Need help please!

[tnbama]

I am having some kind of mental block taking my "game" out on to the course. I can hit it fine on the practice range, and then I get to the course and it all goes south. It happens over and over again. I think part of it is I get too tight to let myself swing. At some points I get so out of whack I can't even remember what my swing is supposed to feel like.

Does anybody know of a book or something I can read to help me get past this? My teacher says some days on the range I hit it like a single digit handicapper (minus the short game I guess) which is where I would love to be. But this hurdle is killing me!

Any help would be very much appreciated!

[ks8829]

Some people say golf is a game of inches, the inches between your ears.
I am not sure If I have any advise for you, is it just on the first tee that set the mood for the rest of the round?

Do you practice on mats or on grass at the driving range? Sometimes mats can give your miss hits better distance than on grass.

How often do you play? Do you practice on the range just before you go out?
I like to practice my short game just minutes before I go out for confidence in my overall game.

[jambalaya]

Yours is a classic problem that many people experience. My advice would be to hit less balls at the range and slow things down. Go through your pre-shot routine before you hit each ball. Hit to a target rather than just gunning the ball down the range. We can often get into a tempo hitting one good shot after another at the range but we cannot duplicate that at the course. We have one chance to hit that particular shot correctly.

[ks8829]

I hit balls at the driving range yesterday and just loved it. I practice my take away because I was hitting some of my 3 woods fat. I discovered with the proper take away that I rehearsed I am now able to hit a solid 3 wood consistently.

What I learned is a routine that I can practice just before hitting any of my shots that I will carry on to the golf course as part of my pre-shot routine. This has given me added confidence just prior to hitting the ball.

Are you taking away positive thoughts or pre-shot routines that you can try out on the course for added confidence?

[tm22721]

I solve the mental block issue by de-focusing my eyes off of the ball so that it appears as a fuzzy object, almost translucent and virtual. The goal is that the mind is aware of the target and the ball should be a distant second.

If your swing mechanics are good you don't need to have an accurate idea of where the ball is located in the downswing.

[Lange]

  tm22721 said:

I solve the mental block issue by de-focusing my eyes off of the ball so that it appears as a fuzzy object, almost translucent and virtual. The goal is that the mind is aware of the target and the ball should be a distant second.

This sounds like something worth trying out. Ima give it a shot at the range, then maybe even try it in a round

[tnbama]

thanks!
I actually did a little better yesterday. I have been working through Bob Rotella's book "Golf is not a game of perfect" and just thinking about my swing and not the target. I don't think I am at thepoint that I can NOT think about my swing yet. I think maybe just thinking about the target is for people who have a good swing grooved through years of repetition? I am not at that point at all.

[powerfade]

  tnbama said:

thanks!

I hope you don't struggle like my brother in law (who I love dearly).

We've been playing for roughly the same amount of time (20+ years). He is a total mechanics thinker on the golf course. He's read the articles that tell you not too, but he always does. I'm a 7/8 index...he's a high 90's low 100's shooter. We golf together 5 or 6 times a year. He's doing the GolfTec lessons right now which introduces more mechanics. We're out playing 2 weeks ago, and he's struggling. I finally get him to think about the target and swing with a tempo that feels slower than he thinks it should. Yes...he starts hitting the ball nicely, with a big ol' smile on his face. You can say you need to think about mechanics on the course right now, but at the very least begin training yourself to think target. Begin this training, where else, but on the range. Devote 25 golf balls out of the middle of your next large bucket to playing a few holes on the range (and in your head). Picture the shot you want, the ball flight, the ball landing at the target (fairway/green). Throw a few chips or pitches in there as well. Aim at different points on the range. Don't let mechanics take over. Afterwards, use the rest of the bucket to work on the issues you felt were most damaging during your mini round. How about doing this every time you go the range? If you only think mechanics on the range, the game will feel foreign when you try to think target on the golf course. Start training yourself now. Thinking mechanics on the golf course is a game killer IMO.

[tnbama]

That's good advice- thanks!