Golf: From the Practice Facility to the Course

What’s happening? All right so I first started playing golf when I was a freshman in high school. I liked it but I quickly came to realize that this is probably the most technical sport I’ve ever played. So I played recreationally till about my Junior year and a little bit on and off my senior year. When I got out of high school I didn’t really play for like 5-6 years on an actual course. So about a month ago I took some practice sessions by myself to the range and to practice my short game and putting and to try and get everything clicking again. I’ve never been really good, my best score is an 87. But I like challenges and golf is seriously a challenge. Anyways I played a round yesterday for the first time in years and drove the ball horribly. I was literally hitting drives like 30 yards and sometimes not even getting past the ladies tees lol (luckily I got out as a single and not with anyone else). Throughout my practice sessions I felt really good and I felt like I was getting my swing back.

So my question is how can I go from the range and practice areas feeling pretty good and completely fall apart on the course? I know golf is such a mental game but I felt completely lost on the tee box to the point where I’d be using a 5 iron off the tee just to get the ball on the fairway. I felt like I had lost all confidence in myself. Anyone has this issue?

 

Different strokes for different folks but I played my best golf (scratch) by playing. Only time I ever hit the range was to warm up. Other than that practice with a purpose, use specific targets. play simulated holes same routine for each swing that you would have on the course.

I mean no offense but taking a 5-6 year break and hitting the range a few times before playing for the first time in years does not mean you are going to go out and be your old self immediately. Hell I havent been able to swing in 9 months due to an injury, Once I am able to return Ill be lucky to break 90 until I get about 7-8 rounds in and I was a mid - high 70's guy before.

 

Golf's a tough game to play well. I was down to a 5 before I had knee surgery a little over a year ago, and just started practicing and playing again. Happy to be in the eighties the last couple of rounds.

 

Don’t go to the range before you play to change or fix things. Hit a small bucket to get loose and take what you got to the course. Don’t practice before you play to shoot a score.

 

Good advice, normally that's what I'll do, hit the range to get loose before a round but not try and fix anything. I like to putt before hand too so I can get the feel for how the greens are playing.

 

I'm starting to think too that I need to just play more. I typically practice about once to twice a week depending on the week and I try and play at least twice to three times a month.

 

Forgot to add once I changed schedules and went to a 9-5 schedule vs 2pm-10pm I lost the ability to play mid week and could no longer maintain scratch. Well that and two hip replacements. The best I got post hip replacements and 9-5 schedule was 1.4 that was shaky at best one weekend could be 73-74 and the next could be 79-82. Had to realize that playing once maybe twice a week and at minimum 5 days between rounds I could no longer maintain the consistency of playing 3-4 times a week with never more than a 2 day break.

 

@e_engstro you need to practice the exact shots you'll hit on the golf course. When Tiger warms up for each tourney he just doesn't hit drivers, 8i and wedges... he walks through EVERY tee shot and EVERY approach shot he will hit (or hope to hit). That way when its time to do it he's prepared and knows what its like. I took the same philosophy and applied it to my game it worked magic. Preparing yourself for the moment is the most important thing you can do in golf. Give it a try and report back

 

Take solace in that at least you were consistent. Which means when you get it sorted you have a better chance of repeating a good thing. Likely you were hitting off your back foot and the bottom of the swing was well behind the ball. A good swing is one with all the fucked up bits eliminated and cracks the whip right at the ball.