BogeyFinder

cnosil, you just pointed out one of my biggest fears and that's that my body is almost conditioned to mentally or physically stay off my front knee. Mental hurdles are not a strong point.

No problem on the long post, sometimes we just need to vent.   While I don't live in your area, so I can't give you an in person instructor,  technology has taken over and there is a wide assortment of instructors online.   Online gives you the opportunity to find a coach anywhere in the world that can help you on a budget that you can manage.   I know several people on here; including myself, have taken lessons from Jason Nickol (https://www.nickolgolf.com/ and on skillest) and others from Monte Schienblum.   I'd download skillest and have a look; many instructors even give you a free consultation to talk about your game.     
As for number 2,  the instructor can help you with practice and routine.    The big question is what do you want to accomplish with the practice?   
My thought on distance loss, is that it might simply be that you are still apprehensive about the knee.  The body tries to protect itself from injury and you just need to get past the mental hurdle that it is healed.   

Hello all,

This is my first post outside of my intro post in the "introduce yourself" forum. I was trying to find a good place to talk golf with strangers and appears I have found quite the treasure trove of knowledge and experience here at My Golf Spy. It also seems like a wide breadth of golfers across the spectrum, which I like. 

Anyhow, quick history as context is important, I started playing golf when I was 10. That was 39 years ago. My golfing past is a patchwork quilt that started in those first 10 years working at golf courses, taking lessons as a kid (I did not respect the game a whole lot back then, did it at the urging of my father. Golf wasnt cool in the 80's and where I was from you could catch some hell for playing. That all changed after college of course)  The second ten years brought in a host of friends to play with, but I didnt play nearly as often. Add in the fact that I lived in the midwest my whole life with about 5-6 maybe golf months out of the year, it was an up and down journey. Through most of my 20's and early 30's I lived in a large city and it made getting out to play a bit of a struggle. 8 hour commitment round trip on some days. I probably logged 8-10 rounds per season. But I stilled played golf as much as possible with a range session or two a month thrown in for good measure.

Fast Forward into my late 30's and a move to the Chicago burbs made golf quite a bit more accessible. I had courses nearby and could hit and play more often. Even with newborns and young children at home, I was able to increase slightly my amount of play. I also started practicing more. In general, be it location or age or whatever, I started taking the golf a bit more seriously. I was able to get my Handicap down to a 10.5 at one point and consistently shot in the mid to upper 80's.  This would be short lived because.....

I moved to Minnesota at the start of my 40's. Now, there is nothing wrong with Minnesota, the golf season is about 2 weeks shorter on both ends then say Illinois or southern Michigan, but all in all, the resources are available, and courses are abundant enough. Not quite the amount of courses as say, Michigan or illinois, but enough.

Two things were difficult...

1) Finding people to play with as I knew very few people
2) Finding preferred instructors/ fitters etc.....

I resolved problem number 1 over time, but I played very little golf in the first 6 years I lived here. However now I have been in a weekly league for the past 4 years and have a regular-ish group I play with on the side. So the frequency issue is cured.

Problem #2 not so much but we will get back to that.....

Ever since picking up in a weekly league, I have played more golf than ever in my life for an extended period of time. Its been great. I look forward to Wednesday nights in the summer. 

Now on to the reason for this very long post.....

I am cruising along and for the first time in my life am starting to see my golf game "mature." I am hitting shots I had not been able to in the past, getting decent distance and really enjoying the game and playing somewhat competitively. Granted, long gone are the days of my 10.5 handicap, and due to the first 6 years of relative inactive golf, I slumped back down into a 12.5-13.5 range that I couldn't seem to get out of even now that I was in regular league play and getting a bit of practice on the side. It never really bothered me as I was enjoying playing and just happy to be on the course regularly and always felt I was a move or an adjustment away from possibly getting better...or maybe it was just a little weight loss was needed. At any rate, this too would be short lived as I tore my meniscus badly in the spring of 2021. It folded over in my knee and surgery was needed. I tried to muscle though the early portion of 2021 season but put the clubs away and got the surgery. It shut down almost all activity from about August 1 until late september when I attempted to come back and play.....I got one round in, the knee felt not great and I put the clubs away for the remainder of the year in an effort to rehab and come back strong in 2022.

2022 was a disaster. My knee healed over time...it will never be the same, but I can and have walked 18 with no real ill effects. I played a good amount last year, and over the winter have been working in the dome, etc....the more I play the worse my results get. From a feel standpoint, my swing feels bad and may be the first time in my life it doesnt feel familiar. I also have literally lost all my distance. Its not just on tee balls, but on every club. Its almost like I lost an easy 10 yards on every Iron and about 20-25 on my driver. I have never been an extremely long hitter, always pretty average. Distance was something I could always count on being pretty locked in, no matter how long I took off from playing etc.... All of the sudden, its like someone put a limiter on my clubs.  It makes playing longer courses and holes very challenging. I am not that old, my distance should not be effected to this point!
 
At any rate, I came here to vent and maybe get some advice from others. I am looking for the following things in no particular order:

1) I need a lesson or at least an assessment of what I am doing wrong. - Where do you guys go to find good pros in your area? I have had a few lessons locally in the past and they may have done more harm than good. Willing to listen to advice on finding a pro and club fitter. Anyone from the SW Twin Cities that knows one that does both?
2) I need a practice plan or routine - I can say with some embarrassment, as long as I have played, I have never had great practice plan or routine.  When I go to the range I have my routine, but there is no rhyme or reason to it. I swing at the range for every reason other than improving my game....its to get loose before a round, or to go clear my head and get outside. I think I need to learn how to practice? That sounds stupid, but true.

Resources for either of the above would be very helpful. I feel like the track I am on right now is making things worse the more I play, not better, and that's a weird feeling.

Thank you for reading any or all and sorry for the long post.

 

Hello all,

This is my first post outside of my intro post in the "introduce yourself" forum. I was trying to find a good place to talk golf with strangers and appears I have found quite the treasure trove of knowledge and experience here at My Golf Spy. It also seems like a wide breadth of golfers across the spectrum, which I like. 

Anyhow, quick history as context is important, I started playing golf when I was 10. That was 39 years ago. My golfing past is a patchwork quilt that started in those first 10 years working at golf courses, taking lessons as a kid (I did not respect the game a whole lot back then, did it at the urging of my father. Golf wasnt cool in the 80's and where I was from you could catch some hell for playing. That all changed after college of course)  The second ten years brought in a host of friends to play with, but I didnt play nearly as often. Add in the fact that I lived in the midwest my whole life with about 5-6 maybe golf months out of the year, it was an up and down journey. Through most of my 20's and early 30's I lived in a large city and it made getting out to play a bit of a struggle. 8 hour commitment round trip on some days. I probably logged 8-10 rounds per season. But I stilled played golf as much as possible with a range session or two a month thrown in for good measure.

Fast Forward into my late 30's and a move to the Chicago burbs made golf quite a bit more accessible. I had courses nearby and could hit and play more often. Even with newborns and young children at home, I was able to increase slightly my amount of play. I also started practicing more. In general, be it location or age or whatever, I started taking the golf a bit more seriously. I was able to get my Handicap down to a 10.5 at one point and consistently shot in the mid to upper 80's.  This would be short lived because.....

I moved to Minnesota at the start of my 40's. Now, there is nothing wrong with Minnesota, the golf season is about 2 weeks shorter on both ends then say Illinois or southern Michigan, but all in all, the resources are available, and courses are abundant enough. Not quite the amount of courses as say, Michigan or illinois, but enough.

Two things were difficult...

1) Finding people to play with as I knew very few people
2) Finding preferred instructors/ fitters etc.....

I resolved problem number 1 over time, but I played very little golf in the first 6 years I lived here. However now I have been in a weekly league for the past 4 years and have a regular-ish group I play with on the side. So the frequency issue is cured.

Problem #2 not so much but we will get back to that.....

Ever since picking up in a weekly league, I have played more golf than ever in my life for an extended period of time. Its been great. I look forward to Wednesday nights in the summer. 

Now on to the reason for this very long post.....

I am cruising along and for the first time in my life am starting to see my golf game "mature." I am hitting shots I had not been able to in the past, getting decent distance and really enjoying the game and playing somewhat competitively. Granted, long gone are the days of my 10.5 handicap, and due to the first 6 years of relative inactive golf, I slumped back down into a 12.5-13.5 range that I couldn't seem to get out of even now that I was in regular league play and getting a bit of practice on the side. It never really bothered me as I was enjoying playing and just happy to be on the course regularly and always felt I was a move or an adjustment away from possibly getting better...or maybe it was just a little weight loss was needed. At any rate, this too would be short lived as I tore my meniscus badly in the spring of 2021. It folded over in my knee and surgery was needed. I tried to muscle though the early portion of 2021 season but put the clubs away and got the surgery. It shut down almost all activity from about August 1 until late september when I attempted to come back and play.....I got one round in, the knee felt not great and I put the clubs away for the remainder of the year in an effort to rehab and come back strong in 2022.

2022 was a disaster. My knee healed over time...it will never be the same, but I can and have walked 18 with no real ill effects. I played a good amount last year, and over the winter have been working in the dome, etc....the more I play the worse my results get. From a feel standpoint, my swing feels bad and may be the first time in my life it doesnt feel familiar. I also have literally lost all my distance. Its not just on tee balls, but on every club. Its almost like I lost an easy 10 yards on every Iron and about 20-25 on my driver. I have never been an extremely long hitter, always pretty average. Distance was something I could always count on being pretty locked in, no matter how long I took off from playing etc.... All of the sudden, its like someone put a limiter on my clubs.  It makes playing longer courses and holes very challenging. I am not that old, my distance should not be effected to this point!
 
At any rate, I came here to vent and maybe get some advice from others. I am looking for the following things in no particular order:

1) I need a lesson or at least an assessment of what I am doing wrong. - Where do you guys go to find good pros in your area? I have had a few lessons locally in the past and they may have done more harm than good. Willing to listen to advice on finding a pro and club fitter. Anyone from the SW Twin Cities that knows one that does both?
2) I need a practice plan or routine - I can say with some embarrassment, as long as I have played, I have never had great practice plan or routine.  When I go to the range I have my routine, but there is no rhyme or reason to it. I swing at the range for every reason other than improving my game....its to get loose before a round, or to go clear my head and get outside. I think I need to learn how to practice? That sounds stupid, but true.

Resources for either of the above would be very helpful. I feel like the track I am on right now is making things worse the more I play, not better, and that's a weird feeling.

Thank you for reading any or all and sorry for the long post.

 

How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score?
Since I was 10 (39 years) / 16.7 HDCP currently (lowest handy ever is 10.5)
What do you love about golf?
Hitting my intended shot/hanging with the guys
What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies?
Tech and gear, advice, candid reviews
Where are you from? What is your home course?
Originally from Michigan, lived in Chicago for 15 years, now in Minnesota (Twin Cities) for past 10
What are the best and worst things about golf in your region?
The courses are constantly busy through the prime golf season as are the ranges. There are enough courses to play and one of the best ranges is in my area.
What do you do for a living?
Software Quality Assurance Analyst 
How’d you pick your user name?
It's what I seem to do on the course.

How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score?
Since I was 10 (39 years) / 16.7 HDCP currently (lowest handy ever is 10.5)
What do you love about golf?
Hitting my intended shot/hanging with the guys
What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies?
Tech and gear, advice, candid reviews
Where are you from? What is your home course?
Originally from Michigan, lived in Chicago for 15 years, now in Minnesota (Twin Cities) for past 10
What are the best and worst things about golf in your region?
The courses are constantly busy through the prime golf season as are the ranges. There are enough courses to play and one of the best ranges is in my area.
What do you do for a living?
Software Quality Assurance Analyst 
How’d you pick your user name?
It's what I seem to do on the course.

How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score?
Since I was 10 (39 years) / 16.7 HDCP currently (lowest handy ever is 10.5)
What do you love about golf?
Hitting my intended shot/hanging with the guys
What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies?
Tech and gear, advice, candid reviews
Where are you from? What is your home course?
Originally from Michigan, lived in Chicago for 15 years, now in Minnesota (Twin Cities) for past 10
What are the best and worst things about golf in your region?
The courses are constantly busy through the prime golf season as are the ranges. There are enough courses to play and one of the best ranges is in my area.
What do you do for a living?
Software Quality Assurance Analyst 
How’d you pick your user name?
It's what I seem to do on the course.