What do you think really holds you back from improving at golf?

[msg]

I would say time. But that was before. Now I have all the time in the world to practice and I discovered that the more I practice, hitting golf balls or play, the worse I get. It seems like my body or mind can't take the whole load of hitting balls on practice sessions then playing 18 holes everyday. I noticed that if I take days off and play or practice, I feel refreshed and ready to go. But if I play and practice say 3 x straight, by the 3rd or 4th straight time, I can't hit the damn ball as good as the 1st or 2nd day.

 

With that said I think what's holding me back is my mind and my body. :stink:

[powerpushfade]

We all have a ceiling.

 

True but I think the ceiling is much higher than we give ourselves credit for

Strongly disagree. Everyone thinks they are smarter than their boss, everyone could drive a race car, etc. Golf takes athletic ability, just like football, basketball or any sport. There is a reason people are where they are. You are what you are. You would improve with practice, I believe you would be shocked how fast that ceiling gets lower.

If you REALLY wanted to put the time in. You would put the time in.

[kacer]

I would say time. But that was before. Now I have all the time in the world to practice and I discovered that the more I practice, hitting golf balls or play, the worse I get. It seems like my body or mind can't take the whole load of hitting balls on practice sessions then playing 18 holes everyday. I noticed that if I take days off and play or practice, I feel refreshed and ready to go. But if I play and practice say 3 x straight, by the 3rd or 4th straight time, I can't hit the damn ball as good as the 1st or 2nd day.

 

With that said I think what's holding me back is my mind and my body. :stink:

 

I find this to be the case generally for most golfers. Why do you think this is? It goes to my example as taking a lesson and a few days later being completely lost and trying to find it.

 

Why do you think this takes place? More golfers than not have this experience, whether it's on GolfWRX or golfers that I've had the chance to talk to over the years playing and meeting people through playing tournaments.

[pappaf2]

I find this to be the case generally for most golfers. Why do you think this is? It goes to my example as taking a lesson and a few days later being completely lost and trying to find it.

 

Why do you think this takes place? More golfers than not have this experience, whether it's on GolfWRX or golfers that I've had the chance to talk to over the years playing and meeting people through playing tournaments.

This is why awareness is so important as mentioned by Jim Waldron in this thread. An instructor can have you do some moves and hitting it great on the lesson tee but if you don't have good awareness about what your body is really doing you will be hard pressed to replicate it after the lesson has passed.

 

I've come to realize that I have been pretty poor in the awareness category. Been trying to work on my awareness over the last 6-7 months and I have noticed an improvement in my game.

[nevets88]

Also, stupid winter.

[Petunia Sprinkle]

Honestly? Too much ****in’ around. Too many screwball ideas that started as somebody else’s theory that quickly got distorted into my own maniacal creation. But, I enjoy it.

[Grayback1973]

A LOT of this down here...

afa

c l

k e

n

t

[Jim Waldron]

I find this to be the case generally for most golfers. Why do you think this is? It goes to my example as taking a lesson and a few days later being completely lost and trying to find it.

 

Why do you think this takes place? More golfers than not have this experience, whether it's on GolfWRX or golfers that I've had the chance to talk to over the years playing and meeting people through playing tournaments.

This is why awareness is so important as mentioned by Jim Waldron in this thread. An instructor can have you do some moves and hitting it great on the lesson tee but if you don't have good awareness about what your body is really doing you will be hard pressed to replicate it after the lesson has passed.

 

I've come to realize that I have been pretty poor in the awareness category. Been trying to work on my awareness over the last 6-7 months and I have noticed an improvement in my game.

 

Yes, Awareness is the most essential and most influential tool in one's "golfing toolbox". Without it - you will fail at learning, fail at practice, and fail at scoring on the course.

 

It is almost never discussed here or any other golf community, because 99.9% of those who have it, were born with it and therefore they use it without really knowing it, and those who do not have it do not realize what it is and how important it is. In my opinion, it is THE "missing link" in golf.

 

And that opinion has been put to the ultimate test and succeeded: helping golfer's with severe cases of the yips to achieve total elimination of those yips. A key part of my Yips Cure Program is all about helping the golfer to become more aware and more focused.

[GolfTurkey]

I find this to be the case generally for most golfers. Why do you think this is? It goes to my example as taking a lesson and a few days later being completely lost and trying to find it.

 

Why do you think this takes place? More golfers than not have this experience, whether it's on GolfWRX or golfers that I've had the chance to talk to over the years playing and meeting people through playing tournaments.

This is why awareness is so important as mentioned by Jim Waldron in this thread. An instructor can have you do some moves and hitting it great on the lesson tee but if you don't have good awareness about what your body is really doing you will be hard pressed to replicate it after the lesson has passed.

 

I've come to realize that I have been pretty poor in the awareness category. Been trying to work on my awareness over the last 6-7 months and I have noticed an improvement in my game.

 

Yes, Awareness is the most essential and most influential tool in one's "golfing toolbox". Without it - you will fail at learning, fail at practice, and fail at scoring on the course.

 

It is almost never discussed here or any other golf community, because 99.9% of those who have it, were born with it and therefore they use it without really knowing it, and those who do not have it do not realize what it is and how important it is. In my opinion, it is THE "missing link" in golf.

 

And that opinion has been put to the ultimate test and succeeded: helping golfer's with severe cases of the yips to achieve total elimination of those yips. A key part of my Yips Cure Program is all about helping the golfer to become more aware and more focused.

 

I don't think it's quite the same awareness that you are talking about, but I find that club head awareness is very difficult in golf.

 

I was pretty decent at a couple of racket sports, and it was easy to know where the racket was in space at all times and where the face was pointed. It's in front or to the side of you and the distance from your hands to the sweet spot is much shorter.

 

Golf is just hard with this tiny sweet spot far away that goes up and behind you.

[Z1ggy16]

Practice and laziness. Back when I was a kid, I would literally practice piano for 8hours a day on the weekends and maybe 2 hours every day after school if I didn't have sports. I did this consistently for YEARS and got really good. With golf... I just play once a week, maybe hit balls every now and then. My lack of commitment to practice compared to when I was a kid doing piano is a joke. I would probably get really good if I hit balls every single day, putted for an hour or two a week and did chips around the green 3-4 times a week also in addition to actual play.

 

But instead I go play a sh!tty 18 holes a few times a month then wonder why I'm still not good.

[Jim Waldron]

I find this to be the case generally for most golfers. Why do you think this is? It goes to my example as taking a lesson and a few days later being completely lost and trying to find it.

 

Why do you think this takes place? More golfers than not have this experience, whether it's on GolfWRX or golfers that I've had the chance to talk to over the years playing and meeting people through playing tournaments.

This is why awareness is so important as mentioned by Jim Waldron in this thread. An instructor can have you do some moves and hitting it great on the lesson tee but if you don't have good awareness about what your body is really doing you will be hard pressed to replicate it after the lesson has passed.

 

I've come to realize that I have been pretty poor in the awareness category. Been trying to work on my awareness over the last 6-7 months and I have noticed an improvement in my game.

 

Yes, Awareness is the most essential and most influential tool in one's "golfing toolbox". Without it - you will fail at learning, fail at practice, and fail at scoring on the course.

 

It is almost never discussed here or any other golf community, because 99.9% of those who have it, were born with it and therefore they use it without really knowing it, and those who do not have it do not realize what it is and how important it is. In my opinion, it is THE "missing link" in golf.

 

And that opinion has been put to the ultimate test and succeeded: helping golfer's with severe cases of the yips to achieve total elimination of those yips. A key part of my Yips Cure Program is all about helping the golfer to become more aware and more focused.

 

I don't think it's quite the same awareness that you are talking about, but I find that club head awareness is very difficult in golf.

 

I was pretty decent at a couple of racket sports, and it was easy to know where the racket was in space at all times and where the face was pointed. It's in front or to the side of you and the distance from your hands to the sweet spot is much shorter.

 

Golf is just hard with this tiny sweet spot far away that goes up and behind you.

 

Awareness of the clubhead is just one thing a golfer could be aware of. Actually you are aware of your hands, which become a substitute in your mind for the actual clubhead. You are feeling the mass of the clubhead in your fingers and wrists. Can also be aware of face angle, path, angle of attack and low point, all through Feel in the hands.

 

Most golfers I have worked with do not have that kind of awareness, and instead are trying to picture the clubhead. They are aware of a fantasy that their mind created about the path of the clubhead. Which of course will not help at all. Paying attention to a visual picture of the clubhead moving in the swing is NOT paying attention to the actual clubhead path.

[GolfTurkey]

That's interesting, I'm going to see Dan C in person, and one of the things on my list was asking him to show me the correct hand path.

 

I was a fairly high level table tennis player and in that sport the hands are basically the club head for all practical purposes. Golf totally cooks my brain where club path is different to hand path.

 

Throw in non-existent proprioception and an inability to think in 3D (I struggle with 2D!) and, as you say, I have no chance of visualising the club head path.

 

Maybe this is also why I still have an irrational fear of totally missing the ball. The only time that I can remember missing a ball is attempting something dumb in the middle of a bush, but I stand on the first tee with a driver simply hoping that I contact the ball!

[Baitkiller]

LOFT

[augustgolf]

LOFT

 

[Jim Waldron]

That's interesting, I'm going to see Dan C in person, and one of the things on my list was asking him to show me the correct hand path.

 

I was a fairly high level table tennis player and in that sport the hands are basically the club head for all practical purposes. Golf totally cooks my brain where club path is different to hand path.

 

Throw in non-existent proprioception and an inability to think in 3D (I struggle with 2D!) and, as you say, I have no chance of visualising the club head path.

 

Maybe this is also why I still have an irrational fear of totally missing the ball. The only time that I can remember missing a ball is attempting something dumb in the middle of a bush, but I stand on the first tee with a driver simply hoping that I contact the ball!

 

If it's any consolation, almost no humans can think in 3D, absent a few Einsteins and da Vincis possibly.

 

Yes - hand path and clubhead path are not identical except close to that after wrist c0ck is finished and until start of Release. So last half of backswing and first half of downswing. And I obviously don't mean identical paths in space, but rather kind of parallel tracks.

 

It's why learning a proper Release is so important, it requires amazing precision and tons of speed. Very easy to have the precision without the speed (Steering Impulse) or the speed without the precision (Hit Impulse). Good players have hit enough good shots with a well-timed Release to recall what that feels like in their body, so at least have chance of replicating it.

 

Poor golfers don't play by Feel - they play by Thought, and so golf resembles gambling (relying on random luck) more than an actual sport for those golfers.

 

Proprioception is not optional. It's part of Awareness fundamental. More impact on your shot and scores than your clubs. I would rather play a round with hickory shafted clubs from 1900 and an old wound balata ball with Awareness/Feel than a round with the best modern clubs and modern ball and no Feel. Score would be way better in the first case.

[GolfTurkey]

Poor golfers don't play by Feel - they play by Thought, and so golf resembles gambling (relying on random luck) more than an actual sport for those golfers.

 

That's me. I point myself at the target as best I can, think a few technical thoughts and hope for the best. I think this is also why my shots always (and I mean always) curve away from the target. I try to have the path and club head pretty square, so if the path is square and the head is not, the shot starts offline and curves further offline. If I get the face square and not the path then it starts fairly straight and curves away.

 

Proprioception is not optional.

 

Gulp. I was literally the guy that the gym teacher told to sit in the corner so he wouldn't hurt himself while the rest of the class was practising rolls, tumbles and flips.

[LeoLeo99]

Something between my ears holds me back.

[Jim Waldron]

Poor golfers don't play by Feel - they play by Thought, and so golf resembles gambling (relying on random luck) more than an actual sport for those golfers.

 

That's me. I point myself at the target as best I can, think a few technical thoughts and hope for the best. I think this is also why my shots always (and I mean always) curve away from the target. I try to have the path and club head pretty square, so if the path is square and the head is not, the shot starts offline and curves further offline. If I get the face square and not the path then it starts fairly straight and curves away.

 

Proprioception is not optional.

 

Gulp. I was literally the guy that the gym teacher told to sit in the corner so he wouldn't hurt himself while the rest of the class was practising rolls, tumbles and flips.

 

Feel can be taught. I do it everyday with almost every student. Including in live via webcam online lessons.

 

And it does not take long to get a grasp for how to do it well and reliable - once you know the basics.

 

You can learn to identify when you are thinking, and to switch from thinking mode to feel mode, like changing channels on your tv remote.

 

It's only hard to do when you fall victim to the widespread view in golf nowadays that thinking swing theory or talking to body parts is how you are "supposed to do it".

 

Golf is not like solving an engineering problem - even though the current Internet-fueled and marketing-driven golf instruction would have you believe that nonsense.

 

It's all about connecting mind to body.

 

Golf is a sensory experience. Not an intellectual experience.

[Barfolomew]

...injuries always get in the way as I'm on a good role and getting better!

[Paul Verizer]

For me, I think it has been lack of patience in learning. I always want things to come fast and stick. Although they may come fast, they may not stick if I don't make the lesson linger.

 

What's made positive change stick for me is a longer repetition period for learning something new. For instance, I worked on a new grip for two weeks - barely swinging at all. After my first lesson, all I did was set up in front of a mirror for a week. Three weeks and I haven't swung, but my grip is right. For my next lesson, I'm learning a proper takeaway. It's been a week since then and I'm just now starting to swing down from the 3rd position. But my grip is good and my set up feels right. I admit I do take full swings at the end of practicing. And I can feel it coming together.

 

I'm hoping this trend continues, as I'm seeing positive signs.

 

Another big helper here is having the ability to swing and study in the garage.

[msg]

I would say time. But that was before. Now I have all the time in the world to practice and I discovered that the more I practice, hitting golf balls or play, the worse I get. It seems like my body or mind can't take the whole load of hitting balls on practice sessions then playing 18 holes everyday. I noticed that if I take days off and play or practice, I feel refreshed and ready to go. But if I play and practice say 3 x straight, by the 3rd or 4th straight time, I can't hit the damn ball as good as the 1st or 2nd day.

 

With that said I think what's holding me back is my mind and my body. :stink:

 

I find this to be the case generally for most golfers. Why do you think this is? It goes to my example as taking a lesson and a few days later being completely lost and trying to find it.

 

Why do you think this takes place? More golfers than not have this experience, whether it's on GolfWRX or golfers that I've had the chance to talk to over the years playing and meeting people through playing tournaments.

 

To be honest, I want to find out why. And if I figure it out, I want to fix it.

 

Last year I joined a municipal tournament and joined the venue where I usually shoot low scores. I was confident I can advance to the next round the following week if I make it to the top 10. Prior to the weekend, I went to the range to practice on Thursday, played 9 holes on Friday. Range in the morning before each of the rounds.

 

Come Sunday I was running on fumes. lol

 

I was mentally tired more than anything.

 

Then a few weeks later, learning my lesson, we had a Ryder Cup style match at the same course, I did not PLAY or practice for ONE week. And I shot 4 over par and smoked my opponent, it was over just after the front 9 and he was a good buddy of mine. Lol

 

And to think I have learned my lesson. Last year as well I joined an important qualifying tournament. Before the tournament I played a golf all you can. I played 72 holes in one day, on a cart, but still that was a lot of golf.

 

The next day I was so tired, exhausted and did not shoot a great score to qualify.

 

I really want to fix this because I have a buddy who is 65 and he still hits it long and is almost scratch and plays / practices almost everyday and has a day job and not yet retired. Here I am at 35 and cannot put a good round if I play or practice a lot.

 

So yeah, that's what is holding me back.