Getting out of a rut.

[dannycallaz]

Hi all,

Anyone got any tips for dragging yourself out of a rut.

Have been playing a lot lately and cannot put a decent round together.

Although have been driving the ball well hitting most fairways. It seems I just can't quite execute what i need to do.

150 to the pin i'm really struggling to get into a rythym. I'm either to long or not quite long enough although my direction is quite ok.

What really topped it off for me today was being 162 out hit a 7 iron to a middle pin landing on the front and it scuttled through.

Went down and found it out of bounds behind a fence. I'm usually pretty positive in the course.

Was aiming to get down to single figures by Christmas but the way I played today I couldn't be bothered going for another round!

Anyone got any tips?

Cheers,

Dannycallaz

[Jarro]

Give the game a miss for a while.

[sms316]

Where do you play most of your golf?

[Dotty]

Your distances are wrong ... 162m is a 7 wood. 126m is a 7 iron.

Have you had a game with wbennett and monsta65 yet?

[markTHEblake]

Danny how often are you telling yourself you are in a rut?

[Daves]

Isn't Tourfit the expert at getting into, and I presume out of ruts? Queue the Ute photo?

[hocko]

Tourfits ruts are not that easy to get out of :)

[Dotty]

The leather wedge is good for getting out of a rut.

[hocko]

Snatch strap?

[Golfnut]

I'm subscribing juuuuuussssst in case there's some pearls although the "taking a break" post is about the best advice so far.

[Veefore]

golf is one of those games that people seem to OD on. Especially where it's not played seasonally.

Most other sports have an off season which allows you to take a break and refresh your enthusiasm. Even Pro's make sure they take regular breaks from the game.

The best thing I did when my enthusiasm was low was commit to a season and an off season each year. Without doing that I would not be playing the game at all anymore.

[Lagerlover]

new clubs

[popper81]

I always play with people that are hopeless ...Watching Largerloover, or Marto trying to skank it around makes me laugh, and enjoy the day more.

[Marto65]

I always play with people that are hopeless ...Watching Largerloover, or Marto trying to skank it around makes me laugh, and enjoy the day more.

Gold.

[razaar]

Danny
Reading between the lines of your OP, I get the impression that your golf game is based on hitting all your shots at full power. One of the secrets of consistent ball strikers is their ability to hit the majority of their iron shots with a three-quarter swing which loses little in distance to a full out effort. The shorter or partial swing with iron shots rewards the player with both control and direction. A couple of hours spent on the practice fairway should bring this point home.

[Lagerlover]

I always play with people that are hopeless ...Watching Largerloover, or Marto trying to skank it around makes me laugh, and enjoy the day more.

Wait... There's a "Largerloover" on the forum?

[hocko]

I think he meant Lagerhoover!

[popper81]

Wait... There's a "Largerloover" on the forum?

Oops typo.... Should have read, Lagerhitslotsofskankslaughsalotandlikespieslover.

[Lagerlover]

liking pies is not a crime, slim!.... you've changed man.

[WBennett]

Danny

I'm guessing you flew 5 to be OOB.

I went from 10 to 17 to 10 again in 3 years. What changed? My attitude. I stopped treating it like it was life and death, had a few beers and enjoyed myself.

I have no time to practise, so when I do, its 15 minutes after work with a wedge and a putter. If you can get up and down from around the green, it forgives a lot of other sins. Around GLGC, having 2 or 3 types of chip helps - a flop, a bump and run and a standardard chip. We have a great practise area, its worth using it if you can.

[LarryLong]

Lower your expectations. Your golf won't improve, but you won't have the same level of disappointment.

[Yossarian]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhH3BBgw0Ww

Listen to some Hawkins.

[hocko]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhH3BBgw0Ww

Listen to some Hawkins.

Oh yeah!

[idgolfguy]

Danny

I'm guessing you flew 5 to be OOB.

I went from 10 to 17 to 10 again in 3 years. What changed? My attitude. I stopped treating it like it was life and death, had a few beers and enjoyed myself.

I have no time to practise, so when I do, its 15 minutes after work with a wedge and a putter. If you can get up and down from around the green, it forgives a lot of other sins. Around GLGC, having 2 or 3 types of chip helps - a flop, a bump and run and a standardard chip. We have a great practise area, its worth using it if you can.
Great advice. I am there right now.

[Nuffie]

Try what I'm doing for this Sat: A bit of practice, not much and swing smooth just like you would on the range or in a social game, not trying to muscle any shot. I know that it's easier said than done, but that is a good start.

Relax and use your higher than desirable cap as extra motivation - to be able to play to more easily or even win with. If you can't play to it now,
it will be a massive task to play to later if it were to drop by a
shot or 2.

[Nuffie]

Try what I'm doing for this Sat: A bit of practice, not much and swing smooth just like you would on the range or in a social game, not trying to muscle any shot. I know that it's easier said than done, but that is a good start.

Relax and use your higher than desirable cap as extra motivation - to be able to play to more easily or even win with. If you can't play to it now, it will be a bigger task to play to it later, particularly if it were to drop by a shot or 2.

[Golfnut]

Nuffie, posting it twice did not make it any easier to read or make sense of.

[hocko]

Agreed!

[mrbluu]

Hi all,

What really topped it off for me today was being 162 out hit a 7 iron to a middle pin landing on the front and it scuttled through.



I would suggest hitting an 8 iron.....

[Hatchman]

Hi all,

Anyone got any tips for dragging yourself out of a rut.

Have been playing a lot lately and cannot put a decent round together.

Although have been driving the ball well hitting most fairways. It seems I just can't quite execute what i need to do.

150 to the pin i'm really struggling to get into a rythym. I'm either to long or not quite long enough although my direction is quite ok.

What really topped it off for me today was being 162 out hit a 7 iron to a middle pin landing on the front and it scuttled through.

Went down and found it out of bounds behind a fence. I'm usually pretty positive in the course.

Was aiming to get down to single figures by Christmas but the way I played today I couldn't be bothered going for another round!

Anyone got any tips?

Cheers,

Dannycallaz

I'm struggling with the bit in bold. A full blooded 7 iron landing on the front of any green shouldn't be running off yet alone far enough to get OB.

As for being in a rut. Sounds like your taking the game far too seriously in the quest to get to single digits and letting a few bad shots/rub of green incidents ruin the whole round. You need to find a way relax out on the course and just enjoy being out there playing rather than the end result.

I can speak from first hand experience in trying too hard. I played off 5-7 for a number of years (the old .1 days) and wanted to get down to a steady 3-4 handicap. For 18 months I was having a lesson a every month to change a few faults in my swing to make me more consistent. I played comp every second Wednesday and every Saturday & Sunday. Was a member at 2 clubs so I could play more. I was hitting the practice fairway 3 days a week often hitting about 200 ball a session (mixture of pitches with the wedge & sand iron and full 7 iron shots). Spent 30mins on the practice green after each practice session.
End result was I went from a 5.7 handicap out to 8.4 before I had a round below my handicap. In that time I had lost my ability to hit the ball and felt like I was slapping it. I had become score focused trying to brake my handicap and lost the ability to grind out a round and salvage a score if things didn't go right early.
I stopped enjoying the game and just hated being out on the course some days. In the end I just walked away from it and found some thing else to do with my time. Looking back on that time I wish I had given it a small spell for maybe a month or two instead of being so stubborn thinking that if I kept persisting it would turn because I was putting so much effort in.
Took me about 4 years before I started missing playing and getting out for the odd social hit. Had no expectation and was loving the game again. Three years on and I really started to get itchy feet about playing comp again and have only just joined a club again this year. I don't practice these days and have no expectation when I do play. I just go out to enjoy the company of my playing partners and the game.

[Hogan's Bogan]

I vouch the attitude change. I used to play every week years ago, and was desperate to do as well on the course as I did on the driving range. I put in the practice religiously and expected it should happen. I got worse because golf is a bastard game and I chased results, and with everyone kept telling me I had the swing of a player half my handicap. That never helped any.

Then I started back 2 yrs ago, joined a friendly group, looked on golf as some time to myself away from the 3 kids. This year I've been hitting on or better than my handicap in every monthly game. No practice in between. Granted I'm still on 23, but I play to it or better it, and it's coming down, instead of yo yo-ing between ok and wipe city. I shot 40 s'ford points at Joondalup last month (a bastard mickey mouse tricked-up course if ever there was one) and won our 2 clubs-and-a-putter-only xmas game last weekend, with 38 points, shot birdies on the last two holes to squeak in by a shot.

I've always felt a lot of golf is between the ears once you've learned the fundamentals, and if your approach to it is fubar'd then so will your game - regardless of handicap. Previously, I just couldn't get my head right.

[Nuffie]

Nuffie, posting it twice did not make it any easier to read or make sense of.Should we take another ride around the 'carousel' a third time just for you nut? :) speaking of which... Wouldn't mind Zeus taking me round for another spin.