Roller Coaster of a golfer

[Jwat381]

Today was better, shot a 42. Only had 4 shots that really got away from me..

[VoidOfEnigmas]

Originally Posted by GreenFlag

Beware of the "this one thing" will fix your golf game - because it won't.

Fitness and eating right are obviously good for you but the only thing consistent in golf is inconsistency. Your swing WILL come and it WILL go. My handicap index has varied by 5 in the last year alone. Re-read Righty to Lefty's post because it is loaded with great information (especially #3). You have to be able to recognize what is going on with your swing and why the ball is reacting in the way it is so YOU can make the corrections.

Other than that - practice your short game religiously. Short game comes and goes too but at a far less extent than your full swing. Don't spend all of your practice time on correcting your full swing because you WILL correct it and hit the ball great only failing to break 80 because you 3 putted 7 times (been there, done that) or shots inside 80 yards weren't even on the green! I play my best when my practice time is 70% or greater short game.

Finally, the mental aspect of this game is gigantic. Not just a "positive attitude" but going back to Righty to Lefty's post. You must be able to understand what is going on. This takes time.

I didn't mean it to say this ONE THING. I just think its very helpful for shooting more consistent golf, the ability to not get tired during a round.

[ApocG10]

There is a lot of things that can affect your game, and golf is as much mental as physical. Sports psychology is a very real science, as athletes really do go through mental slumps. Golf will show the inconsistancies far more than baseball, hockey, etcetc. You dont have a bunch of other guys making up for your bad days. Its just you.

[Righty to Lefty]

Just because you shot a good number doesn't mean that you grasped exactly what you where doing while you happened to swing it well on this particular day. A quick way to test whether you really know what is goin on is to play a lil game next time you are on the range:

On command hit a

1. Snap Hook

2. Slice

3. Intentionally Top one

4. Hit one fat

5. Hit one thin

If you can do these on command then it is evident that you understand impact conditions and how slight variations can create less than desirable results.

You will also see that alot of times these shots don't mean that there is anything wrong with your swing.  This is why when I practice I really really focus on ball position because ball position alone can cause every single one of the impact conditions above.

[Jwat381]

Didn't say I did, just glad I shot a better number and felt looser and more confident while playing. I'll try that little game, I think I'll be able to do it, but we'll see.

This is what I think got to me last week: I was trying to create more lag and delay, and was finally having success on the range. In the process of taking this from the range to the course, I was so focused on the result of the shot that I started turning my hips and body at a feverish pace. Instead of slowing my hip and body turn and waiting for my arms to be in better synchronization, I would instead try to hit down harder, resulting in a fat "adjustment" shot (you know, where you hit a shot one way, then over compensate and hit it the other way?).

Now for yesterday morning, I put a little less emphasis on trying to delay the club head so much and just tried to get my body in a better spot at impact i.e. keeping my back to the target longer and feeling more square shoulders around impact. The thin and fat shots almost entirely disappeared except for one occasion when I tried to murder it. So in the end, it was mostly a tempo issue and one of those things where you're working on one part of the swing (delay and a little more lag, although I am not a flipper by any means) and the rest of my swing thoughts go out the window (hips out racing body, head movement, over swing, weight swaying).

Originally Posted by Righty to Lefty

Just because you shot a good number doesn't mean that you grasped exactly what you where doing while you happened to swing it well on this particular day. A quick way to test whether you really know what is goin on is to play a lil game next time you are on the range:

On command hit a

1. Snap Hook

2. Slice

3. Intentionally Top one

4. Hit one fat

5. Hit one thin

If you can do these on command then it is evident that you understand impact conditions and how slight variations can create less than desirable results.

You will also see that alot of times these shots don't mean that there is anything wrong with your swing.  This is why when I practice I really really focus on ball position because ball position alone can cause every single one of the impact conditions above.