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I went to the range today and it was like it was the first time I ever picked up a club. Maybe four good shots out of a medium bucket.

I told myself a year ago I'd give it a year of serious effort and if I didn't improve I'd think about quitting. Well, I'm at that point. The problem is that I love the friggin' game so much and don't really have anything to replace it. (For reference, I've taken at least 7 lessons over the past year and usually hit the range at least twice a week and play once a week.)

Anyhow, my question is: Did you suck at golf for a long time before finally "getting it"? If so, what did it for you? I'm not talking about shooting in the 120s for 3 months and suddenly shooting 90. I'm saying you were a 25+ handicapper for YEARS and then it happened.
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dont be so hard on yourself... everyone reaches plateaus...
remember all the cliches... and take things a step at a time...
when i start going backwards... especially after a lesson... i always hear in my head... it usually gets worse before it gets better...
right now my driver is failing me but my irons are deadly... it was the absolute opposite last season... and no matter what i do... i cant figure it out... but i know it'll get better in some point in time...
i always have a goal in mind since i know ill never be a tour player... but i play within myself
RUSS's avg drive - 230yrds and climbing
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Great advice above.

I've had range sessions where i honestly couldn't hit the ball in the air. It happens to all of us. Don't quit dude, its the journey not the destination.
Bag: Flight SS
Driver: 10.5* r5 draw with Pro Launch blue 65 Stiff
Irons: CCi Forged 3i-pw
Wedges: 56* CG12 black pearl and 60* low bounce RTG 900
Putter: i-Series Anser 35"Ball: e5+Tee: Zero FrictionGlove: FootJoy WeatherSofRangefinder: MedalistShoes: Sp-6 II, Adidas 360Scores this year:92 91...
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How old are you? If you're in your late 30s or 40s, picking up a new sport like golf (or tennis or skiing) is going to be TOUGH! Not impossible, but it's going to take you a lot longer than if you started at 9 or 18, or even 25. Do you or did you ever play other sports? Did you play them well? I'm trying to gauge your natural athleticism. If you've struggled at sports your entire life, then golf will be no different.

If you are 9 or 18 or 25, forget what I just said. If you're young, you play or practice three times a week consistently, and you're not improving, maybe this isn't the game you.

If your handicap is 28 and you occasionally break 100, you could decide that's "good enough." Shooting around 100, you are able to have fun on the course. You don't lose all your balls, you make reasonable progress from tee to green. Problem is you duff a lot of shots, you can't carry long water. Maybe where you are is OK, depending on your age when you took up the game, and how athletic you have been in your life.

HiBore 10.5 driver
GT-500 3- and 5-woods
Bazooka JMax 4 Iron Wood
Big Bertha 2008 irons (4 and 5 i-brids, 6i-9i,PW)
Tom Watson 56 SW Two-Ball putter

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I was a 25+ for many, many years with an occasional round in the low 90s. Then last May I found a long thread titled "Beyond belief" in another forum. It was about some instruction that I had never heard of. It was mostly positive, and some of the posts were very enthusiastic.

I bought the $6.00 e-book and tried it. It worked like magic for me, but it was not a really big change from what I was doing. It gave me the key I needed, and it explained some things that I never understood before, although I had tried a lot of golf instruction. Well, you can see what my handicap index is now.

The instruction is "The Golf Swing and Its Master Key Explained" by Noel Thomas.
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Well, I went to the range today and it was a totally different story: pure after pure.

I had videotaped myself yesterday during that awful session and noticed that I was moving my head a lot (I was concentrating so much on not allowing my right left leg to kick back that I forgot about my head.) So today I focused on holding my head still. Also, I played around with dropping my hands into the slot as well as trying a flatter backswing, and the results were awesome.

Thanks for talking me off the ledge, guys.

(By the way, to the guy who asked: I'm 44, fairly athletic, and started playing about 20 years ago but took 10 years off. I started up again about 5 years ago.)
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golf is a game of patience and persistence and very challenging that's one of the reason everybody loves the game. I will hit fat and shank a few shots ocassionally, but even pros can do that also, they just don't show it on TV.

Enjoy the game and unless you are practicing several hours a day on your game with guidance it takes time so just let things develop and enjoy the game and its challenges.

If want to improve a certain aspect of your game how do you go about it? perhaps your approach to the game needs to be re-evaluated so that you can maximize your efforts.

do you want to drop your handicap?
do you want to hit crisp irons shots
do you want to hit fairway woods
do you want to hit your driver?

how are you going about reaching these goals?
Are you goals realistic?
What is your given timeline for your improvements?

I have been playing for 24 years and still learning the golf swing and trying to improve my game so that I am more consistent.

How much time do you spend practicing and on what?

If you want to lower your score, practice and spent almost all your time on the short game from the hole backwards. Most beginners will hit a bucket of balls with their driver and fairway woods searching for the perfect golf swing, you have a better chance of finding your swing with your wedges within 100 yards and closer. Once you have hit several solid shots move up and test your swing with mid irons and slowly work your way up and back to your wedges.

Titleist 910 D2 9.5 Driver
Titleist 910 F15 & 21 degree fairway wood
Titleist 910 hybrid 24 degree
Mizuno Mp33 5 - PW
52/1056/1160/5

"Yonex ADX Blade putter, odyssey two ball blade putter, both  33"

ProV-1

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I was a 25+ for many, many years with an occasional round in the low 90s. Then last May I found a long thread titled "Beyond belief" in another forum. It was about some instruction that I had never heard of. It was mostly positive, and some of the posts were very enthusiastic.

Honestly? You were a 25+ for many years and then to a 3 in less than a year?

Well, I went to the range today and it was a totally different story: pure after pure.

Glad to hear you decided not to quit!

One more thing. ks8829, you aren't playing your MP-33s anymore?
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i started when i was 10 and didn't break 100 until i was 17 now im 23 and i guess i'm ok at the game, must have patience. remember practice DOES not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect, try harder focusing on what you are trying to do when you go to the range and not worry about results.

-matt

Driver: 09 Burner 10.5 Aldila NV 65 X Stiff
3wd: G10 14* Aldila NV 85 X Stiff
Hybrid: G10 18* Aldila NV 105 X Stiff
3-PW: I10 X100
Wedge: Tour 52* & 58* S400Putter: Circa 62 No.2 35" Ball: Tour IXLowest 9 (-E) 36Lowest 18 (+2) 73

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I feel you man, it's the curse of this game. I've had many times when I thought "This is it, I quit golf". But then I chip in for a birdie or hit a dead straight and long driver and the lows are forgotten. Which is the salvation for this game, the feeling of playing well and hitting good shots.

Practice makes perfect, but you must practice with a purpose. You can hit 1000 balls a week without improving if you don't practice with a purpose. Hitting 1000 balls badly is a good way to learn your body how to do something wrong. Hitting 100 the right way is much better.

Ogio Grom | Callaway X Hot Pro | Callaway X-Utility 3i | Mizuno MX-700 23º | Titleist Vokey SM 52.08, 58.12 | Mizuno MX-700 15º | Titleist 910 D2 9,5º | Scotty Cameron Newport 2 | Titleist Pro V1x and Taylormade Penta | Leupold GX-1

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Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Honestly? You were a 25+ for many years and then to a 3 in less than a year?

Yes, honestly. Actually, I got to 3 before cold weather hit. That instruction gave me the missing pieces I needed for instant success with my swing. Then I started using about 80% of my practice time on my short game.

I would be surprised if anyone else made that much improvement that quickly. Like I said, I did not have to change much in my swing.
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Yes, honestly. Actually, I got to 3 before cold weather hit. That instruction gave me the missing pieces I needed for instant success with my swing. Then I started using about 80% of my practice time on my short game.

Wow! Amazing...

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Yes, honestly. Actually, I got to 3 before cold weather hit. That instruction gave me the missing pieces I needed for instant success with my swing. Then I started using about 80% of my practice time on my short game.

JackLee, Can you describe your swing? I am starting with the left shoulder focus but I want to check if I am doing correctly, specially all refered to the arms (quiet clued to the chest or moving freely) . I am starting and by now the results are quite good:solid ball contact and an easy key to lead the swing. Please tell us you experiencies with this swing. Thanks

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Just remember, the only reason they call it "golf" is because all the good 4-letter words were already taken......!

In David's bag....

Driver: Titleist 910 D-3;  9.5* Diamana Kai'li
3-Wood: Titleist 910F;  15* Diamana Kai'li
Hybrids: Titleist 910H 19* and 21* Diamana Kai'li
Irons: Titleist 695cb 5-Pw

Wedges: Scratch 51-11 TNC grind, Vokey SM-5's;  56-14 F grind and 60-11 K grind
Putter: Scotty Cameron Kombi S
Ball: ProV1

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Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

To be honest, I learned pretty fast. However, the reason I got good fast is that I sacrificed my ego and worked on the range for hours at a time on my swing. It was frustrating but I got it. Focus on your swing not on your score. It'll come.

T.M. O'Connell

What's in My Bag
Driver - 909 D2 9.5 degree
3 Wood - 909 F2 15.5 degreeHybrid - 909 H 19 degreeIrons - AP2 w/ Rifle 6.5Wedges - BN 60.04 & 54.11Putter - Pro Platinum Plus

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JackLee, Can you describe your swing? I am starting with the left shoulder focus but I want to check if I am doing correctly, specially all refered to the arms (quiet clued to the chest or moving freely) . I am starting and by now the results are quite good:solid ball contact and an easy key to lead the swing. Please tell us you experiencies with this swing. Thanks

hanon, I have seen your posts in the long thread at fgi. That's where I learned about the Master Key instruction. I have read all of the posts by JamesBurg since he has been using it for several years. I find that I agree with everything that James has said. I think the book covers everything, but you have to read it carefully and think about every point, because there are things that are really important that are only said one time and are not emphasized.

I don't really know what else I could tell you about it. I will emphasize, like James does, the importance of rotating the clubface through impact. Give your right hand some conscious direction to help with this if necessary. As the book says, "90 degrees clockwise in the backswing. 180 degrees counterclockwise from the start of the release to waist high in the follow through." It will not work well if you are only thinking of rotating to impact.
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Remember golf is a journey, it takes time and dedication to be good. Alway fall back on the basics of the setup..work on being consistant with this and the swing should happen, do not force it. Think of the swing as a pendulum and let the momentum of the club dicatate the entire swing, not hit. Good luck
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JackLee, thanks for your help. I thought that clubface rotation was an unconcious movement which happned in a natural way. I see from all you that it is important to be conciously thinking of it throught impact. What about the arms? Dou you move them freely or you maintain them glued to your chest feeling pressure in the armpit and moving them with your body rotation?
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Note: This thread is 5485 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!

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