Help Me!!

[Barnie]

Allright enough is enough. I started the year shooting decent scoring in the mid-80's on average . I'm capable of going lower but as always there's a hole of two that goes wrong keeping me out of the 70's more often than I'd like. Over the last 10 rounds I've completely lost my game and have soared into the mid-90's struggling to get anything working. My drive is a nightmare and I'm having lots of problems getting the ball off the ground (especially with my longer irons). My iron play results in a low burner that slices off into the trees (rough if i'm lucky) Lately golf hasn't even been fun but I guess the challenge is what I like so I can't complain.. Anyway if anyone can suggest some good teachers that are as good or better than some of the guys at Kevin Haime but cheaper in price can you please let me know.. I've taken 1 lesson in my life with Adam Holden from Kevin Haime 2 years ago and really liked him but I can't really afford paying $65.00 for an hour of his time.. Thanks for any help Barnie

[nice_lag]

I sympathize with you. If you have a quick look in the instruction part of the forums you'll find plenty of discussions about various pros/teachers in the Ottawa area.

[mpare]

There are any number of reasons why your scores might be ballooning. Here is one possible self-help remedy that might get you back on track. This practice range exercise is aimed at getting you to swing in sync and in balance. If you've lost your game, it is quite possible that you've lost your tempo and your balance is also off. Try swinging a 7 iron gently (maybe 50% of normal power) with your heels touching. This will force you to turn smoothly through the ball. You can progress (again, at a leisurely pace -- this is not a race) through to the 3 iron (no driver yet -- you may want to beat the ball into the next county before this tempo is ingrained). Once you start hitting the ball decently, you can pick up the power ... a bit. In a short while, you should notice that you are hitting the ball more crisply as a result of turning through the ball in balance. When you've recaptured a bit of confidence, assume your normal stance and begin to hit a few from this more conventional position. Pace yourself, but after a while you should be able to noticeably improve your ball striking. Good luck.

[jvincent]

Ahh, what I like to call "I've lost it syndrome."

I always find that when this happens to me it's usually a combination of two things. The root cause is I get "lazy" and don't pay attention to the basics; grip, stance, alignment. By not being set up right and just casually lining up, I get out of sync physically and end up hitting bad shots.

Once this starts, the second phase kicks in, i.e. trying to steer the ball. This throws my timing completely out of whack and it's all downhill from there.

My suggestion, which works for me, go to the range and take a LOOOONG time hitting a bucket. Make a full setup, check your stance, etc. for every ball and take a normal, solid swing. Don't try to cream it, but don't baby it either. You should get the feel back.