UnfairWay

I'm going to Faro with a mate in October, anyone know of any good resorts to recommend? Not too punishing please! I'm a very low standard (as in, don't even have a handicap) - so wide fairways preferred! We are looking to stay on site, so need a decent but reasonably priced hotel as well. All suggestions appreciated. We've already discounted Vale do Lobo which is supposedly very nice, as they have a maximum handicap stipulation.

IT looks good, I'll be getting a paper copy. Some books don't really translate to Kindle, especially if there are lots of graphics and diagrams so totally understand.

Do you still use a driver made of wood as well? Guess I'll get the paper version then ...

Is there a Kindle version?

I am a beginner, so this thread is a goldmine. Keep it up, please!

Anyone watch the men's rugby yesterday? Didn't catch it myself, but if anyone wants to see a great Olympic underdog story, Japan beating NZ would be right up there.

Thanks, at work so can't watch it right now but will give it a try.

I used to swear by ibuprofen, unfortunately I can't take it anymore because I have minor kidney problems - turns out ibuprofen is seriously bad for your kidneys, I had no idea until I was taken into hospital. I will try paracetamol which I also find effective. Thanks for your help. I really hope age isn't a major factor at 31! Unfamiliarity with the mechanics may be though, as @DaveP043 suggested. as for my exercise - yes I am desk-based, but I am generally sporty, play rugby in the winter. Saying that, I have been on a lay-off following an injury and haven't been to the gym for a while so could be contributing.

Do you play any other sports? Like you I am a late starter, so don't have a very repeatable swing (yet!). I have however played rugby and cricket since I was young, so both the techniques and psychological approaches of those two sports come much more naturally. Without boring you with details about sports you probably don't care about, I find it useful to channel certain familiar situations - situations where I am confident, even arrogant, because I know exactly what to do from years of rugby/cricket. Putting myself in that confident headspace gives me confidence in my golf swing which I haven't yet earned in its own right, if that makes sense.

Appreciate your response - especially that you remember a bit about me despite only having a few posts. "Serious amount of time" certainly doesn't mean 2-3 hours - the absolute max would be 100 balls, probably around an hour, maybe slightly more but not by much. Totally agree that productivity of practice drops as you go past a certain time, I am careful to avoid going past that point - often leaving the last few balls if I don't feel it's worth it at this point. On the other hand, it does sometimes take a long time and a lot of terrible shots before something suddenly "clicks", so I also look to make sure I persevere even if it feels unproductive. It's a fine balance. Your description of the swing sounds (hopefully) like what I'm doing. It also makes sense that driving would cause more pain, as the hips-faster-than-shoulders movement is more exaggerated. So maybe it is just a case of sticking it out, always stopping practice when it hurts. Also worth mentioning that the pain is always gone within an hour of stopping, not to return until I swing a club again. Just on what you said about "machine-gunning" - I actually find that approach can be useful to me if a cerebral approach isn't causing any progress. It is possible to overthink so thinking about the shot is doing more harm than good, I find that sometimes rapidly smacking a few balls one after the other bang bang bang bang bang can help instinct to kick in and help make a breakthrough. Worst case scenario, it lets off some frustration and I can take a breath, and go back to swinging thoughtfully with a clear head.

Had a similar thing, although with all irons not just the long ones, worked on it at the range yesterday. Keeping my right arm as straight as possible through the swing really helped me.

If I spend any serious amount of time at the range, I get a really painful lower back - this is especially bad if I'm using the driver. I have never particularly suffered from back problems in other areas of my life. What might be causing this? I have two theories myself: 1) Poor technique. Possibly I have a tendency to "hunch" rather than bending from the hips. It can feel better if I remember this and stick my backside out more in my address. 2) Wrong size clubs. I am tall at 6'3" and have a beginners set of clubs I bought off the rack, standard size. Is it possible that they are too short for me and putting pressure on my back? Any suggestions or advice?

Nice story! Also can't remember my first par, but my first birdie I do - it was only last year. On the longest hole on a par 3 course near me (only about 150 yards. Hit my tee shot nice and straight if slightly short, to just short of the green then chipped in from about 15 feet (at a guess). I remember mine too, don't expect she does though! Like my first Birdie, I've had better / more impressive ones since.

It's easy to say "forget that shot and move on to the next one" but it's a lot less easy to do it in reality. Telling yourself to do it doesn't necessarily achieve that. So the question is, how do you move on? Personally - the fact that I am not a very good golfer really helps. I've been playing just over a year, I always tell myself I went into this knowing it's a bloody difficult game and I cannot expect not to hit poor shots or I will never enjoy or get anything out of it. I appreciate others on the forum expect more from themselves and/or are playing at higher stakes, so this doesn't work for everyone! i have played various other sports at more competitive levels for most of my life though, so I do know a little bit about coping with pressure and recovering from mistakes etc. One thing I always try and do is go back to basics, just focus on the technique and muscle memory. This has two advantages, a) hopefully ensuring a correct technical action (in golf, the swing); and b) more importantly, it gives you something to focus on 100%, which blocks out all distractions for those few seconds - including the last poor shot. Often, I simply pick one aspect of the action (something I regularly have trouble with) and focus entirely on that thing. May not work for everyone, but works pretty well for me across various sports.

Danny Willett winning the Masters, partly because an unexpected first time winner is always exciting, partly because he's a Brit, partly because Spieth's collapse was great drama. Obviously Stenson Vs Michelson is right up there as well.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will certainly think about my wrists / forearms next time I putt or practice putting, and the Stan Utley book looks good, seems to get good reviews on this site and others so will definitely check it out. Can anyone recommend a good video tutorial? Verbal advice is useful but nothing beats seeing it for yourself. I'm careful of just googling this kind of thing, there's a whole load of info out there and I've got no way of knowing what's good and what's crap.

A narrow fairway, especially left dogleg as I always slice. Or any putt. I suck at putting full stop.

So I'm very new to this game and frankly not very good. However, I am improving - I've had a couple of lessons, put work in at the range to work on what my teacher tells me and it's having an effect. My irons are getting longer and straighter; my driving is still very, VERY slicey but the slice is getting less with work; chipping I haven't had a lesson on but the area I naturally feel most comfortable with so no major difficulty. The one big issue I have is with putting. All other shots I am far from perfect, but i have a method - I know what I am trying to do, I have a basic awareness of what causes problems, and therefore what to try and fix if I'm hitting it badly. I have never once been taught a putting technique, and don't expect to do much of it in future lessons (there's only so much you can focus on after all), but I need to develop a simple, basic technique which will service me OK for now. Can anyone recommend a basic technique, or a video article which will help me develop this. For context, my current, made up as I go along / copied from others technique: Thumbs both pointing straight down the shaft directly in front of my chest, fingers interlocking, right index finger on the back of the shaft Feet lined up Hands slightly in front (similar to set up for an iron) Head over the ball "Pendulum", all movement from the shoulders (wrists rigid)

I never get particularly upset, except a quick swear to myself, maybe in part because I'm a really bad golfer so I don't expect to play many good shots! One thing I do know, from years of playing sport (not just golf), is that losing control a) never makes you play better and b) never makes you enjoy playing more. I don't play competitively, so that probably helps. It's also important to play with the right people; the atmosphere of the group I play with is that someone else will often make a rude comment about my bad shot before I have, so I don't have a chance to take myself to seriously. Not for everyone that approach, but it's how my group interact and it works for us to keep us all grounded.

Total newbie here, both to the sport and the site. Last time I played was Saturday, shot 47 on a 9-hole par 3. Was actually the best I've ever played - as I said, I'm very new to golf and I literally never go through 9 holes without having a complete swing meltdown and forgetting how to play at some point, but not this time. The only really bad moment was taking 4 shots to get out of a bunker, but I'm actually not too bothered about that - bunker shots are simply a technique I don't really know yet, you can't work on everything at once and there are more important aspects of the game to focus on at this stage of my development. Like not getting into bunkers in the first place... Played with a mate who is not brilliant but definitely more comfortable around the course than me. My two aims for the round were to par at least one hole; and to beat him on at least one hole. In the event I parred one (would also have parred the first if I'd given myself a Mulligan off the tee) and beat him on 4 out of 9 holes. And kept in touch with him right until the final hole - he had a bit of a shocker, but still. He only beat me by 2 shots which I'll take given he's been playing many more years than me.

Haha, no, although I'm sure it's not an uncommon sight on golf courses around the world! Actually I wanted a picture that summed up my relationship with the game, so I googled "Golfer after a terrible shot" or something!

Thanks for the words of encouragement everyone. Any advice / pointers on what to look for in lessons and how to get the best out of them would be really useful. I used to be a teacher, so have a keen understanding that there's a world of difference between attending a class and learning from it.

Can I have a mulligan ... ? I'm a total beginner - I haven't even played a full 18 hole course yet. Just taken up golf at 31 having played other sports, especially rugby and cricket, my whole life. I'm really enjoying it, and definitely improving (from a base of zero) over my first 6 months / 1 year of playing, but Jesus Christ it's a difficult game! Got my first lesson booked in a week or so, I hope a few lessons early on should get me into good habits for the rest of my days, fingers crossed. Looking forward to chatting golf with more experienced and knowledgeable people, although I'll tell you know I'll have a hell of a lot more questions than answers! Please be patient. From London, UK. Mainly play at Dukes Meadows, a 9-hole par 3 course in Chiswick.