The frustrations of being a "new" golfer

[chilly]

I started playing last year and know exactly how you feel. As others have said, just look at the pros, it happens all the time even to them (Furyk was +2/-5 back to back days at Quail Hollow). It's just the nature of the game. You have to understand that the tough days will pass. I used to get in a funk when it happened, but now I've realized it just goes with the territory. Two weeks ago, shot a 102 train wreck, yesterday I shot an 81...it will come back.

[Travtex]

Sounds like I'm a bit backward from the other one-year rookies... My irons have been pretty good to me. Recently my 3 wood has joined the cause and become a pretty reliable club. Off the tee. Off the fairway who knows. It can go 240 or 24. I've had major driver woes. Can give it a good ride dead down the middle of the fairway one day... the next day it's blocked into the next fairway.

Wedges are a coin toss. Chipping and pitching frustrate me... mostly on the psychological side of things. I practice chips and pitches more than anything else. I've gotten to be pretty accurate... while practicing. Then I get on the course and there's suddenly a 180 degree danger zone in front of me. Could chunk it, could blade it, could shank it. I have Bubba Watson's mental game.

Same thing with putting. I can make a gorgous lag put from across the green to a couple feet... then miss the two footer. I have two 3-putt pars to my credit and zero birdies.

Ha ha. *hairpull*

[Korleone]

I've played on and off since I was a kid but this is the first year I've really wanted to get serious about improving my game. Up to now, I've been getting really frustrated at the mistakes I'm making and the inconsistencies with my shots. Some days you wonder if it's even worth it. It's comforting to know others have dealt with this too. All we have to do is keep practicing.

You have to pay your dues with everything else in life, why would golf be any different...

[moadhia]

One thing that might help a beginner is to keep track of your stats. By that I mean, recording your Drive in the fiarway, number of putts, penalty strokes, up and down, sand saves etc. Input them on "mobilegolfstats". google it up. The feature I like about that website is that it shows you where you stand as per your handicap so instantly you know what needs to be improved or what area if improved will provide immediate results. For me, my putting is horrible so I am working on that this summer.

[tm22721]

Seekers eventually find consistency.

[The Recreational Golfer]

Lessons. You're inconsistent because you don't know why the good shots happen or why the bad shots happen. Get lessons and learn how to do to right, then practice a lot. I would give the same advice to anyone, though, but especially to a beginner. The longer you play with the wrong habits, the harder it will be to break them later on, especially if you began as an adult.

[slide13]

I have the same issues. I played a lot as a youth, but always just for fun and never seriously. Developed a pretty bad swing at the time and still fighting it to this day. I'm steep in my back swing, over the top on my down swing. Causes a nasty slice on my driver, too big a divot with the irons that sometimes leads to catching the toe, laying the face open and shooting it about 80 yards out at a 45* angle for where I wanted to go. Tought stuff.

Just started playing again last year after 15 years of playing maybe 3 or 4 times a year at most, and many years less then that. I have my moments and my good shots but consistency is the issue. This year I have yet to have a good day on the course, though I've had some solid days on the range (and some terrible ones). I do love this game though, frustrations and all, so I'm getting out about 4 or 5 days a week either playing or practicing in hopes of seeing some consistency in the somewhat near future. My goal for this year is to get into the mid-90's on a regular basis and by next year be in the upper 80's playing bogey golf or just a hair better.

[hipcheck4u]

Seekers eventually find consistency.

...They call me the seeker, I've been searchin' low and high-igh

I won't get to find what I'm after, 'til the day I die... I started playing five years ago, had some poor instruction which truly retarded my development, then found a good teacher and have gone from a 36 two years ago to 24.8 currently. S L O W improvement, but that's fine with me- I've got plenty of time to get down to scratch (yeah, right). I really enjoy the feeling of figuring out another secret of the swing or becoming aware of why my shots are behaving the way they are. I'm almost to the point where I can accept the really bad days, too.