[shinesw]

Was almost ready to give up on golf completely today, ive had enough of being very average at best, so i though i should come and Vent on THP and hopefull get some helpful advice

Firstly ive played less than 10 rounds of 9 holes, and thats it. Im 18, quite athletic and desperate to be good at golf :P
80%of my issues are from the tee, mainly the driver, i can out drive any of my playing partners on a good day (270-300yds) but on most days i have a major slice and lose a ball and have 3 off the tee, 10% is the putter (also first round with this new putter) and 10% nerves


1st hole, 137 yards playing uphill, pulled an 8 so i didnt have to have a full swing without any warmup, caught it fat and landed about 10 yards off the green, and about 25 yards to the pin, not a great start, then a scuffed chip that lands 10 yards from the pin, 2 put for bogey

2nd hole 459 yards dog leg left, first attempt sends a ball straight out of bounds, second attempt, a very poor drive that goes about 220 yards but atleast only fades a bit and end up in the rough, next shot i pull the hybrid and try and shape the ball round the dog leg where i came up short with the drive, cracking shot, solid contact but doesnt turn enough so leaves me 30 yards to the right of the pin and about 45 yards short, useless chip that some how manages to get onto the green, 3 put for an 8

3rd, 3 from the tee again, just off the green after the iron shot, rubbish chip and another 3 putt

4th 120 yds, pulled the PW not a full swing and lands just past the pin, but spins all the way to the front of the green and down the massive slope, 4 putt :O

5th Slice my 3 wood and lands me in the trees, manage to punch the ball out perfectly, chip onto the green that just wouldnt stop rolling and goes off the back edge, next chip is so fat it gets half way up the hill and comes back again, the final chip does make its way to the pin, 2 putt

6th tiny fade with the drive, a cracking 170 yard 6 iron lands right on the green but rolls off the back again, 3 chips to get it on the green and 2 putts

7th Another fade with the driver just into the rough, 160 yards to the green 7iron runs off the green into the bunker, best shot of the day out of the sand with the 58* nice open face and lands about 5 feet from the pin and stops dead, pulled the first putt so still 2 putts

8th 334 yards uphill, Hit the driver with too much of an upswing and the same old with the fade, gps says 130 to the centre, pull the PW, its in the rough so i really went after it and it cleared the pin by about 20 yards, so although i was miles from the hole i was pretty chuffed with a dead
straight 150yard PW shot 2 chips to the green and 3 putts

9th My first straight drive hot damn! a poor chip shot and i brought my head up so landed in the bunker, another amazing hazard escape with the 58* 7 feet from the pin and 3 putt

Right sorry if i bored you and thought much appreciated, I needed to get this written down so i didnt chuck my clubs in the lake :P

Stroke indexes on these holes are 1-9 and scored 14 points stableford, useless i know
This was the very first use of this putter like i said

[OmqMZtkv]

Take some lessons, if you just started and want to get better lessons are a must. After a few lesson get an iron and driver fitting. Take it slow man, golf can be very frustrating but lessons will get you there. Keep pushing forward man.

[shinesw]

Thanks for the reply , ive had 3 lessons so far but weve only been working on the swing in general and irons so i guess thats why im fairly consistent with them and nothing else

The irons have just been fitted for me but the driver is a £3 pick up second hand and really isnt working for me, once ive had a lesson on driving ill be straight down to my local pro again :P

Thanks again

[Stoniaanapy]

agreed on the lessons but also check and make sure you are doing the fundamentals such as posture,grip,ball position etc

[durootrium]

Working with a PGA teaching pro is vital to good golf if you ask me. Even the best players have teachers and for a very good reason. I would also say to not chase distance. The number 1 player in the world is not the longest by a mile. Chase accuracy.

[NudiJuicervich]

I was actually the same age when I started.

One thing that I think is important and probably the hardest thing to grab hold of is the mind game. You can't let your mind get ahead of your physical game. Trust me, I'm only three years a head of you in the golf game and I'm just starting to notice major improvements. At first, I just wanted to practice and get out and play, thinking that I would get better and wanted to get better quickly. The realistic thing is that it takes time, a lot of time and patients. Just going out, having fun and taking your time is when you start to hit good shots and start to gain some consistency. Taking the positives and getting rid of the negatives from your head after a bad shot is one of the hardest parts, but if you can start to develop a solid mental game early, then things like taking lessons will start to transfer from the range to the course quicker.

I wish you the best of luck and just try to remember that you can't rush learning in golf.

[FjFHQLJQ]

Hang in there. Play more. U will get better and enjoy it more.

[KJnbceja]

Bad days are the norm in golf. Get use to it as golf is not a game of perfection. Focus on the good shots you had in your round, not the bad stuff.

[nvideoe]

Try playing a couple rounds without your Driver and Fairway woods. Hybrid through wedges only. You may be surprised how low you score. My driver swing has left me so far this year to the point that I have just left it to range practice for now. It has resulted in several rounds in the high 80s were as I never been able to break 94 last year. Good luck.

[Smalmslobby]

Try playing a couple rounds without your Driver and Fairway woods. Hybrid through wedges only. You may be surprised how low you score. My driver swing has left me so far this year to the point that I have just left it to range practice for now. It has resulted in several rounds in the high 80s were as I never been able to break 94 last year. Good luck.

Quoted for truth.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[AndreasLV]

Lots of good advice above. Also, since you are young, athletic, and just starting out, don't focus on the score, focus on good fundamentals and good swings. The results will come, but don't get worried about them now. The advice of irons-only above is good for this. If you know you won't reach the par-5 in two, or be able to cut that 250yd dogleg, you may just try to get the ball in the fairway with a relaxed swing. The scores will come.

[lagunaEl]

Any experienced golfer will tell you that a short memory is the best trait you can have in this game. Try to concentrate on making every shot and every round better than the last, instead of just getting good. You must be able to learn while you are playing. Being objectively oriented will benefit you much better than being results oriented. Think about what you could have done better after each shot, what would have been a smarter play. Then accept the results and focus on the next shot.

When I was younger I read Harvey Penick's Little Red Book and I've yet to play a round without at least some of his words in my head. It's tranquilizing and puts the game into an admirable perspective of how simple it can be. Good luck. Keep us updated.

[HottBrorb]

When your finished with any round... no matter how good or how bad.... think about the shots you hit that were good.... a six foot putt to save par.... the one perfect drive... an iron to the middle of a green...

We tend to focus on what we do wrong... think about the positives... and build on them.

And yes... take lessons as much as possible... AND....if you haven't... when you take your next lesson with the pro... talk about your long and short term goals in golf... even for the most natural golf is a sport that takes time to really get down as there are so many different skills.. putting, pitching, chipping, irons and driver all require something different.. and when you are weak somewhere it always shows up in a round.

Good luck and keep having fun!

[DailyRingtone]

Short game, short game, short game. You only lost 2 balls OB but had a TON of chips and putts. Work on hitting the green with every shot within 100 yards. As that improves, your score lowers dramatically.

[educationonlines]

Lessons and go out and play a round just focusing on what your coach is working on with you. Don't worry about a score, out driving your buddies, or playing a "traditional" round of golf. Hit irons off the tee and focus on your fundamentals. This will help you get a groove with what he is teaching you and then work on the next lesson the next round. Be patient and have fun.

[Aagotiq]

Try playing a couple rounds without your Driver and Fairway woods. Hybrid through wedges only. You may be surprised how low you score. My driver swing has left me so far this year to the point that I have just left it to range practice for now. It has resulted in several rounds in the high 80s were as I never been able to break 94 last year. Good luck.

Some of my lowest rounds (mid 80s) have been done doing just that.

[JohnfAclambrJA]

Everyone has days like that, I had one yesterday while I was playing with my boss (which made it worse as I couldn't get outwardly angry at myself).

Judging from what you've said there I would think that your putting is hurting your scores more than the 10% you think. Also a solid short game will help you. My instructor always tells me that noone, pro or amateur, should ever have anything more than a 2putt. If your too far out to have a good chance at holing it at least put it somewhere where you know you can make the second putt. For instance 3 putts on the 9th from 7 feet, that should be 2 putts at most, if you miss it should only be a foot or so from the hole but that comes with practice and knowing how hard to hit the ball. Other thing is the short game. Get out on your practice green and at the range and practice all sorts of shots from 100 yards and in. Practice full wedges, chip shots, flop shots. Practice little finesse swings, bump and runs. Practice any shot so you always have a shot available to you that will get you within a few feet of the pin. Getting annoyed with yourself is not a bad thing so long as it is constructive. When your out on the course don't think 'argh I stuffed that chip up I suck', think 'argh I stuffed that chip up, I need to work on that later'. If you have noone behind you don't be afraid to put 4 or 5 balls on the ground and keep hitting those little chips or pitches until you get it right. Once you get it right hold onto that feeling and do it again.

Also for what it's worth I think most people would have shot far worse than you did after only 10 rounds. In the many years you play the sport you are going to have ups and downs but it those straight drives and well hit wedge shots are what keeps us coming back. If we all played better each time we played we'd all be on tour by now.

[Itrtuawh]

Short game, short game, short game. You only lost 2 balls OB but had a TON of chips and putts. Work on hitting the green with every shot within 100 yards. As that improves, your score lowers dramatically.

Great advice from one of our youngest members!! Over 1/3 of your shots in a round are putts, another 1/3 are taken within 100 yards of the green...so that means 2/3 of your shots are within 100 yards of the hole...that is the quickest way to lower scores....practice your short game....get it dialed in.....you will quickly turn triples into bogeys and doubles into pars....trust me!

It's also easy to practice your short game in your own yard...try it...you will be amazed at the results

[shinesw]

Try playing a couple rounds without your Driver and Fairway woods. Hybrid through wedges only. You may be surprised how low you score. My driver swing has left me so far this year to the point that I have just left it to range practice for now. It has resulted in several rounds in the high 80s were as I never been able to break 94 last year. Good luck.

Lots of good advice above. Also, since you are young, athletic, and just starting out, don't focus on the score, focus on good fundamentals and good swings. The results will come, but don't get worried about them now. The advice of irons-only above is good for this. If you know you won't reach the par-5 in two, or be able to cut that 250yd dogleg, you may just try to get the ball in the fairway with a relaxed swing. The scores will come.

Thanks for this advice, im playing my first round of 18 tomorrow and im not even going to take the driver, i'd definitely rather be on the fairway with the hybrid and then a long iron to the green (or a layup) than my driver in the rough or 3 from the tee, ive only ever reached a par 5 in 2 once, but those perfect drives are few and far between at the moment

Short game, short game, short game. You only lost 2 balls OB but had a TON of chips and putts. Work on hitting the green with every shot within 100 yards. As that improves, your score lowers dramatically.

I have never been much use at putting, its mainly green mis reads rather than a poor stroke, or not giving it enough to even reach the hole through fear of running it too far past, chipping is usually one of my stronger points, that was really why it was so frustrating overall, usually can rely on my shorter shots


And to all of you who said not to worry about my last shot, and just think what i can do better next time, i think that will be a massive breakthrough, at the moment if i mess the previous shot up, its constantly running through my head that im going to do it again on my next shot

Thanks again

[maxfreemann]

Working on the short game has already been mentioned

My advice is basic...learn to hit the ball straight. Youve been playing for like a month and you're already worried about shaping your shots?