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I think I may be getting to hate golf.


paininthenuts
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I have only been playing a year. I am now 58 and started at 57. My handicap has dropped to 21. Unfortunately the last few weeks has been so embarrassing I can barely face my colleague at the end of a round.  The weekend before lst I played in the club championships and looked a complete plonker. Last weekend I played a tight course 20 miles away and lost 8 balls in the first 14 holes. Two weeks ago I played my clubs sister course and blobbed on 10 holes and scored 13 points. 

What the hell has happened.I have no confidence anymore, and the little ability  I did have has deserted me. Before anyone says it, this isn't a case of needing lessons, because I am not doing what I know I can do !!

Darts anyone ?

In my bag (Motocaddy Light)

Taylormade Burner driver, Taylormade 4 wood, 3 x Ping Karsten Hybrids, 6-SW Ping Karsten irons with reg flex graphite shafts. Odyssey putter, 20 Bridgestone e6 balls, 2 water balls for the 5th hole, loads of tees, 2 golf gloves, a couple of hand warmers, cleaning towel, 5 ball markers, 2 pitch mark repairers, some aspirin, 3 hats, set of waterproofs, an umbrella, a pair of gaiters, 2 pairs of glasses. Christ, it's amazing I can pick the bloody thing up !!

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Everyone goes through rough patches every now and then. Try taking some time off and coming back to it in a week or so.

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17 minutes ago, paininthenuts said:

Before anyone says it, this isn't a case of needing lessons, because I am not doing what I know I can do !!

Don't mistake your flukes for your game. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while, it doesn't mean they don't need glasses.

7 minutes ago, JxQx said:

Everyone goes through rough patches every now and then. Try taking some time off and coming back to it in a week or so.

This can do wonders, but ultimately, it's no substitute for instruction.

Yours in earnest, Jason.
Call me Ernest, or EJ or Ernie.

PSA - "If you find yourself in a hole, STOP DIGGING!"

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Lessons certainly wouldn't be a bad place to start.  You can always see a second instructor if you want a different perspective.

Call it injuries or just not having it, but the almighty Tiger Woods seemed to have lost his swing last year.  Charles Barkley used to be a single digit handicap golfer but if you looked at him hitting a tee shot you would never know it.

Golf is not an easy game.  There will be highs and lows, but one year from now it won't matter what you shot today.

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1 hour ago, paininthenuts said:

What the hell has happened.I have no confidence anymore, and the little ability  I did have has deserted me. Before anyone says it, this isn't a case of needing lessons, because I am not doing what I know I can do !!

It's all part of the deal. Especially when you are golfers like us (note my HI).

Look at it this way. A couple of weeks ago I traveled three hours to our TST outing in Norwalk, OH and proceeded to barf on my shoes for 18 holes solid. Had one of my best rounds last week. It happens.

Get away from it for a bit, get over it and when you come back you'll do better.

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1 hour ago, paininthenuts said:

Darts anyone ?

Darts does have the advantage of being played in many venues where you can get a pint at any time during the game, as opposed to golf, where you only get the reward when you're done.  Unless you're in the US, of course, where many courses have a roving bar-cart to help you enjoy your round.

Dave

:callaway: Rogue SubZero Driver

:titleist: 915F 15 Fairway, 816 H1 19 Hybrid, AP2 4 iron to PW, Vokey 52, 56, and 60 wedges, ProV1 balls 
:ping: G5i putter, B60 version
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:footjoy::true_linkswear:, and Ashworth shoes

the only thing wrong with this car is the nut behind the wheel.

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1 hour ago, paininthenuts said:

Before anyone says it, this isn't a case of needing lessons, because I am not doing what I know I can do !!

I'm not going to sugar-coat it for you: if you aren't going to take lessons and you're not going to take active steps towards improvement, you're not going to improve. You may figure out how to score better given your current skill set, but there's always going to be a ceiling somewhere.

If you are happy with that, that's ok. Find a way to enjoy golf playing at your current level. When I was a 20, I had bad days. I still have bad days. The difference now is my bad days are better now than they used to be, and I enjoy myself on the course much more. I made a commitment towards improving and it is rewarding me.

Bill

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” - Confucius

My Swing Thread

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This is a normal part of the game for a lot of people.  Depending on many things, you can go through some rough patches.  Single digit players in my club championship didn't break 90 on their home course.  It happens.   Usually what happens is that "something" has changed with your swing and it's causing your bad play.  

Be patient and ask for help when you need it.  As golfers progress and add to their experience there are bumps on the road.   Sometimes you have to take a step back (or a couple) to improve and what you learn to address this will help you in the long run.

On thing to note from the original post.   Yes, you are capable of better play, however a golf game is a constant evolution.  For some it's little change, but we don't swing the same way all the time.   How many people take a hit in their index because they are playing bad for a month.  It happens, to the best of us, just do what works for you to address it.

—Adam

 

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2 hours ago, paininthenuts said:

What the hell has happened.I have no confidence anymore, and the little ability  I did have has deserted me. Before anyone says it, this isn't a case of needing lessons, because I am not doing what I know I can do !!

Darts anyone ?

If something has gone wrong and you can't identify it, that in itself is a good reason to take lessons.  I have had similar issues, in the past and even now,  but since I've taken lessons and my game goes to pot, I can fall back on the lessons to usually identify where I've broken something.  The 5 Simple Keys is an immense help in that area.  I usually find that either my swing plane has started coming over the top, or I am flipping my wrists rather than keeping a flat or inline wrist.  Rushing my shot is also a recurring fault.

That said, maybe go to the range and try to swing as slow as possible concentrating on a close target only (no swing thoughts), like only 50 yards out while using a 5 iron.

If you enjoy the game, don't let how you play discourage you from playing.

In my bag: Cobra Bio Cell 10.5º driver ;  Cobra Bio Cell 3w;  Mizuno MP H4 3 - PW;  Mizuno MP T4 52º GW, 56º SW, 60º LW
Favorite ball Titleist Pro-V
One HIO....LUCK.

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I think your first issue is that you are tying your self worth to your scorecard. It seems like you are taking your scores and you abilities very personally. That can be a strong motivator towards wanting to improve. You don't want to take lessons, and that is fine, but you have to be confident with the swing you have. You do have to keep your expectations in line. You will get out of this game what you put into it. 

Golf is one of the 2 things that you can enjoy and not be good at.

- Shane

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First, take a few days off. Then, schedule a lesson or two.

I overthink the game. When things really crash, I just take a few days off. Then I go to the range, and I can tell in about 10 shots why my game was falling apart the previous week.

I got a non-voluntary break recently. With school starting, I went over two weeks without playing. Then, after a day chipping and a second day hitting a small bucket, I went out and shot 95 (with five penalty strokes).

I had four hazard drops from offline drives, but also hit some really solid ones. This and three three-putts drove up the score. But I was 7 out of 7 just smoking 4W - nice and high and long - two 7Ws, and 4 out of 5 solid 4Hs. Full shots were pretty good. I parred four out of five par 3s.

In computer terms, you have to shut down the golf brain for a few days and reboot.

Focus, connect and follow through!

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I hate golf every round I play at least for a few holes. Only 3 times in my life did I not hate golf. But I have never stopped loving it thru it all.

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Driver: :callaway: Rogue ST  /  Woods: :tmade: Stealth 5W / Hybrid: :tmade: Stealth 25* / Irons: :ping: i500’s /  Wedges: :edel: 54*, 58*; Putter: :scotty_cameron: Futura 5  Ball: image.png Vero X1

 

 -Jonny

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If poor rounds of golf are the only bad things in your life right now, then you are fortunate person. 

Also, when playing/practicing, how can someone hate the game of golf? Gesssh. The golfer is  outdoors, breathing decent air, doing something they wanted to do in the first place. Maybe there's a "hottie" driving a beverage cart. Maybe a wild animal standing in the fairway with their "screw you" look on their face. Nope, no one twisted their arm to go golfing. It's a friggin' game. Games are fun. 

Look at it this way. When a golfer shoots a 100, they have more chances at that one swing, that caused that great ball flight, that will bring them back. The high handicapper has so much more to look forward to. More adventure if you will. The scenic route so to speak. All the scratch golfer has to look forward to is the boredom of fairways and greens, with an occasional missed putt for birdie. 

Nope, you can't hate the game. You can hate yourself if you want, but it won't do any good. 

As for darts, those critters have sharp points, and have no place on the golf course. Unless you are playing in Utah. :-P

In My Bag:
A whole bunch of Tour Edge golf stuff...... :beer:

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Before I quit I would see an instructor, not to completely tear apart your swing, but to point out obvious problems that are causing this.

The cheap way is to post a swing video on TST.  The quick and dirty way to get some thoughts is with a mirror.  Sometimes a slight difference in setup and weight shift can be the difference between a decent strike and a chunk.

John

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If Golf was easy they'd start calling it Tennis ;-).  You're down to a 21 HI after your 2nd year of golf, that is mighty impressive.  Take a second to breathe, maybe even a few days without any golf, and come back with a fresh mindset.  Negativity between the ears is a golfers biggest nemesis.  Good luck :beer:

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Don't feel bad.  I played in a local professional tournament on the Dakotas Tour where about 200 golfers play 3 rounds where there are about 70 pros last year when I was a 1.9 handicap or something like that.  I shot 83-86-92 or something stupid...totally sh!t the bed.  My rounds leading up to that ranged from -2 - +4.  No indication whatsoever that I would shoot that terribly, but I did, and I'm heading back there tomorrow for my practice round for this year. 

Don't stop just because you feel like your making a fool of yourself or anything like that.  I could not have been more embarrassed last year, but I'm still here, down to a 1.1 handicap and currently playing the best golf I have ever played...the game will come around, most of the time its some stupid little thing you are forgetting to do in your swing.

Good Luck, don't quit!

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