arghh why am i so messed up!!?!?!?!?!

[rickyharris]

Im depressed haha, im annoyed, im asking for you to read a long post

Ive been playing for 3 years (im 16), got to a 9 handicap within 2 years. now im a 6 handicap. first 2 years of golf didnt think about the swing 1 bit, used my natural talent, natural swing improved so fast. Past year ive become so mechanical, its made me depressed, I change my swing every few days, i dont mean working on the same move, i mean actually changeing all positions in my swing! every normal pga teaching pro buggers me up everytime. This past year i dropped 3 shots off my handicap and didnt have 1 round where i felt i played as well as i can! I shot under par twice.

Im guessing ive done about 80-100 different golf swings! And that number is going up!

Im on this website, thinking what can i do, shall i stick with this swing theary but within 3 days there is 99% chance ill be doin a different swing, just because I have 1 bad round i change my swing.

Im desperate to be a pro when im older, its my dream and i know i have the talent to do it, but i feel ive buggerd my golf career up and im only 16. I cant just swing natural because my natural swing has ingrained so many habbits!!

I wish I could just start golf all over again and never of got into mechanics and kept on improving like i was!

What am I meant to do?? Im so fustrated!

Please help!

Ricky

[rickyharris]

Any help, advice? needed desperatly ASAP!

[Martee]

I am of the opinion that the internet is a great place to share ideas, bounce ideas around.

It is a terrible place to learn Your Golf Stroke.

To me it is like walking along the range, overhearing the golf instructor give some advice to a golfer to correct a flaw and then trying to apply it yourself to Your Golf Stroke. It could be the last thing you really want to do.

You want to be a pro....

Get a plan together to
a. Develop your golf stroke under some supervision (even if it is one trip to pro every other month).
b. Stop reading golf magazines to get help for Your Golf Stroke
c. With Your Golf Stroke, learn it, Own it.
d. After that learn all you can about golf, just don't mix it up with Your Golf Stroke..

JMO.

Too much information can cause an overload. Information applied correctly to an incorrect Golf Stroke spells High Handicap...

[rickyharris]

Im buggerd, im overloaded with crap! And when I do go to a golf pro they fill my head even more with crap. And then when I just try and swing with no swing thoughts i play like crap because this past year i have changed my swing so much my natural swing has ingrained god knows how many habbits and my golf brain hasent got a clue what its doing. haha!

Thanks for the advice!

I watch players like jeeve milkha singh, jim furyk, they all do it there own way, john daly as well. But i can never be like that now because i will always know to much about the golf swing. I cant make that disapear out of my head, its always going to be there!

[KnighT]

Ricky,

I agree with Martee. The internet really should be a supplement to your normal 1 on 1 golf instruction. My teaching pro is cool. One day he showed me how he wanted me to follow through and finish and I knew he was showing me perfect horizontal hinging. He was showing me a move from the top, and I knew it was drag loading. The ability to apply it rests on my shoulders now.

Maybe you should try to find an Authorized Instructor near you. TGM website has a list of instructors by state.

Regarding your swing:

How is your chipping ?
How is your pitching ?
Are you hitting or swinging ? I think that is a very important one to distinguish in your own mind. I was a confused swinger who was actually 'switting' for a while (while thinking I was swinging) until this website helped me work out the difference between the two procedures.

I assume you have seen all the videos here, which might be part of your information overload. The best advice I can give you about your golf swing is to follow the suggested curriculum outlined by Mr.K himself. Basic, acquired, and total motion...in that order. Do not ignore the signifigance of basic motion. I have really been trying to focus on stage 1 lately because I noticed how much the advanced members here (especially Yoda) stress the importance of it. It is the foundation of your swing. Trying to build a house without a solid foundation underneath it is just asking for trouble. The big bad wolf will have a field day with it. And I know the big bad wolf likes to show up when I am on the golf course, and everything just falls apart.

I know where you are coming from. I get frustrated with the game sometimes, and I do not hit the ball as well as I know I am capable of. Even though I get aggrivated sometimes with my poor performance there are those moments that keep me coming back....like when I hit that perfect tee shot, you know the ones where you know before the end of your backswing that this one is going long and straight. Or when I make those 10-15 foot puts, or when I hit my signature 15 foot chip shot just off the green right into the cup. Those shots keep me coming back.

Regardless of the bad times, I have complete faith that The Golfing Machine has the information which will allow me to reach my potential. So I grind it out, and hit my chip shots with the confidence that this is the best route....I think Yoda called it 'the shortcut.' So when people like Yoda say things like that....I listen

[birdie_man]

Ricky...(ur so fine u blow my mind...jk I'll stop)...

(who knows man)

...

Your setup....your pivot......

.....and especially the 3 Imperatives.....the 3 Functions (clubface, clubshaft, clubhead control...these are the only parts of the club you need to worry about).....

Seperate the swing into those things to ground you when you don't know what the hell to think about and where to start.

Always know that u just need to control the face, head, shaft (where it's pointing to throughout) and fulfill the 3 Imperatives and u'll be fine.

...

If you "lose it"....go back to whatever is most comfy....

Hit some full length but low SPEED 7 irons or something...

...and with the feet together.

...

Never stop trying to be better.....but work with your tendencies...i.e. what you do best.....and use this stuff to keep you grounded when u start to panic.

Helps me anyhow.

Good luck we've all been there.

[alex_chung]

I am of the opinion that the internet is a great place to share ideas, bounce ideas around.

It is a terrible place to learn Your Golf Stroke.

To me it is like walking along the range, overhearing the golf instructor give some advice to a golfer to correct a flaw and then trying to apply it yourself to Your Golf Stroke. It could be the last thing you really want to do.

You want to be a pro....

Get a plan together to
a. Develop your golf stroke under some supervision (even if it is one trip to pro every other month).
b. Stop reading golf magazines to get help for Your Golf Stroke
c. With Your Golf Stroke, learn it, Own it.
d. After that learn all you can about golf, just don't mix it up with Your Golf Stroke..

JMO.

Too much information can cause an overload. Information applied correctly to an incorrect Golf Stroke spells High Handicap...

Listen to what Martee has said, there is a lot of good advice there.
Another thing you could think of doing is this. Put the clubs away, don't think about golf. Go do other things that 16 year olds do. Hang out with friends, spend time with your family. Go out and have fun. Remember its only a game, so relax. Clear your head of the clutter that has been building up over the past few months.
Only when you start missing the game and the reason why you play it, then you come back.
When you do come back do the following:

1) Relax
2) When you get back to practicing. Work on Basic Motion, take it easy. 2 foot forward and 2 foot back, work on those alignments.
3) Find a pro that you like and get on with AND STICK WITH HIM (not for a week, not for a month..stick with him long term. I have been with my current Pro for over 4 years) Listen to what he says, ask questions, understand what they are trying to get you to do.
4) Separate you practice sessions and your playing rounds. Sounds as if you are treating your rounds as long practice sessions. Not a good idea. Go out and play.
5) Get rid of your golf mags or don't read them for the next new tip that comes along. That does more harm than good (see point 3)

Remember its only a game at the end of the day. Sure you want to be good, but you don't have to kill yourself doing it.
There is a classic Yoda post from about 2 years ago that might help you. Its out in Cyberspace somewhere, but I am sure someone will find it.
Alex

[YodasLuke]

Im depressed haha, im annoyed, im asking for you to read a long post

Ive been playing for 3 years (im 16), got to a 9 handicap within 2 years. now im a 6 handicap. first 2 years of golf didnt think about the swing 1 bit, used my natural talent, natural swing improved so fast. Past year ive become so mechanical, its made me depressed, I change my swing every few days, i dont mean working on the same move, i mean actually changeing all positions in my swing! every normal pga teaching pro buggers me up everytime. This past year i dropped 3 shots off my handicap and didnt have 1 round where i felt i played as well as i can! I shot under par twice.

Im guessing ive done about 80-100 different golf swings! And that number is going up!

Im on this website, thinking what can i do, shall i stick with this swing theary but within 3 days there is 99% chance ill be doin a different swing, just because I have 1 bad round i change my swing.

Im desperate to be a pro when im older, its my dream and i know i have the talent to do it, but i feel ive buggerd my golf career up and im only 16. I cant just swing natural because my natural swing has ingrained so many habbits!!

I wish I could just start golf all over again and never of got into mechanics and kept on improving like i was!

What am I meant to do?? Im so fustrated!

Please help!

Ricky

First of all, where are you located, and are you near one of our professional contributors?

[rickyharris]

Im in Britain and I live 5 hours drive from Ian Clarke (nearest TGM instructor) so that isnt an option!!!

What alex_ching said is good I think, about taking a break from the game for a while, because whenever i even take 3 days off golf and come back swinging naturally i play my best but then it goes downhill again.

My sister is flying back to her home in majorca on sunday and has asked if i would like to go with her, she is flying back here in 3 weeks for christmas and id come back then. Take no clubs with me, do other things, take time to clear my head, I left my A LEVELS 3 weeks ago because I found it wasent what I wanted to do so at the moment I am searching for placements in a college, so I have got time off to go to majorca. Do you think this would help me, would this be a good idea?

I know 100% golf is what I want to do deep down, and I know 100% i have the talent to do it, so no one is going to change my mind about that!

[6bmike]

I've driven 20+ hours to see Yoda and being a pro is not my ambition. Drive the five hours, spend the night, get two days in on the range with Ian. Invest or just dream. Drive or log on. Call Ian, and "Ricky- Don''t Lose that number."

sorry bucket, sorry rh- a joke.