Ahh that elusive consistency

So, once one has figured out and basically grooved how to make a correct swing, what brings the wonderful consistency that allows one to recall all the synchronistically balanced & timed moves & shifts repeatably?

For instance, on the range now, I'm routinely 90%+ consistently hitting my sand wedge well. My 7 iron, over 50%. 5 iron, 40-50%. Driver, 35%.

My misses are all things that I easily explain to myself after the shot - poor release, peeked at the ball flight, didn't get forward enough,...

Now that I know what to do and can do it, just not all perfectly all the time, have I now entered the Slow Process of Improvement phase of the game?

Enjoy the game, play more rounds, practice the short game, putting, chipping and pitching and watch videos, play with friends and have fun.

Golf takes time for you to become consistent. If want to accelerate the process, I recommend taking lessons and or practice with a friend that can help you during the round similar to a playing lesson.

Most important is for you to enjoy the game. I have been playing golf for 24 years and still passionate about playing every week and love the game even more today. I am sure you will feel the same way, be patient and have fun.

To be consistent in golf you have to dedicate lots of practice time everyday and for most people its difficult with family and work. I practice my short game at least a hour everyday, putting and chipping. I look forward to matches with my friend and we play match play with double and nothing on the 18th hole, so I try to keep the game sharp and learning to be consistent.

you also need to understand your golf swing and do not be afraid to try different thing to see what works for you swing. I have tinkered with my golf swing and found one that is consistent and I can play to score.

Don't worry about consistency, because you'll never be consistent enough. Just when you start gaining "consistency," you'll become accustomed to that level of play and then start to expect it. Then you'll say to yourself all over again "I need to be more consistent, like that last round I played where I really played well, I need to do that all the time."
I bet there's not a golfer in the world, regardless of skill level, that doesn't want to be more consistent.

Consistancy is nothing I know about. Every round I have my great shots and bad ones. I used to be a good driver, not so sure anymore.

You just need to think of consistency in terms of a goal.

- For me 2 years ago, my goal was to hit every shot in the air.
-Then, when i was doing that, I wanted every shot to travel approximately the correct distance.
- Once I was doing that well, I started worrying about how straight I was hitting it, and wanted every shot to curve the direction I intended it to. This is about where I am now. If i hit it in the air, and the ballflight is close to what I wanted, I'm happy.

You have to set your sights on one thing you want to consistently do, and work on it. You can't get consistent trying to go for the hole thing at once.

What you said. If you ever find the key to consistency, bottle it and sell it at the 1st and 10th tees. You'll be one rich dude!

Let me give the ONE single best bit of advice I ever got to improve consistency:
Maintain the flex in your right knee on the back swing and downswing.

Simply put, this means you keep your back leg from bending more or straightening until you hit the ball.

If I'm struggling this is the only thing I think about.

This is a good approach to take. Goal setting is an effective means for doing anything and golf is no exception. Start out small so that you can easily see progress. As you begin achieving your goals continue to set new ones, but always within reach. Don't be discouraged when you backslide, just see it as old goals that you haven't quite reached yet. You might find that taking the additional step of writing this stuff down will be beneficial. Keep a journal and you'll be able to chart your progress and keep tabs on what is working and what needs more work. That too will help you to set proper goals. Good luck and welcome to the club...

thanks for the comments and advice. I definitely feel like I've reached a new plateau -- guessing I'll be here for a while. The goal setting is something I'll probably do after playing a round or two to see where my new strengths and weaknesses are.

Just my opinion, but if you want to chase consistency, then spend more time working on your short game and putting. Those things are easier to get consistent because they are smaller motions with fewer "moving parts". Remember, you use your full swing for less than half the shots in a round!

Hardest thing to get for me for sure. Having a really hard time with it this year. My last round I was 2 under after 3 holes and then my iron game went to crap...really couldnt hit an iron shot it was either thin or fat or even the dreaded "S#$%k" I tell you I was so upset that I backed out of the opening members tourney I was in the next next day. I really wish I could understand what I was doing wrong. Once I have a couple bad shots I start to try and adjust to fix it and then it all goes to hell for the rest of the round. Really think I will be taking lessons this year just for the reason I need someone to tell me what to think about and to concentrate on instead of trying to play with my swing in the middle of the round to fix it cause that aint workin.

Consistency comes from using your body (instead of your hands) to swing the club. Hand and arm manipulation of the clubhead at 80-100 MPH requires precise timing which is not repeatable and degrades with age.

Good point. My full swing became much more consistent after I learned to "let the club swing me" rather than trying to swing the club. In other words, taking my hand muscles out of the equation.