Practice not producing results

[doninwny]

I'm completely frustrated, maybe someone can help. I've practiced drills at home and at the range, undertaken a workout regimen that's got me in better shape and more flexible, and yet everything I do has yet to show on the course. My theory is threefold: one, I'm too tense out there, at the range everything seems to work beautifully, only to disappear when I play. How can I relax, particularly my arms and hands?.....two: I think my practice conditions don't reflect game conditions. Should I wear my shoes at the range? Glove? Find grass instead of a mat? Finally, I can't get consistency in my swing on the course, divots about an inch behind the ball, usually small slices, mostly I've lost power, I'm down almost two clubs from three years ago, i.e. five iron 150. Heck, I don't think I've improved since I started seven years ago! I wouldn't mind if I wasn't putting the work in, I'd understand just playing once a week isn't enough, but I do drills at home everyday, and get to the range at least once a week. I haven't broken a hundred in two years. Yes, I had lessons last year, and I've read every magazine and library book I can find, and of course all the advice here. In a nutshell, I think it's tenseness and a habitual out-to-in swing that won't go away. Le't just start with those, thanks. Don

[vp27519]

Re: Practice not producing results

Hey Don,

Can you practice on course rather than at home or on the range.

If you have the out to in swing - accept it and move on. Play with what you have.

Practice with purpose. For example, go to the course and only hit from the tees. Use what ever club you reckon will help you hit the fairway. Start from the 1st hole. If you hit the fairway. Pick your ball up and go to the second. Hit from the tee. If you hit the fairway. Pick it up and go to the 3rd and so on. If you miss a fairway you must go back to the 1st tee and start the process again.

Always set yourself a goal. When you attain it walk away from the practice session positive. Another example of this is to hit 10 chips to within 2 feet of the pin. When you do this walk away.

Never leave the practice session negative in thought and doubting yourself.

Never practice tired.

Good luck and hang in there.

[pnearn]

Re: Practice not producing results

Is it maybe because at the range you get into a rythmn with one particular club and of course you cant do this at the course?

Reading the post I think you probably know the reason why youre down so much, really tense in the arms and hands so perhaps if you cant go and play a few quiet holes late on summer evenings then try playing a 'round' of your local course on the range. Hit a drive. If it goes right, try again but max of 2 goes per 'shot'. Work out where on your course the ball would have gone and play the next shot off the mat accordingly. Experiment with different backswing speeds and find a rythmn and tempo that really works for you (might be quick, might be slow) and some way to remind yourself of that rythmn on the course

Finally and most importantly, dont beat yourself up. Its only a game and its meant to be fun. Perhaps you are putting that much pressure on yourself to play really well that its ruining both your swing and your enjoyment. Tell yourself that it's a game of baby steps and slow progress (which it is) and swing with relaxed hands and arms at your optimum tempo and you'll break 100 easy I bet

[doninwny]

Re: Practice not producing results

I could probably practice on a local course, but who on this planet could go back to any tee they've played, much less the first one, between the rangers, starters, and other golfers, that seems a bit unwieldly. However, I do agree with stopping on a positive note, last week I hit my first 15 balls of a jumbo bucket almost perfectly, was tempted to just walk away, but I didn't want to waste the ten bucks, so I finished it, though the whole bucket went very well. What I do need is to imprint the setup feeling, the swing mechanics, and the positive feeling I finished with that day, and transfer it to the course, I wish there was some magic (or not magic, but effective) way to do that. I felt fluid and powerful then, on the course, weak and unsure. I hope the thought that's been creeping into my head of possibly being uncoachable or unchangeable is not true, but sometimes when everything I felt during practice just disappears, I can't help but wonder..............

[pnearn]

Re: Practice not producing results

Don

I'd lay money that on that day at the range and that day on the course your swing wasnt much different but your tempo and tension was

Work on a setup routine. Dilligently. Make it no more than 10-15 seconds before you hit the ball. Find a way to count and replicate the rythmn you have when you are swinging really well. Perhaps your swing reallly speeds up or slows down on the course

If you feel when you are over the ball that you are perfectly setup, know you are about to swing with your optimum ryhtmn/tempo then you will feel confident in what you are about to do. That will reduce tension in itself

I know this sounds too simple to be true but I can nearly always trace my bad swing days back to poor setup and/or poor tempo

[doninwny]

Re: Practice not producing results

pnearn....you may have a point there, I took just my seven and five iron that day at the range, worked on the drill where you turn your feet 45 degrees towards the target and practice half swings, to get your weight onto your left side, and the "hands apart baseball grip" drill to help to hit draws. I felt I needed repetition to imprint these two things. I have in the past done the imaginary round thing at the range, I'll do it again, concentrating on how the positive shots felt and what the setup, swing, and result felt like. I think someone needs to hypnotize me before a round! By the way, I don't curse, don't throw clubs, just mutter under my breath, I'm not a sore hothead out there, but I do put pressure on myself, probably because I feel I should see more results for the work I put into it

[GregJWillis]

Re: Practice not producing results

Ah, you might be a passive-aggressive. The worst kind. You are very hard on yourself for not being up to what you think are your standards.

Your mind set is, "Darn! I missed that shot! That shot is lost forever never to be regained...what a perfect opportunity lost...and look at where that mistake got me?!?! Now I have an even harder shot to make up for the last one, and we already know how this is going to turn out because I couldn't execute an easy one back there, what makes me think I can pull this one off?!?!?!?!?!?!"

Sound familuar?

But here you are at the range, "Ok, I know I need to learn how to swing this correctly. Think of all the good things that I am supposed to do...relax, easy tempo, Ok, good shot. Remember that. Remember what that felt like. Do it again. Ok, lets add something else...Ooops, no. That wasn't good. Lets go back...better. Ok, I think I got it."

See the difference? All positive thoughts. Easy on yourself. Mistakes are forgiven, and not the end of the practice session. Like what VP and Pnern are saying.

What I suggest to help:

Stop scoring on the course. Leave the card and pencil alone. Think about the round as a group of holes to be negotiated. There are hard holes, and easy ones. You make it around one shot at a time, but in a mindset as you would your practice sessions, where you are allowing change to happen after a group of say, 3 holes. After the 3 holes, look back and see what was good and bad. While you play the 3 hole group, allow selective amnisia to be apart of your setup routine, where you can block out a bad thing that might have just happened and focus on the good thoughts you setup for yourself for this 3-hole group. If you need to adjust something, do it on the next 3-hole group. Eventually, you will be standing on the 16th and have a good set to work from.

All this while not scoring anything. You walk away from the round with a set of new "real" thoughts that worked for you that you can now take to the range and practice those thought and groove them so the next round is easier to maintain.

[doninwny]

Re: Practice not producing results

Thanks for the reply Gregg, I'll ditch the scorecard, though I didn't think IT had anything to do with my being tense, sometimes I actually thought putting down a ten for a hole resigned me into some relaxtion, i.e. took the pressure off. I think it's the darn ball, when it counts on the course I just look at it, and I can't even start my swing comfortably. I'll try your recommendations though, anything at this point, thanks.

[pnearn]

Re: Practice not producing results

Greg

Interesting post. I found a year or so ago that what happened to me on the course was analagous to that tour tempo stuff. On the range (after a few balls) I would get into a great rythmn (21-7 or 24-8 or whatever it was) and had a real quick smooth swing. Didnt think about too much (that Tour Tempo book is a great read by the way and something I go back to a lot)

On the course I would then consciosuly start thinking about things or positions I had to get the club into which Im sure slowed my backswing way down, made me use my hands/arms, got tense and destroyed the 'flow' my range swing had. I actually forced myself to swing fast and forget low and slow and all that stuff and when I did that the range rythmn came back and I my scores started falling. About that time I read "swing the clubhead" and felt it was all related

I still make mechanical changes and practice them in slow motion but have realised that personally I must swing the club at a good pace and a natural flow for it to work for me

Perhaps something to think about if youre finding it a struggle on the course

[Rackster]

Re: Practice not producing results

Good points by everybody here.

It may also be that practice is not producing results because you can take too many technical thoughts to the course. For instance are you thinking about positions the club should go through in the swing or are you thinking about the plane of your swing. It may be best perhaps to work on simple keys that can allow your swing to flow and create fee. For instance, a good thought I have used in the past is "Turn and Turn". You have simplied your swing to a smple turn on the backswing and also on the downsing. If your practice has been effective, everything you be pre programmed in.

Here's another drill to take technical thoughts out of your swing. This is probably best used on the practice ground/ range. Make your swing- no technical thoughts- when you get to the top of your backswing say out loud "BACK", when you hit the ball say out loud "HIT". You can even do this on the course, if you don't want to out loud you can do it in your head. What the drill does is it gets you to focus on something you know you can do, rather than on thoughts that can clutter your mind eg "Must turn turn my shoulders through 90 degrees, Hips through 45 degrees, knees through 22 degrees"

I think key message is to simplify swing thoughts.

[doninwny]

Re: Practice not producing results

Thanks again guys, I'm going to try to get to the range today, looks like I'm working on what's postive, and simplifying. It's ironic that almost all the discussion about golf focuses on swing technique, faults, etc., and so little on what goes on between the ears, I'd say it's a little disproportionate, eh?

[GregJWillis]

Re: Practice not producing results

Yes, I agree. We analyze till we are blue in the brain. And then, when it comes to the course, you are expected to forget the analysis and go with your gut.

And the reason is really unfair...because your gut is better at golf then your brain.

[Timothy Slaught]

Re: Practice not producing results

Hello All:

Some ideas for practice:

1) Use a relaxation key as part of your pre-shot preparation. Just like you consider lining up correctly, assuming the correct grip etc.... The key can be something related to the body such as letting the shoulders relax but whatever you choose, consider it every time so relaxing becomes instinctive prior to hitting a shot. This takes commitment but it can really help.

2) On the range, do not hit more than two shots consecutively with any one club. On the course, if you were to hit the same club more than once (except with the putter) on one hole, things are probably not going too well so do not get in the habit of hitting the same shot over and over on the range. Even though you may think that this repetition is helpfull, you are better off mixing up shots as you will need to do on the course.
For example, we often see folks at the range pounding driver after driver.
This swing is very different from that required for any other type of shot. I have seem many players start out hitting the drives very nicely with good tempo on the first few but by the 50th consectutive drive, it is like watching a rank begginer. Hitting 50 drives is just not productive unless you are mixing it in with other shots with irons, wedges, utilities etc..
This habit of blasting driver after driver (usually trying to hit each one further than the last..) may be the most counterproductive practice technique I have ever seen. It is unrealistice, fatigues the body, and creates awfull swing habits.

3) Face the fact that becoming a good golfer is going to take patience and a logical plan of attack. I see many posts where members write that they were not happy because a swing key they read on GTO did not work after the second shot with it...experimenting is fine but working on the fundamentals such as grip, posture, alignment, good tempo is a must.

4) When making swing changes, you may need to work on segments of the swing without any emotional attachment to the outcome of the shot.
This is very difficult because it goes against the grain of the essence of what you are utlimately trying to accomplish...hitting good shots. Still, good practice requires breaking the swing down, working on and refining the parts... and then piecing them back together. All of this is helped greatly by a solid understanding of the mechanics of the the swing itself and the tools you are using. Easy....not even a chance, but golf requires mastery of many different skills only a few of which are purely physical. It is the challenge of the mind and body working in harmony that makes the game so great.

[doninwny]

Re: Practice not producing results

Well, played a pracitice round at the range this morning, generally things went pretty well, just had a "heck with it" attitude and let the club swing. I'm almost positive now it's tenseness, my arms were loose and relaxed today, resulting in better contact and distance, even hit some draws! I have a round tomorrow, not going to worry about my score, taking the same attitude with me. Thanks again.

[Robert O' Keeffe]

Re: Practice not producing results

Hi Don,
What all the guys are saying is correct. I was writing a mirror image of your post up to recently. What I worked on was slowing down the swing and relaxing totally before the shot. I now try to hit the ball with the same tempo and rhythm, whether it is driver or wedge. Which club do you strike best? probably wedge or 9. Well, when you have diferrent clubs in your hand, tell yourself it is a wedge and hit it like so. You will be amazed at the result. Dont put yourself under pressure by having to make a shot. Think rhythm and tempo rather than result. The more angry you get, the more tense you will become which has a knock on effect and will only make your game become unenjoyable. I hope this gives you an idea.
Regards,
Robert