How do you get out of a golf slump

[ParGuy]

After my first full winter in Arizona. I played 64 rounds and really worked hard on my short game. Dropped my handicap by 5 shots. Really happy about that . Back at my home club in Canada and I am getting killed. Thick rough, tree lined fairways and wet spring conditions . I know we have all been here but it really sucks.

[jolter1]

Just keep playing. Takes a few rounds to get reaquainted with different flora.

[ParGuy]

Thanks, I agree Just trying to enjoy the walk

[Shapotomous]

Congrats on dropping the 5 shots!! 

Take an afternoon to practice a little and recalibrate your game to the different conditions.  There are a few courses around here that have especially thick rough around the greens, they require a completely different strategy for me.

Edited May 6 by Shapotomous

[JAYER38]

First off congrats on improving the game! 

Here in VA we can usually play year round but Winter is fairly soft condition so turf interaction is very different then summer play... Alot of people I play with recently started to play better because of the harder ground as fat shots are not as punishing.

Keep on playing and practicing. Soft condition should only help you improve in my opinion even tho they punish you more for mistakes.

[mikesms]

Congrats on the improvement. I'd start by working mainly on your short game. More than likely you had mostly lush green fringes in AZ and dormant, tight wet fringes this time of year in Canada. I'm in NC and during the winter months i won't chip anything off those tight wet lies if i'm within 10 yds of the green and a clear path to the pin - i'll use a hybrid and basically "putt" it until the grass begins to grow again and grain becomes an issue. Be patient - and look on the bright side - if your handicap goes up a little you'll kill all your buddies next winter when you go back to Arizona!

[ParGuy]

Thanks for all of the great feedback Yes,conditions are much different, no rough, no trees, firm fairways in AZ and Ontario it is wet , colder my greens are very small, our golf course is 102 years old . Happy to be on the links 12 months

Happy golfing for you all in this great group

[Kenny B]

1 hour ago, ParGuy said:

Thanks for all of the great feedback Yes,conditions are much different, no rough, no trees, firm fairways in AZ and Ontario it is wet , colder my greens are very small, our golf course is 102 years old . Happy to be on the links 12 months

Happy golfing for you all in this great group

Congratulations on the lower handicap!!  I played a course in Green Valley when I was attending a meeting in Tucson; don't remember the name, but I remember liking the course a lot.  Course had very similar conditions to courses here in the dry region of SE Washington State.  

Don't consider it a slump; it's a matter of learning how to play under different conditions again.  It takes me a couple of weeks to get used to the different grass in Phoenix and Palm Springs when I go there in the winter.  Unfortunately, I'm only there for a couple of weeks!!    Even though courses are similar, we don't have bermuda grass. 

[Haile]

If I start to play like crap all over the place(which does happen), I set the clubs down for about 4 or 5 days. Then, I do a back to basics range session. I usually play much better next time out. I just find for whatever reason, overworking on something leads me down these little rabbit holes that I don't belong in at all. Course conditions probably affect things a lot. I wouldn't really know, all the courses I play are pretty much the same across the board. I don't get to play when travelling for work. But, I've found that just resetting helps the most for me. My back and left shoulder appreciate it too.

[ParGuy]

I agree, sometimes a re-set is a good thing . I am a grinder and sometimes I get in my own way and press and this leads to blow up holes. I had 3 triples a birdie and 2 pars my last round. Just working on getting to the greens and staying out of trouble

[dukeofjamiecakes]

Also play really wet conditions in New England.  Some days the short game comes easily, other days I 3-chip and feel lost.  

My approach is to let it happen and approach every shot with preparation and confidence.  Separate the result from the process.  Learned this in Zen Golf.  Reward the approach and process - "I made the swing I wanted - good job." Then you analyze the result and file it away for the next shot.  

I'm a grinder too so my approach is to play as often as I can. My game always comes down to executing the approach and process, learning from the outcome, and trusting it will lead to good results over the course of the season. 

[ParGuy]

Thank you for the feedback

[GolfSpy_BNG]

I’ll go a different direction and say when in a slump buy a new to you club. Can be a cheap piece of beating up crap but the different look and feel can be a help. Plus it feels good to get clubs in the mail lol

[TJ Hall]

Club therapy is a good one @GolfSpy_BNG!

Try to think of simplifying my swing thoughts and not try anything too complicated.  If you have a club that is your go to that you are really comfortable with, use that and try to get the feel back…mine is generally my 7 iron. 

[Erin B]

Interesting… I had the compete opposite in Mesquite. I played well in Wyoming and Colorado, played like crap in Nevada. 

[AverageSizedDog]

This past March, I acutally took a fast from playing or watching golf. Golf is in my algorithm so I saw small videos or pictures of courses people have played. But for the most part, I did not participate in any golf function. On April 1st, I played 9 holes. I shot a 42 and it was my best "round" ever.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Buy new golf clubs

[matt.baty79]

I've been here many times - been teetering around single figures for years but every time I start regularly hitting good scores, I hit a slump, usually after a good round. Last time it happened I did 4 things;

1. Have a week or two off

2. Play a different course, or just back 9 / front 9

3. Slo-mo myself at the range. The answer is usually grip and alignment

4. Focus solely on tempo. I got a good swing trainer and use it in the garden a lot.

The solution is usually in there somewhere. On course, I focus only on keeping the ball in play and club accordingly. Amazing how much better I score, even though it feels like I'm grinding.

[Peaksy68]

I’m finding my attitude to poor golf has changed and I’m trying to just enjoy being out there playing regardless of the quality of my game. 
 

The old cliche about your worst day on the course is better than your best day at work is pretty accurate.

Edited May 9 by Peaksy68

[Josh Parker]

I would say switch it up.  Play from a different tee box or use a different club off the tee.  See the course in different places.  I have found that this can work for getting thru a slump.  

[Mike10487]

I find that going to the range and really shaking things up gets me back on track. I work on nothing but flighting and working the ball, I don't care about distances, only strike, launch angles and curvatures. This makes me think less about mechanics and more about feel. For some reason this makes my tempo slow down. 90% of the time I find that I am swaying due to an increase in tempo. If you are going to play your way out of it, change tee boxes and flight your shots. That crispy feel of a few well hit punch shots is sometimes all it takes to get some confidence back. Good luck and WTG on dropping your handicap by 5!!!

Edited May 9 by Mike10487

[PrismFlopper]

I mean this is more of a question than a statement, but would focusing a little more on the parts of the game that really differ help?  Like how the grass I’m sure is different in how it effects putts or even how it’ll effect like you stated in the thick rough. I’m sure the fairways even differ a lot due to climates. Congrats on dropping to 5! That takes a lot of hard work, hope to be there one day

[AZ-Thai Golfer]

Last year I was favoring a hip problem.  Changed my swing a bit to compensate and it worked OK.  Finally got the hi replaced and laid up for 9 weeks.  Came back and whew a disticnt odor to my game.  I was not happy about it.  Tried just fighting through it but no bueno for me'

 

Finally took a lesson and he pointed out some changes in my swing making me inconsistent striking the ball.  Small tweaks and boom back in the saddle again.  For me a lesson worked,  Maybe for youo too.  Good luck.

[ParGuy]

Thanks for all the great advice .Get new clubs is not the answer . I had a nice lesson with my pro . Took great advice from this group to go out and enjoy the round . Short game short game short game has helped a lot. My scores are getting better