edhalsim

Lots of good responses here. Thanks! I play in 2-3 two day tournaments over the year, sometimes with a partner.

This past weekend was the club championship; a two day event (36 holes total). I've been striking the ball better lately and have worked on my putting so I was feeling pretty good going in. It's flighted so I'm playing against other members in the 5-10 hcp. range (I'm a 7 on that course). The first day went really well. Managed a 39/38=77 to put me in second one shot back. The second day, I played in the final group with the leader and the guy in third two behind me. All three of us played extremely well on the front; the guy in first and I tied with 37s (+1) and the guy in third shot even par. I know, those scores sound like a bunch of sandbaggers but I assure you my hcp is correct (as you'll see). On the back nine, my wheels fell off. I had a stretch of holes: double, double, birdie, double, quad to finish with 37/47=84 out of the money. My full swing basically fell to pieces, which forces me to rely on my short game more, which also crumbled (it took me four shots from just off the green 2-3 times). This kind of self-sabotage thing happens to me pretty regularly. I do a pretty good job not getting down on myself, but I just start hitting wild shots like a 20+ hdcper. I can accept hitting a really bad shot now and then, but at times like this when everything falls to pieces I'm lost and can't seem to stop it. Don't know if this is primarily caused by mental stuff, or my swing/game is just not consistent enough. If anyone has any advice/comments, I welcome them good or bad. Thanks for your time. Ed

Like me, does this sound like you? No matter how hard you work on your game you never see any significant improvement that lasts? You get anxious over shots because you may blade one over the green or miss a three footer? You feel helpless which leads to anger, then self hatred because you feel like a failure? Other family members can't understand why you get so upset over a game that you're supposed to enjoy? Many of you have probably seen this: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what-is-he-thinking/200904/frustrated-golfer-syndrome-causes-and-cures I really struggle with this. I'm not one to throw clubs or throw a tantrum, but I do get enraged and after 2 or 3 bad holes during a round, usually when I hit a shot that I couldn't hit on the range even if I tried. My biggest problem is putting. I know I have a good stroke (I can drain 50-75% of 12 footers in my garage all day long), but when I'm over a three footer on the course I feel like I'm putting on a knife's edge that will cause the ball to miss unless I hit it right along the edge; like there's an invisible wall blocking the hole. Of course, I get more upset when I see my friends routinely drain 15-20 footers. My head is really preventing me from playing at the level I know I'm capable of. If you've been there and have discovered something that's helped you, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks.

Lots of good feedback. Thanks. I don't feel like I've reached my potential; on those rare days when I'm striking the ball well I'll hit 12 greens; that's 78 all by itself assuming I don't three putt (which I unfortunately do too often). Yes I'm over 50 although I'm in pretty good shape; I can still swing around 100mph with driver and hit it 270+. I might try a larger putter grip. As far as "bad teacher" vs "bad student", I think it's probably the latter. I sometimes feel like the "anti-testimonial"; opposite of the guy who says "I took lessons from this person for three months and knocked 5 shots off my handicap!" I have a very analytical brain so sometimes it's tough to take what someone is telling me without fully understanding, then I see something online that says basically the opposite so then I get confused. For example. My pro wants me to swing more inside out to start the ball right with a baby draw. My miss is a ball that starts straight (or slightly left) of the target and hooks further left. This makes me think I need to swing more in-to-out, but then I read that too much of an in-to-out path with a square (to the target) clubface basically equals a snap hook. I need to somehow get tougher mentally on the course so that two early doubles don't derail me for the rest of the round. Too much of my self image is wrapped up in how well I score since this is the only competitive thing I do. Thanks again.

Hi, I'd like to hear from people who have fallen into this pattern. I've been playing for 30+ yrs. I practice usually twice/week for an hour or so and play once/week on the weekends. I've taken lessons over the past few years from three different teaching pros (several with each pro). I seem to get a bit better for a round or two (high 70s), then everything seems to go haywire and I can't seem to hit the ball solid anymore and I start shooting upper 80s or worse (my short game especially putting isn't good enough to salvage days of bad ball striking despite practicing that as well). Sometimes my putter feels like I'm holding a snake the way it wanders around during my stroke (when I saw Els six putt from 4' I feel like saying "welcome to my world.") I feel like I should be improving considering all the effort I put in. It's very frustrating to have a session with a pro and hit it pretty solid, then 1-2 weeks later can't hit it to save my life. I feel like my problem is I want it (improve, shoot low scores) too badly, but I haven't found anything that works. Thanks for listening. - Ed.

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Lots of good ideas here. I do believe a large part of it is mental. I've noticed I tend to lurch at the ball on the course, probably due to excess tension and fear of what's going to happen. I don't feel like I commit to the shot on the course like I do on the range. Technically, yes @mvmac I am working on turning more, especially my upper body, and not swaying back. I also am working on getting my lower body to sequence better on the downswing and turn all the way through as my tendency is to stop turning my lower body and my upper body takes over and I throw the club at the ball and flip my hands. I had a good practice session today where I was hitting some nice high draws so there's hope!

I just can't seem to hit the ball anymore. I feel like I've tried everything, like the fat person who's tried every diet out there with no success. I've been to four or five instructors for lessons over the years and spent a bunch of money; I've looked a videos online, but I still have the same two swing faults: 1. To start the downswing I have a slight over the top move that starts the club down too steep. Somehow, and this is weird, I manage to shallow out the swing plane right before impact, maybe as a result of issue #2 2. About half way down my head moves away from the ball by a good amount. It doesn't go up, but it goes back away from the ball. These lead to a great deal of inconsistency. My big miss is a pull hook because I flip my hands at the ball. You can view my latest swings here: http://thesandtrap.com/forums/topic/81520-my-swing-edhalsim/?do=findComment&comment=753758 At this point I really don't care what I shoot, I "just" want to hit the ball solid again with some consistency. I'm also fighting my emotional demons as well (frustration, feeling like a loser). I welcome any advice (please be gentle; I don't think my ego can take it). I'd prefer not to quit golf entirely. Thanks I appreciate it.

Hi, Played today. Hit ten greens, one birdie, one up and down and shot ten over due to two three putt greens and two doubles. Pretty typical round. I can practice for about 45 mins twice a week. My weaknesses are 30-70 yd shots and short game in general. I'd like advice in what to practice and how. People say practice your short game but since every short game shot is different how do you get better? I'm also unsure of the best way to hit those half wedge shots as I can't get them close enough to make. Thanks for your help! Ed

As requested. Thanks, I appreciate it!!

Well, I've tried my best to find a way to keep my head in the same position during the downswing, but my efforts have so far been in vain. Swinging with my head against a wall doesn't seem to do the trick. When I'm on the range, when I try to say down coming into the ball I generally stick the club in the ground. I'm guessing part of the issue is I'm hitting too much from the top and releasing early instead of maintaining lag. Suggestions? Would it help to post a more recent swing? Thanks for the help.

This weekend was our club championship. Two rounds stroke play over two days, flighted by handicap. Day one I put on a clinic and shot 69 net to lead by one. Day two my swing isn't as good, but I manage to get the ball in the hole. I'm playing with the guy who's in second in the last group. Coming to 15 I'm one down. I drain a 20' birdie putt to tie the match. On 16 I have another 20 footer for birdie to take the outright lead after he bogeys. I barely miss the birdie and then proceed to miss a 3 footer coming back so now we're still all square. At this point my mind starts to unravel and I get down on myself and proceed to hit my next drive nearly OB. He makes another bogey and I have another 3 footer for bogey, which I also miss and take double so I'm one back with one to play. On 18, a par 5 with water guarding the green, after a good drive I'm going to lay up and try to make a four with my wedge and putter. There is a small group of trees near the layout area, but there's 40 yards of fairway surrounding the trees on all sides. I hit my layup shot and it clips the trees on the way down; not a solid whack, just brushed some branches. No problem I thought, but when I went to hit my third we couldn't find the ball! It had to have stuck in the trees! Never had that happen to me before. I had to go back and re-hit and wound up taking a triple. Bottom line I lost six shots over the last three holes. On the bright side I did manage to keep pretty good control over my head for 33 holes. - Ed.

One question though...it looks like in the videos you're not trying to maintain the flex in the right/trail leg during the backswing. I've always heard you should keep the trail leg bent with the knee flex the same as it was at address. Do you not worry if the right/trail leg straightens during the backswing? Thanks.

Thanks very much for your help! I've give that a try.

Congrats on being such a good player already! Most players spend their whole golfing life and never get to that point. There are tons of good books on the mental side of the game. Here's my two cents for what it's worth. I don't think you should focus on trying to eliminate bad shots or bad holes. Realize that you and everyone else are not perfect. A single bad shot can lead to a double or worse. Pros take doubles all the time. What they do better than the rest of us is put the bad shot/hole behind them and focus on the next shot only. You don't want to focus on the past (why did I mess up that hole) or the future (since I messed up that hole, now my round is ruined). Mentally tough players focus on the present - how can I play THIS SHOT to the best of my ability, then accept whatever happens and move on to the next shot. You also want to examine your shot selection. If you're in a tough situation, instead of trying to make a heroic par save and bring double into play, play safe and accept bogey. You can make pars with a wedge and putter. Remember that golf is a GAME that's meant to be PLAYED. Try to relax and have fun. It's not the end of the world if you have a bad round or don't qualify for a tournament. Your parents and friends will still love you. Don't fall into the trap of letting your golf score determine how you feel about yourself. The less pressure you put on yourself makes it that much easier to play well! Good luck!

Sadly despite my best efforts, I can't seem to get rid of that slight over the top move at the top of my backswing/start of downswing. Everyone says shifting my weight left should cause my hands to drop in the slot, but they just won't. I've also worked on taking the club back more on plane, but I still get to the same position at the top. I spent 30 mins. at PGA today in the simulator and every single shot I hit was push/block right (not slice, just push). Anyone have any suggestions, other than take up a new hobby? Thanks. - Ed.

you may have expectations (self image) on how well you can play. That self image can sabotage you during a round so that your final score ends up in your comfort zone. You may play a few holes really well then all of a sudden out of nowhere you hit a drive ob or three putt a green. It doesn't make any logical sense. My issue is I never make any putts so I think of myself down deep as a bad putter and despite practice I either hit a good putt with the wrong speed or right speed but wrong line etc. it's not my putting that's bad it's my self image. I would suggest try visualizing yourself playing well and see if your game doesn't respond after a while. Just my $.02

I've been Playing Golf for: 40 yrs. My current handicap index or average score is: 8 (was as low as 4) My typical ball flight is: Draw The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: Pull hook or block. Here's a slo-mo down-the-line. A couple of things I'm working on: Half-way back club is too far inside. I think I can fix this on my own. The other (I think) significant issue is that little over-the-top redirect at the top of my swing. This causes the downswing plane to get too steep so I get toe deep divots and inconsistent ball striking. I've been trying to fix #2 for a while with minimal success. If anyone has any suggestions/drills I'm all ears. I think I'd prefer having my hands a bit deeper and the club a little laid off at the top rather than pointing down the line. If you see something else let me know. Thanks in advance! Videos:

I guess I'm feeling the need to vent a bit. I've been playing for 30 yrs. and at one point had an index of 4. Over the past few years, as I've tried to improve, despite my best efforts, all my index has done is gone up. I've been to four different teaching pros and spend about two hrs. per week practicing plus playing on the weekend. I've read some books on the head game. I still can't seem to hit more than 5 or 6 greens a round, or get up and down more than about 1 in 3. I realize that when you make swing changes you'll play worse for a while, then improve. I've been at it for over a year with nothing to show for my efforts than a much higher index. I feel like I'm the anti-testimonial; you know, the person who says they started working with this teacher or that method and took ten strokes off their game. Has anyone else been through this? Am I barking up the wrong tree? Do I just need to accept that this is as good as I can expect to play from now on? Thanks for the wisdom. - Ed.