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When is it time to take a break?


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So, to try and keep this short and sweet. I learned how to swing a club on my own, on a soccer field by my house about 2 years ago this month. I started with a sand wedge and PW and slowly grooved a swing by watching videos and reading about the grip, setup, plane, etc. I gradually worked my way into my scoring irons and then mid and long irons. (ie. learning the game from green to tee) One thing I never took any time with was my driver/3 wood.

 

As of this month, I play to about a 15 handicap. Now, the problem is, in the last 3 or so months, I've been playing golf 3 times a week. On the range about 4-5 times a week. I've noticed a severe fluctuation with my scores in the last few rounds and I wonder if I'm mentally or physically over doing it.

 

As an example: Yesterday I played close to 7000 yard links style course and flirted with 100. In San Antonio last weekend I played a similar distance wooded city course and shot 12 over (3 over on the back nine). It seems as though a couple bad shots at the beginning of a round leads to an unexplainable ability to not hit the ball well with any club save for my wedges. Does it sound like my head has got the best of me? Maybe that I'm physically tired of the game?

 

I almost feel like if I was mentally capable of dealing with those "off" rounds, that my handicap would lower significantly. I seem to have one of those heeling stuff, hitting thin, blowing my driver off right type of rounds almost 1 in 4 times and it's driving me crazy. There are occasions where I'm actually nervous before a round of golf. lol

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Maybe when it is no longer fun. Take a week and go swimming, ride a bike, and whatever is not golf. If you find that you miss playing, then you may be more appreciative when you get the course and it will feel less like work.

The time you describe above sounds like a job schedule...

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Yah, I suppose it could be viewed that way.

 

I just really love the game. The good shots that bring me back to it. The rounds where I feel like I'm playing well purely on confidence.

 

Maybe it is time for a break.

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I'd echo Sactown's comments: if it's not fun, don't do it.

 

I'd also add, based on your comment about confidence: check out some books on the mental part of golf. I've recommended a few in the Mental University area. If you feel like you're just missing confidence, some of the techniques in those books might help you get it back, and get you back to enjoying the game all the time.

 

Best-

 

-Matt

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Yah, I suppose it could be viewed that way.

 

I just really love the game. The good shots that bring me back to it. The rounds where I feel like I'm playing well purely on confidence.

 

Maybe it is time for a break.

Not necessarily long. Just enough to spark that gratitude for being on the course.

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Maybe take a lesson. It will give you something to work on, which makes the game even more fun.

at playing 3x a week and range for 4-5 days, he is working on enough stuff. :)

break, come back fresh and interested again, then maybe a lesson

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at playing 3x a week and range for 4-5 days, he is working on enough stuff. :)

break, come back fresh and interested again, then maybe a lesson

 

If you take a lesson you will have specific things to work on, and you can be more sure that what you are working on really works.

 

Sometimes though a break can be a good thing. That is maybe the one upside to winter.

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If you take a lesson you will have specific things to work on, and you can be more sure that what you are working on really works.

 

Sometimes though a break can be a good thing. That is maybe the one upside to winter.

 

maybe a lesson could calm the nerves in the OP.

 

mechanics sound OK though, it is stress at this point.

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maybe a lesson could calm the nerves in the OP.

 

mechanics sound OK though, it is stress at this point.

 

 

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend more grinding to someone who sounds ground down. A week or two off the course and you'll find yourself thinkinng about how much fun it will be to play again.

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And to go off another tangent. Sometimes links courses just kick you in the balls. Some doays on those tracks it doesn't matter what you do. It just isn't going to work. Maybe you just play better on clearly defined wood lined courses, where the playing line is more or less dictated to you, it's not so much on a links track.

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I agree with Jamo. I'm a 14 and I also have a largely self taught swing (I played high school golf but that was a long time ago). Also, similar to you, I have been suffering from inconsistency. Sounds rounds I will shoot in the 80's and some in the 90's. It was driving me nuts and I had plateaued.

 

I decided to take lessons and I would suggest you do the same. With a self taught swing, there may be technical flaws that you can't identify. I recently took my first evaluation (read the GolfTEC thread I started) and they immediately found a flaw that was the culprit of my inconsistency. Before you drive yourself crazy, have someone take a look and at least eliminate swing issues as a cause before you start blaming burn out, conditioning, the courses you are playing, your equipment, the weather, what you ate the night before, etc, etc, etc.

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And to go off another tangent. Sometimes links courses just kick you in the balls. Some doays on those tracks it doesn't matter what you do. It just isn't going to work. Maybe you just play better on clearly defined wood lined courses, where the playing line is more or less dictated to you, it's not so much on a links track.

 

That's interesting, I hadn't thought of looking to the course as the source of the frustration, but that seems like a good line of thinking, with regard to Links courses. I don't play on links courses much, but I could definitely see the frustration in hitting what you think is a good shot, and finding out that, in fact, it's in a terrible position.

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I agree with Jamo. I'm a 14 and I also have a largely self taught swing (I played high school golf but that was a long time ago). Also, similar to you, I have been suffering from inconsistency. Sounds rounds I will shoot in the 80's and some in the 90's. It was driving me nuts and I had plateaued.

 

I decided to take lessons and I would suggest you do the same. With a self taught swing, there may be technical flaws that you can't identify. I recently took my first evaluation (read the GolfTEC thread I started) and they immediately found a flaw that was the culprit of my inconsistency. Before you drive yourself crazy, have someone take a look and at least eliminate swing issues as a cause before you start blaming burn out, conditioning, the courses you are playing, your equipment, the weather, what you ate the night before, etc, etc, etc.

Initially I thought you said "I'm 14" not a 14...

 

This is a valid point, but mental attitude is still important. Maybe a short recess to clear the noggin followed by a lesson is the best of both worlds. Then a round on an easy course to celebrate.

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Initially I thought you said "I'm 14" not a 14...

 

This is a valid point, but mental attitude is still important. Maybe a short recess to clear the noggin followed by a lesson is the best of both worlds. Then a round on an easy course to celebrate.

 

I agree. I just thought it was important to mention that chasing multiple cause and effects can be counter productive as just as wearing on you mentally. There comes a time in every golfers life when he/she plateaus. Actually, I'd say it happens multiple times at every major milestone. Just part of the normal process.

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Initially I thought you said "I'm 14" not a 14...

 

This is a valid point, but mental attitude is still important. Maybe a short recess to clear the noggin followed by a lesson is the best of both worlds. Then a round on an easy course to celebrate.

 

I thought the same thing. So weird.

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I thought the same thing. So weird.

 

I know Sactown isn't a 14. LOL.

Callaway FT-9 Driver 10.5* Grafalloy Prolaunch Axis Blue

Callaway FT-9 Driver 9.0* Grafalloy Prolaunch Platinum

Cobra Baffler Rail F Fairway 15.5* Fujikura Motore

Wilson FYbrid 19* UST Proforce AXIV Core

Cobra Baffler Rail H Hybrid 22* Fujikura Motore

Ping I15 Irons 5-UW AWT

Ping Tour-W 56*,60* DG Spinner

Ping Redwood ZB Putter, WRX Starshot, 35"

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I'd like to get down to a 10. I think that's a reasonable expectation for improvement in one season.

Callaway FT-9 Driver 10.5* Grafalloy Prolaunch Axis Blue

Callaway FT-9 Driver 9.0* Grafalloy Prolaunch Platinum

Cobra Baffler Rail F Fairway 15.5* Fujikura Motore

Wilson FYbrid 19* UST Proforce AXIV Core

Cobra Baffler Rail H Hybrid 22* Fujikura Motore

Ping I15 Irons 5-UW AWT

Ping Tour-W 56*,60* DG Spinner

Ping Redwood ZB Putter, WRX Starshot, 35"

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well it's been a month. I took off a few weeks fighting some foot ailments (brought on by golfing too much lol)

 

Anyways, I played a local 9 hole par 35 last weekend here in Austin and aced hole 4!! Shot even par!! (granted it's a short course but it's not that short)

 

Today I played a course I hate more than anything. It's an open Links style course called Roy Kizer. Put up a respectable 83!

 

My confidence since that round last week has been through the roof. So to all you grinders out there looking to better your game by hitting the range 5x a week and sneaking in rounds as many times as you can, consider taking some time off. Read a golf book. It's helped me tremendously.

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