most frustrating... driver, putter, or other?

[Avid Golfer]

What is the most frustrating thing to struggle with?

For me its the putter. If my putting is off during the round (or before the round on the practice green) I find it a difficult to find a solution, maintain confidence, and putt solidly the rest of the round.

--- begining unnecessary rant --- I believe part of the problem is there is so much accepted variation and variables when it comes to putting. You can setup with tall posture (like Retief Goosen and Greg Norman) or with more bend (like Nick Faldo) and either way still have your eyes over the ball to target line, your hands hanging under your shoulders, be in good balance, and hole putts. You can make an arcing stroke, or one that moves realitively straight back and through. You can choose from a large variety of ways to grip the putter. (With putting you have people gripping left-hand low/cross-handed, claw style, with the putter stuck in the belly, chest, or neck -all things you don't see them doing in the full swing). Aside from Dave Pelz (and maybe Todd Sones) there hasn't been anyone to come out and say scientifically that one way of doing things is significantly (statistically) supperior to the other ways of putting, and them back it up with statistical evidence. With putting we are aiming for a smaller target (a small spot or an particular part of the cup in some cases). Even if we make a technically sound motion we have outside factors like slopes, bumps, and depresssions that can effect the line and speed the ball rolls on. We are then left to make educated guesses at what we think will happen as the ball rolls along the ground. With drivers we are blasting the ball through the air at a target with a larger margin for error, and we don't particularly care what slopes, bumps, and divots the ball flies over between us and where the ball finishes. With our eyes over the ball (or close to it) it is harder to varify alignment of body parts (like the shoulders). A slight deviation of contact on the putter face (toward the heel or toe), a slight deviation in putter face angle at impact, or a slight deviation in the path of the stroke at impact can be the difference between the ball going in the hole or missing. Any of those same deviations with a driver can still result in your ball being in the fairway. Those are a few of the reasons I consider the putter to be more fustrating to strugle with than the other clubs. --- (rant over) ---

[elkhuntingfool]

I'm going with other - it's not any of my clubs - it's the guy holding the clubs and swinging like crap. I can hand my driver to a friend and he can hit it just fine, but when it's in my hands - it's not so good.

Just a different point of view.

[skierbri10]

For me the mid irons have been giving me heck lately....

[Dent]

The 3 wood, that is the one club I cannot consistently hit well off the fairway.

And if you gamble with it, it can put you in a whole lot of trouble if you dont sucseed.