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Lost balls / OB are killing me


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I've spent a lot of time working on my game recently, but my score hasn't moved much. That being said, I feel much better about it as I'm making significantly better contact each swing, however instead of duffing or blading a bunch of balls each round I'm smacking then OB. I feel like I'm on the verge of a breakthrough, but am consistently losing 6+ balls per round.

 

Examples: 93 with 7 lost balls, 98 with 10 lost balls, etc

 

Any suggestions on how you've overcome this? Usually I hit a fairly straight shot with a bit of a fade. Driving can be an issue but most lost balls are from irons that duck hook, with the occasional shank off the toe.

 

I just shot 5 over on 9 holes yesterday so I know it's in me, but these 3 sleeve days are killing me.

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Have you tried taking a hybrid or something like a 2 driving iron off the tee? You might make some bogeys due to longer approach shots into par 4s, but it's time to face reality and keep the ball in play first and foremost.

 

Focus on making pars on par 3s and par 5s first. Aim for the center of the green and/or away from trouble on par 3s. Play all par 5s as 3 shot holes. Then from there just hang on and keep it on the planet on par 4s. Take less than driver on your nemesis holes especially.

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> @juststeve said:

> A lesson or two and then practice until you have some control over the ball.

>

> Steve

 

This. I struggled the same as you and have finally turned the corner. Keeping it in play off the tee and aligning for your misses are good steps to take. I tend to overdraw longer irons so I line up right with those. Driver two-way miss but have recently been successful with aiming in the middle of the fairway. When the big dog goes awry, take a hybrid or iron out. Even if it means little to no chance of GIR, bogey is better than a penalty. Keep hackin!

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You might even consider a playing lesson if you have access to a teaching pro that will do that with you.

 

In the meantime, if you haven't already, you need to really keep track of these misses to see any patterns that are going on. There isn't much way to fix the problem until you have a clear idea of what the problem actually is. For example, if you ALWAYS lose it right, the move to the right side of the tee box and aim down the left side of the fairway to give yourself at least some margin of error; converse if you are hooking the ball.

 

But I sort of suspect from the way that you wrote the OP that you have BIG two-way misses going on, and that is usually a matter for a teaching pro to take a look at.

 

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Take some time on the range and the course to use a dry erase marker on your club faces to keep track of your impact. You will be surprised how often your "good" swings are really off center either on the hosel or toe side as a result of your set up and the movement of center of gravity through your feet. If you are puring the center strike then it is either your alignment or ball position at impact (body moving forward or hanging back. Long iron draws I have found is from trying to hard with the upper body ( shoulders and arms) trying to control distance. Focus more on making sure the body makes a complete impact turn before the hands come through at the bottom.

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Find a go-to, can't miss shot. A no matter what I am going to hit this club and this shot straight. For me it is my 3 iron and it is about an 85% swing. No matter what that shot goes straight and it goes low enough that I get decent roll out of it and can still get it out there around 230-240 most of the time. Sure it adds a little pressure being farther back but no where near the pressure that hitting three off the tee does.

 

After you find your "can't miss off the tee shot," find you a "can't miss out of the fairway shot." Maybe it is a 7 iron that goes 135. If you ever get in a tight spot and have to keep it in play but don't have the confidence or ability to go for the green, hit that go-to shot and hit a pitch for your next shot. Pitches rarely go OB. You won't be in position to birdie many holes but you cut down your blow-up holes significantly.

 

Try to only miss one direction of the other. Either hit a slice or hit a hook but get where you aren't doing both.

 

Bogey golf is still pretty good golf. 72+18=90

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