A rant from a frustrated golfer >:(

[mbrodeur86]

               

 

Friends,

 

My level of frustration has never been higher in my 9 years learning this great game. I have worked my butt off to reach a 5.6 handicap (now 6 and going up) and...God I just don't know what to do anymore.

 

It's starts from the irons. For some reason, 95% of my shots are left of target. I can't seem to align myself and when I do - it still goes left. I am wondering if it's an issue of them being too upright? Has my swing changed THAT MUCH since last year? Why, no matter how much right I aim, it still goes left???? 

 

Wedges - like throwing darts and completely missing the dartboard. Unbelievable. Used to be able to drop and stop on a dime. Now I can barely hit the green on a 50 yard pitch shot!

 

I suddenly can't align my putts either. My speed has always been good but I just can't seem to read a green anymore. I usually end up inside 2 feet left or right of target. I might shoot a bad score but I can't recover. I miss at least 5-8 birdies a round - no joke - because I am hitting greens but always leave myself 20 foot putts or more for birdie. 

 

My driver is inconsistent now. Before I could hit a small draw or fade almost on command ( would say 8 out of 10 times) and my go to shot is a slight fade. Now I am all over the place. WHY????

 

Fairway wood. Horrible. A club I could crush without issue now has a hard time getting it off the ground. 

 

I'm at a point where I am about to sell EVERYTHING and start over from scratch. The club championship is the second weekend of August and at this rate I'm not going to play it. 

 

Advice? Tips? ANYTHING? Help!!!

[KCLeo12]

Wow sounds like you have a lot going on. Your irons sound like they are upright. Go get refit and your clubs adjusted. When I struggle with putting its an eyeline issue. My eyes are usually to far inside the line of the ball. Not sure about the wedges.

 

I suggest go to et fit for your whole bag and have everything adjusted to those specs.

[silver & black]

And I thought I was the Lone Ranger! I understand what you are going through. I can shoot 76 one day and 94 the next. My misses are almost always left.... with everything. This a recent thing with me. I have no idea why.

[Eseay32]

How are your eyes??? What's happening with the wedges? Such a short shot and minor body movements but you're still missing?

 

 

Knoxville, TN. 6HDCP, TM R11S driver. G25 3 wood, burner Rescue. Ping I irons, Rac 52,56,60 & 2ball odyssey putter

[mbrodeur86]

they are 2 degree upright + .25" for a 38" 5 iron Ping i20's. I have no way of getting fit without travelling a long ways. I was thinking that they really are too upright but at the same time last year they were great. If my swing has changed so much, what's the point of anyone getting fit? I'm always tinkering with my swing, trying different stuff but nothing seems to be working anymore.

[mbrodeur86]

And I thought I was the Lone Ranger! I understand what you are going through. I can shoot 76 one day and 94 the next. My misses are almost always left.... with everything. This a recent thing with me. I have no idea why.

 

 

I hear ya bud. I shot 1 round under 80 (a 77) everything else is 83-90

[RoverRick]

Take up tennis?

 

When I have this problem it comes down to two things. Fundamentals and getting lazy and swaying not turning.

 

Bottom line is you know how to play golf. You know how to make a good swing. You now need to develop a preshot routine that focuses on the fundamentals and getting in the proper mind set. Then once you are set up and have reinforced you fundamentals, you need to focus on the target and forget the swing. 

 

Basically, set up correctly and get out of your own way mentally.

 

(As soon as I can do this myself, I'll let you know.) HaHa 

[Jmikecpa]

Sometimes the best thing to do is take a break for a week or so. I went through a stretch that I couldn't break 80 at my club, some due to injury but mostly I became a head case. It started for me with long irons and then went into every aspect of my game. I took two weeks off from the game and then got back to it and most of the bad habits I learned are now gone. First round back I hadn't hit a ball in two plus weeks until that morning and went out and fired a one over 71 on a very tough golf course. I had zero expectations for the round and just went out and focused on fundamentals. Sometimes when it goes wrong you press too hard and that makes it a hell of a lot worse.

 

 

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[mbrodeur86]

How are your eyes??? What's happening with the wedges? Such a short shot and minor body movements but you're still missing?

 

 

Knoxville, TN. 6HDCP, TM R11S driver. G25 3 wood, burner Rescue. Ping I irons, Rac 52,56,60 & 2ball odyssey putter

 

 

Eyes are good. I think Rover might be on to something. 2 much crap going on between the ears. 

[mbrodeur86]

Sometimes the best thing to do is take a break for a week or so. I went through a stretch that I couldn't break 80 at my club, some due to injury but mostly I became a head case. It started for me with long irons and then went into every aspect of my game. I took two weeks off from the game and then got back to it and most of the bad habits I learned are now gone. First round back I hadn't hit a ball in two plus weeks until that morning and went out and fired a one over 71 on a very tough golf course. I had zero expectations for the round and just went out and focused on fundamentals. Sometimes when it goes wrong you press too hard and that makes it a hell of a lot worse.

 

 

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I kinda did or do in  the sense that I'm not playing as much as I used to. Was thinking that might be a problem so trying to play more. I feel that whenI look down, I always try to aim the face towards the target than bring my body into it, take a practice swing, than line up and shoot. I feel after the practice swing, my face seems more closed than when I lined up. I'm not sure if it's just me or maybe I would be more comfortable looking down at irons with less offset?

[Eseay32]

You picking a spot out in front of you to align yourself? Most teachers say pick a spot, line up and go. Once you are aligned with the putter or a club you shouldn't then take a swing or practice stroke etc. confidence is a lot of it and if you are in your head you are gonna struggle but that's why I asked about the wedges. If you aren't right on a 50 yard swing you will struggle when trying to hit one 180

 

 

Knoxville, TN. 6HDCP, TM R11S driver. G25 3 wood, burner Rescue. Ping I irons, Rac 52,56,60 & 2ball odyssey putter

[Jmikecpa]

I kinda did or do in  the sense that I'm not playing as much as I used to. Was thinking that might be a problem so trying to play more. I feel that whenI look down, I always try to aim the face towards the target than bring my body into it, take a practice swing, than line up and shoot. I feel after the practice swing, my face seems more closed than when I lined up. I'm not sure if it's just me or maybe I would be more comfortable looking down at irons with less offset?

Are you regripping the club before you hit the ball at address?  If you are you could be adjusting to what your eyes are seeing and closing the club.  Sometimes I struggle with the line and do just that.  When I get i that pattern I take the club and hold it waist high pointing in front of me and extend my arms.  The face position when you do that mirrors what the face will be at impact.  If if is closed for me that is an issue.  I can play a bit open but closed is very problematic.  

[EthanSterlingPrice]

That sounds like a bit of a mental block to me, don't get me wrong there's definitely some technical difficulties but after a while it creeps into the brain and gets really hard to remove trust me I've been there not too long ago. It got bad enough to where I had full swing yips, but what helped me was totally scrapping my pre shot routine and building a new one then going to the range for a week or so and only hitting my wedges that's where I find it easiest to spot any swing faults. It helps to record your swing if you can. As for the equipment concerns if you really want to know you can purchase some impact tape at golf stores or online. It will show where on the face you make contact and there's even some you can put on the sole of an iron to check the lie. Hope some of that helps!

 

 

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[Kor.A.Door]

STOP THINKING ABOUT EVERYRHING. The farther right that you aim, the farther left you will hit it. This isn't a swing issue, it's a mental issue, when I get into these issues, I have to remember to slow down mentally, we've talked about that in preparing for tourneys threads, but sometimes you have to do it in your Saturday rounds as well. My advice would be to slow yourself down in everything you do. A break for a week can also help get your mind right,, when you come off winter beeak and start playing you hit the ball well because there is no expectation, since there is no expectation you don't think, so stop thinking grip it and rip it. For the wedge shots, try using a different club for a while, instead of 52 or 56, use pw or 9, and pitch and run it until the feel comes back. Keep plugging away you will find it.

[hckymeyer]

STOP THINKING ABOUT EVERYTHING. 

 

Nailed it.  It's most likely nothing to do with your swing (or maybe a slight setup tweak), it's all mental.  3 weeks ago I shot 74 three times in a row and dropped my handy from 5 to 3.8.  Now I can't hit the broad side a barn and shot 86 today.  

 

It's 100% mental for me.  I just am not in to it, too much going on outside of golf and I'm letting it creep into my game.   If I had a quick and easy fix I would tell you all about it, but sometimes you just have to ride it out or take some time off.  Let's face it, we don't play golf for a living and sometimes we aren't on our A game.   Take a little break and reset the expectations.  Concentrate on the good shots and let the bad ones fade away.  Remember at the end of the day we get to be outside for 4+ hours and attempt to play the game we love.  

[chershey]

I 100% agree with everyone above on your current mental game. For me, I play me best when I follow the advice in "Golf is not a game of perfect" by Bob Rotella. Basically start thinking about where you want to hit and less about your swing when you play. You might be getting way to mechanical.

[fozcycle]

Remember when Tin Cup got to the US Open practice range?  What did Romeo tell him to do?

 

Untie & retie your left shoe....empty your left pocket and put it in the right pocket.....turn your hat around.....put the tee behind your left ear.......why? Because your thinking too much, now get out there and just hit the ball!

[mbrodeur86]

Great stuff guys!! I'm going to take all your advice to heart and try to empty my head more. There are some issues outside of golf for me and the biggest problem is my job.

 

Ever since I was 3 years old I've always wanted to play in a band. My older brother is 7 years older than me and really influenced my taste in music when I was young. Anyways that's what I wanted to do until 9 years ago when I picked up a golf club. Now all I want to do is work in the golf industry. I would love to do anything related to golf at this point. Problem is that I live in New Brunswick Canada and there aren't many opportunities here. I've called and emailed golf nb to see if I could get in there. They said that they would call me back and that they love my passion for the game but no call yet.

 

The other problem is the politics at my home course. There are some people there who do not want to see me succeed and win the club championship. They don't like that my father won it 9 times and is the all time leader in wins. That sits in the back of my head Everytime I go play a round.

 

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[PlaidJacket]

I know nobody would ever do this of course but.... go see your swing coach. If possible get some video of your swing. And like others have suggested. Take a break. There are other interesting things in life besides this ridiculous game. (although I can't think of any)

[mbrodeur86]

I know nobody would ever do this of course but.... go see your swing coach. If possible get some video of your swing. And like others have suggested. Take a break. There are other interesting things in life besides this ridiculous game. (although I can't think of any)

I've never taken a lesson because there is no pro at my club. I figured if I had a shred of my dad's talent I don't need them lol.

 

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[Kenny B]

 I'm always tinkering with my swing, trying different stuff but nothing seems to be working anymore.

 

Everyone is right.  PJ says to see your swing coach, which is the first thing I would do.  But if your coach is not close, then take a video of your swing from face-on and down-the-line.  You can do it with your cell phone.  You will be amazed at what you might see.  It's perception vs. reality.  What you think you are doing vs. what you are really doing.  

 

When you say that you are always tinkering with your swing, my guess is that you have changed something that may have been a bad thing, and now it has become your new norm... so it feels normal, but the results are all wrong.  Find out what you changed and work on the correct move to get back to where you were.  When you get there, make sure to take a video of your swing when it's on, so you have a frame of reference for the next time it happens.

[mbrodeur86]

Everyone is right. PJ says to see your swing coach, which is the first thing I would do. But if your coach is not close, then take a video of your swing from face-on and down-the-line. You can do it with your cell phone. You will be amazed at what you might see. It's perception vs. reality. What you think you are doing vs. what you are really doing.

 

When you say that you are always tinkering with your swing, my guess is that you have changed something that may have been a bad thing, and now it has become your new norm... so it feels normal, but the results are all wrong. Find out what you changed and work on the correct move to get back to where you were. When you get there, make sure to take a video of your swing when it's on, so you have a frame of reference for the next time it happens.

Absolutely. Gonna try to go to the range tomorrow and try it.

 

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[Johnnyrogs]

A fresh set of eyes on your swing can do wonders. I hope you break out of it soon, based on your index, you're too good to go through it for too long.

[MmmmmmBuddy]

I suspect that you are fighting alignment issues. Misalignment can sneak its way into your stance with out you knowing it, and really F stuff up. It is a difficult thing to self diagnose, but nothing that a little time on the range won't fix.  2 clubs on the range and a large bucket, and you should be good to go. 

 

I only know this because I am experiencing something similar.

[mbrodeur86]

I suspect that you are fighting alignment issues. Misalignment can sneak its way into your stance with out you knowing it, and really F stuff up. It is a difficult thing to self diagnose, but nothing that a little time on the range won't fix. 2 clubs on the range and a large bucket, and you should be good to go.

 

I only know this because I am experiencing something similar.

Tried this a little while back and it doesn't seem to translate over to the course

 

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[AH1980MN]

Aim dead at the target. If you try to aim right to correct a left miss, your body will compensate and pull it farther left.

[MmmmmmBuddy]

So, if you are able to correct the flight issues that you are experiencing on the range, but not able to make the same corrections on the course, then I would absolutely point at alignment as a culprit. Take an extra 5-10 seconds on each shot on the course to make sure that you are aligned properly, then let it go. 

[apprenti23]

Yea, you should just quit. I'll PayPal you $50 and a FedEx label for your whole bag.

[Looper4life]

Your just more critical of your misses now. When you reach that 6 index area youve obviously been grinding hard. Now a missed wedge or miss aligned putt seems worse because your more focused. I considered myself a great putter until i hit a 7 index....then every missed birdie or par really burns in the memory....as for your irons put tape on the sole of the club and swing on a hitting mat. ..where ever the streak is will tell you if your flat or upright. My personal opinion is check your grips....you may need a med to large grip or a couple extra wraps under a standard....it helps prevent over active hands...or least calm them down....

[Badfish]

I went through alignment issues about a month ago.  It's funny, but my coach had me use balls with fat sharpie alignment marks on them.  Then when I practiced I would line up every shot.  Not just putts, every shot.  2 rounds of this and voila.