Inconsistency

[ScottRempel]

The first step is admitting it.

How's this for a score card: 7 4 3 8 3 10 4 3 6 7 4 7 3 6 3 7 4 6

lol...what a bad day on the links...even for me. First time this year (season just started a couple weeks back up here) I've shot over 45 on 9 holes...and I did it twice in one round. Last time I'm out I'm hitting good iron shots but can't hit the driver...today I'm crushing the driver and my irons are all over the friggin' place. Gotta love golf. Thank god for my putting...currently averaging 1.8/hole.

Anyway, no real point to this post. Just thought writing about my day might help me vent a bit lol. Now that my driver swing is a bit better I'm hoping to start firing a few good rounds. Usually my issue is shooting the odd big score due to slicing it OB off the tee, so if I can keep it in play things should get better.

[platgof]

Did you pick your clubs based on forgiveness? I pick mine for maximum help so I can have blow up holes and still get by. I shortened my driver, added more woods, and worked very hard on the short game. I also spent a lot of money buying clubs off of ebay to find what I needed based on info from forums like this one. If your season is just getting started, it could be just some layoff rust from winter.

[squaddie]

Might be time for a lesson to see if there is anything out of wack, but a lesson with conditions.

Try to simulate course conditions by having the instructor watch you hit your driver once, then alternate to an iron shot or two, then back to the driver, etc. See if they notice anything after about five or six combinations of driver and iron, and ask them _not_ to comment until after you've completed five or six passes (to avoid a false positive).

After alternating a few times between clubs something consistent should show up that's causing the problem.

Tell the instructor _not_ to look at your setup or address or anything like that, but just see if there are any issues on the backswing or follow-through leading to the inconsistency.

[Slim 11]

That looks like one of my scorecards!
I seem to have found my driver this year and my putting is solid, but my irons (usually the strongest part of my game) are terrible. All of a sudden I am hitting fat, thin, off the toe...I am a wreck.
I was diagnosed with "tennis elbow" this winter (think it is actually something more) and I believe I am favoring my right arm. This has actually helped my drives (less fades) but I think it my be why i am struggling with the irons. Guess I need to get to the doctor. It seems to actually get worse with golfing, which is very concerning to me.
I thought the injury was due to bowling (the seasons overlap for me and it started at teh end of golf/beginning of bowling last fall), but once I wasn't golfing it seemed to go away. Starting golfing a month and a half ago (just finished bowling this week) and it is acting up again.

[ScottRempel]

Played better today. Nothing special with a 43 on the back nine, but more consistent at least. Started off with 4 bogeys...drives were good, iron shots were hit solid but just off the mark (partially due to the wind today)...didn't save myself with good enough chipping and 2 putted all day long. Only one really bad hole today...par 5, hit an ok drive (too much draw) but hit a really poor 4-wood followed by a terrible 3 iron, two putt, double bogey. Finished off the day with a 15-20 footer for birdie on the last hole.

Definitely need to work on my irons the most. If I can drive the ball reasonably well the only thing keeping me from par is GIR. Once I'm dancing it's almost always a two putt at worst...I just need to quit putting from 20+ feet away all the time. :p
I've finally managed to loosen up my grip and quit swinging so hard, so that has helped a lot the last couple of rounds. After a bit more golfing this year I may try a lesson or two with the local pro. I'm basically self taught, but having someone else watch my swing and give me a few pointers wouldn't hurt. I usually understand what I've done wrong when I make a poor shot, but maybe there is something I can do to make my swing a bit more reliable.