Desperately searchiing for consistency this season, your opinions?

[opie]

Ok. I'm getting to desperate now. I began last summer playing to about a 10 handicap and I can honestly say it was 100% due to my shortgame. My game off the tee is atrocious. I'm not talking it skirts the tree line etc I'm talking when I miss it's GONE. Then I hit 3 off the tee and that one might be GONE also. I don't carry a driver and it gets to the point where I hit 5 iron off the tee. I strike the ball solid but my problem is I don't know where I miss. I can't say that I'm a fader/slicer or a drawer/hooker because it feels like if I aim left and try make sure if I miss it's going to be right I double cross and hook it deeper into the woods. Vice Versa for the right side

Last year I finally decided to take some lesson and see if I could get straightened out. I got worse, A LOT worse and it's carrying over to this year. Not only is my long game worse but my 7 - PW is more inconsistent where from 150 and in used to be my game. I have absolutely 0 confidence now. I stopped yesterday after 15 holes because it was punishing and I just couldn't take anymore. My clubs almost found there new home at the bottom of a lake and I drove home.

So I ask the gallery here. What should my next steps be??

I've got the Stack and Tilt book and DVD's. I've watched the first two DVD's and read through the book. I haven't tried to implement yet. Think I ought to do it that route and just try it myself? Take some video and upload here because there are no instructors that I can find in Atlanta and see where that gets me?

Should I just find a new instructor work with what I had and see if I can get it sorted?

Turn around left handed? (ok, that's a joke but I am ambidextrous)

I just want to step up to the ball and if I aim down the right side of the fairway know without a shadow of a doubt that the ball will go either straight, draw or hook. I can live with that I think.

Sorry, this is 65% frustration and 35% honest questions. I know swing changes take time but I got gradually worse and worse as last season went on and the penalty strokes I was looking to get rid of got higher and higher

It's supposed to rain today but I'll get some video of my swing both front and from behind on Sunday for folks to look at

All opinions welcome.

BTW. I hit the ball solid. Rarely chunk it etc so it's just the left/right that's my problem. I seem to be able to hit the same spot on the ground well

[tm22721]

I plateaued at 10 for a long time until I discovered DOCF. Uses opposing dynamic forces to keep your focus on the target getting you into an early position to hit. In three weeks my handicap fell to 8.7 and it's still falling...

[binga7]

Can you please explain DOCF. I searched the forums and couldnt find any information on it?

[Keg0brew]

Can't help you with swing changes/ideas, but do have a thought on your tee troubles.

I used to have a hell of an inconsistent time with my tee ball also. I'd push one out right, hook the next, slice the third, so on... After weeks of trial and error, I determined that an easy fix, FOR ME, was to change my tee height.

I used to tee the ball high, half the ball above a 460cc head at a minimum, with most shots at about 3/4 of the ball above the tee. After moving back down to about only 1/4 of the ball above the head, I found pure consistency. I'm back to hitting 70% of fairways now.

I'm not sure how much much my swing has changed from before to now, and what impact that has had on my new found consistency, but either way, if you tee it high currently, its worth a shot at teeing it low to see what happens.

[Scott_K]

I'd try to find the tempo of the swing again. My "natural" shot is a fade. When I'm a little too fast with my lower body I push it further right. If I'm a little slow, I hit it straight. For the most part, I'm able to eliminate the left side of the course. If I'm on the left, I flat out put a bad swing on the ball.

Check out the tour tempo book in the reading forum. I'd start finding the tempo again with the 7-PW and get back the 150 and in part of your game. From there you can move out to your mid and longer clubs.

I bought it this past winter. It helped me realize that my backswing with my driver is too slow. Sounds weird since most of the time we hear "low and slow", but the tempo of your overall swing from address to follow through is important and often overlooked.

[drglew]

I'd resist any quick fixes as it seems your swing results were pretty sloppy even when you were playing well, and get a series of lessons with the same instructor (doesn't necessarily have to be the one from last year though if you didn't like the results). As for expectations, it's pretty common to "get worse before you get better" after lessons as your instructor probably has found your swing flaws (which you probably don't realize you're doing) and has you doing things that don't "feel" right -- yet. However, assuming your instructor is half-decent and you stick with the program (i.e. that's why you should get a series of lessons) things might fall into place. Good luck!

[saevel25]

Most of the time i find that people will not concentrate enough on set up. They think there grip needs changed or a golf club god forbid. Don't waste money unless its to see if your clubs fit you. But get a video camera and check your posture. Are you hunched over, is ball position right for the club, are you aiming were you want to. In my mind when i stand next to the ball i look up to were i want to hit it, my mind tells me i am looking 20 yards left of were i want to go, so i actually started to aim more and more right, then i developed a nice pull because my body corrected the swing to get it to go straight. But this was an issue because when i hit one straight it went 20-30 yards right. So don't mess with the swing if you were consistant before, just go through the list of fundamentals.

Posture
alignment
ball position
backswing swing plane

These 4 things are usually 90% of the problem, then check out the grip. My dad changed his grip, took him 1 year to get use to it. Before modifying the grip, check the basics first.

[ERdiesel]

I plateaued at 10 for a long time until I discovered DOCF. Uses opposing dynamic forces to keep your focus on the target getting you into an early position to hit. In three weeks my handicap fell to 8.7 and it's still falling...

tm22721, i've seen you mention, well more like praise "DOCF" before in this forum and when someone asked for more details on this, you would more or less fall silent or disappear altogether. the material on the internet on this DOCF that you speak of is extremely limited so the question for you is, are there any specific reading materials that you can provide links to for those interested in learning more on this? thanks in advance

[hoser]

A couple of question to OP:
* How much time do you spend practicing a week? How is that time divided between short game, putting, iron play and driving?
* How often do you play?
* How often did you see the instructor you mentioned.
* Do you track your stats? GIR%, FIR%, putts and scrambling % might be useful.

[tm22721]

tm22721, i've seen you mention, well more like praise "DOCF" before in this forum and when someone asked for more details on this, you would more or less fall silent or disappear altogether. the material on the internet on this DOCF that you speak of is extremely limited so the question for you is, are there any specific reading materials that you can provide links to for those interested in learning more on this? thanks in advance

Sorry if I missed your requests.

DOCF was discovered by Martin Ayers of Australia in his quest to dissect Hogan's action. There are lots of swings, descriptions, and even an entire four part clinic on Youtube if you just search for DOCF or Martinez (Ayers sounds like 'ez' in an Australian accent). The hallmark of DOCF is consistency. The club is captured by opposing right/left side forces that establish railroad tracks to the top and back down where you arrive in early position to hit, wondering what just happened. The reason it works is that these opposing forces (established at setup and maintained throughout) wrest control of your body and the club away from you. Blocking any manipulation. Picture a clock pendulum, just driven by a spring. Once flung, it rides back and forth in a virtual channel. No manipulation necessary or possible. I engrained the feel of the left/right forces within a few hours of practice.

[kilbyman]

Most of the time i find that people will not concentrate enough on set up. They think there grip needs changed or a golf club god forbid. Don't waste money unless its to see if your clubs fit you. But get a video camera and check your posture. Are you hunched over, is ball position right for the club, are you aiming were you want to. In my mind when i stand next to the ball i look up to were i want to hit it, my mind tells me i am looking 20 yards left of were i want to go, so i actually started to aim more and more right, then i developed a nice pull because my body corrected the swing to get it to go straight. But this was an issue because when i hit one straight it went 20-30 yards right. So don't mess with the swing if you were consistant before, just go through the list of fundamentals.

+1000000 Dead on. I'm also a believer that how well you set up and start your backswing is how well your shots end up. To add $.02 here's a useful tip I've heard and use when I'm in a rut: the golf swing is like throwing a frisbee with your left arm (for rightie). But most importantly, get those fundamentals down.

[iacas]

+1000000 Dead on. I'm also a believer that how well you set up and start your backswing is how well your shots end up. To add $.02 here's a useful tip I've heard and use when I'm in a rut: the golf swing is like throwing a frisbee with your left arm (for rightie). But most importantly, get those fundamentals down.

I suspect you may know what's coming here... but grip isn't a fundamental. Alignment and posture aren't fundamentals. If they were, pros would all have the same grips, postures, and alignments.

Too many people spend a lot of time worrying about aligning themselves at the target, but guess what? On the PGA Tour players are aimed all over the place. They're aimed pretty consistently for them , but in the same threesome you'll have one guy aiming 30 yards left of the flag from 170 yards, another guy aiming 30 yards right from 170, and a third guy aiming two feet left. Grips - there are rather strong grips on the PGA Tour, rather weak grips on the PGA Tour, and some that are in between. Posture, again - some pros slump a bit, some stand tall. Some have a lot of knee flex, others have less. Some have their hands higher, some hang their arms and hands lower. So long as everything is within a range of acceptable values, there really aren't any "fundamentals" here... The true fundamentals are things like striking the ball first and then the ground (controlling the low point of the swing). Swinging with enough power to play golf effectively. Controlling the curvature on the ball. Now here's where I seemingly contradict myself - if you lose control of the low point of your swing perhaps it's because your setup has changed. If we lose some power or, more likely, lose control of the way the ball curves it's probably because the grip or alignment has changed. But that just pertains to you... there's no "fundamental grip" that applies to everyone, nor alignment, nor posture, etc. Learn what yours are, check up on them periodically, but in general focus on the dynamic fundamentals: crisp ball contact, enough power through efficiency of motion to play, and controlling the golf ball. Final thought: the simpler one can make the golf swing, the easier it is to be consistent.

[kilbyman]

Very true. I think I misused the term "fundamentals" when I should have said "check your set-up." A more accurate statement would have been what you said here

Now here's where I seemingly contradict myself - if you lose control of the low point of your swing perhaps it's because your setup has changed. If we lose some power or, more likely, lose control of the way the ball curves it's probably because the grip or alignment has changed.

[Chief Broom]

I won't offer specific advice but I do know that my main problem is quire similar to yours - inconsistancy off the tee. I still struggle with this (and probably always will - look at Tiger), but I have identified a big part of my problem, especially with the driver. I'm always trying something different with the driver. Backing away from the ball,moving up on it, leaning over more or less, forward press or leaning away from the target, you name it I'll (I've) tried it. The problem with this is that if you're always changing what you do you'll never be able to find any consistancy with your swing. I finally realized that I don't do this with any other club (well not to such a dramatic degree) and I also see a higher level of consistancy with those other clubs from the fairway no less! My focus now is to to use the same fundamental swing for all clubs and to furthermore stick with that same routine/technique with the driver off the tee. While I can't say that I'm seeing dramatically better results I can say that approaching the driver off the tee in a way that doesn't deviate from my normal technique won't make the situation worse and ultimately will only help me to improve.

[saevel25]

Well they are fundamentals, on your own personal level. There is a basic concept of posture in golf. Its not posture at set up, but also maintaining that posture through out the swing, mostly spine angle. Consistant golf is about returning the clubhead to the ball, and to do that you got to have a good spine angle at impact.

Grip, there is a fundamental here that a grip must match the swing. If you have the wrong grip type for the swing you will be all over the place.

Alignment is very personal, but it matches there swing.

There are these things, that i call fundamentals that will help any golfer you just got to figure out what works for you. I am a pretty neutral guy. Very square stance to the target, very neutral grip, and a swing that is pretty standard on plane. It matches the type of golf i like to play. Ben Hogan said there was no such thing as a straight ball, well when i am in a groove he hasn't scene me it a ball because that ball will probably only move left or right if the wind kicks up or because the earth rotates. When i am off, its very crooked, so i got to check my basic list of fundamentals for myself.

What if you play a fade and you start to aim more and more left, you soon start hitting a slice, you got to check your alignment first, why mess with your grip when there is something more simple to check first.

[talismand]

Could you post some links to these videos or websites explaining in more detail?

[nlowplacez]

all i can say is driving range, range, and more range. you'll find it in the dirt. (grass hopefully) just make sure you do it right and not just hit balls. on course scenarios even down to the pitch shots and aiming and aligning each shot. and get a couple lessons to make sure your not practicing all the wrong moves. video your swing to analyze if feasible, and read five lessons. don't mix and match instruction books or instructors, cause they all contradict each other. (doesn't have to be five lessons if you prefer another book, but that is DEFINITELY my reccomendation) i know its a cliche answer and you might think it doesnt help, but sadly range is the only way

[tm22721]

Consistency is attaining perfect opposition of the forces and aiming them correctly from an address that is set to do so, and it's game over.

Two axis on stilts that are as stable as all get out. YOU CANT OVERDO IT....NOT POSSIBLE.