Golf is a stupid game

[spackler]

Played 18 today. Front 9, 19 over par. I've played poorly this year, but that was a new low even for me. Back 9 I start off with a double, then a par, then a bogey, then 4 pars and close with two birdies. One over. My best 9 before today was 44, today was a 36. Unfreakingbelievable! Biggest difference was that after the front 9, I just decided to relax and enjoy the day. I slowed myself down a bit (still played 18 in 2:45), and then I put away the driver except for the last hole. It is a much easier game from the fairway apparently.

Anyone else ever have one of these Jeckyll and Hyde rounds? Twenty strokes seems pretty extreme to me.

[LobWedge]

I hear ya bud. It happens to the best of them. Tiger shot 40-30 in the first round at the 97 Masters.

I was playing to around a 7 last year and I shot 95 at Vieux Moulins and didn't lose a ball... Thankfully I can look back and laugh now. (the medication helps too...)

[Ginker]

Wow struggeling seems to be a common theme this year.. I had a steller round a couple weeks ago of 44, 34.. The 34 (-1) included a double bogey on 18.. Stupid golf!

["Richard"]

LOL, thats crazy! I've never heard of such a big difference! There is usually a difference of 10 strokes between my front and back when I play in the AM but still... 20 strokes?? that is nuts!

[jvincent]

Anyone else ever have one of these Jeckyll and Hyde rounds? Twenty strokes seems pretty extreme to me.

Yeah, 20 is pretty high.

I had a couple of 12 shot differences last year but this year has mostly been bad + bad.

[Big Johnny69]

Tell me about it. Just got through my third round of the year where I had to battle the shanks. Right about now I just feel like quitting. But I can't, have intersectional qualifying the next three Sundays. Great time for this to happen to me. And the worst part of it all is that nothing feels wrong with my swing. It feels like it always does. I can only hit my 4 and 5 irons. 3 hybrid and 6-LW, nothing but shank after shank after shank. It can't be good when you are actually afraid when you have iron in your hand, knowing that you have no clue what will happen once you start your swing.

Dan, I don't actually have to play golf to be a moderator here do I?

[rezadue]

Yeah, at the beginning of this year I had a few rounds where I put lots of pressure on myself to score well and ended up having bad front AND back nines (In the 115 to 120 range)!

After a few of those, I had a few rounds where my back nine was 10 or more shots better than the front nine (53 front, 41 back and 54 front ,43 back). Thankfully the last round I played was like I expected to play this year (45 front and 44 back at Manderley).

Somewhat like Geoff, but much worse in total socre, I have no idea which type of round I am going to have and what happens when I pick up my 3W and 5W. Strangely I feel much more at ease with my big stick (testament to Ping G2s awesome powers to make crappy players like me shoot well most of the times) than with my woods!

[Big Johnny69]

Only club that feels good to me in my hands right now is my putter. Pretty scary hunh?

To give you an idea of how much I'm struggling, my cap has gone from a 5.5 to an 8.0 in about 2.5 weeks. Now that's hard to do once you have your 20 rounds in.

["Richard"]

YOu think thats bad?? how about 20 putts on the front 9 and 8 putts on the back nine! thats the craziest thing thats ever happened to me!

[LobWedge]

Tell me about it. Just got through my third round of the year where I had to battle the shanks. Right about now I just feel like quitting. But I can't, have intersectional qualifying the next three Sundays. Great time for this to happen to me. And the worst part of it all is that nothing feels wrong with my swing. It feels like it always does. I can only hit my 4 and 5 irons. 3 hybrid and 6-LW, nothing but shank after shank after shank. It can't be good when you are actually afraid when you have iron in your hand, knowing that you have no clue what will happen once you start your swing.

Dan, I don't actually have to play golf to be a moderator here do I?

Geoff, make sure you make a full turn, as in finish your backswing. Trust me, it will work. Now go try it.

[el tigre]

Jeckyll-and-Hyde Golf is the only kind of golf I play. The only question is who gets to play which holes!

Tell me about it. Just got through my third round of the year where I had to battle the shanks. Right about now I just feel like quitting. But I can't, have intersectional qualifying the next three Sundays. Great time for this to happen to me. And the worst part of it all is that nothing feels wrong with my swing. It feels like it always does.

We've all been there Geoff, but fortunately I know the cure.

Just get a qualified instructor to look at your swing. The fact that you have no idea what is going on means you cannot fix it. You need another set of eyes and a video camera to help you - if for no other reason than to get to know your own swing better. Once you really know your own swing, then you can self-diagnose.

I know that Steve Hall at Mountain Creek is very good, and there are plenty of other great golf pros in the west end as well. You have a good swing, so I'm guessing one session with a good instructor working on this specific issue will clear it up for you - and it will probably be the best $$$ you ever spent on golf.

[Big Johnny69]

Thanks for all the help guys. Not sure what's going on. In the last couple of years the shanks would appear for a few shots here and there and then be gone for good. But this is the third round, and one range session, where they have just taken over.

Quite frustrating when you have wedge in your hand and instead of knocking down flags you're knocking down people on the next tee. Not cool!

[dH]

I did and I shot the best round of my life well for a back which was 44 that included me falling into a pond and finishing the round totally soaked. (It was pooring already). I could of easily scored lower if I haden't gone into the pond etc.

2 things. First let me tell you that I will NEVER EVER EVER give you mechanical advice. I'm a hacker. dH means daHacka

Mentally however; this has helped me IMMENSELY!

1) Don't makeit happen let it happen; just go out if you shoot poorly who cares there is always tomorrow right???

2) WHen you make a great shot get pumped congratulate yourself make sure there is emotion attached to it; when you shoot poorly make an errant shot or a total shank shrug it off and try and have 0 emotion.


Helped me TONES before I would make a great shot and have no emotion; make a poor one get all mad and guess what kept repeating itself? The shot that I tied emotion to...

dH

[Indio]

Just got through my third round of the year where I had to battle the shanks. Right about now I just feel like quitting.
Dan, I don't actually have to play golf to be a moderator here do I?

I feel your pain man but 3 rounds out of how many? and if you golfed saturday, then your not a quitter and you will work it out

as for having to play to be a moderator.... who to hell cares, your not a golf instructor your a referee and a censor, so playing hockey is the key!

[spackler]

LOL, thats crazy! I've never heard of such a big difference! There is usually a difference of 10 strokes between my front and back when I play in the AM but still... 20 strokes?? that is nuts!

Maybe I should have declared the front 9 a practise round and only enter the back 9 on the handicapping site.

[Kilroy]

Geoff: Breath.

The position of moderator is available only to certified golf fanatics. I cannot allow a non-golfer to moderate here. Please turn in your badge and your gun on your way out.

We'll miss ya buddy!

[Indio]

Anyone else ever have one of these Jeckyll and Hyde rounds? Twenty strokes seems pretty extreme to me.

Worst I ever had was last year, front nine (the hard 9) 2 under 34, back nine (real easy 9) 16 over 52, for a difference of 18.... and I thought that was bad! Took a lucky 13 on the 10th hole a par 5! Felt like Tin Cup when the hole was over. I had put 5 balls in the creek in front of the green

Golf is real cruel sometimes

[spackler]

The funny thing is on average I'm about 10 strokes better than my front 9 and 10 strokes worse than the back 9. I guess it worked out.

Geoff, the back 9 was the first time I'd hit the ball decent all year (at the range or the course). The first range session this year I saw Covanant and didn't say hi because I was too embarrassed about the sideways shanks I was hitting. I took lessons this winter that really set me back (I thought), but which seem to be sinking in after a lot of practice. Perhaps it was just that I stopped thinking about all the things I should be doing, and let muscle memory take over?

I think you just have to let the club do the swinging. And a 79 in those conditions at le Sorcier not even a week ago means you're probably not so far off.

[Kilroy]

Kinda felt like it today. 40/48 but that's nothing compared to you!

[spackler]

Worst I ever had was last year, front nine (the hard 9) 2 under 34, back nine (real easy 9) 16 over 52, for a difference of 18.... and I thought that was bad! Took a lucky 13 on the 10th hole a par 5! Felt like Tin Cup when the hole was over. I had put 5 balls in the creek in front of the green

Golf is real cruel sometimes

I'm just glad I had the good 9 on the back, otherwise I might have quit. Your way sounds waaaaayyyyyy too cruel.

[Indio]

Please turn in your badge and your gun on your way out.

We'll miss ya buddy!

Dan Dan Dan...... NEVER give a golfer a gun!! On a bad day the EMS services would not be able to keep up with the carnage!

Hell, the state Geoff is in right now, we shoud rush to his home and take his belt and shoe laces away from him for fear he will hang himself!

[Big Johnny69]

Geoff: Breath.

The position of moderator is available only to certified golf fanatics. I cannot allow a non-golfer to moderate here. Please turn in your badge and your gun on your way out.

We'll miss ya buddy!

Thanks Dan. Needed a good chuckle.

[Big Johnny69]

Just discouraged guys. No need to rush to my house. Can we get back on the topic of how stupid golf is and not my mental state.

[Indio]

I'm just glad I had the good 9 on the back, otherwise I might have quit. Your way sounds waaaaayyyyyy to cruel.

Lets just say I am glad I was playing match play that day for a few shekles per hole! I managed to take home most of the money. Then again I needed it to buy balls and for a frosty or two to drow my sorrows!

[Indio]

Can we get back on the topic of how stupid golf is and not my mental state.

Hey, we would prefer to dwell on your problems, not ours!

[Indio]

Just discouraged guys. No need to rush to my house. Can we get back on the topic of how stupid golf is and not my mental state.

Oh Geoffrey.... check out the clumakers forum. There is a thread in there about Fundonny's putter problem and there might, just might be a cure in there for your shanks courtesy of 'richard'

[Big Johnny69]

Already replied to it. I'm quick you know. Read the sig.

[Indio]

Already replied to it. I'm quick you know. Read the sig.

Well, in your mental state, didn't know if you would be that fast but as usual, I was wrong!

[mpare]

Just discouraged guys. No need to rush to my house. Can we get back on the topic of how stupid golf is and not my mental state.

Geoff:

I'm no expert, but the solution to your shanks may lie in an insight that Butch Harmon's dad had with respect to their cause. Rather than quote from the story (The Greatest Father) that appeared in the June, 2006 issue of Golf Digest, I have scanned the relevant portions and appended them to this reply. Hope that the cure works for you. You should be able to see the scans. If you can't, please let me know.

Good luck from another addicted soul.

[dH]

Your still a great golfer Geoff; even Tin Cup himself got the shanks you'll get over it!