Impatient or just slow learner

[RJN12]

I started playing 3-4 months ago, having never been on a course of touched a golf club. I am really loving the game, but frustrated with my progress. On my little 9-hole course (2100 yards) I have gone from 82 to 63, but on my proper 9-hole (3200 yds) I am stuck at 75-80. I play 3 times a week (except some breaks when I travel for work), and take lessons. I can’t practice much more as the range seems to be contributing to various injuries. My technique is definitely improving, having more control around the green and at double/triple bogey on par 3s. My main issue seems to be getting to the green on par 4 and 5 where I often spend 6-7 strokes just getting there. My tee shots are inconsistent and max 120 yds, and even though I rarely shoot OB I often just shoot 50 yds ahead. 

Looking at this forum, most people seem to struggle with the 100 to 120, so it is really discouraging to be at 160 (I count everything!). Did anyone start so badly, and was there a point in which things started coming together? Please share! At this point I still enjoy myself, but it’s starting to be demotivating. 

[RandallT]

Hi there! Thanks for posting, and I’ll offer my thoughts. Hopefully this is an interesting thread:

1. If my longest shots were 120yds and inconsistent, I frankly wouldn’t go out to score a round. Go and play,enjoy the outdoors, be with people, sure. But score? No. To me that’s irrelevant at that point. 

2. I would use the practice range to improve, but course to just play. No swing thoughts. No frustration (ha). Just whack the ball in the hole.

3. The practice range needs to be focused practice.  You do not need a lot of full swings. There is a lot of info here on how to practice, and when I’m at a computer I can include links.

4. I think your instructor is perhaps giving you too much to think about. Confusing you. You need one thing (mayve two) as your priority. Your practice on that one thing can be slow. No injury. It definitely should involve video and analyzing how you are doing. No pounding away balls at the range.

5. I wouldn’t go score a round until I could hit my longest shots about 180 or so, with decent consistency.  Give yourself a chance to be near the green on a par 3 in one shot. Near the green on a par 4 in 3 shots. Near the green on a par 5 in 4 shots. 

6. I’d choose a set of tees that are shorter than 6400yds for 18 to start. 6000 might be more appropriate. Move back when you can get on or near the green in say, 50 shots for a full 18 holes. 

7. Consider a “member swing” thread here. Lots of talented people here who can do a check on what your instructor is telling you. I have a hunch your instructor is doing you a disservice by over complicating things and having a long list of stuff to do. Here it’s free. What do you have to lose?

EDIT: Some resources on golf instruction and how to practice (key is not to just go pound balls at the range- have a specific thing you've been told to work on and FIX that):

 

 

Edited October 24, 2017 by RandallT
Added links to resources (too hard from phone- or too lazy)

[Club Rat]

4 hours ago, RJN12 said:

Please share!

Hello and welcome to TST.
As a beginner, taking lessons is suggested to learn proper technics, basics and improvement.
Beginners should learn the game from the "Green to the Tee" meaning, putting, play around the green (chipping and pitching) short approach shots (wedge play)
Lessons will help with guidance on these matters, or by researching proper technic and or seeking knowledge from experienced players (friends, pro's, etc)
A great place to research is on the TST site. There are many fellow members who will and have answered many questions regarding golf experiences which will help.
There are also many videos to learn from as well.

Every gofer struggles with aspects of the game, so don't feel like your in the boat alone.
Golf is Hard! Learning is fun!

[Patch]

6 minutes ago, Club Rat said:

Hello and welcome to TST.
As a beginner, taking lessons is suggested to learn proper technics, basics and improvement.
Beginners should learn the game from the "Green to the Tee" meaning, putting, play around the green (chipping and pitching) short approach shots (wedge play)
Lessons will help with guidance on these matters, or by researching proper technic and or seeking knowledge from experienced players (friends, pro's, etc)
A great place to research is on the TST site. There are many fellow members who will and have answered many questions regarding golf experiences which will help.
There are also many videos to learn from as well.

Every gofer struggles with aspects of the game, so don't feel like your in the boat alone.
Golf is Hard! Learning is fun!

I have always like the "green to tee" learning scenario. That said this learning technique is in the minority when it come to instruction. 

I have seen the green to tee work for new golfers too many times. It didn't get them to playing scratch golf right away. I don't think it was designed fot that. But,  it always seemed to get the golfer using this learning technique scoring in the 80s quicker. Just my opinion. 

New golfers should also utilize some sort of "quality" instruction from a teaching pro, if one of quality is available. The student should not be afraid to ask questions during the process. The more questions asked, the better the understanding. The student should be prepared for more than just a few visits to their chosen instructor. Also, the student should not allow the instructor to move them on to some other swing lesson, before fully understanding the previous swing part instruction. 

Stick with TST, ask questions, and your game will improve. 

[RussUK]

@RJN12its pretty natural to get frustrated and impatient when learning any activity, let alone golf. Main thing to remember is why you want to learn golf in the first place (hopefully its for the enjoyment ). I find you learn quicker if you are having fun at the same time so keep the chin up and enjoy yourself.

I wish i had taken @Club Ratadvice when i started as i went straight for the full shots, sure its fun but only now has my short game caught up and i can now work on my putting.

One piece of advice i got was to make club decisions easier by only playing a limited amount. One week i may play even numbers and odd the next, Part of the frustration i had was dithering over a club choice for ages only to duff the shot. If you only have one choice for that shot then you can get straight to it whith less doubt on the club choice in your head.

The guys on here are more than happy to give advice or personal experiences.

 

[krupa]

5 hours ago, RJN12 said:

I started playing 3-4 months ago, having never been on a course of touched a golf club. I am really loving the game, but frustrated with my progress. On my little 9-hole course (2100 yards) I have gone from 82 to 63, but on my proper 9-hole (3200 yds) I am stuck at 75-80. I play 3 times a week (except some breaks when I travel for work), and take lessons. I can’t practice much more as the range seems to be contributing to various injuries. My technique is definitely improving, having more control around the green and at double/triple bogey on par 3s. My main issue seems to be getting to the green on par 4 and 5 where I often spend 6-7 strokes just getting there. My tee shots are inconsistent and max 120 yds, and even though I rarely shoot OB I often just shoot 50 yds ahead. 

Looking at this forum, most people seem to struggle with the 100 to 120, so it is really discouraging to be at 160 (I count everything!). Did anyone start so badly, and was there a point in which things started coming together? Please share! At this point I still enjoy myself, but it’s starting to be demotivating. 

I started that badly and after 5 (I think) seasons, I'm still pretty bad.  Things started coming together after the first season but they periodically fall apart again.  (This can be an infuriating game.)

I don't know what you think you should be shooting score-wise but golf is really hard and you sound impatient.

If I were you, I wouldn't keep score.  After 5 years, I rarely keep score.  Usually score is kept when I'm playing with a friend who insists on it.  (I don't know why he cares, we're both shooting in the 100-110 range.)

I try to play with humility, patience, and humor.  I almost always enjoy my round. :)

[onthehunt526]

1 hour ago, krupa said:

I started that badly and after 5 (I think) seasons, I'm still pretty bad.  Things started coming together after the first season but they periodically fall apart again.  (This can be an infuriating game.)

I don't know what you think you should be shooting score-wise but golf is really hard and you sound impatient.

If I were you, I wouldn't keep score.  After 5 years, I rarely keep score.  Usually score is kept when I'm playing with a friend who insists on it.  (I don't know why he cares, we're both shooting in the 100-110 range.)

I try to play with humility, patience, and humor.  I almost always enjoy my round. :)

Especially when you are in good company, you can still have fun. 

I shoot between 76 and 96, and on my rounds in the 90s, I just try to have fun.

[RJN12]

Thanks all for your advice. @Patch @Club Rat Glad to hear your advice -I guess I have “involuntarily” started following the green to tee approach. My putting and chipping is decent and as my club has good facilities for short game, I get quite a bit of practice in. My 8 and 9 iron play is also vastly improved. Hence my comment that it really is tee and fairway that needs work.

@krupa yes, a bit impatient, but being realistic - if I could only inch towards the 110-ish I’d be delighted as it would vastly expand the friends I would be comfortable playing with. I have no big ambitions, but would be nice to get to that point come spring, but right now seems unachievable. I am just hoping that there will be a bit of an aha-moment ?. But glad to hear I am not alone in starting from a low-low!

@RussUK love the idea of uneven clubs. Will try that out. I started off bringing only a 4-hybrid, a 7-iron and a sandwedge but now using a near-full set. I think taking that step back could be helpful.

@RandallT I appreciate all of the the advice, but for me it’s a choice between range and playing - they are both one hour from my house in opposite directions, and I have had some quite persistent injuries from “ball-wacking” so have to limit my full swing practice. But you’re spot on with the tees. I use the red tees (the lowest) in my club, but seek off a smaller course occassionally and here progress is much more apparent. As a woman, the long par 4 and 5s seem almost unachievable, so it is nice to sometimes be able to reach the green within at least a bogey-chance ?.

I guess I took up the game because I like the outdoors activity, the focus and the complexity, so I’ll keep at it. I do like to keep score just to motivate myself. I play with some other ladies who happily bang away and are about my level after 2-3 years and I’d like to think I can improve much, much faster.

[Lihu]

8 hours ago, RJN12 said:

I started playing 3-4 months ago, having never been on a course of touched a golf club. I am really loving the game, but frustrated with my progress. On my little 9-hole course (2100 yards) I have gone from 82 to 63, but on my proper 9-hole (3200 yds) I am stuck at 75-80. I play 3 times a week (except some breaks when I travel for work), and take lessons. I can’t practice much more as the range seems to be contributing to various injuries. My technique is definitely improving, having more control around the green and at double/triple bogey on par 3s. My main issue seems to be getting to the green on par 4 and 5 where I often spend 6-7 strokes just getting there. My tee shots are inconsistent and max 120 yds, and even though I rarely shoot OB I often just shoot 50 yds ahead. 

Looking at this forum, most people seem to struggle with the 100 to 120, so it is really discouraging to be at 160 (I count everything!). Did anyone start so badly, and was there a point in which things started coming together? Please share! At this point I still enjoy myself, but it’s starting to be demotivating. 

3-4 months of playing and being able to count every stroke correctly is in and of itself quite impressive.

As far as hitting 120 yards and inconsistent off the tee, try relaxing a bit and play the 2100 yard course more rather than the 3200 yard one. 3200 for 9 holes is quite long even for 90% of men.

Play the 2100 yard course and try to bring your strokes down through smarter play and not only advancing the ball 50 yards at a time. The way to do that is to make cleaner contact.

I'd say that for someone who's played for only 4 months, you are doing very well. 3200 yards is too long, don't even worry about it.

EDIT: Also please note everyone that @RJN12 is a female golfer, so 2100 yards is perfect for a beginning female. The average drive for a female who plays a lot is around 150 yards. Even the LPGA only hits 245 yards.

Edited October 24, 2017 by Lihu

[RJN12]

7 minutes ago, Lihu said:

3-4 months of playing and being able to count every stroke correctly is in and of itself quite impressive.

As far as hitting 120 yards and inconsistent off the tee, try relaxing a bit and play the 2100 yard course more rather than the 3200 yard one. 3200 for 9 holes is quite long even for 90% of men.

Play the 2100 yard course and try to bring your strokes down through smarter play and not only advancing the ball 50 yards at a time. The way to do that is to make cleaner contact.

I'd say that for someone who's played for only 4 months, you are doing very well. 3200 yards is too long, don't even worry about it.

Ah @Lihu with the owls. You are the best cheer leader on TST! Have a recommend! Good advice as always. I guess I’ll spend more time on the small one - it’s just that the big one is so pretty and full of wildlife. (and the short one is full of really bad golfers keen to offer unsolicited advice to women).

Edited October 24, 2017 by RJN12

[Lihu]

2 minutes ago, RJN12 said:

Ah @Lihu with the owls. You are the best cheer leader on TST! Have a recommend! Good advice as always. I guess I’ll spend more time on the small one - it’s just that the big one is so pretty and full of wildlife ?(and the short one is full of really bad golfers keen to offer unsolicited advice to women ?)

Ah, I see, then just play up on the 3100 yard course. I watched a dad and his daughter play up to some comfortable distance from the green not on a tee box play quite nicely.

Edited October 24, 2017 by Lihu

[RandallT]

@RJN12- if it helps, here is a recommendation on the course length that is appropriate for players:

https://www.thoughtco.com/set-of-tees-to-play-from-1562675

Quote

Another Suggestion
Here's another general guideline for choosing the distance at which to play a golf course: Take your average 5-iron distance (be honest!), multiply by 36, and choose the tees that most closely match that yardage. Example: You hit your 5-iron 150 yards. So 150 times 36 equals 5,400.

Choose the tees closest to 5,400 yards in length.

PGA of America/USGA Recommendations
In 2011, the PGA of America and USGA issued a set of recommendations designed to encourage golfers to play from appropriate yardages. These guidelines are based on golfers' average driving distance. So find your driving distance, then see what yardage these two organizations recommend.

Avg. drive	Recommended Tees
300 yards	7,150-7,400 yards
275 yards	6,700-6,900 yards
250 yards	6,200-6,400 yards
225 yards	5,800-6,000 yards
200 yards	5,200-5,400 yards
175 yards	4,400-4,600 yards
150 yards	3,500-3,700 yards
125 yards	2,800-3,000 yards
100 yards	2,100-2,300 yards

 

As you can see, 6400yds is a LONG, LONG course for your abilities, and your frustration with scoring is TOTALLY understandable. Is there any way you can ask the pro at your golf course and see if there are any shorter tees than 6400yds?

At my courses, there are ranges from high 4000s/low 5000s available. Usually something in the mid to upper 5000s. Then low to mid 6000s, and then the longer tees beyond that.

I can't stress enough that golf likely won't be too much fun until you're on a course where you can be somewhere near the green. 

And I didn't realize you were a female golfer on my first response! I'd modify a few things there: primarily your goal for driving distance and the set of tees to start from. I would reduce those somewhat, but those numbers in my first post were based on some of the beginning men I play with.

I would like to ask this, if you don't mind:

What does your instructor say you should work on? If you had to boil it down to one or two things, what is it that the instructor says is your priority?  And then, how does he or she have you practicing those one or two things?

If you are not sure, then make sure you ask him/her. The best part of my instruction is that I've gotten some pretty clear guidance on that. When I go to the range, I know pretty much what I need to work on, and I know how to work on it. I never just do full swings and hit balls. I do lots of slow motion and use video. I even practice slowly in front of a mirror. It takes time to change how you get your body to work, and it really doesn't happen to well at full speed while hitting balls.

That's the main point- if the way you are practicing now is not leading to better results, change it up. Read the threads I posted above about practice and truly consider shifting to that kind of methodology. It's not easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is. Golf improvement is one of those things. It takes focus and effort on the range- and just pounding balls won't work. But you have to know what to do and how to do it. Hope that makes sense.

 

 

[RJN12]

@RandallT - thanks a billion for that link- really enlightening! There is a set of 2100 yd junior tees I sometimes use, but they are terrible for teeshots as the grass is often quite high, which is why I abandoned them (and since I enjoy playing, I figured I might as well have the extra playing time - I always play when the course is empty). But reading this plus the advice makes me realise I should probably reconsider and use these more often.

I have had two instructors both mainly concerned with the smoothness of my swing. I guess as I have never played a sport involving a club, bat or racquet, my swing is a bit mechanic as I focus a lot on correct moves and it ends up being stiff and tense (probably also how I sustained all those injuries). I have been given a bunch of at-home drills for this. They have certainly helped my shot be far straighter, but as I often hit the ball in the wrong place (airshots included!), they often roll rather than take off - hence the 50-70 yards on wet grass.

I really like the idea of asking my instructor to play a couple of holes with me and have him identify the most critical issues. So far we have worked one “skill” at a time (full swing, chipping, putting etc), so I haven’t had a review of my most critical areas for i provemeng.

If you don’t mind my asking: what would you consider a resonable woman’s tee distance? I only use 3-wood and below for now and I have seen numbers like 180/210/250 for short/medium/high respectively. I am 45, but fairly strong and in shape, so I figure I should be able to get to at least the 200 mark eventually (obviously not in the near future), and a but more once I brave the driver.

Many thanks again!

[RandallT]

4 minutes ago, RJN12 said:

If you don’t mind my asking: what would you consider a reasonable woman’s tee distance?

Ha- you caught me. I didn't put numbers on my 2nd post, because I'm not the greatest source for that   I do play with some Korean women on my course every so often (probably a mix of 30s through 50s), and my guess is that they drive about 150, some consistent, some inconsistent.  And these women typically have the look that they are long-time regulars at the course. It's always a pleasant round, as they play at a nice pace, with great etiquette, and just the right amount of chit chat with me as they discuss things amongst themselves.

Anyway, I could be underestimating their distances off the tee, but probably not by much. I'd be surprised if any of them were hitting 200yds. Hope that gives you some anecdotal benchmark. Probably doesn't mean much. Others might know a better number for what you might expect. If you are fairly strong, in shape, and have some coordination, I would think 200yd would be a great goal for you, and set you near the top of the women you play with. Just my gut.

We had a long-time poster named Julia, who hasn't been here in a while. @DrvFrShow , you still there?

Here's a great thread of hers:

Maybe she will respond and help out a fellow traveler. She was a big hitter though, so don't let that scare you! 

 

[RJN12]

@RandallT thanks again. Will check out Julia! And Ooops, I got it wrong - it was actually 125/160/180 https://www.golflink.com/tips_5459_average-distance-each-golf-club.html so I guess that on a good day, I’m close to the low range - and you are probably correct on the Koreans! It’s interesting though, that at least at my club the red tees are not that much shorter, certainly not enough to make up for the vast difference in average distance between men and women. Guess I’ll just have to hit the weight room some more!! 

Quote

 

 

[Lihu]

21 minutes ago, RJN12 said:

@RandallT thanks again. Will check out Julia! And Ooops, I got it wrong - it was actually 125/160/180 https://www.golflink.com/tips_5459_average-distance-each-golf-club.html so I guess that on a good day, I’m close to the low range - and you are probably correct on the Koreans! It’s interesting though, that at least at my club the red tees are not that much shorter, certainly not enough to make up for the vast difference in average distance between men and women. Guess I’ll just have to hit the weight room some more!! 

I wouldn't worry about a video that got the LPGA distance averages incorrect.

Just play a distance that is comfortable for you and many playing partners will understand and respect that. You might need to schedule times that the course is not very busy to play up to a comfortable distance. Walking up 150 yards is far better than taking 6-7 shots to get to every green so the party behind you wouldn't get all ruffled up.

Edited October 24, 2017 by Lihu

[RJN12]

3 minutes ago, Lihu said:

I wouldn't worry about a video that got the LPGA distance averages incorrect.

Just play a distance that is comfortable for you and many playing partners will understand and respect that. You might need to schedule times that the course is not very busy to play up to a comfortable distance. Walking up 150 yards is far better than taking 6-7 shots to get to every green so the party behind you wouldn't get all ruffled up.

I have a clever ploy - always book a tee-time immediately before the junior coaching slot - so I never have anyone behind me to ruffle up! 

[Lihu]

Just now, RJN12 said:

I have a clever ploy - always book a tee-time immediately before the junior coaching slot - so I never have anyone behind me to ruffle up! 

That's perfect! "Golf should be fun. . ."