Do You Score Consistently?

[femi fan]

I wanna know if i'm a weird golfer!

My two golfing mates tend to score in the low-mid 90s every round, sometimes they may get into the high 80s. I would think they pretty much always score within a 6 shot swing or so.

I on the other hand can manage a 15 shot swing very easily from one round to the next. Recently i have been averaging about 102, having for a while last year managed to hit the 90s regularly, and even hit the heady heights of two rounds of 89 and 88.

Then suddenly after being around the 99-104 mark for ages, i play my most blinding round ever, as if the game had somehow become stupidly easy, and score an 86. Then this week i go back to 103. So in one week i manage a 17 shot swing.

This is quite typical.

Does anyone else have to suffer with such inconsistency?

What kinds of scores do the rest of you golfers get, and what kind of swing in scores? Can you go from six pars and a birdie one week, to one par the next round? Or do you have similar rounds each time?

And finally, golf being golf, if anyone has a nice tip in how to reduce my wild swing in golf scores, fire away!

[chuckd]

I had a 51 on the front side and 34 on the back side at Turnberry several years ago.

Anything can happen in flog.

Edited March 4, 2009 by chuckd

[patklang]

my handicap in uk was 16,then i had 2 ops in my knee and didnt play for 2.5 years.Came to Pattaya and bought some clubs,not expensive,and couldnt hit a thing.After a few games i started to get off the tee first time and get over the water hazards,and got a few pars and even a couple of birdies,but a couple of 8 or 9 in the scores cocked it up.You realy need to play regular but as i only played once a fortnight i have no chance to get down to 16 handicap again.I was scoring mid 90s so i am 8-10 shots down from my handicap.

[tgeezer]

Once a fortnight is not enough as you know, but if I were you I would give myself an 18 handicap, which means for handicap purposes your 8 and 9 cannot count more than double bogey, which doesn't change the score but should make you feel a bit better. Its all downhill then! or do I mean uphill? You have a target and if you could play matchplay to strokeplay rules when you are out there it might help; being less focused on scores. 9 is a hel_l of a lot of shots but it is easily done, especially if you try to make up for dropped shots. You have every chance of getting down to 16 again, by the way, especially if you regard everything from tee to greenside as nothing more than a means to get to the real game; chipping and putting; no 'longest drive comps.' off the tee.

Oh, sorry, the question; no I do not score consistently, but then, I don't take my own advise!

[tgeezer]

And finally, golf being golf, if anyone has a nice tip in how to reduce my wild swing in golf scores, fire away!

I seem to have answered the wrong post, never mind the advice is there. I would be interested to know if it works!

[patklang]

I started to have problems off the tee and decided that most of my tee shots would be my 2 iron,i was hitting it miles,so i continued until i could practice with my 3 wood

[PattayaParent]

I can have a 15 shot swing in score on a single hole, never mind for a whole round!!!

[tgeezer]

I can have a 15 shot swing in score on a single hole, never mind for a whole round!!!

Wonderful; thanks for the laugh.

[Vida]

femifan,

The #1 cause for mis-hit shots is "steering". This is when a player tries to move the clubface toward the target or line of flight which is an excellent receipe for a slice.

The #2 cause for a mis-hit shot is "quitting". This is when a player stops his hands too early in an attempt to get the cubhead to move faster through the ball.

The golf swing doesn't work very consistantly using the above method. On some days (or some holes) your timing can be pretty good and you can get away with it a bit.

I ask my guys and gals to work on their 3 impact alignments beginning with a Flat Left Wrist (FLW). If FLW isn't understood then all other golf instruction is virtually useless. You'll be searching for a lifetime and finding nothing but frustration.

The 3 Impact Alignments: (Lefties do the reverse)

1. A Flat Left Wrist

2. A Bent Right Wrist

3. The Right Forearm on Plane

Spike

[femi fan]

femifan,

The #1 cause for mis-hit shots is "steering". This is when a player tries to move the clubface toward the target or line of flight which is an excellent receipe for a slice.

The #2 cause for a mis-hit shot is "quitting". This is when a player stops his hands too early in an attempt to get the cubhead to move faster through the ball.

The golf swing doesn't work very consistantly using the above method. On some days (or some holes) your timing can be pretty good and you can get away with it a bit.

I ask my guys and gals to work on their 3 impact alignments beginning with a Flat Left Wrist (FLW). If FLW isn't understood then all other golf instruction is virtually useless. You'll be searching for a lifetime and finding nothing but frustration.

The 3 Impact Alignments: (Lefties do the reverse)

1. A Flat Left Wrist

2. A Bent Right Wrist

3. The Right Forearm on Plane

Spike

Thanks for the tips. I don't think the first applies to me, but if the second is connected to not finishing my swing, then it could be me.

I understand partly your first two alignments, but not the third. What do you mean by 'on plane'?. And these three alignments, are they at all times through the whole swing?

And while i'm here, just to demonstrate to the forum exactly why i started this thread... my last four rounds have been 102, 86, 103, and yesterday 89. I really wanted to know if any other golfers are enslaved to such a wide range in scoring!!

[thaihome]

Yes, enslaved is a good word.

Though I appreciate the words of what sounds like a professional teacher, as with most of them, they completely miss the point and get way too technical.

The issue is focus and your mental attitude to each swing. Next time you mishit a shot, think back to what was in your head as you were swinging compared to one you hit well.

For me, the position of the my left wrist ain’t the problem. That may be symptom, but it’s not the problem

TH

[femi fan]

Yes, enslaved is a good word.

Though I appreciate the words of what sounds like a professional teacher, as with most of them, they completely miss the point and get way too technical.

The issue is focus and your mental attitude to each swing. Next time you mishit a shot, think back to what was in your head as you were swinging compared to one you hit well.

For me, the position of the my left wrist ain’t the problem. That may be symptom, but it’s not the problem

TH

Well, let me get technical over the mind! My good rounds inevitably occur when there's very little stuff in my mind when i address the ball and then hit it. My bad rounds are when the mind tries to control my body, my swing, my game, everything. It also likes to instantly remind me that water is there, that i went OB last time i played this shot, and so on.

But i seem to have little control over it! So, to answer your point: when i hit a bad shot, there was loads of crap in my mind at address. I have a feeling the contents of my mind can create physical tension in me, and then my backswing is not smooth enough, and i don't turn my shoulders enough, don't reach back enough. So this then transfers into my whole swing, and usually my shots go off to the right.

When i get a good start to my round, it seems that the mind cannot interfere with my swing, and i get the low end of my scores. It really is crazy, my mind trying to mess my game up. Why???!!!!

I think the point for me is that if i can score 86, 88, then i must have a decent enough swing and game to do this. But I just can't do it consistently, and can get a 102, 104 just as easily. Perhaps this is part of the whole learning curve?

[Vida]

Hi guys,

The ups and downs (no pun intended) of someones golf game is all too frequent. The problem lies in "not knowing" what to do so we end up just doing what we've always done and hope for the best.

There is a big difference between a skill and a habit.

Ideally we would like to develop a skill (that works) and turn it into a habit. This "process" has a huge effect on your mind...it actually breeds confidence and a belief that you can take to the golf course.

You can train the 3 Impact Alignments quite easily starting with small chip shots. In doing so, not only will your short game become better, it will creep into your long game as well.

Femi Fan, the #3 alignment is where the right forearm is on plane with the shaft at impact. The right forearm is adding support to the shaft to help power the hit and when on plane it helps eliminate the "twisting" that can happen when the clubface collides with the ball. If it is built into your awareness at address and you train its effect you will solve alot of problems that happen during a golf shot.

Thaihome, I apologize if I sounded to technical and/or missed the point. Sometimes a precision answer is not what we are looking for, but when writing about it I think it is important to be clear. Blending Mind & Body is not that difficult if there is a process you can measure and follow. The tough part is acquiring accurate knowledge and managing your skill development. Having said that, it can be a great deal of fun, also.

Edited March 12, 2009 by Vida