Cacophony of frustration, Ineptitude and inability

[Migs]

Hi amigos:

I'm a beginner, well actually I have been struggling for about a year.  Some days I shoot OK which is inside the tree line along the fairway, and sometimes it goes fairly well.  To give you an idea, I have been playing 9 holes Wednesdays and 18 on Sundays.  I sometimes feel like I have it, then it all disappears!

I have moments when I can swing the club and hit the blade of grass I'm looking at and then the feeling goes away.  My left foot starts to glide, I chicken wing it.  Oh well, the list of errors goes on like a tragic comedy.  I have had some pro instruction, but as soon as the pro is gone it all dissolves.  I played my first tournament and totally embarrassed myself.  I play with my sons, who are great at correcting me, but I feel like I am holding them back.

Some questions:

-Should I stop playing when after 6 holes of misery it's all going wrong? In moments like these I feel I am practicing how to golf wrong.

-Should I give up playing and just take up drills for about 10 weeks? (If I can survive it?)

-When I hit it slow, it seems to work, but I don't want to get used to hitting like a senior citizen, and getting to the green in 7+ shots. I want to have  un-embarrassing shots.

-Half of all my shots on bad days seem to be those that roll the ball rather than lift the ball through the air.  Yes, I know that I shouldn't move my head, but there is just too much to think about during the swing to do it all at the same time!

Yours in total frustration,

Migs

[bplewis24]

You had me at "cacophony."

Anyway, I'd be interested in knowing specifically what feeling like "you have it" is?  Does that mean just making contact that makes the ball go forward, or hitting fairways/greens?  I would recommend getting some video of your swing before any specific advice can be given.

Originally Posted by Migs

-Should I give up playing and just take up drills for about 10 weeks? (If I can survive it?)

This is what I would tend to recommend just on principle.

[inthecup]

Originally Posted by Migs

-When I hit it slow, it seems to work, but I don't want to get used to hitting like a senior citizen, and getting to the green in 7+ shots.

I feel your pain, we all do.  Swinging "slow" is a big key.  You should swing 80% of full power.  When your swing mechanics are correct the ball will go.  I focus on hitting it pure not hard.

[Migs]

Hi bplewis:

What I mean when I say "I have it" is a brief hour or so when apparently all is in perfection, and specifically my swings clip the grass exactly where I intend them to.  "It's as if the bodily and the mind are in perfection" - If I may steal a quote from Edgar Allan Poe.

The problem is such an awareness is fleeting.

Thanks for chiming in.

Migs

[Migs]

Hi in thecup:

I made a little list of drills that I hope I can stick with.  Perhaps you can add or remove some item I have not considered well enough:

[joekelly]

Consider bronco mustang  riding for a hobby.  In fact.although usually in a rodeo setting but they too must practice somewhere. In mustang riding you need to be relaxed, not tensed up and fighting the horse as he is much too large and powerful for you to combat directly. On the TV you can see the rider relaxed and flowing with the ride, up and down, kick and release, jerk and pull.  You, the rider, simply relax and hold on.  What could be easier?  Golf the same.  What could be easier? Relax, go with the flow, do what you can, hit the ball, enjoy the day, stay alive, look forward to tomorrow. .  Just like bronco riding.

[Migs]

Hi Joe.  Maybe you're right.  I just want to get better faster, or at least get proficient enough to not travel down the woodway instead of the fairway.  But you're right - it is the "being there and enjoying the game, the company, and the outside that matters.