Golf is hard

[Kai Slater]

14 hours ago, dashanks said:

"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.

.....and, on any given day, there are many variables that can cause you to be "off" just enough to have a bad ball-striking day.  Being just a little bit tired, a little bit sore, a slight back-ache or twinge in the shoulder/elbow.  Any of these can have an adverse affect on how you take the club back and through the impact zone, throwing you off just enough to miss the sweet spot or whatever else leading to bad shots.  Seems to me that it's never the same on any stretch of days.

 

I've had plenty of days where I feel great, feel strong, loose, and so on hit the ball great; then the next day of two, my back may be hurt just a bit or I'm a little tight from a workout, then go play golf and my swing is just off and I'm missing all over the place.  I also think some folks are just blessed with natural hand/eye coordination and can find the sweet spot on the clubface easier than others.

[dashanks]

10 hours ago, Kai Slater said:

.....and, on any given day, there are many variables that can cause you to be "off" just enough to have a bad ball-striking day.  Being just a little bit tired, a little bit sore, a slight back-ache or twinge in the shoulder/elbow.  Any of these can have an adverse affect on how you take the club back and through the impact zone, throwing you off just enough to miss the sweet spot or whatever else leading to bad shots.  Seems to me that it's never the same on any stretch of days.

 

I've had plenty of days where I feel great, feel strong, loose, and so on hit the ball great; then the next day of two, my back may be hurt just a bit or I'm a little tight from a workout, then go play golf and my swing is just off and I'm missing all over the place.  I also think some folks are just blessed with natural hand/eye coordination and can find the sweet spot on the clubface easier than others.

Yup.  It's a real small margin for error down there.   Aches and pains don't help, for sure.  And some folks are just better than others, absolutely.  I wish I was better but I had to fight like the devil for an 86 today.  From the golds.   I'm 67 and decomposing fast.

[Golfbit2X]

Endured an epic loss with a 90 (48 - 42, +18) last Saturday, 09/16/23 at my league tournament held at Eisenhower White to lose by one stroke in Division IV. 

 

Leading by 4 strokes with 2 holes to play,  I made a gutsy Par by dripping in an 8 footer into the left side door of the 17th hole (Par 3).

 

After losing my ball to a vicious hooked drive on hole # 15 that led to a double bogey, my nerves were still a bit frazzled as I hooked my drive again on the Par 5 18th into the rough but this time it wasn't as bad.

 

With the ball nestled a little bit deep, I decided to play my second shot conservatively, going for a lay-up with a 7-iron that I thankfully did not mishit but still landed in the left rough, a few feet from the fairway. 

 

I was still 119 yards out from the pin and went for my stock 9 iron shot. The afternoon was a bit breezy but I thought that the wind had died down a bit since it was already past 6pm so I thought a 9-iron would be more than enough. 

 

The sun was just above the tree line directly behind the hole so it was a bit blinding when I took my shot. 

 

I probably mishit it, decelerated my swing or knocked down by the wind because it was at least 15 yards short of the green and dropped right into the center pot bunker. 

 

The ball settled near the left side of the bunker with no space for a stance so I had to hit my fourth shot kneeling down from outside of the bunker. 

 

Adding to the difficulty of the shot, one of my flight mates was standing cluelessly behind the pin directly across from me. I had to politely ask him to stand aside twice before he moved. 

 

Predictably, I hit my kneeling bunker shot fat and it took another swing to get out. 

 

The ball was still on the fringe and I picked the perfect time to finish the hole off with a 3-putt for a 9 and lose the tournament by one stroke!

 

Nevertheless, I was still amazed by how the guy who beat me had an Eagle on the back nine and a Birdie at the last.

 

I also managed to put together a hot back nine with 2 Birdies but hats off to the guy who beat me. 

 

Looking back, I think I lost my concentration putting on the last hole and also wasn't fully committed with my 119 yard 3rd shot. 

 

I hope that I can remember these mistakes so that I can avoid repeating them again. 

 

I'm also proud of myself, putting up a good fight despite being at 80% performance due to a bum right arm (golfer's elbow).

 

 

 

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by Golfbit2X

[Telo]

It's the hardest sport I've ever played. Thank goodness it's also one you can play your entire life -- my 92-year old grandfather is my league partner.

[tatertot]

10 hours ago, Golfbit2X said:

Endured an epic loss with a 90 (48 - 42, +18) last Saturday, 09/16/23 at my league tournament held at Eisenhower White to lose by one stroke in Division IV. 

 

Leading by 4 strokes with 2 holes to play,  I made a gutsy Par by dripping in an 8 footer into the left side door of the 17th hole (Par 3).

 

After losing my ball to a vicious hooked drive on hole # 15 that led to a double bogey, my nerves were still a bit frazzled as I hooked my drive again on the Par 5 18th into the rough but this time it wasn't as bad.

 

With the ball nestled a little bit deep, I decided to play my second shot conservatively, going for a lay-up with a 7-iron that I thankfully did not mishit but still landed in the left rough, a few feet from the fairway. 

 

I was still 119 yards out from the pin and went for my stock 9 iron shot. The afternoon was a bit breezy but I thought that the wind had died down a bit since it was already past 6pm so I thought a 9-iron would be more than enough. 

 

The sun was just above the tree line directly behind the hole so it was a bit blinding when I took my shot. 

 

I probably mishit it, decelerated my swing or knocked down by the wind because it was at least 15 yards short of the green and dropped right into the center pot bunker. 

 

The ball settled near the left side of the bunker with no space for a stance so I had to hit my fourth shot kneeling down from outside of the bunker. 

 

Adding to the difficulty of the shot, one of my flight mates was standing cluelessly behind the pin directly across from me. I had to politely ask him to stand aside twice before he moved. 

 

Predictably, I hit my kneeling bunker shot fat and it took another swing to get out. 

 

The ball was still on the fringe and I picked the perfect time to finish the hole off with a 3-putt for a 9 and lose the tournament by one stroke!

 

Nevertheless, I was still amazed by how the guy who beat me had an Eagle on the back nine and a Birdie at the last.

 

I also managed to put together a hot back nine with 2 Birdies but hats off to the guy who beat me. 

 

Looking back, I think I lost my concentration putting on the last hole and also wasn't fully committed with my 119 yard 3rd shot. 

 

I hope that I can remember these mistakes so that I can avoid repeating them again. 

 

I'm also proud of myself, putting up a good fight despite being at 80% performance due to a bum right arm (golfer's elbow).

 

 

 

 

Good thing you asked that guy to move twice. He might have screwed you up.

[Golfbit2X]

21 hours ago, tatertot said:

Good thing you asked that guy to move twice. He might have screwed you up.

Damage was already done as I had 3-putted the hole... my other concern was hitting the ball thin or worse - blading it from the bunker, which I've already done a few times in the past. 

 

If that happened, I don't think he'd be fast enough to dodge my ball so that worse-case scenario may lead to a "face rearrangement".

 

I guess some golfers, no matter how long they've been playing,  are oblivious/not familiar with common golf courtesies and/or common sense.

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Golfbit2X

[uitar9]

On 5/16/2023 at 5:15 PM, Haroputt said:

I dont think it makes a difference if face /toe /  balance putter 

I hear ya...I started going to my local golf town, during the winter, on Sunday afternoons. Tried every left handed putter in the racks and discovered the type of putter for me. Heavy mallet, bend, 34 inch. Found a used old Spyder and thats the one for me.

 

Still go on Sundays in the winter. Still try every left handed on the rack. My on course putting has improved.  Those uneven concrete floors with fake grass are incredibly fast and have a dip every few feet. Really forces me to figure out speed and line.

 

Since covid, I've given up on the range. Started playing a little more often. Two 9's after work instead of a large bucket of balls. The range has no consequences. 

 

 

[Long_Left]

The game of golf isn't all that hard, accepting your limitations is. Physical, mental and time limitations impact everyone, financial limitations impact most of us.

 

My mind boggles at the range rats who want to, but never, improve or even change, I'm a range rat myself when time permits, so I understand the drive. I do not, however, understand the people who have the perfect combination of 1) have no idea or plan for what they are doing, despite wanting badly to improve 2) have no idea that they have no idea what they are doing, despite constant failure and 3) have no ability to seek and analyze external feedback. Ranging from a $4 alignment stick or a $2 can of dollar store foot spray or a buddy holding your phone camera all the way to flying over to hang out with Pete Cowan for a month. But you can be damn sure they know the CPM and EI profile of some random driver shaft and the weight difference between a corded z grip and a tour wrap 2g and why they want to tip that shaft 1.5 inches.

 

Maybe it's just my career path, but understanding the root cause of your failure is step 1 to preventing/minimizing future failures. Ball flight is controlled by strike location on the clubface, swing path, face angle, and ground contact (or AoA for driver). Learning and understanding the major methods of changing these variables isn't difficult, you don't need to be some mythical golf savant to "get it." Once you understand them, implementing some changes becomes possible. DJ may not understand why he is great at this game, but I've never met another like him in a fair number of years on this planet. But I've met at least a hundred 20+ handicaps talking about increasing lag and shallowing and the benefits of a different hosel type on their putter.

 

If you can't learn from your failures and won't seek assistance with problems beyond your ability to handle, you won't improve past some arbitrary limit, maybe your limit is similar to DJ's, but more likely, it's similar to JD's, the guy who throws his 6 iron 5 times a round and buys a fireball shot on the 3rd hole while flirting awkwardly with the cart girl. 

 

Sorry for the rant, I'm not trying to call anyone here out on any of this, just that there are good ways and bad ways to approach problem solving and too many people interpret "digging it out of the dirt/the secret is in the dirt" as "Blindly keep doing the same thing repeatedly until a miracle happens" when "Find your tendencies/patterns, learn to understand what is incorrect about them, and implement a plan to modify them" is how it should be read.

 

 

 

 

[tatertot]

6 hours ago, Long_Left said:

The game of golf isn't all that hard, accepting your limitations is. Physical, mental and time limitations impact everyone, financial limitations impact most of us.

 

My mind boggles at the range rats who want to, but never, improve or even change, I'm a range rat myself when time permits, so I understand the drive. I do not, however, understand the people who have the perfect combination of 1) have no idea or plan for what they are doing, despite wanting badly to improve 2) have no idea that they have no idea what they are doing, despite constant failure and 3) have no ability to seek and analyze external feedback. Ranging from a $4 alignment stick or a $2 can of dollar store foot spray or a buddy holding your phone camera all the way to flying over to hang out with Pete Cowan for a month. But you can be damn sure they know the CPM and EI profile of some random driver shaft and the weight difference between a corded z grip and a tour wrap 2g and why they want to tip that shaft 1.5 inches.

 

Maybe it's just my career path, but understanding the root cause of your failure is step 1 to preventing/minimizing future failures. Ball flight is controlled by strike location on the clubface, swing path, face angle, and ground contact (or AoA for driver). Learning and understanding the major methods of changing these variables isn't difficult, you don't need to be some mythical golf savant to "get it." Once you understand them, implementing some changes becomes possible. DJ may not understand why he is great at this game, but I've never met another like him in a fair number of years on this planet. But I've met at least a hundred 20+ handicaps talking about increasing lag and shallowing and the benefits of a different hosel type on their putter.

 

If you can't learn from your failures and won't seek assistance with problems beyond your ability to handle, you won't improve past some arbitrary limit, maybe your limit is similar to DJ's, but more likely, it's similar to JD's, the guy who throws his 6 iron 5 times a round and buys a fireball shot on the 3rd hole while flirting awkwardly with the cart girl. 

 

Sorry for the rant, I'm not trying to call anyone here out on any of this, just that there are good ways and bad ways to approach problem solving and too many people interpret "digging it out of the dirt/the secret is in the dirt" as "Blindly keep doing the same thing repeatedly until a miracle happens" when "Find your tendencies/patterns, learn to understand what is incorrect about them, and implement a plan to modify them" is how it should be read.

 

 

 

 

Golf isn't that hard ... But we should all just accept our limitations?

 

May I ask how good you are at golf?

[Long_Left]

On 9/21/2023 at 8:27 PM, tatertot said:

Golf isn't that hard ... But we should all just accept our limitations?

 

May I ask how good you are at golf?

Currently play to a 5, 12 month low of 2.6. I'm certainly no world beater at the game but by all relative metrics, I'm good enough to enjoy playing. I've shot under par from 6700+ on two different courses in the last 12 months.

 

Here come all the excuses: I'm not young, or particularly strong, I have two kids in middle school both playing sports and involved in extracurriculars. My wife and I both work long hours and play taxi driver for the kids from 7am to 8pm 5 days a week with 2+ games per weekend. I'm usually at the range about 2 hours per week and play between 2 and 5 rounds a month depending on what sport is in season.

 

Golf is "hard" because many golfers try to do things they aren't capable of doing all the time and don't have the acceptance required to play to an achievable strategy and/or the willpower required to change their limitations.

 

These are all just personal observations that jump out to me after playing alongside a lot of the same golfers for 20+ years. We all know these guys, the guys that have played a lifetime with a 50 yard slice and a matching double cross, or can stone top a 9 iron at any moment, or can't make a 3 footer. These guys do the same thing over and over and never improve, despite wanting to. These guys buy new putters and drivers constantly, yet still can't putt or fix the slice, they go to the range and mercilessly beat golf balls until they are furious, they take lessons and call the pro a moron because they "can't" change their grip or perform that drill, they watch a YouTube video and "have it all figured out!" until the third hole.

 

I played with a longtime friend two weeks ago, he doesn't carry an official index yet he wanted to play for money, he plays twice a week and has a sim in the garage. I let him set the game and the stakes and the tees and showed him my index. Asked him to estimate his own and I'd take his word for it, no questions asked. He didn't win a single point on the day, giving him 12 pops, and was mad at me when he paid up, said that my index was BS and I was sandbagging. He refuses to look at his own game objectively because he'll hit 2 or 3 pured shots per round, he thinks he's "close" all of the time. He's not, literally everything he does in the golf swing sets him up for failure, but he took lessons once, and it wrecked his game for months! He has a sim in the garage, and to "fix" his 10+ degree out to in path he just sets the thing up pointing left ffs. This guy is the wrong end of the bell curve but is far more common, in my experience, than the guy who looks at his game objectively and decides to improve.

 

So no, playing good golf to the level which you are capable of isn't all that hard. My personal level is about a 3-5 index, yours is probably different. Golf is hard when your mechanics are off, and your expectation is to play perfectly and you're unwilling to do anything about it.

 

 

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

I've done a lot of things in life, but none of them did I do well without pushing my limitations. There's accepting limitations and then there is acknowledging them in order to surpass them. In all fairness, I think that's what you are at least trying to describe.

Yet, you speak from the summit as though the climb gave you neither struggle nor pain.

 

Hey, some people will continue to be bad at golf. There are a lot more of them keeping courses and practice ranges open than there are folks like you who have purported to have reached a high level. Yet some of them will get better eventually. There's not much reason to speak of them in such a manner.

Everybody is on the wrong side of the bell curve in some way.

Edited September 26, 2023 by Mikey_HACKilroy

[raspymcnasty]

Golf is hard. 
Its even harder when your friends have been playing for decades and they absolutely control the ball. 

Then comparing them to amateur golfers (touring) the difference is even bigger and my mind explodes.


 

[unpluggedk]

endless loop,,,, of fixing downswing -> backswing is bad -> grip is bad -> endless cycle...

[unpluggedk]

but it's fun!!

[Golfbit2X]

Shot a 90 (+19) at Muttontown Club but I let the trophy slip away again (3 times this 2024 season with the 2 other tournaments losing by one stroke) by shooting a Nine on hole # 9 (Par 4) and lost by 3 strokes finishing 4th in my division.

 

Golf is hard when your mind betrays you at the worst time which in this case was hole # 9, a short but tricky Par 4 with water in play, surrounding the front part of the green.

 

I already mishit my drive, cold-topping and just rolling the ball 75 yards. 

 

Opting to lay-up due to the water hazard, I hit my second shot using my 4 hybrid a bit thin but thankfully, the ball stayed dry in the left rough. 

 

However, I think I probably tilted back which caused me to chunk my 52 degree wedge 3rd shot (56 yards away from the pin) into the water and then proceeded to shank my 5th shot into the water as well. 

 

Nevertheless, I was able to bounce back with a Par on the next hole and was steady enough the rest of the round to grind out 7 Pars but the damage was already done. 

 

That nine and missing 3 short putts under 5 feet for Pars on the last 3 holes really sunk my chances.

 

It also didn't help that I shanked consecutive shots from the greenside on hole # 12.

 

All in all, I left a total of 8 shots out on the course (4 shots on # 9, 2 shots from the last 3 holes and 2 shots from hole # 12, assuming bogey was my worst score) that if I had avoided, would have resulted in an 82 which would have been more than enough to beat the winning score of 86.

 

Note to self/Lesson learned: I should have used the wedges that I was comfortable with and chosen to use a 9 iron to hit my pitch shot on hole # 9 and 56 degree wedge on hole # 12 instead of the 60 degree wedge. 

 

Anyway, I'm fortunate that I'm still able to play tennis (3.5+) as it allows me to appreciate tennis' scoring where each point does not affect the overall outcome so I'm looking forward to playing tennis again this Saturday and hopefully play more frequently this winter. 

 

 

 

Edited November 29, 2023 by Golfbit2X