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  1. #1

    Default Anyone else not really get better by much over the years, despite loads of practice?

    Hey peeps,

    Have remained an average golfer for decades despite getting an array of lessons from an array of instructors (some quality teachers actually) and hitting gazillions of balls, trillions of slo mo work, drills etc. I’ve taken on the variety of ways to practice in modern day thinking in an attempt to ingrain things and I’m essentially swinging it just as inconsistent as always. Never really like what I see in my swing and rarely get it looking good. I’m fairly coordinated and have played all sports all my life in a Jack of all master of none type manner.

    But I’m starting to think it’s pointless keeping lessons up and drilling and mirror work and pounding balls with a goal of hitting it good.

    And I’m not after perfection, just something semi reliable and repeatable. I hit it like a champ then a 32 handicapper one after the other. The disparity between good and bad is great and often.

    Anyway a great big rant for no reason but hoping some wise heads can agree or make comment.

    Stay safe in the lockdown!

  2. #26
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    I can really relate to the OP.
    In my school years I was also a jack of all sports at a reasonably good level.
    As I got to my my mid to late teens Golf became my preferred sport. Got to mid single figure handicap under the old go out .1 for every poor game handicapping system. Never had dreams of getting to scratch, I just really liked golf. After school finished and I had to join the real world working I continued to play but didn’t have time to play/practice like I did after school. Some political stuff happened at the Golf club with narrow minded members which killed the junior program that was the envy of the region. I was involved with that to help the old member that had run this for many years. I lost interest and had a holiday from the game and in that time moved to the city for work.
    I took the game up again after getting coaxed out to play by my uncle. Didn’t take long and the passion for the game was ignited again. Only took a year to get back to the same mid single figures. For years I was happy just playing Golf. I got to a point in my late 20’s and had moment where I decided I wanted to get better. Before this time I was a member of a club 50km from home. I played Saturday’s and practiced 1 day a week belting balls at a Reserve not far from work. I joined a second Club at an ordinary Golf course not far from home just so I could practice more. I wanted to see how low I could get and knew I needed to improve my ball striking consistency.
    I started having lessons every 2 weeks. I was hitting close to 1000 balls the weeks I was on dayshift after work working on drills. I played at the second club early Saturday mornings and then in the afternoon at my club 50km from home. I’d play an Open tournament every Sunday I could find on one in the state. I played midweek comps on the afternoon shift week. During all this time over the first 6 months I saw no improvement staying around a 5 hcp (still on the old .1 system). I continued with the lessons and regular practice split between short game and hitting balls. Come the second year things started going south with my ball striking while working on something I forget what it was now. I was no longer compressing the ball and felt like I was slapping it. I started getting frustrated with poor scores and had just as much inconsistency with my game as ever. I stopped enjoying the game as much but tried to grind/practice and continue with lessons but things were going worse. Come the end of the second year and my hcp going from 4.2 now out to 8.4 I was disliking playing a lot. I was expecting that next game was going to send my out to 9 which I hadn’t been on since my junior days. I broke the hcp that day but it was just another crappy round full of inconsistency and not much enjoyment so I walked away from Golf for what ended up being 8 years.
    Looking back from experience getting back to the same level as my previous best within 2yrs and walking away again after playing for 6yrs for mental stress issues (not Golf related) I think where I got is as good as I was ever going to get.
    What is very clear with my experience is I need to enjoy Golf to play my best Golf. I’ll never have a good repeatable swing to play par or better Golf. I more happy on the course theses days getting shots on par 5’s playing off double figures. I have shots in the bank to absorb those inconsistent crappy swings that set up non par scores.

    Sorry for the rant
    Last edited by Hatchman; 23rd August 2021 at 04:47 PM.
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  3. #27
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    And you’re a wiz with a chipper. That helps

  4. #28

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    Sounds very familiar toolish although I haven’t worked out my flaws.

    The practice toxic is varied and starts out with a goal of seeing certain positions I’m working on when recorded on video. Sometimes I hit most of the positions, sometimes only some. I try work on what I’m not seeing with a goal of seeing change. Then I chip, putt, play games. Then go back to it to retest. Retry.

    Practice sometimes goes like this. Slow motion no ball, slow motion ball, slow no ball, slow with ball and eventually ramp it up. Shorter irons to long.

  5. #29

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    And hatchman I’m just not quite at the mental capacity to play just for fun. I mean, I play for fun and I do just go with it and keep cool and just play the next shot but you can only ignore so much.

  6. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by dee cee View Post
    And hatchman I’m just not quite at the mental capacity to play just for fun. I mean, I play for fun and I do just go with it and keep cool and just play the next shot but you can only ignore so much.
    I can play a few holes for fun... but not 18.

  7. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by dee cee View Post
    And hatchman I’m just not quite at the mental capacity to play just for fun. I mean, I play for fun and I do just go with it and keep cool and just play the next shot but you can only ignore so much.
    Have you tried doing more of your "practice" on course? I'm by no means a range rat, I'll hit a small bucket at my home course before a round but rarely am I there mid week just grinding like that. If you can practice for 5-10 hours a week then maybe try doing more on course stuff, that way you're always playing shots that you would on the course. That was the biggest thing in me getting down to low singles. You've got targets, you hit different shots off different lies, and you get to play as well. Play 6 holes, play 9 holes, play whatever you can get in, drop a couple balls from different distances and hit those shots you might not normally hit. For me, that's been the best way to get better.
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  8. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by dee cee View Post
    And hatchman I’m just not quite at the mental capacity to play just for fun. I mean, I play for fun and I do just go with it and keep cool and just play the next shot but you can only ignore so much.
    Don't get me wrong I was competitive as all hell when playing and had internal goals of par or better each time I went out but it had a competitive spirit, liked playing balance. Getting more serious and putting in so much time and effort into my game made me very frustrated there was no reward for effort which sapped all the fun out of it.
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  9. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hatchman View Post
    Don't get me wrong I was competitive as all hell when playing and had internal goals of par or better each time I went out but it had a competitive spirit, liked playing balance. Getting more serious and putting in so much time and effort into my game made me very frustrated there was no reward for effort which sapped all the fun out of it.
    I had the same thing - i got down to +2 and realised that there really wasnt much left and not much point to it, I would pay my comp fees and not win a comp for 2 years even shooting 4-5 under. I remember distinctly shooting 7 under and being beaten by some muppet off 14 with 43 points because he was in A grade now. I won a ball for 7 under ! Pretty much was the beginning of the end.

    You have to find the joy in the game - for me it is the short game, not putting - that shit is boring as. But you can drop me off at the course and i will chip and pitch balls till it goes dark and then chip for another hour... this is my happy place.

    My suggestion would be to find something about the game you really enjoy and do it. With any luck that will flow through to the rest of your game and you will get better that way.

  10. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by dee cee View Post
    I’m not after perfection, just something semi reliable and repeatable.
    You probably already have that, to a degree. My experience. I began playing golf regularly about 10 years ago after my body gave out on all the other sports I used to take part in. I remember my initial handicap was 26. Within four years it was down to around 15 and I won my first major trophy which involved a handicapped matchplay. I then plateaued for several years on that handicap and then dropped down to single figures for a few years before my handicap began to rise steadily after my pre-golf injuries started to extend to golf. Then I got a bad case of the yips with my short game (which I still have).

    Two years ago I could barely do anything right. I remember I couidn't even qualify for the C Grade champs.

    The following year everything suddenly clicked into gear and I won three major trophies including the A Grade and Club Championship and blitzed most of my Pennant matches. Last year I was sh*t again and I've seen no major gains this year.

    I'm still keen on golf. I just see it as a day by day prospect, a walk along the foreshore. Sometimes my feet are wet, sometimes dry.

  11. #35
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    Simmsy




  12. #36
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    I've been playing twice a week for a year now, no significant improvement, but a lot more consistent shooting low to mid 80s most rounds.

    Having an enforced month off - I am going to shoot 100 first round back...

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    Pr-ac-tice?

    What is this foreign thing you speak of?
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  14. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by LeftyHoges View Post
    Pr-ac-tice? What is this foreign thing you speak of?
    Its that thing that took up all our spare time before we discovered decadence and debauchery.
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  15. #39

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    I had a lesson on Monday and went back to hit some balls on Wednesday in a work break to practice what he showed me. I saw improvement during the lesson and a little bit more on Wednesday as I get more used to the new movements and grip/setup. It was nice seeing the majority of shots going straight at where I aimed them. When I don't go to hit balls I spend about 10-15 minutes a day doing airswings at home to reinforce it. Playing the first round since these changes on Sunday so it'll be interesting to see how I go. They weren't huge changes but they made a difference. I'm more motivated to practice now that I have something to work on.

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    Quote Originally Posted by markTHEblake View Post
    Its that thing that took up all our spare time before we discovered decadence and debauchery.
    I was on the decadence and debauchery VERY early on then....
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    Most of the OzGolfers I know are about the same ability-wise as what they were when I first started turning up to OzGolf things many years ago. Some put a lot of work into their game, some don't do anything at all. There's a lesson in that somewhere.

    Lowered expectations are the key to happiness.
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    Mmm If only I had an Attention Span ?




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  19. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by LarryLong View Post
    Most of the OzGolfers I know are about the same ability-wise as what they were when I first started turning up to OzGolf things many years ago. Some put a lot of work into their game, some don't do anything at all. There's a lesson in that somewhere.

    Lowered expectations are the key to happiness.
    I can't like this post enough.

    I want to marry this post, make love to it, and raise a happy little family of baby posts of similar ilk.
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    Quote Originally Posted by LarryLong View Post
    Most of the OzGolfers I know are about the same ability-wise as what they were when I first started turning up to OzGolf things many years ago. Some put a lot of work into their game, some don't do anything at all. There's a lesson in that somewhere.Lowered expectations are the key to happiness.
    Good point. Sometimes I feel like lowered expectations leads to better golf, which leads to a reducing handicap, which then leads to higher expectations, which then leads to an increasing handicap and then the cycle begins again. How to stop overthinking things, that's my challenge.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dcanto View Post
    Good point. Sometimes I feel like lowered expectations leads to better golf, which leads to a reducing handicap, which then leads to higher expectations, which then leads to an increasing handicap and then the cycle begins again. How to stop overthinking things, that's my challenge.
    The only thing missing is the accusation of sandbagging, after the handicap goes up and the benefits kick in from lowered expectations.

    I've always been terrible at any sport (even doing an 'Eric the Eel' nearly 30 years before the legend), so I tend to practice golf to minimise being an embarrassment on the course.

    The handicap (and routine) handles the rest.
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  22. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by LeftyHoges View Post
    I can't like this post enough.

    I want to marry this post, make love to it, and raise a happy little family of baby posts of similar ilk.
    Did you even read the last sentence?

  23. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by LarryLong View Post
    Most of the OzGolfers I know are about the same ability-wise as what they were when I first started turning up to OzGolf things many years ago. Some put a lot of work into their game, some don't do anything at all. There's a lesson in that somewhere. Lowered expectations are the key to happiness.
    In the 20 years since this community began, whilst we all maybe be about the same ability, that means we are probabably getting better relative to our age, golfers peak in their 30s physically so as we age we all should be much worse.

    So perhaps those that do work on their games do have something to show for it even though it may not seem so

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    Quote Originally Posted by perci View Post
    Mmm If only I had an Attention Span ?

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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivPFlKyeypU

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    I tried, I failed then I tried again.

    The key for me is fun and the most fun I have had playing golf is without doubt the times that I travelled this place called Oz to play golf with OzGolfer's. Hopefully post COVID I will be able to do that again. Who knows I may be a better golfer being a Single middle aged guy
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  26. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by benno_r View Post
    Did you even read the last sentence?
    I did. I completely agree with it.

    I'm just completely incapable of that.
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