Complete collapse of my game. Help.

[BTHOtu]

I completely understand. Having entered the extremely busy period of my life with all the kids and career and everything else several years ago I played less and less until I eventually sold most of my clubs to friends and figured that I was done for good. Now most of the kids are grown and only a couple left in HS so my wife buys me a set of cheapo clubs for Christmas and tells me to get out more.

So the other day I finally go out for 18 with a coworker that is in the same boat at a pretty nice course in Dallas and started to find my swing again. I scored a monster 114 which is not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be after not hitting a ball in 7-8 years I almost have to relearn the basic mechanics all over again. Head down, elbows in, shoulders-hips, position, stance, hit down-don't scoop. My back swing isn't what it used to be. I hit the fairway most of the time but my short game is the main thing that suffered. I don't have the distance like I used to. I found that where I normally would use a 9-iron I have to drop down to a 8 or 7. With my irons I'm either hitting the ball too fat or I'm topping it a lot. Chipping, putting, hitting out of the sand and flop shots are still pretty good.

So now I am a regular at the local driving range trying to get my swing back. It's more important for me to hit the ball straight every time then I can work on distance and spin. And it's all about relearning the simple mechanics. I'm giving myself until next Spring to wear these cheapo clubs out and hit the ball better before going to get fitted.

 

[R.J. MacReady]

I completely understand. Having entered the extremely busy period of my life with all the kids and career and everything else several years ago I played less and less until I eventually sold most of my clubs to friends and figured that I was done for good. Now most of the kids are grown and only a couple left in HS so my wife buys me a set of cheapo clubs for Christmas and tells me to get out more.

So the other day I finally go out for 18 with a coworker that is in the same boat at a pretty nice course in Dallas and started to find my swing again. I scored a monster 114 which is not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be after not hitting a ball in 7-8 years I almost have to relearn the basic mechanics all over again. Head down, elbows in, shoulders-hips, position, stance, hit down-don't scoop. My back swing isn't what it used to be. I hit the fairway most of the time but my short game is the main thing that suffered. I don't have the distance like I used to. I found that where I normally would use a 9-iron I have to drop down to a 8 or 7. With my irons I'm either hitting the ball too fat or I'm topping it a lot. Chipping, putting, hitting out of the sand and flop shots are still pretty good.

So now I am a regular at the local driving range trying to get my swing back. It's more important for me to hit the ball straight every time then I can work on distance and spin. And it's all about relearning the simple mechanics. I'm giving myself until next Spring to wear these cheapo clubs out and hit the ball better before going to get fitted.

Pace yourself at the range. Don't be a dope like me and get the monster bucket of balls the first trip back to the range. It's been almost 2 weeks and my wrists are still sore. (another thing I have to work on ..too much grip pressure.)

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I don't consider myself qualified to offer much swing help, especially online, but a drill that my last instructor (I consider the best I had by far) gave me in times of swing trouble and I've found it to be true on many levels.

If your range has an area where you can hit 30 to 40 yd shots and retrieve them it's ideal.

Take your SW and practice hitting 30 to 40 yd pitch shots...you want a wedge with enough loft to force you to use a little wrist hinge to carry the ball that far.

Per him...the purpose of this pitch shot...it's longer than a chip so it require a little more hip rotation just like a regular swing so it will typically reveal whatever your swing problems are...i.e. if you're hitting them fat or thin chances are you're going to hit these shots fat or thin...the beauty of it is the swing is much slower so you can more easily find the fault and correct it...once you're able to hit 15 to 20 of these solid, with a slight divot...at your target, (they will have some check on them if you're hitting to a green) now go to the full swing with the same club, and hit a few, and move on to a longer club.

 

[Loneranger]

Thanks for all of the feedback but I need several trips to the range and get the fundamentals back in order. There is no point in giving you feed back on ball flight with this swing, that would be putting perfume on a pig.

I was never too concerned about my swing and all the tips/tricks and shit to remember , it's mind boggling. All I cared about was scoring , nothing else. Amateurs all make the same mistakes , we try to make shots we cannot make and we give away tons of shots every time we step on the course. Hit the ball , find it(hopefully) and try to make a shot you know you can make. I have no idea what your handicap is but this approach will save everyone shots. Working at the range will help but not all that much. You need to play and play as often as you can. In my hay day I played 6-7 days/week but those days are long gone. What happens on the course cannot be duplicated on the range , so get on the course and start losing some balls until it turns around .... and it will.

 

[SJ76]

Go get the book Ben Hogan's 5 fundamentals of golf. Find a good local teaching pro. Tell him you want to keep it simple.


1) you have to play
2) you have to practice correct fundamentals
3) you have to practice your short game - this is the most important and will help confidence and scoring ability.


Touch/feel is everything. You cannot teach it, but you can practice and get better.


If you don't play/practice, then don't have any expectations.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I was never too concerned about my swing and all the tips/tricks and shit to remember , it's mind boggling. All I cared about was scoring , nothing else. Amateurs all make the same mistakes , we try to make shots we cannot make and we give away tons of shots every time we step on the course. Hit the ball , find it(hopefully) and try to make a shot you know you can make. I have no idea what your handicap is but this approach will save everyone shots. Working at the range will help but not all that much. You need to play and play as often as you can. In my hay day I played 6-7 days/week but those days are long gone. What happens on the course cannot be duplicated on the range , so get on the course and start losing some balls until it turns around .... and it will.

Playing...very true, the golf swing and playing golf are not alike...but a lot of golf is confidence and I don't think you find that on the course if you're chunking every 3rd shot...at the range you want to find something you can repeat.

 

[fknhippie]

Good luck. I've been struggling with my irons for the past year. Finally asked myself, why am I able to hit the woods and not the irons...it came down to tempo. The irons are still 4 or 5 yards shorter than they were last year, but I'm striking the ball a lot better.

best of luck...one thing lesson that golf always seems to teach us over and over is humility.

 

[BTHOtu]

I used to live close to a 9 Hole Par 3 course and would play there every week. This place has a Friday special where one green fee covered the entire day. That is where I got my short game dialed in. I haven't been to a regulation size course yet where I would have to tee off on a Par 3 with a lob wedge. After playing all day with just irons and wedges it made the big courses a breeze the following day. Hitting those 'rocks' at the driving range only helps me get my swing right.