I'm on the Verge of Just Quitting

[live4u120]

I just go outside to get mad at myself. I practice just to disappoint myself.

For the past week, my game has completely gone away. I can't hit a shot straight, not can I even hit the ball sometimes. Lately all I do is either hit it fat, or top the hell out of it. And even if I end up hitting it, it's a complete shank, or a massive pull that just goes straight left. I haven't hit a good shot not ONCE in the past week.

On Friday, I was doing absolutely incredible. I was at the top of my game, and I had been for a while, and I had a nice draw, that went nice and high, straight to the target. I woke up the next day, and I just did feel the club anymore. My swing just doesn't feel right at all. The club feels like it weighs NOTHING, and I can't let it do any work, I have to force it with my arms to feel the swing.

I'm really considering just quitting golf, and coming back to it maybe in a couple years. This is just... Sighh... There are so many words to express my frustration right now, but I'm sure this thread would be deleted.

What should I do...

[clubchamp]

Take a week or two off than ease back into it. Just don't let it become a mental thing because it will take even longer to get shake.

[Tayysauce]

It seems kind of sad that you want to quit after having a bad week in golf. Thats the whole point of the sport is to just keep improving no matter if you get in a slump or downfall. Sometimes Ill go out, shoot a 38 on the front 9 and a 50 on the back 9. You just have to keep pushing and make yourself get better.

Like champ said, take a break. Get things off your mind for a few days, then try again. If the same thing happens, evaluate your swing instead of getting down on yourself for playing bad. Don't ever quit!

[opie]

You and me both brother. When I just wanted to knock the crap out of the ball and didn't care what happened golf was a lot more fun (and ironically I was better). Now that I'm trying to get good at it my brain has taken over and I'm worse.. Sucks

[iPutt]

No offense dude but I have to laugh. Not at you, but because it's so familiar to me. I "quit" at least twice a week. Just stick with it, take a lesson maybe (I swear, PGA teaching pros are magicians. I was going through a slump, he says "swing with your hands" and boom, problems gone) and get right back out there. If I had a dollar for every time I "quit", I could buy my own course.

[mfreeman73]

Everytime I get mad at my game and how I'm swinging I go onto Youtube and watch Charles Barkley play. I then don't feel so bad about my game.

[DavidFehertysBike]

It sounds like to me that you've been caught in the common trap of playing golf swing instead of playing golf. Ive been through this wanting to quit stage too, and for lack of better words, you just have to fight through it. Take off a day or two and then go back to practice hitting some shots you know you can make, whether that be 3 foot putts or chips. Concentrate on rythm, and not so much mechanics. Your confidence will return and you can then properly address what mechanical things may be going on with your swing (if any). Dont practice in anger or frustration. That gets you nowhere.

[Phil McGleno]

I'm really considering just quitting golf, and coming back to it maybe in a couple years. This is just... Sighh... There are so many words to express my frustration right now, but I'm sure this thread would be deleted.

Sounds like you should quit. Cya on the flip side. More tee times for me.

[GaijinGolfer]

You just need to learn to be more patient with your game. You are going to have your good days and your not so good days in golf.
Even the pros have bad rounds every now and then.

[Greg]

Take some time off, if you have other hobbies, do them for a while. If you really love playing, you dont want to quit, if playing bad meant that i wanted to quit i wouldnt have gotten this far. But i hit just enough good shots every time i play to encourage me to keep trying and think if only i could do that on every shot and maybe someday i can. People play for their whole lives and never master the game, even pros struggle at times and they're the best in the world. Sounds like golf is becoming more of a chore lately instead of a fun activity, it seems that way sometimes if its not going well. Your signature says you're a 10 handicap so obviously you're a good player, just need to relax and enjoy yourself and I bet that will help, a little time away and i bet you'll miss the game and come back fresher and more confident.

[Knockglock]

Everytime I get mad at my game and how I'm swinging I go onto Youtube and watch Charles Barkley play. I then don't feel so bad about my game.

HAHAHA! winner! this is the perfect solution

Personally, I think you should take a couple days off, find some nice golf books that focus on the mental game, and then go back to your fundamentals and work your way back into a full swing.

[SubPar]

You just need to learn to be more patient with your game. You are going to have your good days and your not so good days in golf.

When you reach the breaking point it usually signals a pending break-through. Just take a few days off and set some realistic goals. When you come back you'll probably play better.

SubPar

[zRam]

You may just have a timing issue. Whenever all goes wrong it comes back when I get my timing straight. I quit a lot too : )

[youngskip40]

What was it Harvey Penick said?

If you have one bad round, forget about it.

Two bad rounds, check your grip, posture, alignment, etc. (fundamentals).

Three bad rounds, go see your teaching pro.



Something along those lines. I'd agree with that mindset. Otherwise, you get frustrated, your already fragile mind gets bombarded with negative thoughts... and then you start making adjustments on your own when you really don't know what you're doing to your swing.

I was in your position and I actually did give up golf. Granted, there was a lot of other stuff going on in my life that contributed to that decision, but I was just so frustrated with myself and my game that I just put the clubs in the basement and didn't think about them for almost 4 years. Turned out to be the worst 4 years of my life, when I look back on it. Again, other stuff going on, but golf has always been a love of mine and it is SUCH a great outlet for frustration and it's a good way to just escape your everyday life for a few hours.


Don't throw in the towel yet, just get some professional help and try not to take it so seriously.

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I definitely score better when I'm having fun (or maybe it's the other way around).

[ScottRempel]

I've never thought about quiting seriously, but I had a similar situation this year. Was playing some of my best golf ever and then all of a sudden at the end of a round I started hitting a few poor shots. Figured I'd go to the range and work on it, and all of a sudden I was doing the S-word and hitting the ball thin...it was ugly. I hit a whole bucket all over the place and went home wondering what on earth just happened. Went back to the range the next day and was still having issues and my wife says "your club looks low when you swing"...I immediately translate that to "flat"...and wouldn't you know it, problem solved. It was amazing how I somehow just got to a point where everything went out the window by being just a bit off, and that I couldn't "feel" what I was doing wrong.

Moral of the story: When you are golfing good and you hit a wall like that, chances are it is something very small and that is the reason you don't know what to do...because it is such a small change you don't even notice something is off. If you have someone that knows your swing have them watch you hit a few balls and maybe they will find something "out of place" for you.

[Chas]

Compared with all other sports that I play or used to play, golf is so blasted subtle it isn't funny. Think about all the things that have to go pretty darned near perfect for you to hit that little ball on anything like a decent trajectory, rather than chunking it 20 yards or shanking the little ****** into a pile of rocks. Gives me a headache just contemplating it .....

So like Scott said it only takes one or two things to be marginally wrong and - wammo - you're playing like a complete chump all of a sudden. Ergo, take it easy, slow things down a tad, take some lessons or take some video of yourself and work on what seem to be the issues. I bet you figure it out eventually and you'll be the better for it.

I've learned that this is what golf is really all about, i.e. constantly adjusting and re-adjusting your action, often in very small ways, and then monitoring the effect. Not easy of course, and it's a case of "two steps forward, one step back". Just when you think you've figured something out you'll back slide for a while and need to relearn it a bit. I used to make bigger changes to my swing but then so much else would change that I could never really correlate A with B. Keep tinkering (intelligently) with one thing at a time and it will come back, maybe better than before. Of course I haven't shot 80 yet so WWIK.

[kris]

like everyone else has said, just take some time off (a week or two) and try and forget about the bad stuff. if indeed you are a 10 cap, you definitely have game. everyone has bad days or weeks so just relax and start at it again in a week or so.

[dag2000]

Despair has befallen my game more at least three times (see this thread for the latest ). If you can, definitely see someone who has a good eye for the golf swing, ideally someone who is familiar with your game. You almost certainly are doing some small thing wrong and it's playing havoc with your game.