vast majority of people at the range working on nothing but driver & woods shots, yet those actually only consist of a small portion of your game. Work on pitching & putting & you will see your score drop like a rock. Pitch it up near the pin & then either 1 putt or 2 at the worst, avoid the dreaded 3 putt & your score will become much lower.

That being said I am in the same boat as you, I know how to do the shots & can execute them a lot of the time, just not consistently. I know it will come with time, more playing experience & simple plain practice. I will par or even birdie a hole then follow it up with a 7 on a par 4. Played 4 rounds in the last 10 days & didnt have anything worse than a 7 on any hole....until today when I screwed up 1 hole & ended up with an 8 & it pissed me off. But I quickly forgot about it & didnt let it bother me for the rest of the rd.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • 6 years later...

I'm at almost 2 years playing this game.....................The one thing I focus on is hitting good shots.

I can hit well and score bad ............but my last  2 rounds I hit bad and scored good 89 and 90.

Try to hit fairways, pin high second shots and practice chipping and try to never 3 putt.

This is what I have done played my first round in Febuary of 2013 shot 147.........3 weeks ago i shot a 87 on the same course.

Plus a PGA pro as a personal friend helps some too................Keep plugging along it gets better.

Focus on hitting the ball well everything else will come.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Uhm, even Tiger Woods has bad days. So, never?

Better answer: depends on your definition of "consistency." Which isn't much of an answer at all.

I like this answer.   But I probably would have, personally, defined consistency as something like  a +/-  3 stroke range of my net scores.  As the man said when golfers like Tiger and Phil can miss cuts, well then you'd have to concede we mere mortals might also have bad days.

Butch

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I tell anyone who is just starting, to go to the range with a pitching wedge. Practice hitting it about 50 yards, and right at a specific target. When you can do that crisply and consistently, you're 90% of the way toward learning the entire game.


In many ways that was a big part of my improvement when I first took up the game as a kid. I played and practiced a great amount at the golf course but when I got home it didn't stop there. I was fortunate to have a big enough yard where I could hit up to 75 yard pitch shots. Actually my brother and I built a green in the far back corner and we played to that thing for years all through high school. So if your going to have a green then by all means you've got to have a bunker right, lol! I love hearing my Dad tell the story how he came home from work one day and the boys had dug a hole in the back yard and were filling it with sand.

So in my early development I hit a gazillion 25-50-75 yard pitch shots at home. I'm sure that not only helped my short game but my full swing as well. I watched a guy not to long ago come on the range where I practice with nothing but a large bucket of balls and a driver and proceeded to hit an entire bucket of worm burners with it. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry for him, a complete waste of time he got nothing out of. I'm by no means one of these guy's that think you have to learn the game from the green back to the tee but I think it is a good idea to work hard on your swing in your early development with wedge through 7-iron. They are easier to hit than say your 5-iron through driver and they are your "scoring" clubs. You've got to put time in with all your clubs but I like the idea of putting in the most time with the scoring clubs when your new to the game. Heck I basically still do it now after 39 years. The only time I hit a ton of drivers on the range is when I get a new one and I'm getting comfortable with it.

Even today warming up before a round I will start out hitting 15-20 half and 3/4 wedges, then 3-5 irons, 3-5 fairway woods, 2-4 Drivers and I'm ready to go. For me it just helps starting out with a majority of those wedge shots because I'm setting my tempo for the day and working on getting my swing in a better sequence from the ground up. If I run out to the range and just start swinging away with a driver I'm going to get sloppy and feel out of sync.

All in all that's what's helped me build some consistency in my ball striking over the years, it also helps to start this ridiculously hard game when your a kid and have those long summer days to whack balls for hours, lol!

In My Bag:
Driver: :Cobra Amp Cell Pro 9.5*, Stock X-Flex

3 Wood: :Cobra Bio Cell 16*, Stock X-Flex

5 Wood: Cobra Bio Cell 20*, Stock S-Flex
Irons: Bridgestone J40-CB 3-PW, Project-X 6.0

Gap Wedge::Vokey: 52* CNC  

Sand Wedge: :Vokey: 58* CNC  

Putters: Scotty Cameron Newport II 

Ball: Bridgestone 330-S(2014)

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I know this is a very vague question but about how long does it take to become a consistent golfer. I know I have the ability to make good shots and good holes, I just want to be a bogey golfer right now and hit in 90's consistent. I will be doing great and then lay up a 8 or a 7 at least twice if not more on a round, it kills my score, I know everyone has bad shots, but it gets frusturating when you duff one or slice one off the tee, or chip it over green, it seems the more I get better/ the worse I get as well if that make sense? any thoughts

It took me a little over a year and a half to become a bogey golfer, from where I really didn't care about my score to caring about it. I had played for about 2 years prior, but my goals were different. I went out for fun, that's it. When I became serious, it took about a year and a half. It would have taken a lot less if I found my current instructors a year and a half ago, probably would have taken ~6 months to bogey from a roughly 28 to 30.

I'm not that "athletic" mainly because of age, but I enjoy optimizing and refining things (the engineer in me). Golf is also the most difficult sport I have ever encountered, so brace yourself for a lot of setbacks.

The main thing is to not panic when you duff one off the tee. Just get a reasonably accurate iron or hybrid to "recover from it". If you normally drive 200 yards and you duffed it 50 yards, just take out your 150 yard club. Don't try to beat your drive. I am still currently in the process of "learning" to do this on my approach shots. This should help reduce your 8s and 7s.

I think you might be able to define consistancy in terms of ball striking. That is what percent of the time you could hit a club (e.g. a 5-iron) and get an acceptable shot. This is what I am working on very hard. Of course then your definition of "acceptable" changes.

To the OP, good ball striking is in the domain of the single digit handicappers. They are at their handicap because they strike the ball well. Don't put too much into the words, because you will eventually get to know what is a good ball strike. I need to assume that you do not currently understand it, and I am only just beginning to understand that I don't do it. No point in trying to attempt good ball striking until you have a good swing to produce it.

Well, like at Lakeview for instance, I can't break a 100, I mean I will have a good round for me, and then blow it on one or two holes, I just want to quit laying up triple bogeys I guess for now. I will par that #1 handicap at Lakeview, then lay up a damn 6 on the next par 3!! That I guess is what I am trying to ask if that makes sense! ha

Don't panic. Just get an accurate club that will get your shot the distance where you normally play it, except maybe in the middle of the fairway. :-)

I feel your pain. Been there, done that, go the tee shirt. It's maddening I know. Kind of hard to reply if we don't know why you are posting big numbers. Are you whacking ball OB? Are you 4 putting? Are you skulling shots? Are you trying to hit shots you're not capable of?

Still, in the end it boils down to identifying the problem and practicing enough to fix it.

We (majority of bogeys or higher) are all whacking the ball around, until we get a good swing and start to understand good ball striking.

:ping:  :tmade:  :callaway:   :gamegolf:  :titleist:

TM White Smoke Big Fontana; Pro-V1
TM Rac 60 TT WS, MD2 56
Ping i20 irons U-4, CFS300
Callaway XR16 9 degree Fujikura Speeder 565 S
Callaway XR16 3W 15 degree Fujikura Speeder 565 S, X2Hot Pro 20 degrees S

"I'm hitting the woods just great, but I'm having a terrible time getting out of them." ~Harry Toscano

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Note: This thread is 3625 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • TST Partners

    TourStriker PlaneMate
    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FlightScope Mevo
    Direct: Mevo, Mevo+, and Pro Package.

    Coupon Codes (save 10-15%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope.
  • Posts

    • Thanks for the feedback. @StuM, we are a "club without real estate" so no facilities or pro. We have a membership of around 185 players and we only play together as a group at our tournaments, which are held at public access courses. A group of us setup the tournaments, collect the money and dole out the prizes.
    • In general, granting free relief anywhere on the course isn't recommended.  Similarly, when marking GUR, the VSGA and MAPGA generally don't mark areas that are well away from the intended playing lines, no matter how poor the conditions.  If you hit it far enough offline, you don't necessarily deserve free relief.  And you don't have to damage clubs, take unplayable relief, take the stroke, and drop the ball in a better spot.
    • If it's not broken don't fix it. If you want to add grooves to it just because of looks that's your choice of course. Grooves are cut into putter faces to reduce skid, the roll faced putter is designed to do the same thing. I'm no expert but it seems counter productive to add grooves to the roll face. Maybe you can have it sand-blasted or something to clean up the face. Take a look at Tigers putter, its beat to hell but he still uses it.     
    • I get trying to limit relief to the fairway, but how many roots do you typically find in the fairway? Our local rule allows for relief from roots & rocks anywhere on the course (that is in play). My home course has quite a few 100 year old oaks that separate the fairways. Lift and move the ball no closer to the hole. None of us want to damage clubs.
    • Hello, I've been playing a Teardrop td17 F.C. putter for many years and love it. It still putts and feels as good or  better than any of the new putters I've tried and it's in excellent condition except the face has dings in it ever since I bought it used that kind of bother me. I was just wondering if it's possible to have some really shallow horizontal grooves milled into the face on a "roll face" putter. I think I would rather spend some money on it instead of trying to get used to a new putter.  Thanks
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...