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When the bottom falls out

This happens to me a couple times a year but I call it "pooping down my leg". I always have a couple 5-10 round stretches where I just can't play. I hate the idea of taking time off. It seems so contradictory to the improvement process but it helps to clear the mind. When I come back after a few days off I'm not always spot on, but my head is clear and I feel more relaxed.
 
I think my last round was my fault for loosing focus and not being aware that's what was going on. The group I joined were all out having fun and the one guy was hilarious. I think I just got sucked into loosing my focus on playing golf.

What I find interesting is that every time I have a really sad ugly round I learn something about my game or myself.
 
My friend and I typically just look at one another when things go awry and say "golf is a hard game." Really, for how easy it should be -- ball stays in one position, you get to pick your stick, no one interferes with you, you get your choice of equipment, etc. -- it is the hardest sport (relatively) that I have ever played.

Right now my tee game is a mess. From November of last year through mid June of this year, I hit 78% fairways with my driver. Granted, I didn't play a ton of rounds (probably averaged 2 per month), but the consistency off the tee caused a steady drop in my scores.

All of the sudden, in a best ball round of all things, the wheels just fell off the track. I started slicing everything and really struggling to even make solid contact. Since then, I've probably been down around 45% fairways, with a worst round of 2 out of 14. My scores jumped up instantly about 6-7 strokes.

It's slowly started coming back. I made a driver switch to a shorter shafted club and have focused on an inside out swing path. I've hit about 60% fairways over my last couple of rounds and the score is headed back in the right way.

Of course, then I started struggling with my middle irons..... Golf is a hard game..........
 
Tadashi70 said:
Smalls, no one plays well every time out. I've never known a single person to play at a high level day in and day out. Sometimes you just don't have it, can't find it with two hands and a flashlight and have no idea how to get it back.

That's the bad news, the good news is that it'll be back. The good play that is, it will show up and you'll be so happy. Just don't press or force it. The game must come to you.
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Listen to honorable Panda-san. He speaks great truth!
 
Grins said:
Listen to honorable Panda-san. He speaks great truth!
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Reminds me of of a few years ago. I was pretty steady, especially off the tees. I had a stinger flighted drive that was good for a 10 yard draw. My miss was a pop up.

Went out with my buddy on a Sunday morning as usual and could not hit a driver, or a 3 wood or even the "magic 5 wood" (he named it not me). I stunk up the front 9 until I just left the woods in the bag and played irons the rest of round (shot a 36 on the back.)

Thought about practicing during the week but was working overtime and just never got out. Went out the next week and bang, bang, bang, with the woods all day long.

Sometimes the best practice is to forget last week and leave the sticks alone for a bit..
 
As a lot have said, my best remedy is to take a week off...... It comes and it goes, that's why this game is so great/frustrating
 
OK, so 99 today. Getting worse by two each week.

Played with two other guys today. One guy is a common part of all three weeks (95, then 97 and then today's 99). After 18, me and the other guy played 9 more and I shot 40. Hit the ball excellent. The other guy is a good friend, but has been getting on my nerves okaying for the entire season. Wondering if that could be a contributing factor. I seem to play decent when he's not in the group.

Hate to make excuses, and hate even more to think that he could contribute to my poor play.
 
I have two recommendations. I mention both of them because I finally got over some of my headaches and heartaches and played a lot better this week than I did last week (namely a 7 shot swing over 9 holes.) I realized that the smallest part of my swing, my hands, were too tense, and I simply had zero release. I was blocking everything right. Once I got to where my hands could relax, I was able to put away my machete and gravel wedge and start playing from the green stuff. So, my recommendations:

1) delete this thread. You don't need the reminder that the bottom falls out sometimes. Every day is new day.

2) read the whole thread every day before you go play golf. Then smile, shrug, and remember it's a game.

Just suggestions.
 
I was having my best round in a long time (40 on the front nine, the harder nine) when I came up with the brilliant idea of letting the twosome who was coming up fast behind us through at the turn. So we took about 20 minutes between the end of the ninth hole and our tee shots on the tenth. Started with a double, and got another a few holes later and shot 45 on the back. But it was there again. Should have just kept playing and let them through when they caught us. The wait hurt me, but Texas Hacker did better after the wait. I think a lot of my better round was because he was there, so thanks for coming to play today!
 
Ahhh...the bottom falling out. Sums up my game lately. last 5 scores 102, 92, 91, 87, 82. Kinda thinking taking a week off, maybe just do some short game stuff after work. Its the only confident part I have in my game so it would do me good just to have some fun and rebuild some confidence.
 
Bottom fell out for me in early august after the morgan cup. Really hoping to find somewhere this winter to get some lessons. ...make some progress and get back to having fun on the course
 
mikedean441 said:
Bottom fell out for me in early august after the morgan cup. Really hoping to find somewhere this winter to get some lessons. ...make some progress and get back to having fun on the course
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Playing with THPers makes all the difference. We played with the guy who has been getting on my nerves lately, and with my THP brother there today, it didn't bother me today.
 
Smallville said:
Playing with THPers makes all the difference. We played with the guy who has been getting on my nerves lately, and with my THP brother there today, it didn't bother me today.
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Yeah dont get me wrong I always have a good time...but hitting crappy shots for 3 months is getting old.
 
At least for me, most of those fall outs are from the cumulative effect of trying too hard to turn things around. Hard to get out of that mode. Sometimes ya gotta just look around, take a deep breath or 5 and hit the shot in front of you. golf is a mind scrambler, for sure
 
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