scottcarmich

Seriously, it's getting kind of frustrating. I'm by no means a good player (very much a newbie)...but every time I go out to play, it seems like I struggle with teeing off, getting to the green with irons, or putting. Never play well with all 3. Not only that, but on most holes, I barely seem to get 2 out of the 3 in any decent way. What's worse is that there's no real pattern/rhyme-or-reason to the inconsistency. I mean, it's pretty much evenly distributed. This week, good at putting...next week...not good at all. The ONLY thing I'm wondering about is that I never rent a cart to play 9 holes (which is what I almost always play) and walk to save $$$. Please (I beg of you!) don't tell me a major reason why I'm doing so crappy is that I'm physically messed up (due to so much walking/carrying clubs) and I [need] to get a cart (because it's throwing off my body/concentration/energy/etc.)...if that's the case...man...that REALLY sucks. I rarely see people walking though, so this may be the case. Let me know if I'm crazy for walking. Or...do you think it's something else altogether? Is this just a bizarre trio-of-trouble all newer players deal with (horrible inconsistency?)

My average score is MUCH higher than this, but I chalk it up to not playing golf nearly as often as I'd like. In fact, today was the first day since September 2014 that I have even played. You may need to start recording more info (besides your score) so that AFTER the game, you can start seeing if there are patterns. For example, I do this, and later type everything into a spreadsheet. At this point I have enough data over months and months to see obvious problem areas on certain holes, while putting, while driving, etc. It's kinduva pain, but it's helpful...and allows you to think about your game even after the round is over.

I think #2 is the right way of thinking. Your are likely subconsciously hitting all non-putter clubs the same way, and the driver definitely needs a different styling. I would say instead of playing a round of golf one weekend, spend the same money on the driving range and do that nonstop. The weak link sounds like it's there, and if you only do the normal round play, you'll have a mere 18 chances at most in any given day to even swing the driver. You won't accomplish much that way. This is my problem area as well.

I think for the average person, golf should just be a hobby - like reading, watching movies, listening to music, playing videogames, etc. For me, that's what golf is. An incredibly relaxing and rewarding hobby. Too much in life is not going to turn out like young golf hopefuls wish. People need to be realistic. Factors like being born into wealth/luxury (where one CAN afford to golf all the time, get pricey lessons, etc. from an early age), having actual talent for golf (very rare), being at the right place/right time (playing a great golf game when someone important is watching), etc. are all things that significantly increase your odds of making it professionally. Heck, simply having all these things but being raised in a rural part of the country will negatively affect your chances. Even non-golf stuff, like your voice, your looks, your race and personality will greatly affect your odds of making it as a professional. The vast majority of people really shouldn't play golf "in order to be the best" - you should play it so you can enjoy the sport, enjoy being outside, enjoy not thinking about work/outside stresses, etc.

Man...I wish I had your skills w/ driving! That is always the scariest thing for me...so far, I've just been lousy at it, and the fact that I often lose balls on certain holes due to my bad driving makes me even more paranoid. :/ Putting and shorter iron shots are actually my strongest, most reliable stuff. It's the far away stuff that gets me!!!

Hmm...back in August when shopping for a new Iron set, I was able to find a legit set of TaylorMade Speed Blades from a TM authorized eBay seller, and when you factor in no tax + free S&H; and the already lower price...I saved close to $300 compared to what a similar set of PING Irons would have been. That said, I do have a PING putter, which I really like, and is worth the cost.

I am indeed! Golf is freakin' hard :P

Man, I feel you OP. I started playing golf again 2 months ago after not playing for over a decade! ...and while I'm not doing as bad as I was day one coming back...I'm not making great advances. Part of the problem is outside stress - it's weird...but I can't seem to enjoy myself while playing golf if I have a lot of outside stress affecting me. And if I'm not enjoying golf, I get frustrated more easily, and start making bad shots more frequently. Today I swung three times and completely missed the ball! WTF? Part of the problem is the weather - since I walk in order to get a cheaper membership rate, a sunny/humid day will wipe me out by the 6th or 7th hole...and if I try to do 15-holes or more in one afternoon, I'm a zombie. Part of the problem is the course - it's a pretty tough one for a newbie with only four Par 3s and several holes featuring gigantic hills to overcome, meaning you HAVE to get air. Part of the problem is I can't drive - every time I use a driver, it flies wildly to the right. I suck currently, and have been using irons instead, so at least I can get better at them for the time being. Part of the problem is I seem to forget "what works" between rounds. By the end of a 9-hole round I'll have finally started to get "into the groove" of swinging properly and a day or two later, it's like I'm an empty vessel. I keep an Excel spreadsheet of all my rounds and a breakdown for each hole...and no lie - the first two holes of every day are typically among my worst. Part of the problem is just me. And this may just be something I can't fix. I'm doing my best to stick with it, but today was rough and I considered not renewing my membership for next month...but, I'll sleep on it. It doesn't help that September has been one of the most stressful months for me in years, with multiple pets dying, blowing through tons of money on things that came out of the blue, etc. - in fact today was the first time in THREE WEEKS that I set foot on a gold course. Stress is the killer man...if I can lessen that, maybe my brain and body will start helping me absorb golf better. Good luck OP.

I'm a web developer/designer (work from home) but I work part time locally as a print designer.

Hey I'm impressed OP. I've been playing for over a month now and I still don't even know if I'm swinging right. You looked pretty natural in the video.

Hmmm...that does sound bad. I guess I was coming at this from more of a consistent action that everyone must deal with on a regular basis. Putting is always tough - no doubt about that - but the situation you described should not happen at every hole. Driving, like putting, is pretty much required at every single hole.

In Dick's I was able to try a bunch of putters, and the best one I tried was the PING Karston TR PAL. It not only looks great, but it's a solid feeling putter with a great grip. It doesn't feel bulky, but you feel like you have weight in the head. It's the only PING thing I own, but it's very nice. Maybe try a putter at the very least. ay33660 mentioned their drivers being good - and from what I have seen, they do seem to provide a good return on investment. They look nice too.

Reading online just a bit will hint that PING goes after places that use discounts they don't like far more harshly than others do. http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/145962-why-no-pings-at-dicks-sporting-good-stores/page__st__30 Now I'm not saying they don't have a right to charge whatever they want, but many people (like me) will ultimately make a decision based on cost, and if I can get a discounted competitor irons set + a nice driver and maybe even a new bag....for the standard price PING charges for just irons...well, that's a big issue. I'd love me some PING clubs...but I'm not rich. I don't worry about PING's future, but from what I can see, they're sorta like the "Apple" of the Golf world in terms of brand power. Titleist is up there with them. TaylorMade and Callaway are more like "Samsung" it seems. We almost shouldn't be using them as a basis of comparison for clubs aimed at the masses because they cater to a specific niche, wealthier crowd.

You know what's funny? I've been scouring all over for a good price on new clubs...and again and again, the best prices for good models (that aren't super old) seem to be from TaylorMade. I also see they seem to support online sellers much more than certain companies *ahem* Ping *cough* and just look at all the eBay sellers they have given their stamp of approval to! They even make their list of resellers easy to find. http://taylormadegolf.com/shared-customer-service/customerService-authorizedebay.html So, after much back and forth and knowing I had a budget to stick with, I've decided to go with TaylorMade stuff. I read the customer reviews, and the vast majority of players seem happy. My irons should arrive in a few days, and next month or two I'll try to pick up a SLDR driver. Marketing overload or not, tons of models or not...one thing's pretty clear - you do get a decent bang for your buck, as opposed to many other companies like Ping & Titleist where a set of irons alone will cost you $900+ (before tax & shipping/gas to pick them up). In fact, one thing that turned me off of Ping was seeing "$50 OFF!" or "20% OFF!" on sites, store ads, etc. and there's always a big asterisk that points to "Excluding PING."

I've just recently started playing golf again (never took it very seriously years ago as a hobby - now I am)...and while I can grasp putting, using irons, working with wedges and am doing okay with those so far...I have to ask : Is learning how to use the driver the single most challenging part of golf? It seems extremely difficult to get the right power and accuracy and yet seasoned players make it look so effortless. I hit buckets of balls today on the range and they were all over the place. Only a few went straight as intended. Thoughts? (And if you have any tricks that helped you in this area, I'd love to hear them! [like hand/finger placement, certain driver for beginners, stances, books on the subject, YouTube videos to watch, etc.])

I've just started golfing again, and having never really "followed" the brands associated with it, I wanted to do research before I bought ANYTHING. First thing I noticed was that TM truly is saturated and even Callaway is (though not as bad). Titleist and Ping seems aimed at people with money who want to buy nice clubs and don't [need] something new and shiny annually. If you want to buy for the long haul, get these. But TM? The brand just seems priced too high for all the different stuff it offers. All of their stuff can't possibly be that great, yet it seems like every item is premium priced. Personally, I have no desire to buy anything from TM, unless it's maybe golf balls or some cheapo item for practice or whatever.

I went shoe shopping yesterday and it's really hard to find 13s in stores. Even harder to find 13 Wide. Most of the shoe "sales" I see online have a bunch of sizes no one can even use.

I will definitely keep this in mind, as it will be evident if I'm doing poorly (don't want to annoy other players). I will do that (hit the range first) and then go do an actual round. A nearby course has a nice free putting green so I practiced for over two hours on that last Saturday and it made me feel more confident. This weekend I'll probably do the range deal (it's like $7 a bucket).

Thanks for all the replies - at least now I have a better understanding of what I should do (and in what order): - Practice at a driving range several times - Practice on my own, at home - Maybe get a refresher lesson or two - Then on the actual course, play at a decent speed and don't get hung up on stuff I won't be able to make even if I swing a dozen times I appreciate all the helpful advice!

It's been YEARS since I last played (and even then, it was on a small 9-hole course) and I've just recently started investing time, money and my attention back to golf. I never took lessons at any point, and have always "tried to fake it 'til I made it" while playing. Unfortunately where I live now there's no not-so-busy course around, and I'm nervous to just go to an 18-hole place and potentially look like a complete doofus in front of people. So my question is this... - Should I just buy a roll up putting green (for inside) and driving net setup (for outside) and practice off the course until I feel comfortable to properly swing/aim/etc.? Or go to a driving range even??? - Should I only tackle the busy, 18-hole courses after getting some lessons from a legit golf instructor? - Should I try to play on very low traffic/overlooked tee times, to not feel so much pressure? My biggest concern is indirectly screwing up the game for others. My next concern is being so self-conscious about my what surely will be bad first few games to not focus on the game itself and improve. Any advice would be appreciated!