Help/Advice with growing pains

[Cawood]

Looking for words of wisdom to keep me from going off the deep end over this maddening game! 4 years ago, I started playing golf for the first time since I was a kid. I basically took a 20 year hiatus from it. Since I was basically starting from scratch I figured it best to get a teacher, and develop good habits as I relearned how to swing a golf club. In the past 4 years I have practiced A LOT! I mean I literally either hit the range or play 5-6 days a week. Some days I do both. I am completely obsessed with the game. For the first two years improvement came at a pretty fast clip. When I first started I couldn't break 120. But within 2 years I was regularly shooting in the 90s and even the 80s some in the 2nd year. After two years my HC was a 12 In the third year I had more breakthroughs and started shooting in the 80s regularly and even broke 80 3 times. After 3 years my HC was 8.5 In the 4th year(this past summer and fall) my scores quit improving. I did not break 80 one time. I stayed in the low to mid 80s and would throw in a clunker in the 90s every so often. After 4 years my HC is now 9.1 My concern is my scores didn't get better in year 4. One thing I have noticed in year 4 is ball striking/contact is much improved. I am hitting the ball much farther than I ever did before. For example in year 3(the year I twice broke 80) I would hit an 8 iron for a 130-135 yard shot. I now hit an 8 iron for a 145-150 yard shot. Maybe even 155 on a good day when Im feeling it. I hit the ball a lot farther, but that also lead to getting into a lot of trouble. A 260 yard drive that misses the fairway gets you in a lot more trouble than a 200 yard drive. My shots are going farther but they aren't getting any more consistent than they were 2 years ago. Through it all I have continued taking regular lessons (about once per month) and this is where I am starting to get frustrated. It seems like every time I go for a lesson I have let something creep into my swing that I thought I had fixed months or years ago. For example, I'll go for a lesson and we will video my swing and I will be taking the club back way outside so we will work on it and I will fix it. I will hit the ball solid for a week or so but then it goes away so I will go for another lesson and I will be taking the club back way too far inside. It seems that something is always creeping in. My goal through it all has been to get to a low singe digit HC but I am starting to lose faith in myself. I wont give up and I am chalking it up to growing pains for now. SO I am just wondering if anyone here can relate and if so do you have any advice? Am I expecting way too much? Should I give it up and take up fishing(hahaha)? Have you dealt with these kids of growing pains in your golf career?

[mvmac]

Through it all I have continued taking regular lessons (about once per month) and this is where I am starting to get frustrated. It seems like every time I go for a lesson I have let something creep into my swing that I thought I had fixed months or years ago. For example, I'll go for a lesson and we will video my swing and I will be taking the club back way outside so we will work on it and I will fix it. I will hit the ball solid for a week or so but then it goes away so I will go for another lesson and I will be taking the club back way too far inside. It seems that something is always creeping in.

Do you take video of your swing in between lessons?

[Pretzel]

Watching video between lessons is the easiest way to avoid over corrections as you describe. I used to do the same thing until my instructor recommended I look at my swing periodically on the range. I purchased a $5 app that lets me play it back in slow motion or frame by frame and it has been some of the best money I spent, even if my phone doesn't have a high enough frame rate to show great detail. I can't wait to get a new phone in May specifically because the one I'm eyeing (the new iPhone) shoots 240 fps video, making it MUCH more useful to me.

[Cawood]

I do film myself from time to time, but must admit I generally don't.  Typically I just hit and keep searching for a swing thought until I find one that works. Make a fuller turn, stay back with the chest, come way inside, hands inside on the takeaway, left wrist flat, left wrist bowed etc....  In other words too many thoughts!

I have a new iPhone 6 and agree the slow motion feature on it is awesome for filming the swing.  The biggest problem I have is I don't have a secure way to set it up to record.  I usually wind up trying to balance it somehow on my bag to record.  Anyone have a good recommendation for a clamp that works well?  I really don't want to drag a tripod along with me to the range.   And Im not sure I could handle the amount of ridicule I would get from my buddies at the club if they saw me out there with a tripod and camera every day :-)

[mvmac]

I do film myself from time to time, but must admit I generally don't.  Typically I just hit and keep searching for a swing thought until I find one that works. Make a fuller turn, stay back with the chest, come way inside, hands inside on the takeaway, left wrist flat, left wrist bowed etc....  In other words too many thoughts!

That's basically your problem right there. You don't have a priority, you're just hitting balls until something works.

Figure out what your priority is, make that better by making measurable changes. Otherwise you never get anything accomplished when you practice.

I have a new iPhone 6 and agree the slow motion feature on it is awesome for filming the swing.  The biggest problem I have is I don't have a secure way to set it up to record.  I usually wind up trying to balance it somehow on my bag to record.  Anyone have a good recommendation for a clamp that works well?  I really don't want to drag a tripod along with me to the range.   And Im not sure I could handle the amount of ridicule I would get from my buddies at the club if they saw me out there with a tripod and camera every day :-)

Just have someone record a swing or get something like this.

http://www.amazon.com/Golf-Mount-Dedicated-Holder-iPhone/dp/B00O92SM7I

@Golfingdad , you have a 6, what do you use to record?

[1badbadger]

I think most players have gone through this at some point...steady improvement and then they plateau.  Obviously they lower your handicap gets the more difficult it becomes to shave strokes off, but I think analyzing your rounds in detail could be an eye opener.  When you play, make notes on your scorecard about each shot...and I don't mean just keep track of "fairways hit vs. fairways missed" kind of thing...note which SIDE of the fairway if you missed.  If you miss a green was it right, left, long, short?  When you start charting your rounds in detail a lot of times a pattern will emerge that will give you a good idea where you're losing shots or if there is something specific to work on.

One other thought...you mentioned you play quite a bit...I know one of my tendencies is if I play when I'm working on a swing change and it's not grooved yet, I'll creep back into my old move.  I have to spend more time on the range than on the course.  Hope this helps!

[Cawood]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.  I definitely need to video more on the range.

I do actually practice with purpose.  I go to the range thinking about the thing we worked on in my last lesson.  But as I start hitting, if things go south, I start going through other things from other previous lessons to make sure I have everything together.

I guess what I am ultimately doing here is venting my frustrations over this dumb game!  It just gets depressing to work so hard at something yet, each day, never know if the swing is going to be there or not.  Thanks for listening!