Consistency. How did you get it?

[DiverDown]

Two notes In a good setup and spine angle your eyes should be slightly beyond or over the ball. To see the ball we should need to strain our eyes down. We tend therefore, to drop our heads, to avoid the strain and now our head is too low and we cannot make a full shoulder turn back.

I think I've gotten lazy on not keeping my head up enough. I started practicing this yesterday and it did help.

[sirshanksalot]

Practice is definitely a major theme in the responses to your post, but to delve into that, you want to practice with a purpose. For me personally, I try to make it so that every swing is consistently the same (given that I am swinging correctly). Any variation from one swing to another is going to add inconsistencies, which will lead to more "mistakes". These mistakes can then become a hassle in making quick fixes, which usually consist of exaggerated changes leading to more inconsistency. Everyone learns the golf swing differently from others, the key is to figure out what works for you and keep it consistent. After you establish this, any faulty results from the swing will be much easier to analyze and correct on the next shot.

Reminder: This all sounds easier said than done, but that's why practicing with a purpose is so important.

[ebough]

1. For each type of club, I am careful to set up exactly the same. I pay attention to grip and swing plane. If I change something, I always know what I would be going back to.

2. You have to remember that everything you do--set-up, grip, swing plane, etc--really do affect every shot. When you go from hitting well to poorly, you have almost certainly changed something. The problem becomes identifying what that is. Which takes you back to #1. You have to know where you started from. So, when you are hitting the ball well, carefully note all of the items which seem to be contributing to it.

3. Always practice with some specific goal in mind. Never hit balls mindlessly.

4. Use some system to identify where on the club face you are hitting the ball. Make whatever changes it takes to consistently hit the ball from the sweet spot. Big drivers are incredibly forgiving, but a straight shot off the toe simply will not go as far as one hit dead center.

[ks8829]

Focus on your short game especially chipping from distance of 40 yards and in. This forces you to improve your hitting area and its a short version of your full swing.

my overall swing has improved just by practicing my short game focusing on making consistent solid contact.

[whip_it_out]

I am struggling with this same issue.
One move that has helped me is to make a shorter, compact swing. Still keep your hands far from your head, but only take the club back 3/4 of the full length, still completing your shoulder turn. I made this move and gained 7 yards out of better contact, and it is really helping my consistency.

And you can think, "make the exact same swing", right before you hit the ball. For some reason, this reallpy helps me.

[oreodawg1]

Well I just got a job at a golf course here and i get to play for free and free range balls. Lots of free range balls haha. I have hit a couple hundred balls everyday for the past week or so, and my consistency is way better. I feel so much more confident when I pull my 7 cause I know what my regular shot with a little fade is right around 180, and now i can shape the ball play a little draw maybe put it closer to 190. My irons have really improved the most, and I feel really good hitting my shots. So I guess just hit up the range as much as possible.

[DiverDown]

A lot of good advice in these posts.

I think it's time to up my practice again.

[PEZGolf]

When I'm on I can hit a nice ball, good shape, decent distance. My biggest problem is consistency. I realize this is a lot of peoples problem, but the factor is to what degree.

My consistency, which is one of the strong points of my game, resulted from lots of practice, and the following keys:

1. alignment: I understand its importance, and lay a club down on the ground to check my alignment every time that I practice. Also, I know that I must check not only my feet, but my hips, and shoulders and use the concept of railroad tracks to make sure that I am doing it correctly. 2. pre-shot routine: I stand behind the ball, visualize the target and target line, the railroad tracks, and then step and stay in constant motion until I start the backswing. 3. rhythm: my emphasis is on making a smooth, well-balanced swing and I "swing the club, and do not hit the ball". The club will hit the ball if I swing smoothly. There is a huge difference between thinking of "swinging" as opposed to "hitting". 4. focus on the target: when I practice, I pretend that I am playing a particular course, and hit shots accordingly. I am always focused on a particular target. 5. keep it simple: I have only one swing thought: "1, 2, 3" which, is what Slammin' Sammy Snead used to think when he swung a club, including under the most intense pressure when trying to beat The Hawk---Ben Hogan.

[Stacey_E]

I think its just something that comes with time and practice. Im still not as consistent as Id like to be, but Im a lot better than I was.

That's it right there.

One thing that helps me is to have a sound and consistant pre-shot routine. It kinda puts me in the zone for the shot. I know it seems like a lot of psychobable, but going through the motions on every preshot (including on the range) kinda pumps up that muscle memory. It also helps to remember that on the range you are in TRAINING mode. When on the course, you are in TRUSTING mode. There will be bad shots on the course, but continue to TRUST your swing. A lot of my inconsistancies come when I try to fix things or do things with my swing that I don't/can't normally do.