At a loss

I guess I'm feeling the need to vent a bit. I've been playing for 30 yrs. and at one point had an index of 4. Over the past few years, as I've tried to improve, despite my best efforts, all my index has done is gone up. I've been to four different teaching pros and spend about two hrs. per week practicing plus playing on the weekend. I've read some books on the head game. I still can't seem to hit more than 5 or 6 greens a round, or get up and down more than about 1 in 3. I realize that when you make swing changes you'll play worse for a while, then improve. I've been at it for over a year with nothing to show for my efforts than a much higher index. I feel like I'm the anti-testimonial; you know, the person who says they started working with this teacher or that method and took ten strokes off their game. Has anyone else been through this? Am I barking up the wrong tree? Do I just need to accept that this is as good as I can expect to play from now on? Thanks for the wisdom. - Ed.

Yes, for the past eight years.  I honestly think I literally rediscovered my old swing for the first time since 2007 yesterday .  But we'll see.  I'm not convinced after just 27 holes, but things just felt right.  It was a sudden: Yeah, that's how you were a consistent 7, instead of an inconsistent 8-12.

One thing I'm sure of, that if this is a true improvement, I'm going to write stuff down this time.  Certain feels and swing thoughts to prevent another lapse.

Anyway, I don't think you have to accept it.  Just keep grinding but remember to judge your scores on your current handicap, not your best handicap.  It's hard to regress in golf.  As non professionals, I think we sometimes think we should improve until we're like 65 and start to lose muscle mass.  It's never that linear.

For me expectation is the hurdle. It's not my scores that sting it is the crummy ball striking that haunts me. An example for you. I drop kicked my first drive of the day. Seriously ugly stuff barely cleared the reds. I walk up and drill it to 80 in front of the green with a 2 hybrid. Hit a decent 58 to 15 feet and hole the putt for par. The guys I was with looking at me like I am an idiot. Next hole I push a 4 iron 40 yards right of the hole pin high on a par 3. I pitch to 10 feet and make the putt. Even after two playing hack golf. Can't imagine how bad it looks but it has to be pathetic. This repeats hole after hole day after day. I hate it. In my mind I feel like a 30 handicapper and probably look like it on the course.

Ed there is a huge difference between any old teaching pro and a GOOD one and the GOOD ones are about 75 strong only and spread throughout the entire world. Bad ones hurt your game-Good ones help it. You have probably only seen bad ones which is to say the vast vast vast vast majority of golf instructors.

I'll leave the "words of wisdom" with respect to instruction to those qualified to give them. I DO, however want to welcome you to the site and encourage you to stick around. You obviously have a lot of experience to share. I'd also offer that there's more to scoring well than just swing mechanics, and that you just might pick up some other scoring opportunities as you search for that right instructor too. :beer:

Hi, Welcome! One thought I have in looking at your profile is that improving from a 4 handicap will take a lot more than 2 hours a weeks of practice. Your average high school player may be somewhere around there, and probably whittles it down to scratch after about 4 years of very intensive golf instruction and practice. While I don't think you should "give up" on improving, I think you should realistic about the time and effort required to improve as a low single digit golfer.

He was already a low digit golfer... An index of 4 at one point.

Understood. It read his post as saying that as a 4, and then tried to improve by taking lessons, practicing, etc. and his handicap then went up...

Yea, I see what you were saying now... "As a low single digit". My bad man