Help for a disgruntled golfer!!

[$2 Nassau]

Warning - this post is full of whining and self pity.

Yikes, so far this has been a tough year for me. Just can't seem to find any groove at all. My iron game is simply horrible. I just can't make decent contact...and when I do the ball just doesn't seem to go anywhere. I've lost so much distance with my irons it's really making the game difficult.

For some reason, the only club I can hit with any consistency is my driver(go figure).

The last 4 or 5 rounds have been painful. Although I've kind of learned to shrug it off....but I'm not sure if that's good or bad. A little anger in the past has sometimes helped me get better. v Lately, I've jsut become indifferent.

This marks my 4th year playing, I've shown steady improvement, but have now a hit a wall. For the first time since I started playing, I am starting to have LESS desire to play golf.

Mentally, I'm a mess!

(thanks for reading my babble)

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

Warning - this post is full of whining and self pity.

Drink heavily I hear ya man, golf is tough and even the best get frusterated. Have you ever had lessons? Hard to fix if you don't know what's wrong. Maybe instead of playing one day just hit a bucket or two at the range to see if you can figure out what's wrong. Take some half swings and work on making solid contact. I can give you more cliches if you want but the truth is you need to find out why you aren't making solid contact and work at it. Seeking a pro would help. Good luck, and if all else fails, .... drink heavily!

[$2 Nassau]

Drink heavily

Yes, I've had lessons. I've made some swing adjustments according to those lessons. But new problems always seem to pop up. I hit range balls almost every day. Maybe I just need to step away for a little while and give it rest, then come back refreshed and excited to play the game......and get drunk of course.

[Long Distance Tree Trimmer]

Warning - this post is full of whining and self pity.

I hear you. This is only my second year playing, and it's been a tough go. I've gone from making marginal contact to good contact with my driver, with one caveat: my new best friend named "slice". I can put my ball right in the middle of the fairway, as long as that fairway is on an adjacent hole

And yet, I'm addicted. Dammit.

[beung]

Here are couple of my suggestions, especially for some one who spends alot of time at the range.

If you don't keep stats when playing a round you should start. Track your drives, if you missed them left, right, distance isn't nearly as important as getting the ball to where you aimed it. Track your irons, makes and misses to the right, left, short, long and most importantly if they landed where you wanted the ball to end up - be quit generous at first with say a 15yrd radius as a made shot. Track approach shots just like iron shots but have a tighter radius to measure against. Finally track your putts, just like the others but again with a tighter radius.

At the end of each round input them into an Excel spreadsheet, there is no need to have a special program to do this for you. If you know anything about Excel it can be great for this sort of thing. Use a whole scorecard for yourself, there are usually 4 slots where the names of the foursome would normally go. Use the first name to track your drives, the second for irons, third for approaches and the last for putts. This is going to give you a game plan for improving on your whole game by improving on one aspect of your game at a time.

My suggestions is to start with Putts, then approaches, then Iron then drives. Two reasons for this, the main one is that this order is the order in importance IMO because it starts with the most strokes per round to the least strokes per round. A person in a round may have say 30 putts and have 14 drives, that isn't too bad but the next round they may have 40 putts but still only have 14 drives. Why not work on the part of your game that accounts for the most strokes in a round?

Secondly, if you know you putt well and you have a good chance at making 6-10 footers it takes some pressure off your first putt which takes pressure off your approach and iron shots because you know you don't have to go and hit it within 6 feet to have a chance. Even if your approach and irons are just ok that is going to take pressure off of your driving because even if you hit a bad tee shot, and you hit just and ok 5 iron and a just ok wedge shot onto the green the worst you are going to shoot is bogey because you're NOT going to 3 putt. The opposite can't be said even if you drive the hell out of the ball straight down the middle of the fairway you are still left with at least 2/3 of the hole left to play assuming you stick in close enough to make a sinkable putt. Yet if you never worked on your short game chances are you are going to hit a less then good approach which will ultimately result in a 3 putt, assuming you hit the green with your approach and what happens if you don't hit a perfect drive? A saved bogey is much more satisfying then a failed par.

Also, this is going to get your mind away from the result of the whole round and even the result of the hole and make you focus on one aspect of your game instead of trying to improve your whole game at once. Even if you didn't shoot good in a round you can look and see wow, I only had 29 putts that round, this is going to give you confirmation and a visible result that going to the range and working on something is actually paying off.

[X20_Tour]

I hear you. This is only my second year playing, and it's been a tough go. I've gone from making marginal contact to good contact with my driver, with one caveat: my new best friend named "slice". I can put my ball right in the middle of the fairway, as long as that fairway is on an adjacent hole

Hey, a fairway is a fairway is a fairway! As long as it's on a fairway, you're good.

$2, I really feel your pain on this. I too am off to a bad start this year, except in the complete opposite direction. So far, I haven't hit a good shot off my driver, so I just take a long Iron from the tee if it's a long hole. I live in michigan so I don't play year-round. I warmed up exceptionally well at the range last month, but we all know that the range, and the course are two totally different beats. Anyways, how long have you been playing? I think that you're mentally beating yourself up too much. So, just stop that, and you will stop playing like crap. Once that beating starts, you tense up, then your swing suffers, and you play like crap. Just take a week off, and when you go back, start slow. Slow down your swing and just concentrate on making good contact. Once you make that good contact, keep going with the positive energy. I know I sound like a hippie, but it works. Golf is 90% mental, and 40% physical. If you sound like this out on the course: "You little son of a bitch ball! Why you don't you just go home? That's your HOME! Are you too good for your home? ANSWER ME! SUCK MY WHITE ASS BALL! " Then you are not in good shape.

[Long Distance Tree Trimmer]

beung -- That's quite a logical approach. It sounds almost Sabermetric. I'll probably use this idea next time I get on the course. I'm always looking for ways to improve the efficiency of my range time.

X20_Tour -- You bring up a good point. I'll try to remember that as I try to time my second shot in between incoming tee shots

[$2 Nassau]

Beung: I do keep stats religously in a weekly league I play in, but never keep stats in any other round. I really need to start doing that.

X-20: This season marks the beginning of my 4th year playing golf. I've certainly been guilty of beating myself up mentally, but as far as golf goes I've gotten better. I was never a guy who threw clubs or yelled and screamed, but I'm sure you could see steam coming out of my ears on occassion, and incoherent babbling and muttering to myself used to be quite common.

Lately I've relaxed but it's almost gone too far, almost like not caring. I'm in the middle of a brief hiatus, I'll play in my weekly 9 hole league but besides that I'm going to step back a bit, even from the range. I never go to the range and just hit balls, I always have a practice routine and always set out a practice plan before I go, but I'm taking a break from that too.

[beung]

I belong to the school of GIR rather then fairways hit....but thats has alot to do with the fact that I am a pretty good driver of the ball and an ok putter.

8+ GIR means an almost automatic low 80s round, a couple of really good looks at birdie and maybe even drop one or two. A couple good close chips for a serious look at a one putt for a par save and you are quite easily looking at a round that breaks 80.

First time out this year on Sunday and I hit 8 fairways, missed a couple drives by a couple of feet but only hit 4 greens. My irons let me down but my shortgame was the real killer. Chunking sandwedges and thinning chip shots really get to me. I only had one bad putt which resulted in my only 3 putt of the round, my high number of putts are usually a result of bad chipping. All in all 86 (+14) isn't bad for the the first time out on a pretty easy course but there were so many strokes I just simply gave away.

The whole point is, am I going to go and pound a bucket of balls with my driver or 3 wood and wonder why next week I hit 9 fairways and still only hit 4 greens? No, I don't think anyone who really wants to improve is going to do that but if they don't know how many greens they hit (or what ever their weak poitns are) how are they going to know what to work on?

How are you on the par 3 holes? For me this is how I can usually gauge how my game is. If I am making good shots, giving myself basically atuomatic pars then chances are I will do the same on the par 4s and 5s. For some reason I am naturally good at driving and because of this I play each hole like a par 3. I take the drive out of the equation and play the rest of the hole as a par 3. Generally how you play 150 yrds and in will dictate how good your score will be.

Sorry for the second long post for the day....but I would talk golf all day if I could. I like to read how others approach this game and I am not to pround to steal some one else's tips or tricks :)

[$2 Nassau]

Lately, my iron game has been killing me, so that's what I have been working on at the range. More specifically, short irons. The longer the club, the more comfortable I am. Can't explain it, and frankly it's driving me nuts.

Been hitting my driver/3 wood fairly well, and keeping them in the fairway as well.

Putting has always been decent, at times very good. Chipping and sand play is mediocre, doesn't hurt me too bad. But again, short iron play kills me. From 120 yards I'm basically screwed...would rather have a 180 yard shot...which I know sounds absolutely ridiculous but it's true.

My lack of solid contact from short range has caused me to tweak and change a whole host of things in my swing. Has wreaked havoc mentally as well and has actually led to hitting hosel rockets lately. I mean...who the hell hits hosel rcokets with a 9i or PW? I do.

Can't remember the last time I hit a pure iron shot with 7i - PW.

[beung]

It might be killing you because you are porbably putting too much pressure on them now because you have convinced yourself that you suck at them.

Maybe forget about full swing 7 irons and choke up on a 6 iron and hit it 3/4. It keeps the ball low and less chance of it going off line.

Read this GD article regarding GIR and Putting and how to break 80 or any certain score.

http://www.golfdigest.com/instructio...05break80.html

[lamebums]

I mean...who the hell hits hosel rcokets with a 9i or PW? I do.

Don't panic...last Saturday, I was on the third hole, a 99 yard par 3, and my tee shot was a hosel rocket with my pitching wedge that almost nailed the girl on the next tee.

[seattlemudder]

Read Extraordinary Golf - The Art of the Possible by Fred Shoemaker...it will give you a new perspective...

http://www.amazon.com/Extraordinary-.../dp/039952276X

[CMW]

Dollars to doughnuts it is a set up issue. I had a similar problem a while back. I was not making good contact wtih my irons and had lost distance. I took one lesson with a good pro. He watched me attempt to hit a few iron shots and then walked up and pulled my hands further away from my body. It felt akward at first but with in a few shots I felt like I had my swing back. He said I had probably slowly been letting the club creep to close to my body. I was having to come down far too upright to make contact and this caused a loss of consistency and distance. Now anytime I struggle a bit with my irons (or woods for that matter) I double-check everything in the set-up.

[J.P.]

Hitting long stuff well and short stuff bad sounds like it could be a swing plane issue - ie swinging a bit too flat for a short club.

Next comes to mind is weight shift. Often players with short iron shots really focus on getting or almost leaving weight on the left foot (for righties) to make certain weight is forward at impact. If you hang back on a short iron - not good results.

After 6 years of trying to learn the game on my own, I decided to find a good teacher, see him every couple months, and build a proper swing. I estimate it is a year or more endeavor, but I too tired of inconsistency and performing below what i thought my potential was. I am seeing improvements 6 months into it, but still digress to old habits. I am better able to deal with set backs cause I know I am on a path to overall improvement. Example. Two rounds back I hit 10 GIR with two fringe misses. Nice day. Last round, had no swing at all and still hit 8 GIR. Full swing consistency comes with developing a sound swing, not from hours of practicing a bad one.

I know where you are. Results oriented right now - because you are learning. We have to take in all the game has to offer out there! Don't give up! What are you going to do? Lawn bowl? Croquet? Easy sports provide little gratification when mastered. Golf provides plenty of gratification when you get the best of it - even if its just for a few holes in a row. . . .because you know how hard it can be!

[$2 Nassau]

Some small progress last night in my 9 hole league. Certainly not scoring-wise but I found a couple shots/holes to build on. Parred the last 2 holes which was satisfying. The 8th hole is a par 3, very basic par 3, played about 135 from the tees we play in our league. Hit a nice, easy (and actually fairly crisp) 9i. Pulled it a tad, but it ended up pin high, 20 feet left of the hole. 2 putted for par.

Last hole is a par 5. Hit my drive a little right, but was able to get back to the fairway and leave myself 145 yards to the green. Hit an easy 8i (a little too easy) but it was probably my best contact of the night, took a nice bacon strip after striking the ball, but it was basically a 1/2 swing..ball hit the face of the elevated green and rolled back a bit but I was able to get up and down for par.

The 8i shot is one I really liked, even that 1/2 swing sent the ball almost 140 yards, simply because I actually hit it solid. I just tried to keep a consistent spine angle & good posture, which keeps my hands where they should be and I "stayed with the shot" all the way through.

Something to build on anyway.

[beung]

Sometimes, just venting about your game to people who know your pain is enough to give you a fresh start too :)

Sometimes you can over analyze things and you out think yourself, it happens to me every round.

Glad to hear things are looking up.