robey1978

Ruufiyo, thanks for the advice. There are elements of that I am already trying to incorporate into my game. I do still take my driver out with me but it is only for show! I haven't used it on the course for some time. I think I will take it out of my bag for the time being. I haven't tried reducing my back swing but what I have done is slow my back swing right down. I found it difficult at first but I had to as I strained my intercostal muscles back in May from over swinging and I was out for 6 weeks. This has helped (when I remember to do it!). All good advice though, thanks again.

Dremeber, it sounds like you are describing my round of golf! I'll have some really good shots sandwiched in between several poor ones. It is the best feeling in the world when you hit those shots that are right but they get lost in amongst the bad ones. When I do a couple of practice swings out on the course it's smooth and relaxed and I'm feeling good. As soon as that little white ball goes down in front of me I feel the overwhelming need to try and send it into orbit! I know that if I hit a relaxed smooth swing the ball will go further than if I try and smash it but something inside me just doesn't want to listen! I am also really bad for lifting my head to see where the ball has gone before I've even hit it! When I started back in February my goal was to break 100 before the end of the year. I need to reduce my score by at least 10 shots (on a good day) to be able to do that. We live in hope my friend!

Chas, thanks for your comment. I think that's half my problem, generally I'm not a very patient person. If I take up a sport of hobby I want to be proficient at it pretty quickly. This isn't the first time I've tried to play golf. I've tried a few times in the past but never had the patients. This time I've stuck with it but I've still been very frustrated. I had a lesson yesterday and the pro said that since I started taking lessons I've come on a lot and if I stick with it, it will only be a matter of time before the scores start to come down. It just doesn't feel that way. It feels like I'll never get my score down. In a way I think that's why I love golf. It's such a humbling game. No matter how good you are at your profession or anything else, there is always an element of golf that will bring you firmly back down to earth with a bump!

Audaxi, thanks for the advice. I think I'll give it a go with less clubs. Hopefully playing a round with fewer clubs will give me a bit of consistency with these clubs. I already have a 3 & 4 hybrid in the new set I bought. I enjoy taking the 3 off the tee. It's a lot easier to hit than my woods. Thanks again

Roper, I see what you are saying and you make a good point. I am trying to use the majority of the clubs in my bag and I am only using these clubs a few times going round the course. Do you think, as a novice, it is better to use fewer clubs and try and master these clubs first before introducing more clubs? Say, 5 wood off the tee, 7 iron on the fairway and wedge on approach. I've always thought it best to try and use more clubs because I've heard people say they never take certain clubs out of their bags because the are scared to use them and I didn't want to only use certain clubs. I wanted to be able to use a broad range of clubs (which I obviously haven't mastered either!).

Tuffluck, I also feel that my technique has improved greatly since I started but I don't feel like I am making that much headway. When I go to the park I usually take a wedge and a short iron. I normally hit around 50-100 balls depending on how long I've got. The first 10 or so are a bit erratic then I begin to settle down. By the time I'm done I'm hitting them consistently. I try and transfer that to the course and it just breaks down. It's really weird. I think if anything I've realised I'm not the only person who struggles with their game. Maybe playing with people who are closer to my handicap would make a difference and wouldn't make me so embarrassed about my own game and would help me get me used to playing with other people. I love the game but I just want to be good att it quickerr than it's happening. Thanks fo all your advice and words of encouragement.

Logman, it was a long journey from Mars! :) I just thought there was the right way to swing or the wrong way. I've been taking lessons for about 5 months now and I feel I'm a little way down the track that I'd rather keep going the way I am for now, but thank you for the advice.

good luck with the lessons. that's what killed my game! haha! I was playing what I would call, ok, then I decided to get a few lessons and the pro changed pretty much everything and it was like starting all over again. I'm hoping I will see the benefits of it soon but it has been a long process. Plus, I strained my intercostal muscles on my right side from overswinging and was out for 6 weeks. A few people have said to me that my swing looks good but it just isn't quite right. I'm waiting for that epiphany moment when I "crack" the golfing secret!

Sounds like my rounds! It is such a frustrating, yet addictive game. I feel like I'm almost there but there are just a few things that aren't quite right and it affects my score significantly. At least I know I'm not the only one who ends up binning their scorecard before I've completed the front 9!

I know mate. I keep telling myself that but there are only so many times you can tell yourself not to worry about the bad score before you lose the will to live! :) I was out at lunchtime and things were a bit better but one day is different from the other. I think lack of consistency is the worst thing about my playing at the moment. I've parred every hole at one point or another on my club course so I know I can do it but I just can't seem to hold it together for a full round. I thnk if somebody told me it would be this difficult I wouldn't have taken it up, but I'm hooked now and there's no turning back! Have you got through the difficult period yet and are you starting to play well? I'm dreaming of the day when I break 100. That's been the goal since I started.

Hi Everyone, I'm new to this website and I just wanted to get some advice. I'm 34 and I started playing golf 8 months ago and bought a second hand set of blades and didn't take any lessons initially. I played for 3 months before I realised that I needed to get myself a set of cavity backs and get some lessons. Since then I've had a lesson every 2-4 weeks and tried to play as much as I can. Sometimes going to the range, park or getting out for a game. I'm playing at least once a week and practicing a couple of times a week. The problem is I'm still struggling. When I started I was hitting around 120-130. I'm now hitting around 110 but I can't seem to drop my score. I'm just so inconsistent. I'll have a few good holes where I'm hitting par or bogey then I'll hit an 8 or 9 on the next couple of holes. I sometimes think it is my back turn, but I work on that and I still struggle. Then I think it's my hip turn, so I work on that and I still struggle. Then it's something else. People I play with all seem to be better than me. Should I be better than I am for playing as long as I have? Am I just never going to get it and should I just give up? I love going out golfing but I get so downhearted about my poor scores that I get embarrassed playing with other people so I end up just playing on my own. Any advice anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated. Many Thanks David