I feel your pain. My game is Jekyll and Hyde. I've recently played my way out of a bad stretch and my index down a point. For me it's all a feel thing and I re-established a solid takeaway move that sets of for a good swing. Good luck on finding it again!

I feel your pain. My game is Jekyll and Hyde. I've recently played my way out of a bad stretch and my index down a point. For me it's all a feel thing and I re-established a solid takeaway move that sets of for a good swing. Good luck on finding it again!

Hang in there, EVERYONE goes thru a rough patch. Usually a minor adjustment or something in that 6 inch space between our ears. Hit the range and go thru the basics, grip, aim and setup. Then, play a round without a scorecard. Breathe, relax, swing and enjoy.

In the past with scoring issues of not playing well. I would go to the range work on ONE thing, then try it during a few rounds to see if that helped me play better. Don't make multiple changes cause if it doesn't work what part didn't work. Or if it does work for a few rounds what thing made it work for that period.

Make 1 simple change & see how it goes. You don't need to reinvent the wheel all at one time

Right now my chipping/pitching is either good or 45 degrees right. That's a concern since I am usually aorund 35% on ups/dns. I have not sorted it out yet, I hit 150 chip/pitch shots sunday & every 10th-15th shot was not pretty. seems like a swing path issue as everything is off or near the hosel part of the club. Hard to make par or bogey with shots like that.

Most times I can correct things with practice/range time if my coach isn't available like right now. So I'll go and get my shag bag and hit the practice green until I sort this one out.

I was starting to think maybe it's because my wedges are 2 degrees up verses the last 5 years being standard, but last year I was fine & that's when the change was made at a fitting I had with Titleist.

Good Luck & keep us post on your progress & what you found out.
If you have any advice on chipping let me know.... :)


DM

Let's just say, if the pros rarely have a lengthy career where they spend 20 years in to top 30, and some fall off the tour altogether, why wouldn't we also expect to experience rough patches in our game? I would say it would be different for each individual as to how competitive they were and how severe the problem. I went through a couple of years with the "chipping yips" (no other way to describe it) and almost gave up the game but finally worked through it. Sometimes it minor and maybe even mental where taking a couple of weeks off the game helps. Sometimes its truly technical and instruction is the best fix. If Charles Barkley can find his way back from that pause in his downswing, there is hope for us all. Good luck and hope you turn it around soon.

Many times in the past since my golf, whenever I find myself not playing well is when I don't do a routine practice- periodic tune-up as we call it. Whether it is from just going out and playing with no sufficient warm up or just plain got busy and not playing much or whatever the case may be, the bad play would show up once in a while and stay for a while. The worst part for me on top of it is many guys are quick to offer a quick fix tips. Please don't get me wrong, I used to read up on all the quick fix tips and welcomed as many as I could comprehend. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. But, beware, for those times that the tip worked, complacency and abandoning the key techniques in a swing slowly goes away and voila- another problem arises, then a new tips comes along, and before you know it the whole swing isn't even recognizable as a golf swing. (lol) ...familiar?

If it is, first, I have done away with any tips. I just plain do not listen and try and avoid it whenever possible. 2., I look back to my own notes in the old/prior lessons in the past. If it still doesn't work, it's time to get in touch with my swing coach.

About #2 on my list, it's all about starting small and slower and going through the lesson on my own. 9 times out of ten, I'm able to fix it on my own with just a little time. Also, more times than not, I'm usually back to a good path in a couple of days or a week the most.

Many good guys would always recommend and seek the help of a pro and I am one true believer of it as it has proven me many times over. The beauty of professional lessons is that you can fall back to it and use it again and again. Good luck!

Go Titleist

Hi Alex,

It will come back. Frank said it very well. Slow down, relax, don't worry about score, hit the range and check the basics. Grip, stance and set up help eliminate most mistakes. Check your breathing. I think back on a high school basketball coach who told us to breathe before trying a free throw. I do the same thing as part of my pre shot routine. Helps to take out the tension so you can let the swing happen. Just my 2 pennies, hope things turn around soon.

We've all gone through it. The bad news;you're in a funk. The good news; you'll get through it.Personally, I try and "quiet my mind".In other words focus on 1 thing at a time. For me it starts with the fairway. First tee, first swing, hit the fairway.That's all I would think about. After that, hit the green. You get the idea.

Taking a day or two off sometimes helped. Believe it or not, I'd grab a basketball and shoot free throws to get my mind off golf.Funny thing about shooting a basketball, you have a target and you need a decent"stroke" to make the shot.

Sound familiar?

Hey Alex,

Firstly, what a beautiful ball marker!

We all go through the great ups and the painful downs of golf - that's why we love the sport. The true test is how we are resilient in improving from 'rock bottom'. I personally like to talk to a coach or very experienced player and understand specifically why I am not executing shots well. Once I understand the issue, I then spend quality time practicing fixing the issue. It's important to not spend too much time being overly-technical.

Also, I like to truly focus on the shots that I execute well, perhaps by watching the ball all the way until rest, this was my coaches technique because it allows the mind to absorb the fact that one just 'did it correctly'.

Finally, it's all in the head. Make sure to consciously notice the times you make progress.

Hope this helps.

PD

I go b.ack to my fundamentals

Absolutely feel your pain.....this has been a summer of inconsistency. I keep trying to remind myself of Rotella's advice, "golf is not a game of perfect" and just relax and swing. It's tough when your not playing to your potential.

You’re not alone. Everyone goes through ups and downs and that’s just part of the game. Even the best players go through periods of less than stellar play. Just stay humble, patient and keep practicing and your game will come back. Good luck!

Yep, been there. I try to focus on fundamentals, shorten up my swing a bit, and try to take a little something off the ball so that the accuracy improves. That, at least in theory, takes some of the pressure off since I don't find as many dark corners of the course that no golfer should be near.

Best of luck and maybe go see your local pro, maybe he or she will have some insight and it's a simple fix.

I classify my game as bipolar. I go thru times with my back/hip issues and arthritis. When they kick in they definitely affect my game. One week can be in the 80s and the next in the 90s. At my age, just accept what my game offers me on a week to week basis. Just take a Tylenol 650 and play on and enjoy what the day offers. I love this crazy game too much and just to proud to put the clubs down and will continue to play three days a week with my senior group. Do not see practice will help this old ****. I hit the ball rather solid rather consistently, but when the pain kicks in, I become directionally challenged. With respect to the love of the game for all of us. As I always say golf is 90% mental and the other 10% is in your head. Cheers. cz

Its all about the challenge of playing golf. Its a game that never can be perfected and thus the beauty and dark side of it.

Get yourself a good instructor (I am a big fan of online lessons) and enjoy the grind. Also have you ever checked out the DECADE scoring system? That along has allowed me to focus when my swing was in the dumpster.

Get a refresher lesson, read my journal from the lessons and hit the practice area!

I feel your pain. As stated earlier my game is also Jekyll and Hyde and that's in one round. Start off nicely (a couple pars and a couple bogeys is nice for me) then the snowmen start to arrive with one or two of their higher numbered friends. But just as suddenly, it's par, birdie, bogey again. Have muttered to myself many times that I should just go home and sell my clubs right before that one shot that reminds me why I love this game. I'm frustrated at my lack of consistency but am not going to let the game beat me. Long story short, don't let a temporary hiccup in your game derail you. Just keep chasing the little white ball.

I'm an enthusiastic fan of the Arccos system (and those like it, think ShotScope V3). When I find myself looking at getting my game back, I refer to my Arccos dashboard and I'm able to look back at prior rounds to see where I need help. I take those suggestions back to the range and go from there.

Oh wow thanks for all the support! I'm going to hit the range & practice area tonight. You guys are awesome!

Man that's golf. One day I'm like TW and the next day I'm like TB12 hitting it all over the place. I will say the one thing that I focused on the most is short game and putting. When I'm struggling off the tee or with irons badly, the short game and putting have saved me from the big numbers. I've definitely put more time in the short game and putting this season then I've ever done before.

Your game will come around though, just keep grinding. One thing my instructor always preaches, when you're on the course play the game you have and adjust. If you're blocking the drive, aim down the left side more so worse case you're in the right side rough. Worse thing you can do is try and fix something during your round. When you're on the range, that's where you fix your issue.

Hang in there, you got this!

My big miss is a big slice. So when I aim down the left to mitigate it that's when I hit the most perfect straightest drive ever right into the trees or rough down the left. All I can do is shake my head and laugh at that point. Someday I'll get it right.

haha! I know that feeling and been a victim of that many times.. But ya right, all you can do is shake ya head and laugh.. That's golf.

The dreaded straight ball!!!!