Still struggling

[Big money]

Into my sixth lesson of throwing motion as a golf swing.And sadly, I still can’t replicate my simple under hand toss with even a 10 yard pitch.The pro is excellent, and one of the most easy going guys I have ever met.He makes me feel so relaxed and really inspires me mastering this golf swing Mumbo Jumbo.Just beating myself up why I can’t physically do this simple task.Over and over nightly I practice his drills and can’t do it.Ive even spent evenings just under hand tossing golf balls in my net with no club.Are some of us just doomed?And I think I’m in the majority here.Such a simple task.My swing is all hit and casting-over extending-no turn thru.Just can’t reprogram myself.This teacher is by far the best I’ve ever had.He knows the swing and he has such a strong stable of players he has helped.Really frustrating, have had some great teachers thru the seasons.And no one has changed my ingrained bad motion.Almost feel like giving up and just hit the darn ball and deal with the consequences 

[Mr. 82]

Not really sure what to say to that, except to tell you a story from my early 20's, when I was still fishing around for what to do with my life, and I interviewed with Steeda.  I walked in for an accounting position and they tried to convince me to sell parts to Mustang enthusiasts.  I was somewhat intrigued by the turn of events, and went home and told my Dad what I went through and without missing a beat he said, "You're no salesman."

We all have different gifts in life.  How we discover what ours is is up to us.

I'll give you another story from my childhood.  I took years of piano lessons, and practiced endless hours, with minimal satisfactory results.  By high school I had lost patience with practicing between lessons, and just stopped trying to learn songs by reading the music.  I'd show up at lessons, having not done a thing, and I think halfway through my senior year of high school my piano teacher actually gave up on me and said, "You'll never be a classical pianist, so let's just teach you how to read chords."  That story actually ends in an encouraging way, because for years I would struggle through trying to sight read for the piano off of the music and I was pretty bad.  I mean, if my life depended on me being able to play a simple piece for the piano, I would be dead by now.  But once I learned how to read the chords, and play chords, my piano skills took off in a whole other direction.  Now I can play piano and sight read just about any popular music out there, as long as it has chords written on the page.  Sure, I just don't have the ability to play classical piano, but I can sure as heck rip the keyboard for any popular song with chords and make it sound decent.

The moral of the story is that sometimes, no matter how much effort we put into something, we'll never achieve our goals.  I mean, who are we kidding here.  I can spend every waking moment practicing golf and trying to improve my game in an attempt to become scratch, but the golf gods look down on me with scorn and derision, and have simply told me that a 4 handicap is the best I will ever be.

Find what works for you, and don't kill yourself trying to do something you're not cut out for or can't master in a fair amount of time and practice.  If it isn't meant to be, it isn't meant to be.

[RickyBobby_PR]

It’s a drill and not all people can do all drills. Some drills click for some people and not for others.

if this is the only thing your instructor is focused on and can’t see thatnyou are unable to perform it and isn’t giving you another drill to accomplish the same end result then imo it’s time to part ways and find another instructor.

imo this is no different than an instructor who teaches one swing to all students even if their physical abilities don’t allow them to make that swing

 

[Big money]

I would say just worry about your short game. Your not a pro and will never be. If using your natual swing makes golf easier and more enjoyable for you . Than just do that 

[Big money]

You have any other hobbies? 

[ole gray]

On 2/5/2019 at 11:45 AM, GSwag said:

Not really sure what to say to that, except to tell you a story from my early 20's, when I was still fishing around for what to do with my life, and I interviewed with Steeda.  I walked in for an accounting position and they tried to convince me to sell parts to Mustang enthusiasts.  I was somewhat intrigued by the turn of events, and went home and told my Dad what I went through and without missing a beat he said, "You're no salesman."

We all have different gifts in life.  How we discover what ours is is up to us.

I'll give you another story from my childhood.  I took years of piano lessons, and practiced endless hours, with minimal satisfactory results.  By high school I had lost patience with practicing between lessons, and just stopped trying to learn songs by reading the music.  I'd show up at lessons, having not done a thing, and I think halfway through my senior year of high school my piano teacher actually gave up on me and said, "You'll never be a classical pianist, so let's just teach you how to read chords."  That story actually ends in an encouraging way, because for years I would struggle through trying to sight read for the piano off of the music and I was pretty bad.  I mean, if my life depended on me being able to play a simple piece for the piano, I would be dead by now.  But once I learned how to read the chords, and play chords, my piano skills took off in a whole other direction.  Now I can play piano and sight read just about any popular music out there, as long as it has chords written on the page.  Sure, I just don't have the ability to play classical piano, but I can sure as heck rip the keyboard for any popular song with chords and make it sound decent.

The moral of the story is that sometimes, no matter how much effort we put into something, we'll never achieve our goals.  I mean, who are we kidding here.  I can spend every waking moment practicing golf and trying to improve my game in an attempt to become scratch, but the golf gods look down on me with scorn and derision, and have simply told me that a 4 handicap is the best I will ever be.

Find what works for you, and don't kill yourself trying to do something you're not cut out for or can't master in a fair amount of time and practice.  If it isn't meant to be, it isn't meant to be.

There's a whole lot of wisdom in your words!  Well said

[fixyurdivot]

On 2/5/2019 at 9:14 AM, Big money said:

just hit the darn ball and deal with the consequences

Were I in your position and really like and want to play the game, this would be my approach... and it was. A couple decades ago, I played to an 11 handicap but so desperately wanted to be a single digit player.  I took lessons from a local pro who was well regarded.  Long story short, his changes simply did not work for me - at least consistently.  Further, I started experiencing lower back pain that I'd not had before. My game and handicap went to hell for a couple years.  This was really disappointing and the results, combined with some big shifts in responsibility at work, travel, etc., had my clubs collecting dust. 

When I returned to the game a few years later, I simply went to the range and hit balls using the old school basics I was taught as a yute. My principal focus was swing tempo, particularly take-away speed which had always been a problem for me (too fast).  Soon I was back to playing bogey golf and just having fun with the game rather than pressing and chasing a handicap goal.  It's my contention that many of us simply have kinesthetics that will never produce a golf swing that yields a scratch (or nearly so) game. 

Since then, I work on various aspects of the game but just come to accept that being just slightly better than a bogey golfer is my plight in life.  As I've stated in my "Are you content with your game" thread, while I certainly still try and improve and get frustrated at times, I just don't allow that to dominant my golfing experience.

So my recommendation is to just go hit the darn ball and have fun with the results.

 

[Reesedw]

DO not beat yourself up. You have a family, you have a job ( either that or financially secure), you have friends, YOU HAVE A LIFE.. Take small steps, work on being the best putter you can be when you get to play. then work on being the best, I don't know Driver of the ball. eventually you will start playing the best you can, FOR this point in your life.. But most of All enjoy playing.. let the rest fall where it falls.. 

I'm not Tiger, Rory, Dustin, Jordan, or Phil, I'm Dave I play to a 14-16 Hdcp most day, but I have fun and enjoy myself.. I will NEVER be great at golf, and I am ok with that.. I think your in the same boat as me..

 

Just be Big Money play his game and enjoy the hell out of it.. 

[TR1PTIK]

Anytime I have a lesson I try to focus on picking up a specific feel that I can use to help me repeat the motion/position that I'm trying to achieve. It's not all just going to magically happen through drills - maybe for some people it will. So when you're doing underhand tosses into the net, I'd recommend focusing on what you feel in the legs, hips, and body. Make note of where pressure is being applied and in what direction so that you may have a better chance of replicating that. Once you find that "feel", repeat it often, jot down some notes, and/or take a video to help you dedicate it to memory. 

[Big money]

On 2/13/2019 at 2:29 PM, TR1PTIK said:

Anytime I have a lesson I try to focus on picking up a specific feel that I can use to help me repeat the motion/position that I'm trying to achieve. It's not all just going to magically happen through drills - maybe for some people it will. So when you're doing underhand tosses into the net, I'd recommend focusing on what you feel in the legs, hips, and body. Make note of where pressure is being applied and in what direction so that you may have a better chance of replicating that. Once you find that "feel", repeat it often, jot down some notes, and/or take a video to help you dedicate it to memory. 

I did this drill for 2 1/2 months. And did exactly that . Would video the throw and tried to replicate the feeling with a ball later. Constantly monitoring the feel and movements when I tossed the ball. With a an actual club, I could never get the feel close. Never , and the feel always was different everytime . It’s was very disappointing . This was an extremely well knowledgeable teacher. I just don’t have the knack for golf improvement But still a great game 

[Big money]

On 2/13/2019 at 1:48 PM, Reesedw said:

DO not beat yourself up. You have a family, you have a job ( either that or financially secure), you have friends, YOU HAVE A LIFE.. Take small steps, work on being the best putter you can be when you get to play. then work on being the best, I don't know Driver of the ball. eventually you will start playing the best you can, FOR this point in your life.. But most of All enjoy playing.. let the rest fall where it falls.. 

I'm not Tiger, Rory, Dustin, Jordan, or Phil, I'm Dave I play to a 14-16 Hdcp most day, but I have fun and enjoy myself.. I will NEVER be great at golf, and I am ok with that.. I think your in the same boat as me..

 

Just be Big Money play his game and enjoy the hell out of it.. 

Thank you. Couldn’t agree more 

[00sportsman]

On 2/5/2019 at 12:40 PM, RickyBobby_PR said:

It’s a drill and not all people can do all drills. Some drills click for some people and not for others.

if this is the only thing your instructor is focused on and can’t see thatnyou are unable to perform it and isn’t giving you another drill to accomplish the same end result then imo it’s time to part ways and find another instructor.

imo this is no different than an instructor who teaches one swing to all students even if their physical abilities don’t allow them to make that swing

 

This is really accurate.  I've been coaching for 25 years, and when I first started I tried to get all the kids to do things in a manner that was thought to be "technically correct."  What it took me too long to learn was that not every kid was capable of doing things the same way, but most kids could be taught something that would make their natural tendencies more effective.  It was up to me to figure out what that was.  

If you watch college basketball or the NBA, you'll see a bunch of guys shooting pretty well with very different techniques.  If you watch the PGA tour, you'll see a bunch of guys who consistently make great shots with very different looking swings.  

Don't get locked into trying to do something a certain way if you can't do it.  Find something different that does work.

[Kenny B]

On 2/5/2019 at 8:14 AM, Big money said:

Into my sixth lesson of throwing motion as a golf swing.And sadly, I still can’t replicate my simple under hand toss with even a 10 yard pitch.The pro is excellent, and one of the most easy going guys I have ever met.He makes me feel so relaxed and really inspires me mastering this golf swing Mumbo Jumbo.Just beating myself up why I can’t physically do this simple task.Over and over nightly I practice his drills and can’t do it.Ive even spent evenings just under hand tossing golf balls in my net with no club.Are some of us just doomed?And I think I’m in the majority here.Such a simple task.My swing is all hit and casting-over extending-no turn thru.Just can’t reprogram myself.This teacher is by far the best I’ve ever had.He knows the swing and he has such a strong stable of players he has helped.Really frustrating, have had some great teachers thru the seasons.And no one has changed my ingrained bad motion.Almost feel like giving up and just hit the darn ball and deal with the consequences 

I can understand your frustration, but I am having trouble understanding what your problem is.  OK, you just can't do it.  That's not very helpful information.  What can't you do?  What are you supposed to do, and what are you doing?  What's the result?

It sounds like you are working on a pitching motion, but it also seems like you are trying to extrapolate the results to a full swing motion.  I'm confused.  Yes, there are some similarities, but also differences.  Is your instructor using the tossing drill to fix a full swing issue?  If so, then I would find another instructor.  The last thing someone who's "swing is all hit and casting-over extending-no turn thru" needs to do is a drill to promote dominant hand dominance.  I know from experience.

I would look for someone who will focus on weight shift and body rotation first.  Forget about the club to start, then add the club with lead hand swings only for tempo.

If you are happy just playing with what you've got, then by all means do that.  However, I personally believe that it's possible for anyone to improve, no matter what activity they are doing.  It's a matter of finding what works for you.  As @00sportsman said, there are different ways that people learn.  A good instructor will know that.