After a 2 Year Break: Playing like a Complete Beginner

[DiRoland]

Hey guys,

In the early summer of 2013 I was shooting fairly consistently, playing more or less bogey golf with my biggest issue being a slice.

Since 2013 I have only played the odd time on holiday (no more than 3x since then).

Last week I bought a club membership and went to the driving range. I was unable to hit anything with my irons, either hitting it fat or thin (could not get a wedge or iron over 50 yards). Driver and hybrids also sucked. I have since gone back three times and nothing has improved.

Any ideas for what I should do? Where to go from here?

Thanks in advance.

[chris3putt]

Hi @DiRoland, Welcome to the Sandtrap!

There is a wealth of good instruction available on this site, as well as advice from some pretty well-informed people. Both have helped my game no end.

Some threads that will be helpful for you are:-

Also, consider starting a "My Swing" thread and posting some video of your swing. You'll get some really helpful feedback on what will help your game.

[boogielicious]

Hey guys,

In the early summer of 2013 I was shooting fairly consistently, playing more or less bogey golf with my biggest issue being a slice.

Since 2013 I have only played the odd time on holiday (no more than 3x since then).

Last week I bought a club membership and went to the driving range. I was unable to hit anything with my irons, either hitting it fat or thin (could not get a wedge or iron over 50 yards). Driver and hybrids also sucked. I have since gone back three times and nothing has improved.

Any ideas for what I should do? Where to go from here?

Thanks in advance.

I agree with Chris.  Film your swing and post it.  Folks around here are eager to help.
Welcome.

[Rick Martin]

Hey guys,

In the early summer of 2013 I was shooting fairly consistently, playing more or less bogey golf with my biggest issue being a slice.

Since 2013 I have only played the odd time on holiday (no more than 3x since then).

Last week I bought a club membership and went to the driving range. I was unable to hit anything with my irons, either hitting it fat or thin (could not get a wedge or iron over 50 yards). Driver and hybrids also sucked. I have since gone back three times and nothing has improved.

Any ideas for what I should do? Where to go from here?

Thanks in advance.

Hit the ball off a tee for awhile to get your rhythm and mechanics back as well as confidence. Stick with your short irons (9, 8-iron) for now. Practice short game as well. It'll come around.

[Rick Martin]

oh yeah, a refresher lesson might help as well.....

[mvmac]

Any ideas for what I should do? Where to go from here?

Thanks in advance.

Practice?

There is obviously going to be some regression after not playing for 2 years.

[Dave2512]

It takes a while to get it back so yeah practice. I played quite a bit of golf before age 20. Sometime in the mid 90's I stopped. To spend more time with my folks I took it up again in 2012. It wasn't like riding bike. I'd say it took me a good 6 months before I could do much and I spent a lot of time on par 3's and the driving range before I had enough skill to get out and play a full sized course. Even a couple of months away takes me out of my game. I listed my house and moved late summer 2014. I hardly touched a club in the time it took to pack, deal with all the hassles and get into my new house. By then winter was in the air so between Sep and Jan I didn't spend much time doing anything golf. Still not where I was before the break and I practice every day.

[dkolo]

Hey guys,

In the early summer of 2013 I was shooting fairly consistently, playing more or less bogey golf with my biggest issue being a slice.

Since 2013 I have only played the odd time on holiday (no more than 3x since then).

Last week I bought a club membership and went to the driving range. I was unable to hit anything with my irons, either hitting it fat or thin (could not get a wedge or iron over 50 yards). Driver and hybrids also sucked. I have since gone back three times and nothing has improved.

Any ideas for what I should do? Where to go from here?

Thanks in advance.

I was a bogey golfer at the end of last season and after the winter and some swing changes, you could have confused me for a complete beginner for the first 3 weeks of this season. The golf swing isn't natural for a lot of us and there's a ton of moving parts. It takes time to regain after a long layoff. Break it down to simple pitchy / chippy shots and focus on making contact and rebuild your swing from there, making bigger and bigger swings. In the alternative, get lessons.

[Tat14]

Any ideas for what I should do? Where to go from here?

Thanks in advance.

A bowling alley? Just kidding...

You might actually be in a great place to (re)start with a wedge and the 5S' concept of practice. Almost like a clean slate - go hit little wedges until some semblance of tempo returns.

[logo]

I took a 18 year break and am playing like a beginner. I started back up this january shooting a 125 first time out and now just got a 96 today! So I am showing improvement and am happy with my progress. My goal is to break 80 by sept/oct timeframe, which would surpass what I could do as a kid. The advice I have been given and what I have been doing is the following:

1. Lessons - either online (evolvr) or in person. Definitely get 1-2 or 1-2 months of evolvr.

2. Post your video on here

3. Golf analyzer app. Got one for $5 for android. I can compare my swing to the pros.

4. Practice. Try to get out at least once a week if not more.

5. Practice smart. Read lowest score wins for help in that dept but essentially focus on little things and work on improving them to improve overall.