Should I just hang it up? Seriously.

[ZGriswold83]

I have been playing for over 20 years, started when I was 16.  I got good pretty quick and without much formal instruction. I played tons of tournaments, played in high school and a little in college (JUCO). I was never knocking on the door of shooting par, but I could put up a mid 70s score on the right day. As time went on so did life and in turn, less time to play. I still kept playing, having fun shooting low to mid 80s and breaking 80 when I was feeling good.  About 7 or 8 years ago, I had a soft tissue back injury on top of a job that was already hard on my lower back. I did physical therapy, strengthen exercises, stretching, the whole bit, I still do have bouts where my back is really, really tight. When my son was born, I played very, very little golf and in the last year and a half was able to finally pick it up more. I played OK, for me, started missing 2 ways, terrible short game, no idea where the ball was going. I've been pretty much playing like this for the last 2 years. I tried some lessons last year, the pro decided to change my natural fade to a draw, had me hit balls the entire lesson with an impact bag forcing me to swing in to out, with little success. After that I went on a major YouTube rabbit hole, discovered Monte, downloaded a couple of series and tried to learn more about the golf swing and thought maybe it would help.

 

Fast forward to today, I finally have some time to go to the range. I'm feeling pretty good and then I just fall apart, left, right, low, chunky, everything bad. I left with a sore back and half a bucket left.

 

Golf is one of the only things I've ever been good at and if I'm not playing well, golf just isn't fun. I try, but I can't enjoy myself when I set up over a ball and have no idea where it's going.  I've practiced and practiced and studied and I'm not even close to where I want to be, I don't know if I have the mental and physical capacity to keep getting back up.

 

Anyone else been here? Seriously, should I just hang my sticks up?

 

Edit: Thanks for all the replies, this is the only place I have to vent my mind about golf and have others understand. I have lessons scheduled starting next week, I'm not going to watch a golf video or touch a club until then. There's a golf game in there somewhere, I just need help finding it again.

Edited July 4, 2022 by ZGriswold83

[bekgolf]

Remember the phrase "That's Golf" and remember that just about everyone has bad days, weeks, and sometimes more.

 

Golfing with a regular group like a Men's club will remind you that every golfer has times where it just isn't working. 

 

It always comes back if you come back.

[caniac6]

If you don’t enjoy it, quit. 

[kwcsports]

Take a break. Do other things for awhile and if you're like me, the urge to play will return. Go to the range, review all the fundamentals, hit balls and work back to playing. Everyone has slumps. 

[Chunkitgood]

I’ll take the liberty of answering because I have known a lot of people who like you were self taught as a teenager.  Unfortunately they taught themselves an over the top, upper body swings which they could get away to play their “power fades” aka more or less controlled slices because  they were consistent with it.  The golfer of that type I knew best was my own father.  I myself self taught myself a completely different sort of faulty swing, a short, high draw, but that’s another story.

 

My experience and a pretty fair amount of research tells me a fundamentally sound swing requires more attention to proper body movement aka the pivot than most people seem to realize or put into it.   You undoubtedly do have the capacity to learn it.

[MountainKing]

Why do something that doesn't make you happy?  I love hockey, probably my favorite sport, but I stopped playing due to declining skill from age, injuries and mens league just being dangerous at times.  Basically it just lost it's fun and gave me no joy.  I also don't see golf as a forever sport for me.  I expect to play at a certain level, and once I hit the age where that starts declining I'll doubt I want to keep it going. I have plenty of other hobbies to keep me occupied so I guess that helps.

[acegolfer]

I can relate. I hit a plateau in my late 30s. Golf wasn't fun so I quit playing. This year, I started playing again after 10+ yrs. Built a new swing that's more consistent. Golf is fun again. If you can't improve and are not having fun, take a long break. 

[dan360]

Been playing since the age of 7-8.   44 now.   Two back surgeries, two knee surgeries, I don't swing 110mph and can't carry a full set for 18+ holes very well.   Changed my swing to something that doesn't hurt, at the expense of distance, but can be more consistent.

 

Switched to lighter shafts, and some graphite shafts.   Experimenting now with regular flex.   There's a wide variety of ways to go about this game, if you enjoy it.  If you don't, then don't. 

[TwistedSister]

1 hour ago, ZGriswold83 said:

I have been playing for over 20 years, started when I was 16.  I got good pretty quick and without much formal instruction. I played tons of tournaments, played in high school and a little in college (JUCO). I was never knocking on the door of shooting par, but I could put up a mid 70s score on the right day. As time went on so did life and in turn, less time to play. I still kept playing, having fun shooting low to mid 80s and breaking 80 when I was feeling good.  About 7 or 8 years ago, I had a soft tissue back injury on top of a job that was already hard on my lower back. I did physical therapy, strengthen exercises, stretching, the whole bit, I still do have bouts where my back is really, really tight. When my son was born, I played very, very little golf and in the last year and a half was able to finally pick it up more. I played OK, for me, started missing 2 ways, terrible short game, no idea where the ball was going. I've been pretty much playing like this for the last 2 years. I tried some lessons last year, the pro decided to change my natural fade to a draw, had me hit balls the entire lesson with an impact bag forcing me to swing in to out, with little success. After that I went on a major YouTube rabbit hole, discovered Monte, downloaded a couple of series and tried to learn more about the golf swing and thought maybe it would help.

 

Fast forward to today, I finally have some time to go to the range. I'm feeling pretty good and then I just fall apart, left, right, low, chunky, everything bad. I left with a sore back and half a bucket left.

 

Golf is one of the only things I've ever been good at and if I'm not playing well, golf just isn't fun. I try, but I can't enjoy myself when I set up over a ball and have no idea where it's going.  I've practiced and practiced and studied and I'm not even close to where I want to be, I don't know if I have the mental and physical capacity to keep getting back up.

 

Anyone else been here? Seriously, should I just hang my sticks up?

I am there right now.  Been playing for 54 years.  Been down to a 2 and now can't hit a 7 iron more than 125 yds.  The game is not fun when I am cussing all the time.  It is supposed to be fun and a stress reliever.  Not now for me.  My last round was in a two man Pinehurst event on May 1st.  I may have had 5 shots all day that got off the ground.  We still finished second in our flight. Tells you all what my partner did.  Golf for me will be no more than a casual round once a month maybe.  It is only fun with friends and my brother who I only see once a year. 

[Double Mocha Man]

Do you have another hobby/sport you can turn to that gives you more enjoyment???

[joeburger]

Game is too addicting, its why we post on a forum about it when we arent even playing

[ZGriswold83]

2 minutes ago, joeburger said:

Game is too addicting, its why we post on a forum about it when we arent even playing

100% After clearing my head a bit, I'm determined to make it work.

[ZGriswold83]

1 hour ago, bekgolf said:

Remember the phrase "That's Golf" and remember that just about everyone has bad days, weeks, and sometimes more.

 

Golfing with a regular group like a Men's club will remind you that every golfer has times where it just isn't working. 

 

It always comes back if you come back.

Thank you, I've cleared my head a bit and I know I've got it in there, because I've done it. I'm just wandering through a desert right now.

[Double Mocha Man]

2 minutes ago, ZGriswold83 said:

100% After clearing my head a bit, I'm determined to make it work.

 

Atta boy!  Hang in there...

[Cwebb]

4 minutes ago, ZGriswold83 said:

100% After clearing my head a bit, I'm determined to make it work.

 

Take a little break, regroup/reassess, and then take another go with it

[596]

Sounds like me and cycling.  I raced triathlons, mountain bikes, and criteriums for 22 years.  From age 35 to age 57.  I won my fair share of races. At 57 things got not only boring but I was getting slower with age.  Age has a way of catching up to you.  I rode into the house one day and told my wife, "I quit".  Sold all but 2 of my 8 bikes.  Didn't run, cycle or swim for 6 years.  

 

At age 63 I started cycling again and absolutely love it.  I don't race anymore, I cycle only for fun.  You'll need to reset your priorities in golf if you want to continue to play and enjoy it

[skujan57]

1 hour ago, dhacker56 said:

I am there right now.  Been playing for 54 years.  Been down to a 2 and now can't hit a 7 iron more than 125 yds.  The game is not fun when I am cussing all the time.  It is supposed to be fun and a stress reliever.  Not now for me.  My last round was in a two man Pinehurst event on May 1st.  I may have had 5 shots all day that got off the ground.  We still finished second in our flight. Tells you all what my partner did.  Golf for me will be no more than a casual round once a month maybe.  It is only fun with friends and my brother who I only see once a year. 

That's tough but you know your limitations and find a way to enjoy it.

[tatertot]

1 hour ago, ZGriswold83 said:

Thank you, I've cleared my head a bit and I know I've got it in there, because I've done it. I'm just wandering through a desert right now.

Monte is a great resource ... but you can't bounce around. I've been where your at. As amateurs our biggest shortcoming is looking for advice everywhere. We find fixes and they don't last, they're just band aids, and they leave us worse off then we were. Monte is great because he gives long-term solutions that address the fundamental issues and don't go for the quick fix. Once you find someone like him you trust, you stick with him and look for his specific answers to what ails your game.

[ob1soccer]

Dont quit, dont ever quit. U will find a way to work through it. Try not keeping score for a while and just practicing until u find something that works. When i am playing terrible i just go to the course and hit alot of balls on each hole and just try to have fun. It will get better

[bekgolf]

2 hours ago, ZGriswold83 said:

Thank you, I've cleared my head a bit and I know I've got it in there, because I've done it. I'm just wandering through a desert right now.

 

I forgot this was wrx for a minute.  What I should of added is it's time to buy new clubs!  Lol.  I'm sure someone is selling a set of irons/driver/wedges/putter that they bought to fix their game but it didn't work.

 

You will be too invested in the game money wise to walk away from it.  You're welcome.

[Follow The Sun]

One of my favorite movie quotes: 

 

A man's got to know his limitations. Dirty Harry -- Clint Eastwood

 

I got back into the game a couple of years ago and I quickly realized as an older senior golfer I'll never shoot low 80's golf again. But have worked on my game and now shoot bogey golf from the short tees and I accept that and love the game.

 

Adapt, improvise and overcome. Heartbreak Ridge

 

Good Golfing

[Nels55]

@ZGriswold83 Real swing change can be very difficult.  It seems that you had an effective swing that was grooved in and that swing has been destroyed.  You could just relax and pretend that you are 16 years old again and see if you can find your old swing.  It is possible that your old move was fine and plenty good enough to enjoy golf for the rest of your life.  If not then you would probably be best served to go the instruction route.  The trick is to find the right instructor who can help you find your best swing.  If you want to try to figure it out on your own using youtube you might try Dr. Kwon's videos, there is a long thread on his teaching in this forum.  You can do it! 

[iNeedMoreGolf]

I dont think ill ever stop playing even if my skills decline. I play just about as good as you use to be. Mostly mid low 80s broke into 70s once so far but i get close. Then i have the bad days... 90s... left right short long blade top chunk bad putting. Its golf.

Even on those days i still enjoy getting to play even though its frustrating.

If tiger woods can suck sometimes by his standards then who are we? 

[samwm]

5 hours ago, ZGriswold83 said:

Thank you, I've cleared my head a bit and I know I've got it in there, because I've done it. I'm just wandering through a desert right now.

 

I read your post, but I'm still curious about where you're losing most of your shots these days. That'll be your starting point here. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 4, 2022 by samwm

[Justsomeguy]

5 hours ago, ZGriswold83 said:

100% After clearing my head a bit, I'm determined to make it work.

Get your back right, or at least as good as you can.

I've got a little list of the broken body parts, and on the days they aren't cooperating, my golf is poor and painful and not much fun.

On the days the body cooperates, I see longer drives and snappy irons, and then all I can really complain about is my putting.

Can't overstate how badly a sore body part will hurt your game and your fun.

[Nickc]

9 hours ago, Chunkitgood said:

 

My experience and a pretty fair amount of research tells me a fundamentally sound swing requires more attention to proper body movement aka the pivot than most people seem to realize or put into it.   You undoubtedly do have the capacity to learn it.

Agree. What got me on the right track with this as a simple fundamental was to do the drills in Michael McTeigues 'keys to the effortless golf swing" especially the 'lighthouse' drill - no club required!

The lessons in the book also on YouTube .

 

 

(I found that hitting buckets of balls on the range when things not working out can be soul destroying- better I think to just play..even if full shots all over the place..your short game may suffice to get you round while things sort themselves out. When you go to the range then maybe just one small bucket at a time while working on an aspect of your swing)

Edited July 4, 2022 by Nickc
Added bit in brackets

[hammersia]

I would consider myself a consistent player, never really "lost" my swing in 30 years of playing to high single figures, although I've been largely injury free - 

 

A few basics myself and many others on this forum go back to if we think we're getting out of whack:

 

1) Literally throw the club down the target line. Take an old club and wang it down the target line. That's your ideal swing. 

2) Full swings with feet together. My feet have a tendancy to get overactive, so in addition feeling very grounded / feet flat on the floor as long as possible works a treat for me.

3) Mental game - Inner Game of Golf by Tim Galwey. Can seem a bit woowoo but actually there's a lot in there simply about finding the pleasure of hitting a golf ball well.

[ShortGolfer]

I think  you are trying too hard.  You need to be more patient with yourself.  If you can't hit a full bucket of balls, give the leftover balls to someone else and call it a day.

 

I just got a full bag fitting and learned a ton of useful stuff from the fitting.  I'd love to go out and play a round this holiday weekend, but I know my body won't let me.

Instead, I'm modifying some of my old clubs to better fit me.  Adjusting club lengths, swing weights, and grips.

 

One idea may be to set smaller intermediate goals, and slowly work yourself up to what you want to be.

I'm a stroke survivor, so I know all about setting small goals and slowly working my self up to much bigger achievements.

My last round was terrible, as I can't play two days in a row, but I had a legit chance at my first birdie putt.  I missed it, but that is still progress!

 

 

[Trippels]

With golf, quitting is harder than getting better

[bluedot]

My theory is that there comes a point with a “homemade” swing where our hand and body speed can’t save a bad swing anymore.  You can still have ok rounds, but the number of disasters multiplies, and some days you can’t play at all.

 

There are two paths forward on this, but both require some time and effort.  One is spending some time and money with a teaching pro and learning to swing all over again.  For most homemade guys, this is going to mean better use of the shoulders and hips, and less of a timing-based arm swing. 
 

The other piece, WAY too often ignored IMO, is making sure that your body isn’t limiting your swing.  As we age, and especially if our job involves a lot of sitting, we lose mobility, even if we’re still reasonably strong and reasonably flexible.  Maybe the most frequent culprit in this is hip mobility; if your hips don’t move properly, the only way to get your body out of the way of your arms is to early extent; you use your lumbar spine to clear your upper body by coming up and out.  The results are EXACTLY what you describe; lots of low right scuds that don’t get airborne, two-way misses because you are flipping your hands to try to save the shot, and a sore back because you are using your lumbar spine instead of your thoracic spine.  
 

The trick to all of this is finding somebody(s) who can assess your swing and your body and tell you what’s going on and what to do about it.  You can tell from the previous responses that what you’re going thru isn’t uncommon at all.