GolfGuy123

Seriously...THANK YOU, as this is good "free advice" lol. First off its comforting to know this sort of thing happens to players of all handicaps (seeing you are a single digit) not just higher cappers like myself. Also, what you say resonates in a major way - especially #2. When I approached the 7th tee box, I was 4 over par - which is out of my comfort zone and had my mind racing and getting way ahead of myself, especially because this is a hole I normally par (short-ish par 5) and the whole time im thinking "wow if I par this I will be 4 over through 7!" So what did I do...I took a 5 iron off the tee to make sure I keep it in play when I normally take driver and am usually in the fairway or playable rough. Anyways I chunked the heck out of the 5i and my tee shot went about 115 yards and to the left. Long story short, that set off a chain reaction of bad decisions, poorer than normal swings and ultimately a triple bogey. So in taking your advice, next time im in a similar situation I am definitely going to play the remaining hole(s) like I would any other day...or maybe I wont even be paying attention to my score in the first place ;)

This pretty much sums it up, perfectly. Only in my situation on this particular day - I think it was letting my nerves get the best of me on 2 of the last 3 holes - knowing I was scoring well (for me standards) and was hitting, putting etc. well (for my standards). I was 4 over by the seventh hole which is a little out of my comfort zone. Sounds like the key is learning to play / concentrate when you find yourself out of comfort zone?

Great advice that I should listen to lol! I really need to stop paying attention to where im at (score wise) after every hole / shot. Weather its middle of the round or tee box on 18, I always know and am thinking about what im shooting...bad habit, need to break.

Had a good 9 holes today (for my personal handicap), shot a 44. Normally I would be pretty happy about that score but feeling a bit dejected due to the fact I triple bogeyed the 7th and doubled the 9th. Frustrated knowing I was standing in center of the fairway on the 9th, about 155 yards out with a 7 in my hand and got nervous / anxious thinking to myself "all you have to do is bogey this hole to shoot personal best" (44 is my personal best on this particular 9 holes, bogey would have given me 43). Ended up hitting a terrible low slice that almost went OB, then bad chip to front edge of green and 3 putts from there for a double...I know that was a bad thought and should have just been concentrating on the shot but how does one keep such thoughts out in that type of situation? My other question is - if anyone else here has had similar experiences - where you have a good round (for your personal handicap / skill level) but still feel frustrated for how the round played out / costly mistakes? Thanks

your right - I def. need to post a video here...the classic over the top could be creeping back in my swing. I had a bunch of lessons and did a ton of work last year to correct that. I definitely do not intentionally grip with different pressure but I will take note next time to make sure it is always consistent. thanks for the reply

So...I have been playing 18 holes once a week for the past 2-3 months but due to work schedule have not had much time to practice in between rounds. Scores have been pretty frustrating, 95-110 lately. Would love to break 90. Within the past 10 days I have been able to carve out a few range sessions and have noticed the same thing happening, repeatedly. My sw,pw,6-9 are all decent draws but my 3-5, 3wood, driver are all hard cuts. I am not "intentionally" trying to do either but just wondering if this is somewhat common and if there is any good drills to help fix? (get the longer clubs drawing). On the cut shots w/ longer clubs, contact feels and sounds solid but I would say about 40% of the time they cut too hard and would be flirting with ob on an actual course. Im also not sure if its a good idea to rely on only this shot with longer clubs? (not sarcasm a real question) I know there is a number of great players throughout the history of the game who played it but I would imagine in there cases the flight and curve of the ball were consistent and in their control. Anyways - any help / suggestions would be appreciated!

Yowza!!! Be safe! The irony is, I played a lot this winter! (my cut off when I moved here last winter was 55 degrees but this winter I changed my cut off to 45 degrees and it has allowed me to get 3-4 more rounds in thus far when compared to last year). Hoping all this snow / ice is melted by Monday so I can play (calling for low 50s and mostly sunny). I have the day off for Presidents Day so would be great to get out there... Right!? Aside from the burning car...it was similar scenery for my entire 13 mile drive home from work yesterday.

. Lol yeah - in a day or two there will be no sign this system ever existed and hit our area. Heck, we are already expecting some days in the 70s next week. April is absolutely gorgeous here. Have fun!

I cant imagine living in the mountains during snow / ice storms, that would really freak me out...pretty manly of you!! Lol, im a wimp in that regard though ;) The difference of lifestyle between growing up in south fl and now living in the carolinas has been eye opening. Although at the end of the day both have their pros and cons.

This was down the street from my house earlier today...

Yeah, guess I cant complain as I know you guys get it more often and worse. Just something we are not prepared for here!

Anyone here in GA,SC or NC? Im in Raleigh and we got absolutely pummeled today and still experiencing some very dangerous weather. Snow came down hard starting early afternoon and now its sleeting / icy rain. The roads are an absolute disaster. My drive home from work looked like a scene out of an apocalyptical movie...hundreds of cars crashed, pulled over on side of road, a lot of people walking (abandoning their vehicle, figuring its safer that way). I honestly have not been as scared as I was driving home today than I have been since I was kid. No clue how I made it home safely either, there was about 3 or 4 separate occasions where a car driving near me started to spin out or lose control and came close to hitting me. And think...I recently moved here from Miami lol! Anyone else going through this?

Lol exactly..and thats usually the case w me. When I really take the time to analyze my game there is 2 things that are holding me back from shooting consistent 80s (which is my short term goal) instead of shooting consistent 90s (which I have been doing for the past few years). #1 - First and foremost, complete mishits. These are the shots (I usually have 3-4 per round) that are not just a little too far left or too far right, the are complete shanks, 70 degree pulls, tops (where a 50 yard shot goes screaming over the green at about 2 feet above the ground) etc. What really throws me off is they are NEVER the same complete mishit. In other words I might hit a nasty shank on the 2nd hole and then a nasty pull on the 4th hole. This leads me to believe that I must be doing so many things wrong in my swing (since I never have the same miss / error). However I also have so many good shots (my personal standards) in a round that it baffles me. #2 - Short game. Not so much putting though (not saying my putting is great but its rarely what costs me a relevant amount of strokes in a round). Mostly chipping. I would say 8 times out of 10 if my ball is off the green in a situation where I absolutely can not putt, and I have to chip or pitch, im skulling it over the green. So frustrating. I know golfers of all skill levels can get down when they don't play how they want to etc. for a single round or a short slump. But I have been going through this for over 3 years now and I can not explain how frustrating it is. Look, I know there is more important things in life but when im out there playing I would really like to shoot respectable scores. I know it sounds tacky but "I know I can do it" - just feel like I need the proper help to get me on the right path. I also understand that a lot of practice time needs to be put in and I love to practice. HOWEVER, I have spent hours and hours and hours practicing and still have not seen results most likely because all the practice in the world is not going to make you improve if you are practicing improper technique etc.

Thanks for all the helpful input! I have been saying I am going to try evolvr but I'm serious this time! ;)

Two part question here: Has anyone ever taken lessons from Golftec? I did an expensive package with them at one point and never really got much out of it. (and yes, I practiced a ton during the 3-4 months I was getting lessons from them). Spent around 3k and still could not break 90...which I find absolutely insane considering the natural athletic ability, hand eye coordination etc. that I have. I went into it thinking my instructor is going to have a very easy time with me since I was shooting consistent 94-100 and was just looking to accomplish the more than reasonable goal of breaking 90. By the time I was done, I could not break 100 to save my life. I had to abandon the months of lessons, practice time (working on what they were trying to get me to do) and basically go back to my original way of playing (which obviously is not good at all but at least it lets me break 100!) Even though Golftec did not help me improve my game at all, still all my lessons were put on video so the pro was analyzing what he saw in slow mo and I also had the ability to see myself over and over on video to see what is REALLY happening... So my second question is, now that I am looking to get lessons again (my game is an embarassment), I def. do not want to go back to Golftec however it looks like all the PGA instructors in my area are NOT using video. Is video absolutely necessary when receiving lessons from a pro? OR can you get a really good pro who can spot your issues etc. without seeing your swing in slow mo on video? Thanks!

As far as I know and have researched you are absolutely correct on this. Not sure why some are disagreeing. I am a big Tiger fan and I absolutely do agree that the Tiger Slam is the most impressive accomplishment in golf history... However what he did was not a grand slam. The reason it's titled "Tiger Slam" is because it had to be called something other than "Grand Slam". Out of this world achievement, YES...Victory in all four majors in the same calendar year, no. ( @jakester not directing this second part at you, just trying to make a general point for all who do consider it a Grand Slam)

Im 100% with ya. Only talking "filling divots" since that is something walkers could potentially have an excuse for not doing (albeit not a reasonable one). It's crazy when I see someone hit a sky high wedge onto a soft green, leave a huge ball mark and just walk right by it when they get to the green...ignoring the monstrosity they just created lol.

I hear ya on replacing divots but...for me personally...I am in NC and during the winter the divot usually breaks into a bunch of pieces, pretty much impossible to replace. Not sure if this has to do with weather or just the type of grass on the course. Regardless, its all brown / light brown now in the winter ;)

Please keep ranting! Seriously...could not agree more with what you are saying here. I work in an industry that attracts a lot of young people hence we have many interns, hire young people straight out of college etc. It's quite comical to witness their entitlement complex, which they carry around with no credentials or experience. Sometimes it's necessary to remind them that they are lucky to even have a job, especially right out of college. OT, I know but thought I would give ya a big thumbs up lol That is ironic ;) (im sorry I just had to do it!)

I love this commercial! I used to feel guilty about using a hybrid until I saw this lol. It really does put the whole "golf purist" thing into perspective. Someone may be a purist in relation to a particular generation, depending on what clubs they use (or refuse to use) but unless you are using that mallet thingy at the end of the commerical...lol

That is interesting....and to be completely honest, I am not well versed on exactly how the mix "works". I just know the proper way to fill divots and have always done it, wherever I may end up playing.

LMAO!!

1) Don't act tough. 2) To be 100% honest, I did not know you must count every single round towards your handicap and "declare" it a practice round if you do not intend to. I take full responsibility for not being aware of that fact. The few close friends I have that keep official handicaps have done this (played a round and during or after, mentioned they were not going to count it towards their cap because of unfinished holes, skipped holes, inaccurate scoring etc.) After reading these replies and then doing my own research I understand that is not acceptable thus I won't be doing it anymore. 3) Also as an FYI, I just very recently started keeping a handicap. I did read through the guidelines / rule book etc. but there is obviously still some things to learn. Understood and won't argue your point ;) (see above) I get it...(see above)

Im sure you do...I was more show trying to say that someone who walks should be carrying it with them and using it. If, like in your case, a walker is paired with a rider and they can just grab off of their cart then thats great. But if you are walking and in a group of other walkers or playing alone, I would think its best to carry it even if it makes for extra luggage.

@fourputt I hear what you are saying but all I know is...on my home course...weather walking or riding, if you do not fill your divots, a member will absolutely call you on it and most likely embarass you in front of the group. If you play at a course where people are not as uptight, thats great (no sarcasm). But where I play most of my rounds, the long time members take a lot of pride in the course which I think is awesome and a big part of the reason I love to play there.