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The state of your game?

I'm in a weird place right now. I'm not playing much at all compared to years past for a variety of reasons, but when I do play, my scores are pretty decent. I haven't had any really low rounds for me this year, but I'm normally hovering in the 80-85 zone whereas in years past, I could throw in a score of 90-95 easily if the wheels fell off. I've only had 1 or 2 rounds like that this year since my season started. I came into this year wanted to make some big swing changes, but just haven't had the practice time to be able to do it. My time at the range has been so limited that I haven't practiced putting in about 2 months, but I get onto the course and my putting is still good. I did find out yesterday on a launch monitor that I've lost a few MPH off of my driver swing from last year, so that was a bit disappointing. On the other hand, I've had some rounds this year where my ballstriking has been really good, so I know that I have some good swings in me as well. I guess that I'm just happy to get out on the course at any time this year because it's been limited, so trying to make big improvements is less of a priority than just having fun and enjoying myself.
 
bout as bad as I can remember ever seeing it right now, but playing once every couple weeks tends to do that. Played with Bulldog and Spraytech a couple weeks ago, last time out, and shot mid to upper 80's. (No biggy. It is what it is)
 
My irons have been just solid lately. Not missing any (almost any) and distances are coming up great.

Putting has been ok, lagging pretty well. Seems hot & cold when it comes to making putts.

Short game good. Had a chip-in Saturday and most are getting to the hole and on line, so they have a chance to go in.

Driving is jekyl & hyde. It seems every driver is either perfect or OB. I'm trying to hit everything right to left, so that's sort of new, not really hooking, just hitting a pull or completely slice-push.

6 of last 7 rounds in high 80's, and the 93 was a 42-51 where the driver really let me down on the back 9.
 
My game is ugly right now....very inconsistent.....I can shoot 82 one day and 102 the next.
 
golf3rguy said:
Short game, short game, short game. I can get the ball off the tee and to the green just as good as the rest, but the part that's holding me back is the short game. Getting up and down for par (whether it be from just off the green, in the green-side bunker, just off the back, or on the fringe) is currently the weakest link in my game.

What am I going to do about it? I need to hit the short game practice area more often instead of heading straight to the bucket of balls and then heading home. I need to have a better practice routine where I either chip and putt first or last, regardless I need to incorporate this key area into my session.
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I struggled with this as well. Not so much with chipping but reading putts, tempo and lag with the flatstick. A quick morning session with my assistant pro one day about a month ago helped a ton. There are some drills we worked on. He told me at first forget about the read, lets work on tempo and speed. From there on out my putting has regained its form. That and switching to a lighter half mallet with an insert. Loll
 
I play very well for stretches, but I haven't been able to lock it in for a full round (much less multiple rounds) so I'm constantly battling. I need to get several months of playing regularly to get back to some normalcy. I haven't had that in years.
 
My scores are ugly, but my game is improving. I know that sounds weird but its true. It's my head that been messed up, and that is where I'm looking to improve the most. My confidence is largely gone, and I need to find it again. I think having some piece of mind will be the most important thing going forward for me. The last few days have been a step in the right direction, and thanks go to the THP family for getting that ball rolling
 
Honestly I like where my game is. Still not on tour but to be happy with myself is a huge accomplishment. Through spi training and some self motivation ive gained confidence in areas I once had nothing but doubt
 
Thanks Trout Bum for this thread - I am always interested in what other golfers are working on and struggling with.

My game recently has been pretty bad, due to three reasons. 1) New clubs throughout the bag. They are all lengthened 1". I am having difficulty with my new wedges out of the sand and with full swings. 2) New swing with new instructors, working hard but not often enough to get the new swing ingrained into my body. 3) Greens at my course have been aerated and did not grow in very quickly, so my putting is suffering.

I was hoping to be driving the ball better with my new driver, and I am, but I still have big misses right. The new swing is exaggerating that miss, but I was told that it will come around with more consistency in the swing. Irons are pretty good, really getting great contact with them, I am now working on getting balls to stop, rather than roll out, on the greens. Chipping has been coming around, with the new instructor and new strategy/swing, but I am not confident with it. Putting - I am a lousy putter, but hope the SeeMore putter and SPi will help with that.

So, while my goal for the year is still very much in play, my current game is not where it has been. This year,I have broken 80, my mode/usual score is 84, but the blow up rounds are starting to get to me.
 
A work in progress. Had my first lesson in years, and now have an idea of what I should be doing with my swing. Last range session was actually promising, so will see how the times I go this week pan out and then have a 2nd lesson to gauge the progress.

Really liking my putting stroke, but need to get it on the course to see how it rolls under some actual pressure.

Overall I am excited because I have 6 months to try and drop another 3 plus strokes to hit my goal for this year.
 
I'm not happy with my game right now but I haven't been able to get out as much to the course or range since we had our 2nd child 7 months ago so I can't complain too much.
- I think my driver has improved.
- I've seen some improvement in parts of my short game but decline in others.
- The mid-long irons and ball-striking have been the bane of my season so far.
 
I am really happy with where I am going. My putting and short game have come a long way and I am striking the ball way better now. Even after the MC I Am going to continue to work towards my goal of being a low handicap golfer.
 
Ball striking in terms of contact is as good as it's ever been, which is good since it has been the main focus of my daily practices lately. My short game focus has been on using my S in more places (again mainly on good contact with that club), and my last round showed good enough results there. Also my putting is okay. It's not a weapon but neither is it a detriment. With all else that I am working on, I am okay with a goal of not 3+ putting most greens right now (and happily meeting that almost all the time!).

My tee game has taken a step backwards though, mainly because I have no been putting much effort into it. Also my chipping took a step backwards last round, too many times I didn't stay down on a shot. That cost me at least 5 strokes that I can think of, maybe more.

I am in a good place right now I think. I have played a few courses new to me this year and my scores have been pretty much consistent with what my handicap would expect of me. I have been feeling like I am close to a breakthrough in my game, but all the pieces have not come together yet. They will in time, certainly not for lack of effort.
 
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My game is OK. I do practice as much as I should but my shortgame and putting is still good. I struggle with my control on full shots sometimes though.
 
I'm about where I am every year, maybe a bit behind due to the weather this year.
Driver's good, if a touch shorter than last year, which was shorter than the year before...distressing trend, that.
Putting is ok. Little twitchy over 3' putts, better on slow greens.

I'm appalled by my game inside 120 or so. I need to work on it, but given limited time, I play instead of practice. Fat shots are frustrating, but the thin wedges just WRECK me.
 
Trout Bum said:
We talk about this some in the Morgan Cup threads and I was thinking about how the forum as a whole is doing with their games right now. We're almost half way through summer and I know with all the personal bests being put up that there are some great rounds being played.

How's your game doing and what do you still want to improve?
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My ball striking has been pretty good my last few rounds and my driving has been greatly improved this year. My putting however has been awful. I have been shooting anywhere from 80-85 but I have been in the mid to high 30's for putts each round .

Really frustrating as that used to be a part of my game that was very good. I have stuck with the same putter for over a year and a half however I may need to change as I am starting to lose some confidence (I know its not the putter but it is in my head)
 
I started the year off right, in my head. I scheduled two lessons a month for 6 months, had the range already set up for all the balls I wanted every month. I had planned on practicing all the time and getting my game in the best shape ever.
That didn't work out too well though. Between the crappy winter weather, a hurting elbow, and working a ton, I was only able to squeeze in 5 of the 12 scheduled lessons. And my range time was very minimal.
The elbow is finally feeling better and I have had the chance to actually get to the range and practice what I learned from the lessons. Now my game is finally starting to take shape. I'm starting to play better around the greens and my putting has been improving remarkably well, thanks to SeeMore.
At this time, the driver is the one thing really holding me back from having a great round. It is the one thing that I had not looked at this year. It had been really good the last few years and I was not concerned about it coming into the season. Now, it's really my only concern. I will get it together here shortly, with some dedicated work at the range, and then my game will be where I was trying to get to for the year.
 
The state of my game? I'm playing decently from tee to green (sometimes a pull shows up here and there when my tempo gets quick), my putting has also been solid. Yesterday's round showed improvement on one of my weakest areas of my game, that is distance control with short chips/pitches. A simplified stroke for both high shots and low shots lead to me hitting some pretty decent chips. I think that working on my irons and wedges will be the key to my continuing improvement in the short term.
 
Had a few lessons, practicing a fair bit and mostly making progress...
Irons and hybrid - better than ever
Wedges - maybe 80% of the best I was earlier in the year
Putting - hot and cold
Off the tee - worst ever, even worse than when I started playing again, it's an embarrassment, starting to get me down and going to leave the longer sticks out the bag for a while so at least I can have an attempt at enjoying a game. I did this for a while last year and got some decent scores in.
 
Way off from where I expected to be. It is taking me a lot longer than I thought to get my swing back. I finally started seeing the ball striking I expect this weekend so I guess that means I am on the upswing.
 
I am definitely in a treading water type situation, yet I feel very good about where I'm at. Work has been wild and I've got a wedding on the horizon and the game is not being worked on like I would prefer. That being said I have been putting up scores that are right near my lows, just usually having a hard time putting together consecutive nines. In the limited work I've been able to do I feel that I've steepened my back swing and have immensely improved contact, my driver has been much longer and my putting has been hot since April. I think its just one of those things where I've spent so much time swinging the last couple years when I step back and focus, things really come together nicely.
 
I feel like the kid trying to plug all the holes in the dam with his fingers! :D

Actually, I haven't been playing terribly. My iron game has gotten much better and I'm feeling pretty good with my chipping and putting. My (greenside) bunker play seems to have gone backward and I have on and off days from the tee. So basically, I can go out and shoot low 80s, which is good for me, or low 90s (not good) at pretty much any given moment. I'd like to think that if/when I get my elbow injury taken care of, things will get even better. I was really close to breaking 80 a couple weeks ago and had it not been for 3 3-putts, it would have happened! :angry:
 
Just going to go with a grade for each part of my game at the moment:

Driving: D
Iron play: B
Putting: B+
Chipping/pitching: B
Course management: C
Overall Attitude: B+

I've been shooting in the 70's consistently for awhile now, in fact I only have one round in which I shot higher than 79 this year (an 84). For awhile there I was driving the ball fantastic but my irons and short game were a little off, leaving me a lot of long putts. I've spent some time working on my irons and short game and now it's almost completely reversed itself. I'm driving the ball poorly and hitting some fantastic recovery shots as well as my short game is fairly good at the moment which is helping me score well. If I can get the two parts of my game to mesh, it's going to be some very low rounds of golf.

Overall, I'm relatively happy with my game. I've had a good attitude and have had fun every time I've been out on the course. I'm just going to have to find a good balance for working on the different parts of my game.
 
I will put it out there like this, scale of 1-100, 100 being what i consider the best that i can be as a amateur.

Long game - 65 - I have decent length off the Tee, but still have 2-3 what i call bad shots a round that costs me 3-4 strokes.

Irons - 55 - working on a new swing path, with new irons, fighting a pull hook cost me 4-5 stoke a round

Short game - 40 - what i call 80 and in, i have lost my touch as i use to be very solid, but it's coming around. Costs me 4-5 stokes

Putting - 80 - solid, with some speed issues on anything over 20, save more strokes than i loose.

Had my first lesson in 8-9 years a week and a half a go, and we just worked on driver, this weekend should be making sure my irons are in spec, and getting my new one plane swing grooved in.
 
I had thought I was going in the right direction but the last 2 rounds proved otherwise. I have 4 lessons left and I hope to do a lesson a month starting in August.
 
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