getting really discouraged

[swingseeker2]

I am in my late 40s and started playing golf about 8 years ago. I never played sports and so never viewed myself as an athlete. I tried to learn the game by reading, watching, and taking as many lessons as I could, because I didn't trust my own ability to "dig it out of the dirt". I think I really screwed myself up. My head is full of all the things that I know I need to correct, such as casting. This summer, I really tried to simplify my swing thoughts, and distilled my swing into 2 parts: keep upper arms connected to torso, and use the core turning hard through the ball to drive the swing. This "simplification" worked beautifully for a while, but suddenly it stopped working. The last few times I tried to play, my brain felt like it was "short circuiting". I suddenly began swinging all arms...it was as if my brain couldn't remember to use my core anymore. I can't get the feeling of a nice, rhythmic, effective swing anymore, and any confidence that I had has left me. I have taken a break from golf in the hopes that I can somehow regroup and start over.

 

I am so frustrated...I am tall, fit, strong, and should be able to hit the ball great. Lessons intensify my "fear of failure", and performance anxiety makes lessons almost useless right now. I guess I need to go to the range alone and try to work this out on my own.

 

Has anyone else gone through this? I really do love golf but it's not fun unless I can play at a better level than I am right now. Maybe someone out there has some advice or experience they can share. Any help would be appreciated.

[swingseeker2]

Just as a followup to my initial post, I have ordered the Tour Striker training club to help solve my casting/clubhead throwaway issue. I am also re-reading Ben Hogan's 5 Lessons. When things fall apart, I suppose it's best to get back to fundamentals and work from the bottom up.

[20something]

Yes. We all go thru degrees of it from time to time. I posted something similar not too long ago. I was going to give up golf. I couldn't hit the ground.

Going to the range is sometimes good, sometimes bad. You can groove a good swing or groove a bad swing out there. One post I saw recently said 'just go play', work on your game and learn it at the same time. If your fundamentals are sound, you're off to a good start.

If all else fails, take some time off. Come back, take some lessons and go from there. Its a great (albeit frustrating) game. Just try to enjoy it too.

[Double Bogey Man]

[quote name='golf_ho ' timestamp='1285519743' post='2714728']
I am in my late 40s and started playing golf about 8 years ago. I never played sports and so never viewed myself as an athlete. I tried to learn the game by reading, watching, and taking as many lessons as I could, because I didn't trust my own ability to "dig it out of the dirt". I think I really screwed myself up. My head is full of all the things that I know I need to correct, such as casting. This summer, I really tried to simplify my swing thoughts, and distilled my swing into 2 parts: keep upper arms connected to torso, and use the core turning hard through the ball to drive the swing. This "simplification" worked beautifully for a while, but suddenly it stopped working. The last few times I tried to play, my brain felt like it was "short circuiting". I suddenly began swinging all arms...it was as if my brain couldn't remember to use my core anymore. I can't get the feeling of a nice, rhythmic, effective swing anymore, and any confidence that I had has left me. I have taken a break from golf in the hopes that I can somehow regroup and start over.

I am so frustrated...I am tall, fit, strong, and should be able to hit the ball great. Lessons intensify my "fear of failure", and performance anxiety makes lessons almost useless right now. I guess I need to go to the range alone and try to work this out on my own.

Has anyone else gone through this? I really do love golf but it's not fun unless I can play at a better level than I am right now. Maybe someone out there has some advice or experience they can share. Any help would be appreciated.
[/quote]

I fit your profile pretty well. Here's what works for me:
[list][*]There's nothing wrong with taking time off. Golf can be addictive but it needn't be obsessive. You don't have to spend every waking moment on the range.[*]Find one source of information you trust (an instructor, for example) and ignore everyone and everything else. Trust them when they tell you your swing is improving.[*]Laugh it off when you've had a bad practice session / round of golf. Enjoy the sunshine, the company of your friends, the fact that you're not stuck at work.[*]Stop practicing when it all goes wrong and you're feeling utterly confused and frustrated. Leave it to your instructor to determine the cause and get it right again.[*]Keep practicing if you're having a day when you can't miss. Enjoy the moment. Build your confidence. Have fun.[*]Forget the range and find a chipping / putting green. Hit some bump and runs. Try some short flop shots. It's phyiscally easy, calming, and teaches tempo.[*]Shed your "fear of failure". Your instructor has seen it all before. Accept praise from others.[*]Set aside your expectations that you "should" be good at this game. Pat yourself on the back for trying to get better.[*]Keep things in balance. Remember the good moments.[/list]Hang in there - you're going to be OK.

[swingseeker2]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. It makes me feel better to know that others have gone down this same path. I guess what was making me spin out of control was as soon as I started to "lose it" I began to panic and start reading books and watching videos, which filled my head with more clutter. Then I started to play worse which ruined my confidence, which wrecked my ability to swing the club well. By the end the only thing I felt was fear and uncertainty every time I stood over a golf ball. And no amount of telling myself to just calm down and swing the club was going to get me back on track. I started thinking I had some sort of golf learning disability. Other people just step up there and hit the ball just fine without knowing anything about "swing plane", "impact position" or "clubhead lag". My frustration with where I am on this journey compared to other people who have been playing less time and don't read or watch anything about golf just makes me feel like a failure.

I am going to step back, start again slowly, try to clear my head and listen to only one voice. Good advice, thank you for taking the time to share it.

[chipkashman]

Your 2 simplified swing thoughts are great I think. I used a similiar approach this summer, very similiar. I was hitting the ball straighter bull still lacked distance and then somedays absolutely nothing. Sometimes when players are pretty flexible, athleticism can kind of take over subsconsciously and our body will mimic the swing thoughts in a lazier way, if that makes sense. All I had to do was kind of lengthen the 2 swing thoughts. I had gained enough muscle memory to feel connected more often than not and understood how to get my core strength thru the ball taking the armsy stuff out and sway less. I just had to remember to complete my turn especially on the backswing. The drill when we lay the club across our chest and mimic a backswing until the club sits north/south and then follow thru north/south again is the thought I tried to add, that at tempo. I was using my core and staying conected but whenever I made a lazy move that included more arms and not really rotating the shoulders the more my ball went in several different direction. Hopes that helps some and gets you out into the fairway.

[Tanner25]

[quote name='chipkashman' timestamp='1285781557' post='2720027']
Your 2 simplified swing thoughts are great I think. I used a similiar approach this summer, very similiar. I was hitting the ball straighter bull still lacked distance and then somedays absolutely nothing. Sometimes when players are pretty flexible, athleticism can kind of take over subsconsciously and our body will mimic the swing thoughts in a lazier way, if that makes sense. All I had to do was kind of lengthen the 2 swing thoughts. I had gained enough muscle memory to feel connected more often than not and understood how to get my core strength thru the ball taking the armsy stuff out and sway less. I just had to remember to complete my turn especially on the backswing. The drill when we lay the club across our chest and mimic a backswing until the club sits north/south and then follow thru north/south again is the thought I tried to add, that at tempo. I was using my core and staying conected but whenever I made a lazy move that included more arms and not really rotating the shoulders the more my ball went in several different direction. Hopes that helps some and gets you out into the fairway.
[/quote]


Sounds like you are lacking confidence and also driven by proper ball striking, when score really isn't the goal. I have the same issue. Kind of drives you crazy.

As far as confidence, play an easier course - several times. Some of the modern designs with forced carries, major slope can wreak havoc on the average players game. Then for the fun of it, go play a more difficult course with the confidence you gained.

[farmer]

Every single person who plays golf has been through this. One day you wonder how many ams have won the open, the next you can't remember how to tie your shoes. My suggestion is to hit some easy pitches, work from little swings on to bigger swings with your wedges. Focus on your tempo, don't rush it, just easy swings until you find your rhythm.

[dso1986]

being athletic is a detriment to learning the golf swing. the weaker you are, the better. coordination on the other hand is a big plus

[square]

You are still thinking about too many things.
It is unecessary to ever think about anything during the swing.
Instead, focus on learning correct address position fundamentals. Specifically, grip, posture, alignment. If you correctlt learn these three address fundamentals, then your own sound , effective, repeatable swing will naturally follow, and you will never have to think about anything during your swing.

[quote name='golf_ho ' timestamp='1285519743' post='2714728']
I am in my late 40s and started playing golf about 8 years ago. I never played sports and so never viewed myself as an athlete. I tried to learn the game by reading, watching, and taking as many lessons as I could, because I didn't trust my own ability to "dig it out of the dirt". I think I really screwed myself up. My head is full of all the things that I know I need to correct, such as casting. This summer, I really tried to simplify my swing thoughts, and distilled my swing into 2 parts: keep upper arms connected to torso, and use the core turning hard through the ball to drive the swing. This "simplification" worked beautifully for a while, but suddenly it stopped working. The last few times I tried to play, my brain felt like it was "short circuiting". I suddenly began swinging all arms...it was as if my brain couldn't remember to use my core anymore. I can't get the feeling of a nice, rhythmic, effective swing anymore, and any confidence that I had has left me. I have taken a break from golf in the hopes that I can somehow regroup and start over.

I am so frustrated...I am tall, fit, strong, and should be able to hit the ball great. Lessons intensify my "fear of failure", and performance anxiety makes lessons almost useless right now. I guess I need to go to the range alone and try to work this out on my own.

Has anyone else gone through this? I really do love golf but it's not fun unless I can play at a better level than I am right now. Maybe someone out there has some advice or experience they can share. Any help would be appreciated.
[/quote]

[swingseeker2]

[quote name='square' timestamp='1286132299' post='2726196']
You are still thinking about too many things.
It is unecessary to ever think about anything during the swing.
Instead, focus on learning correct address position fundamentals. Specifically, grip, posture, alignment. If you correctlt learn these three address fundamentals, then your own sound , effective, repeatable swing will naturally follow, and you will never have to think about anything during your swing.
[/quote]

You know, something tells me that you are probably right. Some of the very best shots I've ever made were ones where I just stepped up and hit it because I was trying to hurry up. But there is only a certain kind of carelessness that seems to work...when I try consciously to swing without thinking about anything, there is some part of me that is still in the background controlling and saying "uh oh...spine angle, weight shift, wrist c*ck, connection". How I manage to walk and breathe at the same time is a miracle. Maybe I need to practice Zen meditation, clearing my mind of all thoughts when standing over the ball. Thanks for the push in the right direction!

[square]

Do not think of it as being neccessary to "clear you mind".
Instead, understand that if you use correct address fundamentals (grip-posture-alignment) then your good swing will naturally happen, without you having to think about it.
Much of good golf is trust. Top players understand their address position makes their swing, they trust this and have faith in it, and that trust clears the mind from ever having any swing thoughts.

[quote name='golf_ho ' timestamp='1286151574' post='2726614']
[quote name='square' timestamp='1286132299' post='2726196']
You are still thinking about too many things.
It is unecessary to ever think about anything during the swing.
Instead, focus on learning correct address position fundamentals. Specifically, grip, posture, alignment. If you correctlt learn these three address fundamentals, then your own sound , effective, repeatable swing will naturally follow, and you will never have to think about anything during your swing.
[/quote]

You know, something tells me that you are probably right. Some of the very best shots I've ever made were ones where I just stepped up and hit it because I was trying to hurry up. But there is only a certain kind of carelessness that seems to work...when I try consciously to swing without thinking about anything, there is some part of me that is still in the background controlling and saying "uh oh...spine angle, weight shift, wrist c*ck, connection". How I manage to walk and breathe at the same time is a miracle. Maybe I need to practice Zen meditation, clearing my mind of all thoughts when standing over the ball. Thanks for the push in the right direction!
[/quote]

[MadGolfer76]

Dig [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXKFTzlBziI&feature=related"]this...[/url]

[swingseeker2]

[quote name='square' timestamp='1286154653' post='2726685']
Do not think of it as being neccessary to "clear you mind".
Instead, understand that if you use correct address fundamentals (grip-posture-alignment) then your good swing will naturally happen, without you having to think about it.
Much of good golf is trust. Top players understand their address position makes their swing, they trust this and have faith in it, and that trust clears the mind from ever having any swing thoughts.
[/quote]

You have distilled the essence of the problem for me. The other posters have touched on it too, but the light bulb went off when you talked about trust. I knew that the bad swings were coming from a lack of confidence. I thought by cramming more information in my head that I would somehow develop this confidence. I need to stop with controlling every move and try to do only one thing: trust that I already know how to do it. Thank you for simplifying it for me in a way that hit home.

[swingseeker2]

[quote name='MadGolfer76' timestamp='1286155850' post='2726718']
Dig [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXKFTzlBziI&feature=related"]this...[/url]
[/quote]

That was really cool. Food for thought (or better yet "no thought")