Golf is hard

[596]

The best way to get your new swing to the course is STOP keeping score every time you play.

 

I keep score one day each week, the Monday money game. The other 3 times I play I do not keep score. I work on my game and have fun playing shots I'd normally not play when it counts. 

[JJFWebster]

7 hours ago, 596 said:

The best way to get your new swing to the course is STOP keeping score every time you play.

 

I keep score one day each week, the Monday money game. The other 3 times I play I do not keep score. I work on my game and have fun playing shots I'd normally not play when it counts. 

This is also a great way to get to know your handicap committee.

[lance1420]

It’s very hard. 
 

for example I played Monday and was +3 at the turn. 
 

irons were pathetic but wedges were hot as was the putter. 
 

I worked extremely hard to get pars…

 

then i imploded on the back nine…

 

we won’t talk about that score…

[acemandrake]

On 6/19/2023 at 12:35 AM, JJFWebster said:

This is also a great way to get to know your handicap committee.

Per USGA, don't even think about posting your score when playing as a single.

 

Makes it easy to keep your game shrouded in mystery 😎

[tatertot]

On 6/18/2023 at 3:46 PM, 596 said:

The best way to get your new swing to the course is STOP keeping score every time you play.

 

I keep score one day each week, the Monday money game. The other 3 times I play I do not keep score. I work on my game and have fun playing shots I'd normally not play when it counts. 

This might be the worst advice I've ever ready on GolfWRX ... and that's saying A LOT.

[596]

1 hour ago, tatertot said:

This might be the worst advice I've ever ready on GolfWRX ... and that's saying A LOT.

Not sure why you think that.  That advice comes from some of the best golf instructors. 

[tatertot]

5 hours ago, 596 said:

Not sure why you think that.  That advice comes from some of the best golf instructors. 

You can play shots and hit the ball for fun all day long on the golf course and it won't teach you a thing ... the only time you learn about your swing or shot-making ability is under pressure, when you have to do something or it cost you a stroke, a hole, or a dollar.

[Chunkitgood]

3 hours ago, tatertot said:

You can play shots and hit the ball for fun all day long on the golf course and it won't teach you a thing ... the only time you learn about your swing or shot-making ability is under pressure, when you have to do something or it cost you a stroke, a hole, or a dollar.

Learning to swing and generally play golf and learning to do so under under pressure are different skills, but you have to learn the first before you need to worry about the second.

 

Trying to learn the basic skills of swinging the club under even the minimal pressure of just keeping score is why most people never succeed at it.

 

Trying to learn a swing while playing is a recipe for an arm swing, which the neophyte inevitably adopts at some point in an effort to just get the ball in the air and have some control of where the ball goes.

 

The reason experienced golfers mostly never get any better is they never manage to unlearn the loft adding arm swing they learned while “learning by playing.”

[tatertot]

7 hours ago, Chunkitgood said:

Learning to swing and generally play golf and learning to do so under under pressure are different skills, but you have to learn the first before you need to worry about the second.

 

Trying to learn the basic skills of swinging the club under even the minimal pressure of just keeping score is why most people never succeed at it.

 

Trying to learn a swing while playing is a recipe for an arm swing, which the neophyte inevitably adopts at some point in an effort to just get the ball in the air and have some control of where the ball goes.

 

The reason experienced golfers mostly never get any better is they never manage to unlearn the loft adding arm swing they learned while “learning by playing.”

Exactly ... that's what the driving range/practice area is for. 

 

You learn the mechanics of the game in the practice area ... you learn to play the game on the course.

[Golfbit2X]

I'll say this again as I've said it to myself more than a few times, golf is a crazy game and having a good session in the driving range is not a guarantee of good performance on the course for that day. 

 

Perhaps it's my mindset thinking that way that causes me to blow up on the course sometimes but I still think it's a crap shoot...

 

Even Pros recount the same experience but I think what really matters is you've got to have a good putting performance in order to do well and/ or win tournaments. 

 

I can attest to this from a recent experience I had where I won a tournament in my division and I was only able to hit one fairway the whole round but had at least 7 one-putts, some over 20 feet for a total of 32 putts for the round. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Golfbit2X

[Tiptx1122]

It's one of those games you can never play the same twice in a row. I sometime don't know whois going to show up on the 1st Tee. I take the good with the bad as I'm just a recreational golfer who loves the sport sometimes I play for the competition and mostly for the fun. When I first started to golf it was always the good shots that keep me coming back. Yes golf is hard and I'm sometimes hard on myself when I don't hit that good shot as it also can be a game you love to hate.

 

Well as of lately I switched to some GI irons as this has been a game changer for me and also a 11* driver. I try to always keep my Ego in check. I really don't understand how people can be so hard on PGA Pro's when they don't live up the their expectations as if they could do better themselves as we all know 80% of the golfwrx'ers on these forums have a 115 mph swing speed 180 ball speed and consistency drive the the ball 350 yds.

 

Darn right Golf is hard as no one ever said it was easy, it's just some people can make it look easy but that's only when they have their A+ game which is something that rarely happens to most of us and when it does it doesn't stay very long with us. Something we all have heard before and it's true at least for me I'd rather have my worst day at golf than my best day at work.....unless you have a cushy job making investments in the stock market which I'm not that lucky but then again I'd rather be lucky at golf than good. So yes I'm a golf junkie, addicted to it, best hobby I've ever picked up as when playing with me you can laugh at me or with me as I don't care. So as long as I can walk and breath I will be playing this game and I'm very thankful that I'm still able to with all that I've been thru. 

[Kai Slater]

Folk in this thread talking about pressure and making reference to hitting shots under pressure.  For the vast majority, 99.9% of us, why do we feel pressure?  Playing a game, hitting a little white ball around.

[JohnnyCashForever]

Yes, golf is hard, especially if you're trying to learn the swing in this video.

 

For me, red flags went up when the Ph.D. mentioned he learned a secret from Steve Elkington (cf. unintentionally hilarious instructional video of Elk with Trent Dilfer)...and when the athletic student continued to have a 200-yard-wide two-way miss. 

 

I honestly don't think this swing can be learned by the vast majority of us.  You're either born with the athletic ability to do it (e.g., DJ), or you aren't.  I suspect 99.99% of golfers aren't.

 

 

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

Honestly, it takes time and belief.

Belief in your process.

Belief in a result.

Believe in yourself.

Then it takes the ability to move on when the above yields a poor result. I struggle with all of this myself, but it is getting better. But golf will always be hard. Yet, it will always be a measure of confidence; belief.

Monday was a pure example. I can be the Jekyll and Hyde of golf.

Front 9 - 42

Back 9 - 55

 

In the front 9, I had bad shots with my driver, but you wouldn't be able to TELL me my irons were going to let me down. I didn't even think about where the ball would go. I simply trusted all of the above. I recovered from even the worst of driver shots. Those drives were what held me back from a scratch front 9.

On the back 9, after breaking the rhythm with lunch (mistake), suddenly I trusted nothing. I had good shots, but an equal or larger amount of bad shots. I watched the ball sail nearly directly to the right after thinking I did everything correctly with the 56° wedge. My recovery after that was a wimpy pitch that went 10 yards to line up a chip and a 2 putt for 7 total including the penalty from the lost ball after the 2nd shot (Which came after the best drive of the day). Triple Bogey. That was but one example.

Ya... golf is great.... and then golf sucks.... LOL

Edited August 31, 2023 by Mikey_HACKilroy

[platgof]

A big ole slice, means the hands are ahead of the club at impact leaving the face open. Just work on the impact position and make sure the club head is equal to the hands. Keep trying, as we all struggle and work hard at it. The pro I played with today hit 400 balls at the range every day when he was younger to improve his game, and his ball contact proves it. Hogan said you had to dig your game out of the dirt, it takes practice. Patience grasshopper.

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

And I thought I hit a lot of balls at the range.... LOL.

Something like 250-300 today I think LOL.

[Kai Slater]

LOL, guys/gals, we are talking about hitting a little white ball around a grassy field and trying to make it go into a hole in the ground.  Where is the "pressure" in doing that?

[Golfbit2X]

Played in my golf league tourney at Bethpage Red yesterday.

 

Beautiful day, temperature was in the low 70s with a slight breeze.

 

Shot 45 + 45 for a 90, finishing in the 16th spot in my division. 

 

I was hoping to successfully defend my title that I won last year (+15),  as the last two practice rounds I've played showed that I'm finally in a groove with my driver, hitting 8/14 (57%) on both rounds.

 

I guess the golf gods weren't smiling on me that day as I wasted another opportunity by regressing again and subsequently hooked two successive drives on the last two holes of the front nine, leading to lost balls that led to double bogeys on both holes.

 

Putting was good but not good enough, having just one 3-putt but I also missed at least 3 four footers.

 

It also didn't help shanking the ball twice, once during a 130 yard approach on hole #2 and the other from less than 40 yards in one of the back nine holes. 

 

Two of the most frustrating holes for me was making double bogey from the greenside fringe/1st cut playing birdie. I should have at least made Par or Bogey. 

 

One of these two frustrating holes was hole # 11. I used my trusty Utility Wood to hit my 2nd shot on Hole # 11 from the first cut of rough. It wasn't a great shot as I hit it thin.

 

Predictably, it came out low and hot but direction was on point as it still tracked for the middle of the green, finishing up nestled against the first cut and the half inch greenside rough. 

 

Putting was out of the question so I decided to use what I've seen Pros do in this situation which was to intentionally blade it with my 56 degree wedge. 

 

This was my first time attempting it so I was thankful that I didn't mishit it, rolling true without bouncing.

 

Unfortunately, speed was too much from a spot that was downhill 45+ feet away. 

 

The ball finished about 10 feet away on the front first cut of the green. Three putted from there for a disappointing double bogey.😬

 

My other frustrating hole was hole # 13 that had a double fairway. Picked the right side fairway and promptly hooked my drive again into the fairway bunker. 

 

Thankfully, the ball was in a really good spot, 148 yards away, good enough for an unobstructed flight path but the stance was dicey as I had to dig in slightly from the bunker's raised edge area. 

 

Made a good choice with a 6 iron to maximize distance in case I hit it fat. The strike was good enough to reach the front apron about less than 15 yards away from the pin. 

 

Unfortunately, I made the wrong choice by using a putter instead of using my 56 degree wedge as the ball finished on the left side fringe about 7 feet away.

 

NOTE TO SELF: Use wedge even if the lie is decent if multiple breaks are in the way. 

 

The Bethpage Red greens are on the average, relatively tame in terms of undulations except for this particular hole which I underestimated as I had to negotiate a multiple break path to the hole, from uphill then left to right. 

 

Putt # 2 was not good, finishing 5 feet past the hole. Two putted from there for a deflating 6.😵‍💫

 

Btw, my putting metrics is based on how the PGA Tour does it, as I only count my putts when on the green. 

All in all, I left 5 shots on the course that would have tied me for the lead with 4 other guys at +15...😮‍💨

 

One silver linning/consolation prize was that I managed to avoid making any triple bogeys in this round.😊

 

In fact, I don't even remember having achieved this metric which shows that I managed to grind it out and stay in the fight, not giving up or lose concentration at all and made good on the last hole where I finished strong with a Par.

 

With the Par, I was able to improve my standing by 2 spots (+20), from 18th to finish at a respectable (I consider not finishing in the last 5 places respectable)🫡 16th place (62%) from a field of 26 in my division. 

 

It was also so cool and relieved to witness my division's leaderboard to be packed tightly, with 4 golfers tied at first (+15), 4 golfers also tied at second (+16), 2 golfers tied at third  (+17) and 4 golfers tied at 5th (+19). If I had shot 3 strokes better at +17, I would have broken into the top 10.

 

I was relieved because there had been at least two previous tournaments this season when carpetbaggers had stolen the trophies from our division. 

 

I know for a fact that they're carpet baggers as they never showed their faces again this season at our other tournaments after winning by a margin of at least 5 strokes.

 

I was also able to make a Par on hole # 1 and together with a Par on # 18, I'm proud of having "conquered" 😌 the two hardest holes on the Red course. 

 

This is really important for me not to lose composure as it will obviously affect your game and traumatize your experience. 

 

I was one of 3 guys in our flight and I felt sorry for the other guy who lost his cool multiple times, throwing clubs, etc. 🤨

 

Another guy from a flight in front of us went a step further, quitting his round on hole # 12. 😲

 

Having seen these events unfold multiple times not only in this tournament but other tournaments in my golf league makes me appreciate my patience and mindset to persevere. 😌

 

On top of that, I had to deal with equipment malfunction on my Alphard V2 remote that came in a bundle with the CB Sidekick module. 🤯😡😖

 

For the first time since I bought it 5 months ago, the battery on the remote died and I noticed this as I finished up the 17th hole. 

 

Trying to minimize my stress, I quickly plugged it into my brick- sized battery bank that I installed into my Clicgear 3.5+ cart to charge while I tried to spin-up my CB-V2 Alphard Android app as a fall back in case the charging doesn't work. 

 

This was the only time that the really glacial pace of play (5 hours and 45 minutes) that day worked in my favor as it allowed me enough time to charge the remote for the last hole. 

 

It also afforded me enough time to figure out the connection issue and reset the password on the app to be able to use it but thankfully, my remote got enough juice to last the final hole. 

 

For me, golf is not only a game of physical skills but also, more importantly, a game that tests our mental fortitude. 

 

At the end of the day, it is really the last 6 inches between our ears that matters...😇

Edited September 5, 2023 by Golfbit2X

[LeoLeo99]

It's so frustrating. I've been flushing my irons all summer.  Missed a ton of 10 foot birdie putts.  Made a few.  The days that I can hit my driver well, I'm going low.  Then suddenly my driver and long game goes in the toilet.  Crazy game.  

[dashanks]

On 4/21/2023 at 4:19 PM, jholz said:

I'm always finding new and creative ways to shoot 81...

 

You gotta have fun with it.

I've found lots of ways to do that also.  None better than a double on 18, though.

[Sir-Shanks-A-Lot]

On 9/2/2023 at 12:54 PM, LeoLeo99 said:

It's so frustrating. 

 

Hard and frustrating, for sure!

 

I posted a couple of weeks ago all pumped up about how my driver was dialed in and my irons were coming along nicely - dead straight and way longer than I've ever hit them before. All that came off a 9 hole round where I found the middle of 5 fairways out of 6 with the driver (yay me ...) and the irons were not great but tolerable, for me at least. Felt great after I putted out on 9. Since then, range sessions have been going down-hill. I can feel where I am going wrong but can't find a way to correct yet ... Last round I played was Labor Day. Got 7 holes in before we ran out of daylight and it felt like all the progress I had made at the beginning of the season was gone. I had just enough decent shots to remind me why I actually keep at this! So yes, it is frustrating and maddening and then that one perfect striped drive or approach keeps me coming back for more. Crazy game ...

 

Thanks for listening to my little rant ...

 

Cheers guys ...

 

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

1 hour ago, Sir-Shanks-A-Lot said:

 

Hard and frustrating, for sure!

 

I posted a couple of weeks ago all pumped up about how my driver was dialed in and my irons were coming along nicely - dead straight and way longer than I've ever hit them before. All that came off a 9 hole round where I found the middle of 5 fairways out of 6 with the driver (yay me ...) and the irons were not great but tolerable, for me at least. Felt great after I putted out on 9. Since then, range sessions have been going down-hill. I can feel where I am going wrong but can't find a way to correct yet ... Last round I played was Labor Day. Got 7 holes in before we ran out of daylight and it felt like all the progress I had made at the beginning of the season was gone. I had just enough decent shots to remind me why I actually keep at this! So yes, it is frustrating and maddening and then that one perfect striped drive or approach keeps me coming back for more. Crazy game ...

 

Thanks for listening to my little rant ...

 

Cheers guys ...

 

 

Yeah that's pretty typical.... LOL

I think what happens is when you finally feel like you get it, it feels good and you start thinking of how good your scores are going to get..... and then its all down hill from there as golf reminds you that it's not that easy... LOL

I'm in a similar rut right now, but if the second half of practice yesterday is an indication I might be getting over it, so there's that. My first range session with the new clubs was pure gold. Then warm up before my labor day round was the same. Sure, I had shots that would have been misses, but the control was there.

Then, out to the course and it was all over.... LOL. I think too much whereas I used to just take the shot when things were going well. The "thinking" carried over to yesterday at the range after taking several days off. So, I've decided to limit range time as long as there is time for 18 holes as a single after work. I think I found a course where that'll work.

 

I think I also just need to give time to acclimate to the new clubs....

Edited September 9, 2023 by Mikey_HACKilroy

[Golfbit2X]

I wanted to get out on the course by 4PM ($25 18 hole twilight rate) but was only able to start my round by 5:20 pm as I had to finish up on some chores around the house and spoon feed my Lhasa Apso.

 

She has been finicky w/ her appetite for the past few weeks and only way for her to eat is to force feed her. 

 

Shot 41 (+5) on the front and 50 (+14) on the back yesterday @ Eisenhower Park - white course for a 91 (+19).

 

Not bad for a 17 handicap...but it would have been really good were it not for an 11 on hole # 13 (Par 4) and a triple on hole # 14 (Par 3).

 

Golf is hard as it is but if you throw in playing the last 7 holes at night then the difficulty goes up several notches.

 

I already have a good setup with my night golf equipment w/ multiple high intensity floodlight and long throw LEDs but there are limitations.

 

 

That limitation exposed itself on hole # 13 when I topped my second shot from the right rough using my Cleveland  utility wood. 

 

I was fortunate that it didn't go into the two other fairway bunkers on the right but it was still in a bad spot when it settled in a narrow strip of rough between the 2 fairway bunkers.

 

In order to use my LEDs that are hooked into the side of my bag, I would need to position my cart/bag to my right but that was not an option this time around.

 

I had to unhook my LED floodlight and place it on the ground close to the ball. While the ball was somewhat illuminated, the angle was bad and consequently, I mishit it again into the tall fescue/brush about 75 yards to my right leading to my only lost ball of the round.

 

Dropping a replacement ball and taking 1 stroke penalty (following my golf league rules), I hit another bad shot, this time 25 yds. over the green.

 

It took me 3 shots to reach the green and 2 putts to hole it for an 11!😖🤪😮‍💨🤬

 

On the next hole, hole # 14, I thought I had a good solid shot...ball was tracking towards the pin on a slight draw.

 

The Grint app had it at 143 yds. and my stock 7-iron range is 150 yds. so I choked down .25" on the grip.

 

I was shocked that it was short and landed in the middle pot bunker. It took me 2 shots to get out as my 1st was fat and failed to get out of the bunker. 

 

The ball now was a foot closer to the front lip, about 6+ feet deep.

 

I opened up my 60 degree wedge and thankfully, I hit it out but took me 3 putts to hole out. 

 

I'd still pat myself on the back as I was able to recover and play steady golf on the last 4 holes, finishing Par, Par, Bogey, Bogey.

 

I also think that my chances will be better at my golf league tournament on this same course next week so the reps I had yesterday will be helpful.

 

 

 

Edited September 10, 2023 by Golfbit2X

[sparky1_2007]

On 5/17/2023 at 11:16 PM, Nilenetsrak said:

Get a L.A.B putter or at least give it a try.  

I'm actually very happy with my Evnroll ERV2 midlock putter. I've been very consistent with it so far this season after getting used to it.

[sparky1_2007]

So update on my swing - it's somewhat come back. Not quite in the way I was feeling it in the off-season, but I can consistently hit driver good off the tee, approach shots can be meh, because I don't have much distance (averaging 200-220 off the tee - down 20-30 yards from when I would just try and smash it and slice like crazy)

 

I have been experimenting at the range with leading my shots with my left shoulder/ribs if that makes sense.

 

I've been following these guys videos and it makes a lot of sense.

 

I found that by swinging this way, it would pretty much completely eliminate shots to the right at the range unless I just totally forgot to close the face of the club.

 

One thing in year 2 of golfing that I have gotten better at is A) swing path - I can get more neutral to in to out path and B) closing the face with wrist pronation at the top of the downswing through to impact.

 

This has helped me get the ball starting left and when I am armsy, I can atleast send it left and know it'll fade back right.

 

All in all, i'd say i'm doing pretty good minus blow up holes which come from inability to consistently hit my longer clubs due to shorter tee shots.

 

I have managed to get consistent pars off the first 3-4 holes at my home course though which is awesome, but it's usually followed by a few double/triples due to my mental game more than anything.

 

 

[Golfbit2X]

I'v narrowed down my top 3 tendencies causing the most damage to my game.

   1.) Hooking the ball when tensed up. I need to recognize when tensing up, usually on the back nine. Loosen left hand grip to compensate. 

   2.) Pushing putts when putting 5 feet or less. Try to keep the head stilll and delay looking at the ball after hitting it for at least 1-2 seconds.

   3.) Ditstance control on long to midrange putts. Focus on keeping the putting backstroke and follow through at the same lenght. 

[dashanks]

"Golf is Hard"  is one of the games biggest secrets.  Coupled with the fact that it looks like it should be so easy.  We're always trying to figure out the secret of golf.   Well, that's it.  Golf is really hard and no one is ever going to find a way to hit the ball well every time.   Think of how may feet of travel you put the club head through in the course of a swing.  How many degrees of rotation. With a change of direction in the middle. Then think about the margin for error when you are trying to hit the sweet spot of the ball with the sweet spot of the clubface.  It's pretty much an act of God to catch it right.  For me, anyway.

[dashanks]

On 9/10/2023 at 2:00 AM, Golfbit2X said:

I wanted to get out on the course by 4PM ($25 18 hole twilight rate) but was only able to start my round by 5:20 pm as I had to finish up on some chores around the house and spoon feed my Lhasa Apso.

 

She has been finicky w/ her appetite for the past few weeks and only way for her to eat is to force feed her. 

 

Shot 41 (+5) on the front and 50 (+14) on the back yesterday @ Eisenhower Park - white course for a 91 (+19).

 

Not bad for a 17 handicap...but it would have been really good were it not for an 11 on hole # 13 (Par 4) and a triple on hole # 14 (Par 3).

 

Golf is hard as it is but if you throw in playing the last 7 holes at night then the difficulty goes up several notches.

 

I already have a good setup with my night golf equipment w/ multiple high intensity floodlight and long throw LEDs but there are limitations.

 

 

That limitation exposed itself on hole # 13 when I topped my second shot from the right rough using my Cleveland  utility wood. 

 

I was fortunate that it didn't go into the two other fairway bunkers on the right but it was still in a bad spot when it settled in a narrow strip of rough between the 2 fairway bunkers.

 

In order to use my LEDs that are hooked into the side of my bag, I would need to position my cart/bag to my right but that was not an option this time around.

 

I had to unhook my LED floodlight and place it on the ground close to the ball. While the ball was somewhat illuminated, the angle was bad and consequently, I mishit it again into the tall fescue/brush about 75 yards to my right leading to my only lost ball of the round.

 

Dropping a replacement ball and taking 1 stroke penalty (following my golf league rules), I hit another bad shot, this time 25 yds. over the green.

 

It took me 3 shots to reach the green and 2 putts to hole it for an 11!😖🤪😮‍💨🤬

 

On the next hole, hole # 14, I thought I had a good solid shot...ball was tracking towards the pin on a slight draw.

 

The Grint app had it at 143 yds. and my stock 7-iron range is 150 yds. so I choked down .25" on the grip.

 

I was shocked that it was short and landed in the middle pot bunker. It took me 2 shots to get out as my 1st was fat and failed to get out of the bunker. 

 

The ball now was a foot closer to the front lip, about 6+ feet deep.

 

I opened up my 60 degree wedge and thankfully, I hit it out but took me 3 putts to hole out. 

 

I'd still pat myself on the back as I was able to recover and play steady golf on the last 4 holes, finishing Par, Par, Bogey, Bogey.

 

I also think that my chances will be better at my golf league tournament on this same course next week so the reps I had yesterday will be helpful.

 

 

 

Yeah, those 11's are killers.

[Golfbit2X]

4 hours ago, dashanks said:

Yeah, those 11's are killers.

I also expanded my golf vocabulary,  that was a septuple bogey...🤪

[dashanks]

7 hours ago, Golfbit2X said:

I also expanded my golf vocabulary,  that was a septuple bogey...🤪

Ha!  I know I've gone at least as far as a novemple.