Why Is It?

Why is it that when I go to the practice range or a public park I hit the ball well but when I am on the course I cant do that. I would say I am a beginner. I have played a bit over the years in annual competitions etc but now I am a member at a club and want to improve my game and consistently shoot under 100. Cheers

Welcome to TST.

Your description is not much to go on. Could you elaborate as to how you can't hit the ball?

Thank you for the welcome. Well when I am on the practice range I seem to hit the ball well 80% of the time. But when it comes to playing on the course I go to pieces. I can hit a good shot then the next 10 shots you would think I have never played golf before in my life lol. My main problem is getting the ball in the air. I can hit a PW and it will travel along the ground the full distance of the shot. I bought clubs that are designed for the high handicapper and are meant to be designed for getting the ball in the air, but not for me. I also reckon my set up is different for every shot.

Dear Early,

It is great to have you here on TST.

I can tell you that I was having the same exact problems before, and I found that the main reason is because my swing is "consistent"!  The problem is that it was "consistently bad"!  and thus the results were good one day and bad the other, but overall nothing to write home about.

If you want my advice, it would be for you to start a my swing thread and let some of the people with knowledge here comment on your swing and start getting you in the right direction in terms of practicing correctly and more importantly practicing on the correct piece of your swing that will make the biggest impact and help you improve with very minimal learning curve hopefully.

I have tried it and my swing has changed significantly over the past 3 months and my contact and ball flight have significantly improved as well as my scores!

Try it and it will surprise you.. You just need a camera 120fps will do ( I think an iphone ) will do.  Just get a Down the line video and a face on view, you can look them up on this site and you will be able to get many hits on video taping your swing.

Good Luck!

I will do that thank you very much for info and advice. ;)

My experience tells me that your mental condition on the course is not the same as on the range. On the range, who's watching and who cares?  But on the course, with friends and competitors all watching and waiting for you to perform, the self-expectations of personal betterment take over your mind.  And the result is a massive loss of self-confidence and poor shot making.

No doubt some of this problem arises in all who take up golf as adults.  Kids lack those expectations and move along quickly but most adults suffer the same stuff.

What can you do?  Keep seeking the best technique, keep improving your skill levels and keep learning to quiet your mind.

Even the TV pros talk of losing confidence and having to relearn the lesson of 'trusting the swing'.

Good advice Joe Kelly. I have uploaded a video off my swing on the forum if anyone wants a laugh go check it out lol. Cheers guys