From Chopper to Hack:should i bother? confessions of a chump golfer

[Eldrick]

Well you wouldn't be guess it from my posts but i do play the occasional game of golf
and lately i have been playing fairly regularly (9 holes a fortnight) and becoming enthusiastic about improving
but my current lifestyle of 2 kids under five and nagging wife and mortgage doesn't allow me copious amounts of time or cash to match my enthusiasm

so about my game

my swing and game remains rubbish after numerous years and tweaks to my swing result in no change and average scores that would be in the 100-115 range

example:i took my two different sets to the range the other week
set A:matched to my height,reg flex, cav/muscle backs
set B:standard length, TM RAC irons, Stiff flex
my swing is that erratic that i had no noticeable difference in contact,ball flight,or distance

i have had guys that haven't picked up a club in ten years come out and flog me
hell, i don't even know if I'm aiming the right way


but all i really want is a consistent and straight(ish) swing that can repeat.
i don't want to know how to hit knock downs into the wind or fade it around a dogleg
just go where i am aiming if i hit to hard or to long or select the wrong club than so be it
all that other stuff can come later once i start to see some consistency and my circumstances change enough to allow more time to improve


optimistically i should be able to devote 2-3 hours a week to this quest
i am lucky enough to have a hitting net down the road from work that i could hit balls in a few days a week
and my backyard is big enough for me to practice short chips and pitches (7-10mtrs) and other shots if i set up a net
and then there's carpet putting practice

but none if this matter if i am doing it all wrong.I think i really need to strip it right back to the basics of stance,grip etc

so the main question is how much can i hope to improve with the limited resource available to me
and what are some good cheap or free ideas on how the get better?

quitting time
(i will detail what i think my short comings are next time i log on)

[Golfnut]

Get some lessons with a pro Eldrick otherwise the 2-3 hours per week you have to dedicate to golf will be wasted.
Ask some of the guys round here that you've actually played with, who they would recommend in your area based on what they've seen of your swing.

Having the availability of a practice net will be a good tool to help groove swing changes imo but remember you will not be able to see the actual ball flight/direction hitting into a net so range time still needs to be in your practice regime.

I found practicing the proper technique in your chipping will help your ball striking dramatically.....as far as putting goes there is no substitute for time spent on the practice greens but have your coach check your technique too.

just my 2c.

PS. I also think you may need to think about playing a more forgiving GI set of irons than you have listed.

[Grunt]

Eldrick, just join me in the Hackers Association and just play for fun and don't worry about it.

[Hogan's Bogan]

My home and golf situation mirrors yours. Even the scores. Spooky. Except add another kid. Made tougher for me, as everyone I've played with reckons my swing looks good enough to shoot in the 80s, 90s at worst. Bastards the lot of them.

I've tried pros, and instruction books, mags, range time and pretty much everything I can think of, and none of it made a lick of difference. I can see a lot of what I did and tried to change was a waste of time, because I can see how much stuff I just misinterpreted.

Looking back, I took the game too seriously, wanted to reach my potential and enjoy it. That's the trouble, I wasn't enjoying it. And it's just a game. Isn't it? Now I have some time to play, I'm having another crack, and my goal is to work on my game and enjoy it, even if I'm playing crap. I've started assessing my fundamentals, trying to keep it simple, but will probably book some pro time to get an objective assessment and focus my drills and practice. I'd suggest that's a good place to start.

You will need time too. Commitment to a plan of sorts, and range time. And the sort of determination forged in abject failure, despondency, disillusionment, and a dumb pigheadedness that's easily mistaken for moderate brain damage.

[Eldrick]

Get some lessons with a pro Eldrick otherwise the 2-3 hours per week you have to dedicate to golf will be wasted.
Ask some of the guys round here that you've actually played with
i haven't played with any ozgolfers. i would be to embarrassed with my current swing
problems i have is all the teaching pros that i have seen at the local ranges is they all sound like dodgy used cars salesmen




I found practicing the proper technique in your chipping will help your ball striking dramatically.....as far as putting goes there is no substitute for time spent on the practice greens but have your coach check your technique too.
i don't do too badly in these areas.my putting stance is kinda strange but results aren't too bad
and chipping isn't to bad either.mainly because of the lack of lower body movement and rotation required i think




PS. I also think you may need to think about playing a more forgiving GI set of irons than you have listed.
yeah, neither sets are ideal.and i keep meaning to put the RAC's on Ebay
but as soon as Eags stops giving rubbish tips ill be sweet



Eldrick, just join me in the Hackers Association and just play for fun and don't worry about it.

i am a hall of famer in the Hacker Assoc
yesterday i topped a 3w from the adjacent fairway that went straight up and landed on top of the brim of my hat(after slicing my drive & already topping my 2nd shot only 8 odd metres)

[rubin]

Eldrick, check out some of the pro's in your area (google or whatever) and then post some q's about them. 99% of them would have been seen by at least one other Ozgolfer, and whilst we will all give each other some stick, there wont be too many guys who arn't willing to give you a hand on here.

Second bit of advice, stick with the same person. Every single pro will teach things in a different way, even the same techniques differently, and so sticking with the same person means consistency in your learnings, and then consistency in your swing.

3rd... time. Its difficult, but even practicing on the back lawn, just to keep the feel of the club, or putting on the hallway floor can help.

And don't be embarrassed to play with some of the boys on here. There are some bloody good teachers on here, and you wont cop too much on the course.

[razaar]

Do something else other than golf, Eldrick, you will be much happier and richer.

[Eldrick]

That's great advice coming from one of Ozgolf premier swing gurus

[razaar]

Not what you wanted to see in print?

[Eldrick]

Yeah I was kinda hoping to turn pro before a reached 40 :)

[Hux]

Whenever I feel down and disheartened about my swing I just cast my mind back to the champs and realise that even shite like Haysey's can be made repeatable enough to get to single figures :-)

[AndyP]

You don't have to work on your swing to improve your golf.
If you have some time to read a book, try working on your mental game. Dr Bob Rotella is the most popular author of golf psychology books.

[Yossarian]

Work on feeling good contact, compression hitting down and a divot, with half or 3/4 swings. Hit a shit load of balls doing this with wedges and work your way up slowy. That will help a bit IMO.

Focus on hitting the ball from the inside if you know what I mean?

Or go get a least one basic lesson on setup and learning about a good swing path.

[dean0820]

good on ya for saying what a number of golfers have never admitted to.
imho, the single most important criteria is; are you well coordinated?
because if you're not naturally good at sports, then the battle to be decent can be a hell of a climb.
the guys that make it look easy even after not playing for a while are just naturally good athletes.
the second thing that may help is this;
remember the goal is simply to put the ball where you want it.
focus on that, not on your swing.
focus on the target instead of how to get it there and your body will do what needs to be done.
way too many golfers of all abilities stymie themselves by not freeing their bodies to do the job.
hope you stay with it and enjoy lots of success.

[Golfnut]

the second thing that may help is this;
remember the goal is simply to put the ball where you want it.
focus on that, not on your swing.
focus on the target instead of how to get it there and your body will do what needs to be done.
way too many golfers of all abilities stymie themselves by not freeing their bodies to do the job.
hope you stay with it and enjoy lots of success.

THIS is gold and something I go back to when things feel like they aren't working......although I think Eldrick's game may not be at this level yet but the point is a very good one imo.

[goughy]

If you can finish a game of golf with a smile on your face then you've achieved the most important thing. You could have been mowing the lawn or vacuuming.

[Eldrick]

Whenever I feel down and disheartened about my swing I just cast my mind back to the champs and realise that even shite like Haysey's can be made repeatable enough to get to single figures :-)
i dont care if my swing looks like two emus rooting just as long as i can repeated it consistently


You don't have to work on your swing to improve your golf.
If you have some time to read a book, try working on your mental game. Dr Bob Rotella is the most popular author of golf psychology books.

yeah concentration is an area i tend to struggle with


Work on feeling good contact, compression hitting down and a divot, with half or 3/4 swings. Hit a shit load of balls doing this with wedges and work your way up slowy. That will help a bit IMO.

this is what i try to do in the backyard with chipping
but without knowing what im doing wrong or right and whats causing the bad shots it's hard





Or go get a least one basic lesson on setup and learning about a good swing path.
i want to go and see a good teacher not really to fix my swing but to tell me where i'm going wrong and then i can figure it out myself


good on ya for saying what a number of golfers have never admitted to.
imho, the single most important criteria is; are you well coordinated?
because if you're not naturally good at sports, then the battle to be decent can be a hell of a climb.
the guys that make it look easy even after not playing for a while are just naturally good athletes.
the second thing that may help is this;
remember the goal is simply to put the ball where you want it.
focus on that, not on your swing.
focus on the target instead of how to get it there and your body will do what needs to be done.
way too many golfers of all abilities stymie themselves by not freeing their bodies to do the job.
hope you stay with it and enjoy lots of success.

i wouldnt say im a gifted athlete but im no gumby either.i understand what your saying but without knowing if im going to slice/shank/cold top my next shot it makes it hard


If you can finish a game of golf with a smile on your face then you've achieved the most important thing. You could have been mowing the lawn or vacuuming.

I'm always laughing at my own misfortune on the course

[Ferrins]

Go to the range and work your way through your bag from pw to driver. Hit a shot with a pw, then hit it further with the 9 iron and so on, with the goal of hitting the ball progressively further as you go through the clubs. Any time you do not succeed in doing this, start at pw again.

[Hogan's Bogan]

i dont care if my swing looks like two emus rooting just as long as i can repeated it consistently


As mentioned before, people are very complimentary about my swing. But even the worst choppa swing out there - the guy who bunts it off the tee into the light rough, and often hits the ball 5 ft of the ground - usually comes home with better scores than me.

I console myself with Dave Lee Roth's momma's words of wisdom. "Son, if ever you get in a competition, it don't matter whether you win or lose...it's how good you look".

As to some actual advice, if you can actually relax and enjoy yourself on the course, you invariably play better.

You mention you practice without knowing what you're doing right and wrong. Time to bite the bullet and get a lesson. No point in ingraining some habits that work, and others that don't and not knowing which is which. Get an objective opinion from someone paid to give it, and work on the issues they identify.

[rubin]

Something that may help.

Video tape your own swing, and then play it back to yourself. Thats the best way to see what your doing right and/or wrong, as well as see for yourself if your doing the same thing everytime.

[Eldrick]

you guys are so wise
ill go and find a thread to bump about Sydney pro's

[razaar]

Now Jack Benny was wise -"Give me golf clubs, the fresh air, and a beautiful partner, and you can keep the golf clubs and the fresh air".;)

[Dcanto]

My children (via my wife) for X-mas gave me one of those calendars that have golf related sayings / trivia printed on each day. A few times I've flipped ahead (usually while on hold waiting to speak to some government department) to see what is coming up and I came across this comment from the New York Tribune in 1916:

"Golf is, in part, a game; but only in part. It is also in part a religion, a fever, a vice, a mirage, a frenzy, a fear, an abscess, a joy, a thrill, a pest, a disease, an uplift, a brooding, a melancholy, a dream of yesterday, and a hope for tomorrow."

I doubt many people could find a better way to describe Golf.

[Eldrick]

had a 9 hole round today that will encourage me for a few years to come
score wasn't flash but had a lot of positives.Could have been low 40's if i didn't miss a bunch of putts by inches

hit every Par 3 a few other GIR's as well a few bunker shots that came out nice
its nice to feel that i played to ability (or lack of) for a change and not have so many cringe shots

still need to find a decent swing doctor to prescribe a course of action but