Rock-bottom.

[teece31]

I've hit it and I can't get out... How have you guys gotten out of major slumps and regained where your game was?

[SergioFan23]

With a 2.4 handicap? All of us would love to be in that kind of slump.

[Franco!]

yes.

i just was in one recently, i started shooting in the low 90's and i just couldnt do anything

a lesson fixed it really quickly though

[teece31]

yes.

I played the front nine at a local club and stumbled to a 40...

And yeah, I'm going to see if someone can take a look at my swing tomorrow. I just need my game in shape because my team has a legitimate shot at state and we need all 5 of us playing consistently.

[lamebums]

I played the front nine at a local club and stumbled to a 40...

40 isn't bad. Seriously, man. Even the pros occasionally shoot 40. Did you play the back nine - if not, you could have just as easily come back with a 34 to post a decent score.

If it's bothering you that badly though, I'd suggest taking a week off from golf - don't even pick up a club. Then go hit a bucket of balls at the range, and then play a round the day after. It always works for me.

[DDBowdoin]

we all find ourselves in slumps... about 6 weeks ago I had the opportunity to play a nice, small private club in Scituate, MA with two friends from high school and their father. I don't really understand what happened but I hurt my wrist in a non golf related incident and from that point on I kept focusing on my wrist. Even though the wrist had healed I couldn't get the thought of that tree root or stump reinjuring my wrist that I went through a 2 week breakdown. I shot rounds close to 100 and even a 102... the highest rounds I have ever shot.

I just took some time off and got the thought of my wrist out of my head and now I'm currently on a 16 round streak in the mid 70's. So some relaxation can do the trick, just sit back and enjoy yourself... it's just a game

[Dent]

I was just in one, it took alot of time, and i didnt wanna play because i was playing so bad, gradually i tightened my grip and adjusted my swing path and got the contact back, but still working on my old accuracy.

[ChiChiIsMe]

take some time off.

[dwsell]

I wouldn't call shooting a 40 on 9 holes a slump, even if you are a 1-2 handicap. If you shoot over your handicap for the next couple of rounds then I would say you are in a slump. Relax, it's golf, it doesn't take much to turn a 36 on 9 to a 40.

[savingbogey]

Your Whalers logo just made my day.

[gotgolf?]

Check your basics again. Make sure a bad habit hasn't manifested itself as a obstacle to your swing. Today I realized I was gripping too much with my right hand (bad habit out of nowhere) and it took me about half an hour to figure out what I was doing wrong.

[dwsell]

Your Whalers logo just made my day.

The Hartford Whalers logo has that ability. Where at in Minnesota are you located?

[iacas]

Let's not get off-topic guys (Whalers talk or anything).

A 40 can be a slump to a person with a handicap as low (or lower) than mine. If you're not hitting the ball well, your score can almost be irrelevant. I've shot 75 while in slumps, and I've shot 84 when playing well. So I take him at his word.

When I'm in a slump, I do a few things:

a) review the fundamentals - grip, swing plane, turns (hips, shoulders, etc.), and my pre-shot routine and mental approach

b) visit the range and try to start at solid contact. If that's a chip swing, so be it. I start there, then slowly ramp up - checking fundamentals along the way - until I'm almost back to a full swing and still making good contact

c) at that point, I mix things up. I'll take a 5-iron or an 8-iron. I'll hit high draws, low cuts. I'll play shots like it was into a 30 MPH wind. I'll hit pitches. I figure I've got my fundamentals back, so I'm just trying to spread the feel out over a variety of kinds of shots. if I don't make solid contact on a few in a row, I go back to b.

I don't advise taking time off. Sometimes it works, but that's not really how a low handicapper solves things.

[savingbogey]

The Hartford Whalers logo has that ability.

I live in Eagan, MN just a few minutes south of the Cities but I spend all day working in downtown St. Paul.

It's hard for me to give advice to anyone considering the fact that my game seems to be one big slump. Since I'm not one to teach myselfout of a rut, I don't mind dropping $40-$50 on a lesson just to fine-tune things before a round. That assumes of course that its my mechanics and not my state-of-mind thats leading me astray.

[gaz d]

Got cut on sunday but it all went downhill today!
Shanked a few,duffed a few,the out to in swing got a lot worse which meant so did the extreme fade (aka SLICE)
Any help tips for an out to in swing?

[sonicblue]

Without a doubt, grab your 9-iron, pick a target about 100 yards away, and proceed to rain a bucket upon it. Smooth 60% swings, focus on strong, relaxed, athletic balance, crisp contact and a square strike. Then work on shaping a couple shots, just little cuts and draws, feel the clubface on the ball. Finally, work up to your 90% swing, and I bet you'll figure out where you were going wrong before.

[JKilgore44]

Got cut on sunday but it all went downhill today!

make sure to get good extension. take the club straight back with your big muscles, not your hands. You should be able to see the clubface squared up halfway through your swing on a straight path away from the target. You can also line up two club parallel to the ball (one on each side of it) and begin your take away. If your club crosses over either of the clubs on the ground, you're either taking it too far inside or too far outside.

[teece31]

It wasn't actually a 40, but a 49. I'd be satisfied with a 40. And I have a lesson on Sunday. I hope I can fix this problem.


And Iacas, thank you for the ideas on how to get out.