Hitting a Plateau with Ability

[inthehole]

I started in middle age & seem to have steadily gotten better.     Last year or so, the improvement has been slight.     Seems to me there's some truth in hitting a plateau with ability and the body you have left ... my only goal in golf is to see single digit hcp on my card one day - at least I know from TST that I need to keep working on my GIRs (putting is what it is) ... TBD

[CarlSpackler]

@JonMA1 It sounds like you've convinced yourself that you will never get much better than you are now. It's not true so stop telling yourself that. You are NOT stuck with the swing you have now. It won't come overnight, but it will change. You just have to be patient and enjoy the game through the changes. Keep putting in the reps and working hard.

[iacas]

I started in middle age & seem to have steadily gotten better.     Last year or so, the improvement has been slight.     Seems to me there's some truth in hitting a plateau with ability and the body you have left ... my only goal in golf is to see single digit hcp on my card one day - at least I know from TST that I need to keep working on my GIRs (putting is what it is) ... TBD

@JonMA1 It sounds like you've convinced yourself that you will never get much better than you are now. It's not true so stop telling yourself that. You are NOT stuck with the swing you have now. It won't come overnight, but it will change. You just have to be patient and enjoy the game through the changes. Keep putting in the reps and working hard.

I think both of these are accurate.

I think everyone has several plateaus. For example, if you get the best information and the best instruction and the best fitting clubs and you work out and you practice golf 30 hours a week, you'll have one plateau that's largely determined by your sheer athleticism.

But most people plateau at the combination of:

• How much time they put into the game.
• How much of that time they put into properly improving.
• How much they care, the strength of their desire.
• Their athleticism.
• Their information/instruction.
• Their willingness to suffer some bumps on the road to improvement.
• The number of beers they drink a round.
• The formats they play.
• etc.

Not all matter as much as the others, but those and other things DO matter and determine the plateau.

[PooN]

It all comes down to a repeatable swing that gets the ball in the center of the clubface.  The more you practice/play, the more you strike the ball out of the center.  Also the more you practice/play, the more 'in tune' you become with your swing and you'll start to figure out the 'too steep', 'too shallow', 'too outside' and so on.

The only plateau there is with golf is if you don't play enough.

[GHIN0011458]

I am committed to golf until I have a year where my scoring average is less than the year before. Then I will take the game more recreational. However, I do hope that I improve to the point where I can focus more time on golf. I do see a ton of improvement still just going out to play, which is good. Every year I take the game as it is brand new and I try different things until things feel right, and so far, knock on wood, I haven't reached a plateau yet. I, of course, have gone through periods of hitting horrible shots on the range in order to make new swing changes so my ability suffers at the beginning of the year.

On a side note- people call Tiger crazy for changing his swing, but I call him a genius. He knows that if you aren't changing, you aren't getting better. He hit his plateau with a swing, so he changed it. That is why I think he did the 3-4 swing changes now.

[buckshot4227]

I have also hit a plateau of late.  I haven't seen my handicap improve over the last 6 months.  It didn't take me long to get to an 8, but now I seem stuck there and my confidence is taking a ding.  Just the other day I looked at my swing from 2013 vs today, and that made me feel a little better.  The picture has changed a lot for the better.  I just need to keep hammering away and hopefully I can see my scores improve.

I have really neglected the short game and, I know to reach my full ability I have a lot of work to do on my full swing.  For the next month, I plan on putting a little effort into my pitching/chipping to help try and improve my scores to get my confidence back up and my scores lower.  Hopefully this will help me break through this plateau and get me to another one.

[GHIN0011458]

I feel like time is the issue- if you don't mind me asking how many hours do you single digit guys work on your game per week? I would start a separate thread but there is already a thread for everything on here so I wont. I play 7 months out of the year basically and practice around 12 hours per week plus play tourneys. That is a lot of time IMO- 2 hours every night then play on the weekends. Once you get to a certain level, you have to put in more time.

[rkim291968]

And many golfers are happy where there are at.   I.e, they are happy to just enjoy the game.  For me, if I can get my HI to somewhere around 10, I don't think I will be so obsessed with improving my game.   At 16+ HI, I feel I am hitting a plateau myself and need to figure out what "smart" things I need to do to get it moving again ... to 10.   It may happen in 2 - 3 years or never.

[buckshot4227]

And many golfers are happy where there are at.   I.e, they are happy to just enjoy the game.  For me, if I can get my HI to somewhere around 10, I don't think I will be so obsessed with improving my game.   At 16+ HI, I feel I am hitting a plateau myself and need to figure out what "smart" things I need to do to get it moving again ... to 10.   It may happen in 2 - 3 years or never.

I dont know if I will ever be happy with my golf game.  If I can get to a 5 this year I would be happy, until next season.

[CarlSpackler]

It all comes down to a repeatable swing that gets the ball in the center of the clubface.  The more you practice/play, the more you strike the ball out of the center.  Also the more you practice/play, the more 'in tune' you become with your swing and you'll start to figure out the 'too steep', 'too shallow', 'too outside' and so on.

The only plateau there is with golf is if you don't play enough.

I'm not sure I agree with this. I played a lot and thought I had a great swing until last year when I started recording and reviewing my swing. Seeing the flippin chicken wing prompted me to want to change. Scores up, handicap up, but I am slowly seeing a difference and my distance is improving. I know it will be worth it. I know guys who play 3-4 times a week or more in retirement, but they never get any better. They are highly inconsistent and can barely hit the driver 200 yards. Playing a lot with a flawed swing simply means that you will repeat the same thing. True improvement comes with working on the right things and actually working on them. Just my thoughts. If someone just enjoys being out and playing the game, that is fine, but I think to OP is seriously wanting a better swing and better results.

[Phil McGleno]

I feel like time is the issue- if you don't mind me asking how many hours do you single digit guys work on your game per week? I would start a separate thread but there is already a thread for everything on here so I wont. I play 7 months out of the year basically and practice around 12 hours per week plus play tourneys. That is a lot of time IMO- 2 hours every night then play on the weekends. Once you get to a certain level, you have to put in more time.

I know several guys who would give you a shot a side and win 80% of the time and who do not practice 1/10th as much as you do. It is not just a matter of how much time you put in to the game. For the average golfer I have taught some who put in 1/2 the time and shoot five or six shots lower because they were doing things badly before and are not anymore. I had a student last month who would practice his putting for hours and still had upper 30s putts. Now he said he has not practiced more than two hours since that lesson and has averaged 29 putts since. You put in time and your swing did not change much Your swing is one of your limitations right now.

[GHIN0011458]

I know several guys who would give you a shot a side and win 80% of the time and who do not practice 1/10th as much as you do. It is not just a matter of how much time you put in to the game.

For the average golfer I have taught some who put in 1/2 the time and shoot five or six shots lower because they were doing things badly before and are not anymore. I had a student last month who would practice his putting for hours and still had upper 30s putts. Now he said he has not practiced more than two hours since that lesson and has averaged 29 putts since.

You put in time and your swing did not change much Your swing is one of your limitations right now.

You have to put in time to develop mechanics. You can't possibly develop perfect mechanics within a short period of time and be good to go. It isn't like I don't practice with a purpose. I wouldn't say my full swing is a limitation at all. 5 rounds averaging 11.6 GIR is better than most of the golfers shooting the scores I am shooting. My issue is long clubs (220 and out) have little to no spin and are lower flights. Other than that, I would put lag putting next.

Here is how I look at this. The guys who can beat me but don't practice- they went through a stage where they practiced their ass off. Every guy I talk to who I play in tourneys with, 90 percent of them practice their ass off as well. There are some older pros, who don't practice as much. One of them only hits 50 yard shots but he still turns in good scores. They put in their time when they were younger. I have only been playing for almost 7 years now, one of those I was basically out for financial reasons. I make small changes one by one. But personally, I put in time for consistency and repetition so that my swing does hold up for a few days.

[RFKFREAK]

@JonMA1

Keep in mind that the score card isn't really a great way to track your improvement. It's pretty much the LAST place where improvement shows up. Use your ball flight and video to see your swing get better (it is) and the scores will eventually start to come down, but focusing on scores will just frustrate you and mask the good things that are resulting from the hard work you're putting in.

I'd be willing to guess you are right but man, it's kind of depressing since that's how we keep score in golf - haha.

As for me, overall, I've seen improvements in my distances this year while using the same equipment.  I'd say, for me, it's a combination of weight loss, some increase in strength, but also probably hitting the ball in the face more often due to my swing not being as gross as it used to be.  That said, my scorecard doesn't reflect this improvement very often as I'm often not very accurate which I can only think has more to do with how I'm swinging the club that day.  I'm hoping one of these days it all clicks and I'll shoot a sub 90 round on a course of at least Par 70 but, it can definitely get frustrating to go a while without seeing improvement and wonder how much room you have to get better.

[Phil McGleno]

You have to put in time to develop mechanics. You can't possibly develop perfect mechanics within a short period of time and be good to go. It isn't like I don't practice with a purpose. I wouldn't say my full swing is a limitation at all. 5 rounds averaging 11.6 GIR is better than most of the golfers shooting the scores I am shooting. My issue is long clubs (220 and out) have little to no spin and are lower flights. Other than that, I would put lag putting next.  Here is how I look at this. The guys who can beat me but don't practice- they went through a stage where they practiced their ass off. Every guy I talk to who I play in tourneys with, 90 percent of them practice their ass off as well. There are some older pros, who don't practice as much. One of them only hits 50 yard shots but he still turns in good scores. They put in their time when they were younger. I have only been playing for almost 7 years now, one of those I was basically out for financial reasons. I make small changes one by one. But personally, I put in time for consistency and repetition so that my swing does hold up for a few days.

Point was time does not always mean success.-I thought that was obvious. Also I have a guy that joins our group now and then playing four years who can beat you. Plays once a week and never practices. Again not always about time put in.

[GHIN0011458]

Point was time does not always mean success.-I thought that was obvious.

Also I have a guy that joins our group now and then playing four years who can beat you. Plays once a week and never practices. Again not always about time put in.

That's fine if he can beat me. lol. I obviously still suck at the game but am trying my best to reach my potential. I am guessing he shoots one or two under every time he tees it up in a recreational round. It is very impressive that he plays off a +2 after four years and never practices, I have to give the guy credit. Obviously he has no competitive drive or he would do something with the talent he has.

[Phil McGleno]

That's fine if he can beat me. lol. I obviously still suck at the game but am trying my best to reach my potential. I am guessing he shoots one or two under every time he tees it up in a recreational round. It is very impressive that he plays off a +2 after four years and never practices, I have to give the guy credit. Obviously he has no competitive drive or he would do something with the talent he has.

Point was time does not always mean success.-I thought that was obvious. INFORMATION and NATURAL SKILL and so many other things play a big role too.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joekelly

She is a hard mistress to dismiss, that lady called 'golf'.  She tugs on your private mind like no one else can do.

Isn't that the truth. With all the suffering in the world, I whine about a stupid game.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkim291968

JonMA1,

I saw your swing videos on another thread and it really has gotten much better.    If you keep at it, scoring will improve.   If I may suggest, I think at y(our) playing level, there are low hanging fruits you can go after.   E.g, short game (chipping, putting) is definitely something you can work at it in your garage, and improve your handicap.

Thanks, Rick. I appreciate the suggestions. I have been neglecting work on the short game and that was a big part of the problem today.

What do you think about hiring an instructor to watch me play 9 holes and then offer a priority piece?

Not sure if it would help as much as you think? One experiment you could try is to post a Vlog and outline what you are thinking before making a shot? See if anyone can offer any real help on this site?

I really believe that you can improve to better than a bogey golfer, based upon your dedication.

And many golfers are happy where there are at.   I.e, they are happy to just enjoy the game.  For me, if I can get my HI to somewhere around 10, I don't think I will be so obsessed with improving my game.   At 16+ HI, I feel I am hitting a plateau myself and need to figure out what "smart" things I need to do to get it moving again ... to 10.   It may happen in 2 - 3 years or never.

You can do it, I can feel it in the air.

I don't really care if I improve any more as I've met my handicap goal. The main thing I hate is mishits. If I can avoid mishits, this makes me happy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GHIN0011458

I feel like time is the issue- if you don't mind me asking how many hours do you single digit guys work on your game per week? I would start a separate thread but there is already a thread for everything on here so I wont. I play 7 months out of the year basically and practice around 12 hours per week plus play tourneys. That is a lot of time IMO- 2 hours every night then play on the weekends. Once you get to a certain level, you have to put in more time.

I know several guys who would give you a shot a side and win 80% of the time and who do not practice 1/10th as much as you do. It is not just a matter of how much time you put in to the game.

For the average golfer I have taught some who put in 1/2 the time and shoot five or six shots lower because they were doing things badly before and are not anymore. I had a student last month who would practice his putting for hours and still had upper 30s putts. Now he said he has not practiced more than two hours since that lesson and has averaged 29 putts since.

You put in time and your swing did not change much Your swing is one of your limitations right now.

I am guessing that you are alluding to a more "focused practice" that takes less time to absorb information and to retain some level of skill?

BTW, you told me a very specific thing to work on in my swing thread, and that is very much appreciated. I truly appreciate your candor and straightforward manner of communicating.

EDIT: Oops, I finished this post almost 45 minutes after starting it. That's what I get for eating lunch, and meeting with my boss.

[GHIN0011458]

Point was time does not always mean success.-I thought that was obvious.

INFORMATION and NATURAL SKILL and so many other things play a big role too.

I know but I am still amazed you have a guy who plays once a week, has never practiced, and he plays to a +2. Why haven't you tried to get him to take the game a bit more serious and see where he falls? I mean he could at least be ringing up amateur events left and right.

I get that time doesn't mean success. But it takes time to put in the information and unlock the natural skill to be successful.. right?