Where to Start....

Jjmorris

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Quick background.. 24 years old started golfing last summer. I probably got 8 rounds in and 8-10 range sessions in. Golfed around 120 and few rounds around 110ish..

I have golfed one full 18 this spring and 3 9's so far and my game has regressed from start of season till now. First 18 was a 112, than i did 9 at 42 (on a par 30) (was a great solid round).. and the last two 9s I played on Par 36's I couldn't for the life of me hit a good shot...

Finally to the issue: I have absolutely zero confidence when I approach the ball (just doesn't feel right) for a hit (don't tee off with driver, use hybrid, but this applies to iron shots too)... I have no idea what to do. I want to get lessons, but I feel I should have a more consistent swing before I spend the money. I went to the range today and hit 30 balls... maybe 4 of them I would be happy with.. This is not like me at all and I'm coming up fat on shots, major hooks, stance doesn't feel right etc...

I want to spend hours at the range fixing it but I want to have a plan too. I wish I could explain more about my lack of confidence right now compared to last year when I started. I feel as though my swing has gotten worse :(.

This is why I wanted to be a member of this site because I know there are player abilities across the board and everyone is just as excited to help each other as they are to improve themselves.

THANKS SO MUCH IN ADVANCE FOR RESPONSES!!!!

Jesse
 
It will help you to get lessons from the beginning, the only thing you will do trying to learn how to swing on your own is develop bad habits that will be very hard to break later on. These bad habits can often limit your ability to play well later on if you aren't able to get rid of them all. There are two things about golf that are very near absolute truths in my opinion. First, anyone who is not severely limited in some way physically or mentally can learn to play well enough to have a lot of fun with this game if they get good instruction from the very beginning and second there is rarely any similarity whatsoever between what a golfer feels like they are doing when they make a swing and what they are actually doing during that swing. This is why it is a good idea to have a pair of trained eyes helping you learn good habits right from the beginning. This is also why video is used so much in training golfers. Get lessons to start with you won't be sorry.
 
Yeah get lessons, don't waste more time trying to get a more consistent(ly bad swing).

Make sure that when you do get a lesson that the first thing the instructor does is work on your grip and setup. If he starts off on some tangent about getting you in the right position somewhere in the swing without starting at the foundation then hand him $20 and say ty for your time.

In the meantime if you like to read and wanna try and do it yourself you should get Penick's Little Red Book and Hogan's Five Lessons.
 
Thanks for the book info. I will definitely look into that as in I want to do stuff on my own to get better as well...

Yeah get lessons, don't waste more time trying to get a more consistent(ly bad swing).

Make sure that when you do get a lesson that the first thing the instructor does is work on your grip and setup. If he starts off on some tangent about getting you in the right position somewhere in the swing without starting at the foundation then hand him $20 and say ty for your time.

In the meantime if you like to read and wanna try and do it yourself you should get Penick's Little Red Book and Hogan's Five Lessons.

I had a feeling lessons lessons lessons was going to be the answer and suppose its time to buy in to get a good starting point.
 
I'd say definitely take lessons from the beginning if you have the disposable income and are interested in elevating your game. You will be able to see different aspects of your swing you are doing incorrectly that you won't have the ability to do without a coach.
 
I would definitely take lessons. You know the old saying "Old habits are hard to break".
 
I would definitely take lessons. You know the old saying "Old habits are hard to break".

Yeah completely understand and even more since their not "old habits" yet
 
1. Lessons (grip, stance and posture)
2. Work on putting instead of hitting balls. A solid putter can make up for a poor swing.
3. Learn the game from the green back to the tee. I think you will find this to be an advantage when you are just starting out.
 
1. Lessons (grip, stance and posture)
2. Work on putting instead of hitting balls. A solid putter can make up for a poor swing.
3. Learn the game from the green back to the tee. I think you will find this to be an advantage when you are just starting out.

that is very solid advice. Learn to putt and learn a short game
 
Yeah get lessons, don't waste more time trying to get a more consistent(ly bad swing).

Make sure that when you do get a lesson that the first thing the instructor does is work on your grip and setup. If he starts off on some tangent about getting you in the right position somewhere in the swing without starting at the foundation then hand him $20 and say ty for your time.

In the meantime if you like to read and wanna try and do it yourself you should get Penick's Little Red Book and Hogan's Five Lessons.

very well said...I went for 1 last night to cure the "hook" I took 1 swing and he was ready to go...said the problem was I was bringing the club too far inside, but before we got to that, he said lets get the setup and grip fine tuned
 
I think tadashi's advice is very good. Starting at the green is not necessarily the most "fun", but whether we want to admit it or not, is probably the best way to do it. I would also suggest taking your PW and start off hitting 10 yard chips, 25 yard chips/pitches, 50 yard chips/pitches, etc. Start "short" and work your way back until you are at the distance "limits" of your PW. If you can hit multiple kinds of shots with your PW, you'll be able to apply that to your longer clubs, too.
 
I think tadashi's advice is very good. Starting at the green is not necessarily the most "fun", but whether we want to admit it or not, is probably the best way to do it. I would also suggest taking your PW and start off hitting 10 yard chips, 25 yard chips/pitches, 50 yard chips/pitches, etc. Start "short" and work your way back until you are at the distance "limits" of your PW. If you can hit multiple kinds of shots with your PW, you'll be able to apply that to your longer clubs, too.

^^This is great advice.^^

Couldn't have said it better myself. It's exactly what I did when I started taking the game seriously. A good short game builds confidence.
 
Yea, take lessons. Let an instructor build your swing before you have any bad habits to break.

~Rock
 
Thanks for all the advise guys! I have come to admit that I just need to start short and work my way up the clubs rather than try to perfect them all at the same time.. Now on to research for lessons in the local area.
 
Now if only I would heed my own advice. LOL! :banghead:
 
^^This is great advice.^^

Couldn't have said it better myself. It's exactly what I did when I started taking the game seriously. A good short game builds confidence.

+1 on this. Shortgame actually ends up being more fun as you see chips getting closer and putts being holed. Tee to green needs to be serviceable of course but lessons early can right the wrongs enough to keep it in play if you aren't after just maximizing distances.


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Welcome to THP...glad to have you aboard!
 
Welcome to THP...glad to have you aboard!

Thanks Tim! I have found so much advice and piled it all together in the few short days of being. Haven't had time to hit the range lately (mostly weather) but there is so much I can start doing and obviously getting lessons will be in the near future as well!
 
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