MrQster

How? Can you elaborate how you improve your shot by gripping differently? I've always use the same grip as any normal iron shot. The sand was just normal, not fluffy and not hard. And due to the Covid situation, all lies are perfect (new bunker rule: lift and place on flat spot because of no raking to avoid contact)

This is quite embarrassing. I've been playing golf for about 25 years, average low 80, but suddenly I've been struggling so much in greenside bunkers this past few weeks. 2 weeks ago, shot 79 (avoided all bunkers), last week shot 89 (11 strokes in 4 bunkers), earlier today shot 91 (14 strokes in 5 bunkers). I've watched countless youtube videos on bunker lessons over the years, just this past week I watched about 20+ different videos but still struggled. I went back to the basic routine, wide stand, dig feet in, bent knees, stable stand, open my (56) sand wedge slightly, play the ball about 2-3 inches in front of the middle with about 60% weight on front foot, aim slightly left of target, hit the sand 2-3 inches in front of the ball. Ball just went low and straight into the bunker lip and bounced back into the bunker, and when I eventually got out, just barely off the bunker lip into the rough. This is so frustrating, I used to be able to get the ball on the green almost every time, but all of a sudden, I struggle like I've never played bunker before. Can anyone shed some light into this frustrating issue, thanks.

I've been playing golf for about 20 yrs, about 11 handicap. I used to be fairly consistent with my driver until this year, I suddenly hitting driver snap hook often on the course (about 4-5 times per round), after each round I went to the range and not hit even 1 snap hook. I'm quite puzzled on how to correct it as it doesn't happen on the range, only on the course. Any suggestion?

Thanks for your response DutchLeon, but my issue is definitely the mental game. I've developed a fairly consistent tempo swing over 20 years, so it's not the same kind of issue as a beginner. I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think a beginner would understand this kind of mental issue. A few years ago, a Pro named Michael Bembenick got a spot in a web.com tour and posted scores of 89 & 103, I'm sure he would normally shoots in the 70s, but the pressure probably gave him the Yip. Furthermore, I'm not "into the cycle of wanting to do better", I'm quite happy with my game shooting average low to mid 80. The only time I'm not happy is when I get the Yip and can't hit 1 decent shot. But thanks for the post anyway, appreciate that you're trying to help.

Golf is definitely a mental game for me, more for some than others. And I've seen it in a lot of golfers I played with, some are like me, can shoot 80 one day with GIR on almost every hole, then the next round posting 95, can't hit 1 decent shot. However, I have tried focusing just on the swing in the past, didn't help me, will try again when I get the Yip.

Definitely sounds familiar, it's seems to be the ego thing. I usually played my worse games when I really want to win and especially when there's a bet is on the line, mind you that our bets are quite small (just a few bucks for fun, we're not gamblers), but I just wanted to win so badly (again, ego thing) that caused my game to go from bad to worse. However lately I noticed that I played fairly consistent and haven't got the Yip in quite awhile, all because winning the game is not important any more, I'm just happy to be out there golfing (still recovering from golf elbow).

A couple of months ago, I played a round with a friend who's a doctor, asked him about it, he said there's not much I can do with it, however it's kind of strange that he recommended to me that I should just keep playing with it if not too painful and it will get better. So I kept on playing with it, I stopped when it's really painful, and play again when it got better. It's actually been getting better, I can play once a week now, just mild discomfort after the round, ice it a bit and it's ok for the next round.

I don't think I am in the same boat with the golfer you described above. I'm not a youngster who tries to hit 300 all the time as I'm in my late 40s. Late last year I spent an hour with the club pro on the range, and he only adjusted my swing plane slightly, he told me that I have a fairly controlled swing with good tempo so there's not much to fix. When I told him about my Yip issue, he told me it's all in my head and he couldn't fix that. The different between me and the gentleman you describe above is that I don't play bad in every competition. In half of my competitions, I would score really well. But in other times when my YIP started, I would not be able to hit 1 decent shot, playing like a 25-handicapper. I know it's golf and everyone would make a few mistakes in the round. But my case is extreme mental issue. My buddies tease me all the time that they feel like playing with a pro one day and with a beginner the next, I can shoot 79 one round and 105 the next round which is not just a few bad shots, it's just bad all the way around. When I told my friends I'm going to post my issue on this board, they told me it's no use because no one would understand my Yip problem and I believe them now because I don't think anyone else would experience something close to what I have. Next time I go out I will record my swing and post it.

Thanks Pete, I think you may understand my issue the most, seems like most others don't because I believe most people don't have the extreme mental issues I have and I don't blame them as I have not seen it in any of golfers I know over the last 20 years. Regarding your question, occasionally I get invited to play in a scramble tournament (vendor's, charity, etc.) where I play with people I don't know and I always play tremendously well, making great shots after great shots that I even surprised myself. Probably because I'm relax and have no expectation. I can't remember since when I started calling my issue the Yip. Once I get the Yip, I can't do anything right. When I start getting the Yip, I can't hit any club straight, bad hooks AND bad slides repeatedly, not just 1 type of mishit, chunking an easy wedge again and again, I can't chip or pitch properly, repeatedly 3-putts . When I get the Yip, I play like a 25-handicapper, but when I feel confident, I play like a scratch golfer. It's not like I want to score low every time, I know we all make mistakes, and I don't care much for having low score. My biggest fear is getting the Yip and loosing to my opponent. Even though I don't mind loosing the bet, I really do mind loosing the game and I think mostly because it's more to do with my pride. I don't think it's the lack of skills or lack of practice, Inconsistent golfer can not frequently shoots low 80s and high 70s. It's definitely 100% mental game for me. All I'm trying to do is to find a way to get my out of the Yip when I start getting it. Unfortunately not many people have this issue and can't comprehend what's it's like to have it.

I have a friend with just about the same handicap, and he shoots consistently mid 80s, rarely ever score higher than 90 but doesn't break 80 that often either, he's very consistent. I'd say 95% of his rounds score in between 83-88. I on the other hand, probably 25% in that range, 40% lower that range and 35% higher than that range. Extremely inconsistent.

I don't claim myself to be a low handicap golfer, and just for the record my current handicap is 11.6 according the club computer. I have done that as indicated in earlier post. When I go to the range, I alternate between drivers and irons, aim driver between 2 posts and aim irons on greens at various distances. I rarely missed my target, and green misses are always right besides the green. I've always walked away hating that I couldn't do that on the course. Many times after playing a horrible round where I consistently snap hook or slides my drives, I went to the range afterwards and hit my driver straight shot after straight shot, it's extremely frustrating. So the bottom line is, I need help on how to play golf without the anxiety. My friends many times laughed so hard because they could see my hands clearly shaking on a 2-foot putt and missed, after a previous game where 8 foot in were might as well gimmies because I couldn't miss. I enjoyed golfing with my buddies. I don't mind at all buying beers or lunches or 5 bucks, my major issue I think is my pride. I hate loosing the game, not loosing the bet. It's even more weird that whenever I play against this 1 friend who's only golfed for 4 years, I always loose scoring in the 90s. And when I played against another friend who's a low handicapper, I always play well, wins most games scoring high 70s and low 80s. I don't know what it is, I just know I have a mental game issue that I need to find a way to overcome it.

Last summer, there was a stretch where I play 4 games in a row with scores between 72 and 81. Mostly pars, many birdies, worst hole was 1 double-bogey in 4 rounds. How is it possible for a golfer who lacks in swing mechanics to do that 4 games in a row? After those 4 games, all my golf buddies asked me for strokes, so I give them strokes and the next round I think I shot 97. Whenever I play in a scramble tournament with business associates, they all think I'm a scratch golfer because every shot I hit is exactly what I wanted it to do, when there's no pressure at all. I even surprised myself with some of the shots, I can work the ball with a draw or a fade with ease, check or spin back my wedges. Hitting drives straight and much longer than my normal drives, etc. Late last fall in the club championship, I was so nervous, my knees and hands were shaking violently on the first tee I couldn't even make a swing, I gave up after 9 holes scoring 14-over. But 3 days later I came back to play with my son and I started off with 5 straight pars shooting 81 for the round. If that's not the mental game, I don't know what is. Can a golfer who lacks consistency in swing mechanics frequently shoots many rounds in the 70s and low 80s regularly? You tell me because I know I'm the only who can do that. I usually either score the lowest or highest in my group, not much in between. Does any golfer after years of playing still shake so much on the first tee that they couldn't even hold their hands still when lining up? missing a 1-foot straight putt? If that's not mental game, then I don't know what it is. Thanks Dave, I think I've tried it before, just focus on 1 shot, but I don't know why I keep getting anxious and shaky when I start "loosing it". I need to help to figure out a way to make this feeling go away. I'm going to try Yoga as pganapathy suggested, I hope someone can suggest something to do before the round to take my mind away from the competition and the "fear" of loosing it.

I strongly disagree. Golf is highly effected by the mental game. I'm not a scratch golfer but I'm not a high handicapper either. I shoot many rounds in low 80s and high 70s frequently, so I you are incorrect assuming that I am a high handicapper. Around the green, when I'm confident, I can get up and down from anywhere, I can make my ball checked up from the bunker every time, bump-and-run, chipping, pitching, flop shots, etc are no issue at all. But when I loose confident, I can't decide which shot to play to minimize the damage. I am quite certain it's the mental game as I have been playing golf for over 20 years and I'm sure I have developed a swing so it's not just the skill. I occasionally go to the driving range, I usually can consistently hit every green I aim at and hit driver dead straight every time so I can't find anything to fix on the range. But it's a totally different game on the course, I notice my game got worse in a match play, getting nervous, shaky hands, feeling the yip and hitting 1 bad shot after another. When I'm nervous, I miss 2-foot putt every time, but when I'm confident, I can roll the ball smoothly and sink every putt from 10 foot in. So for sure it's 100% mental game.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think the score is the issue. I always play with my buddies and we always have a friendly wager on the game (beers, lunches, etc.), I really don't care about the scores as I usually don't keep scores, leave it to someone else, and only know my score at the end of the round. I either have a relax feeling and cruise through the round, or got nervous from the get go and the whole game just goes down the drain after 2 or 3 holes. I just couldn't shake the tension once I have it.

Rory McIlroy -14 Hideki Matsuyama - 14 Matt Kuchar -14 PING is going to help me be fast and forgiving with the new G Driver and Crossover!

I strongly believe that I have a very bad mental game, I'd say that I'm the worst mental golfer compared to all my golf buddies and golfers in my club. I've been playing golf for 20 years, about 40-50 rounds a year, so it's not like I don't have muscle memory in my swing, but I can't even say what my handicap (or average score) is because of the huge difference in scores from game to game. My last 4 rounds of golf were 85, 98, 79, 102. There wasn't much difference in the slopes and ratings between the courses (shot 85 on the most difficult course and 79 on the easiest). 1 day I can hit my driver long and straight all day, confidently hit a driver straight down the middle on a narrow hole, then the next day my driver alternates between snap-hook and banana slides having to re-tee with a provisional shot hole after hole, penalties after penalties. 1 day hit 13 out of 14 fairways and 1 just of the first cut, next day would have maybe 1 fairway hit with 10 penalties off the tee in hazards or O/B. With the irons, I can get GIR on almost every hole 1 day, hitting the greens on almost every approach shot, then the next day I struggle on every approach shot regardless of the distance or club I use. Same thing on the greens, some day I feel every putt was easy and confidently sinking putts after putts, averaging less than 2 putts per hole. Then the next day I would 3-putt on every hole, missing a bunch of straight-up 2-footers, or can't control the distance, from 15 feet I would be 6 feet short or runs by the hole 8 feet. # of putts per game ranging from 30 to 50 putts When I loose confident, I can't hit any club, all I can think of is "don't screw up this shot" and usually ended up hitting fat or thin. But on the day I have confident, I rarely miss my target landing spot, my best round last year was 2-over-par with 1 eagle and 4 birdies whereas my worst round was 104 - go figure! It is extremely frustrating. I think it's all in my head, I just don't know what to do to get rid of the nerve when I loose confident. I've been nominated as the most inconsistent golfer by my golf buddies year after year because there's usually not a lot of close game, I either beat them badly or they beat me badly, not much in between. Any tip to get my game a little more consistent would be greatly appreciated. A very frustrated golfer

Thanks for all the recommendations. Thanks, unfortunately we did all the course bookings a couple of weeks ago. I'll try to connect with you on our next trip.

I'm sure I already indicated that I would not. But this is about him, not about me. If he wants to avoid the chance of being in the worse situation that he may loose and ignore the rules of golf and ettiquettes, then let him be. But from that point on, he's not a golfer that I want to spend my precious time with on the golf course. But that's just me, I have many golf buddies who respect the game as much as I do, if anyone of them do that, they would be off my preferred list.

A bit extreme? possibly, depending on whose point of view. And I can see that it would be extreme for those who don't take the game very seriously. And by seriously, I don't mean having serious face like the tour players throughout the round. My closest golf buddies and I take golf seriously, we play by the rules and respect golf ettiquettes, however we still joke around and having lots of fun on the course, we just don't "cheat" in any form. Life's too short, I rather playing this great game with someone I enjoy playing with, not those who care more about winning than golf rules & ettiquettes.

Actually I'm not looking for course recommendations. My buddies and I have found the courses that we want to play. I'm looking for tips and tricks playing golf on courses around LV. I can't recall where I heard from that greens of all courses around Las Vegas city are deceiving because they slope away from the Mountain even if they don't look it. I was hoping someone local in LV can confirm this info, and providing more tips and tricks like that.

Acupuncture? I'll check it out. Thanks Unfortunately I can't stop, I already paid for this trip last year, even before the golf elbow got really bad. We organized our winter golf trip months in advance.

Very interesting topic, I glanced through several posts but didn't notice anyone commented about this "opponent". If he declared playing his provisional ball without even looking for the first ball, then doesn't it tell you so much about his character. If this was me, I would comply with his wish not to look for his ball and continue to finish the game. But it would be my last round playing with him. To me, he's not a golfer and certainly not a gentleman, not worthy of playing this beautiful game. He obviously doesn't understand the meaning of the "provisional" ball, I don't expect people to spend exactly 5 minutes looking for a lost balls, but at least give it a bit of an effort, even 1 minute would do. Obviously, winning for this "opponent" matters more than the respect for the game of golf. Not someone I want to waste my time with when I'm out there to enjoy this wonderful game.

I posted my question below in the wrong forum, I'm looking for tips and tricks for playing golf in courses around Las Vegas. Thanks

2 questions would determine the answer: 1) can you clear 240 consistently and 2) how serious are you about your game (or score)? Unless you can carry 240 consistently, why even bother trying. Note the key word is consistently, meaning this shot is for someone who don't even see the creek as an issue. If you have to think about it, then don't. For me, I can clear this ditch with a decent drive, however considering the fear factor that would make me swing faster, I wouldn't even try because the strength of my game is mostly about course management. I'm more conscious about maintaining a decent score so I would lay up.