Skill Regression.

[steventoo]

Hi,

 

 

I've been playing for two years and took my handicap down to 15, before back problems caused in part by an atrocious swing inspired a trip to a coach and a complete rework of my game. I was at the stage where something had to change in a big way to allow me to improve further. I'd shoot mid 80's with some rounds below 80 and others well over 90. Consistency wasn't there. I'd have 48 stableford points one week and then 12 the next (seriously, I got 48 one Thursday and then went around in 12 on the following Monday!).

 

My old swing was awful and just about everything has needed adjustment. Since starting sessions with my coach, my handicap has shot up to 24 (!) and my ball striking consistency has fallen to pieces. About the only things I can do reliably are drive and putt.

 

Understandably, this is very frustrating for both me and my coach. It's not his fault - he's a very highly regarded coach and coaches several touring pro's, so the problem is clearly me. We've had about 10 sessions over a couple of months now, and while things got better initially I now struggle to break 90 and hit any iron shots I'm at all pleased with. I hit around 500 balls a week on the range, and about half of them do what I want. I just can't seem to build a repeatable, sound, solid swing. Brain says one thing, body does another. I lose concentration as I get more frustrated. It's a nasty cycle.

 

While I am sure that with time, determination, and practice, I'll be able to play better than I ever have before, I'm struggling with motivation. My game has regressed so badly that I'm starting to not enjoy playing as much as I used to.

 

I know I'm not alone and that most people have gone through something similar before. I'm looking for motivation to get me wanting to go and practice more (from house to driving range at my club takes 5 minutes, I don't really have an excuse other than work commitments) and convince me to stick with what I'm doing.

 

I guess I'd like to hear stories from other people about what happened to them and how they kept interested while regressing to a hack, and how it helped them in the end. Success stories, please!

[themouth1]

Hi,

 

 

I've been playing for two years and took my handicap down to 15, before back problems caused in part by an atrocious swing inspired a trip to a coach and a complete rework of my game. I was at the stage where something had to change in a big way to allow me to improve further. I'd shoot mid 80's with some rounds below 80 and others well over 90. Consistency wasn't there. I'd have 48 stableford points one week and then 12 the next (seriously, I got 48 one Thursday and then went around in 12 on the following Monday!).

 

My old swing was awful and just about everything has needed adjustment. Since starting sessions with my coach, my handicap has shot up to 24 (!) and my ball striking consistency has fallen to pieces. About the only things I can do reliably are drive and putt.

 

Understandably, this is very frustrating for both me and my coach. It's not his fault - he's a very highly regarded coach and coaches several touring pro's, so the problem is clearly me. We've had about 10 sessions over a couple of months now, and while things got better initially I now struggle to break 90 and hit any iron shots I'm at all pleased with. I hit around 500 balls a week on the range, and about half of them do what I want. I just can't seem to build a repeatable, sound, solid swing. Brain says one thing, body does another. I lose concentration as I get more frustrated. It's a nasty cycle.

 

While I am sure that with time, determination, and practice, I'll be able to play better than I ever have before, I'm struggling with motivation. My game has regressed so badly that I'm starting to not enjoy playing as much as I used to.

 

I know I'm not alone and that most people have gone through something similar before. I'm looking for motivation to get me wanting to go and practice more (from house to driving range at my club takes 5 minutes, I don't really have an excuse other than work commitments) and convince me to stick with what I'm doing.

 

I guess I'd like to hear stories from other people about what happened to them and how they kept interested while regressing to a hack, and how it helped them in the end. Success stories, please!

 

 

I would suggest you went and saw another coach. The one you are using might be one of the best in the world but, he might not be the best one for YOU. Maybe someone with a little bit of a different approach will help.

[steventoo]

Well, after all of that I went and out shot my best round for a month or so on Monday. It was pretty terrible - only 31 points - but that included five nothings and two ones. Irons are the killer - every time I could hit a drive followed by a 9 iron or wedge I was OK, but as soon as I pulled out an iron from the tee or a five iron from the fairway I was in big trouble.

 

Before my session with the coach today I had a chat with him about my frustrations and he reckons the fundamentals are all there, I just need to get the timing sussed out. I hit a few balls, he noticed a couple of problems and told me how to fix them, and I most of the next 50 balls to within 5 metres of the point I was aiming at, with only a few wayward or shanked shots. Success! I then hit another 100 or so and had most of them doing what I want. He reckons the last step is getting my swing speed back, but that's a whole new story.

 

I gotta keep working at it, though. I'm playing at 7 tomorrow morning before the temperature and wind pick up and I have a convention in the afternoon, hopefully I won't forget how to hit my irons overnight...

[jcjr34]

I don't know how long you've been taking your lessons w/ this coach, but you have to remember that any swing changes, especially as dramatic as yours, it's not going to be a switch you can turn on the next day. There is a time period in which you will play worse until the swing ingrains itself into your muscles, timing, etc. Then it all miraculously comes together and you'll be hitting lights out, dare I bring up a certain TW as an example? :good:

You're doing the right thing by venting your frustrations w/ the coach and its good that he is open enough to help you straighten things out.

[steventoo]

I would suggest you went and saw another coach. The one you are using might be one of the best in the world but, he might not be the best one for YOU. Maybe someone with a little bit of a different approach will help.

I'm going to stick with the coach I have at the moment, mostly because he's close (if I have an 8am session I can wake up at 7:45am and still be early) and is the head pro at my club and is easy to talk with and so on. I can feel that the stuff he is teaching me is helping a lot, but I know that the missing piece of the game is me. My main motivation - my back - is nearly fixed. I haven't had a problem with it for months.

 

I don't know how long you've been taking your lessons w/ this coach, but you have to remember that any swing changes, especially as dramatic as yours, it's not going to be a switch you can turn on the next day. There is a time period in which you will play worse until the swing ingrains itself into your muscles, timing, etc. Then it all miraculously comes together and you'll be hitting lights out, dare I bring up a certain TW as an example? :good:

You're doing the right thing by venting your frustrations w/ the coach and its good that he is open enough to help you straighten things out.

Today was my tenth session. I started in late August with one session a week for a month and then a few weeks off and now I'm back for more. When I've been at the range hitting balls (poorly) he's come by and made a few comments while on the way to see other people a few times. I took a few weeks off for various reasons, but I'm committed now... until the next work/study/life thing comes along.

 

I know the changes have been monumental - I can now play a round without a sore back, which was my motivation to begin with. If I don't get any better from here, I'm thankful for that. Going to bed at night and not being sore is a great experience.

 

I have a feeling that it's all going to come together soon! My 68 year old father plays at the same club I do with a handicap of around 10. My goal for the next year is to consistently shoot better than him...

 

Getting there is a slow and frustrating process... but there's a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel!

[juststeve]

I see basically two approaches that golfers take to improvment.

 

The first approach is to find a swing method that works for them and then to practice that swing method to refine and improve the execution of it. Over time these golfers become better and better, some even achieve expert status.

 

The second approach is to seek improvment by changing the method, often with each passing fad. These are the folks that are always telling you at the club about the new swing key they found that's really going to get their game under control. It never does because a month later there's a new key, a new method, something else to work on but never perfect.

 

I've played this game for a long time at a rather high level. In that time I've discovered that there are a lot of methods that work, no one method for everyone. I have not found a secret that will lead to instant improvement without working on a single method until you perform it very well.

 

It may well be that your original method caused your back problems, and if so it wasn't for you. I encourage you however to find one thing that works for you and then stick to it until you are able to do it very well.

 

Steve

[larrybud]

I'm curious as to why one keeps score with the stableford scoring system?

[steventoo]

I had an interesting round today. Started at 7am because the day was meant to be really hot and windy... it was just windy. Started well with a bogey, par, bogey... then it fell to bits with five straight nothings! I could blame the wind, but I'll just blame me... apart from my drive on the 6th which definitely the wind!

 

I had a putt for eagle on a par 5 - a good drive followed by a well hit (for a change) 5 iron on to the green. The long putt from the lower tier to the hole on the top tier didn't look like missing until it hit something about a foot from the hole and dipped sharply right and came to rest an inch from the hole. My friend was holding the flag and pointed out the problem... some idiot hadn't repaired their pitch mark properly and had left a nice hole directly in the path my ball was to travel.

 

Finished shooting two better than my handicap on the back 9, which is alright I guess. Pity about the terrible front 9...

 

I see basically two approaches that golfers take to improvment.

 

The first approach is to find a swing method that works for them and then to practice that swing method to refine and improve the execution of it. Over time these golfers become better and better, some even achieve expert status.

 

The second approach is to seek improvment by changing the method, often with each passing fad. These are the folks that are always telling you at the club about the new swing key they found that's really going to get their game under control. It never does because a month later there's a new key, a new method, something else to work on but never perfect.

 

I've played this game for a long time at a rather high level. In that time I've discovered that there are a lot of methods that work, no one method for everyone. I have not found a secret that will lead to instant improvement without working on a single method until you perform it very well.

 

It may well be that your original method caused your back problems, and if so it wasn't for you. I encourage you however to find one thing that works for you and then stick to it until you are able to do it very well.

 

Steve

 

Thanks - that has given me a fair bit to think about. I took the first approach when I started playing, but as you said... it wasn't for me because it hurt my back.

 

I can feel that the help from my coach is leading towards a better, more repeatable, safer (for my body) swing. I just have to unlearn years of bad habits and work at what he's taught me. I'm not as long or as consistent as I was previously, but I'm not as sore either and that's the main thing.

 

More practice... lots more practice. I know where my major failing points are (timing and left knee collapse) but learning to fix those things while not screwing other things up is very frustrating. The worst bit is that I know what's going wrong as I'm swinging but rarely am able to stop and correct myself. I also lose concentration easily, especially when I'm frustrated after a couple of bad shots.

 

I'm curious as to why one keeps score with the stableford scoring system?

 

Because of work and study, I only get to play with friends on Mondays and Thursdays, and at my club a stableford competition is run on those days - they are minor competitions. I don't/can't play in the big competitions on Tuesdays or Saturdays or Sundays, but I think they are stroke. When I play by myself, I rarely play a full round and rarely bother recording my score other than a mental "happy with how I played" or not.