burmbuster
Active member
I will join your club! No shame in it, especially if you are working on improving your score. I'm confident I will break 100 this year. This will be my first full season of golf and I can already see improvement.
My biggest challenges:
1. Distance/Accuracy off the tee. I spent last year fighting a giant slice with my driver and took lessons to correct it. I now can put the ball out there 200 with decent consistency, but I let negative thoughts screw me up some times. My miss is usually a topped ball to the left. At times I can get anywhere from 25 to 50 more yards out of my drive. If I have a short tee shot it can really mess up my hole. I get in recovery mode and suffer for it.
2. Short game. I can always screw up a good hole with a couple of bladed or fat pitch shots from inside 70 yards.
3. Three putts. I have trouble hitting that 2nd, close putt from and it can kill my score.
4. Par 3's. Some of my highest scores come on the par 3's. I think it's because I get all psyched up about hitting the green and pull up. The ball trajectory ends up looking like a throw to first base.
5. Alignment. I second guess my aim and end up hitting straight shots left or right of the target.
5. Negative thoughts or swing thoughts. Thinking too much = bad shots.
Glimmers of hope:
1. I've learned that I don't have to hit a driver on every hole. I play on a fairly short course and if I play to a comfortable distance I am much better off.
2. My chipping has improved dramatically since I went back to the basics.
3. I make better contact with the club than I ever have.
4. My first putt is better than ever. I can pick a good line and judge distance pretty well.
5. Course management. I attribute much of my skill with CM to this site. JB spoke about playing to a distance and it really stuck with me. Example: Last year on par 5's I would use a 3W for my second shot. Now I break down the distance into two easy iron shots. Works well if I execute the shots.
Anyway, this thread is a good idea and I was thinking about starting one too. Good luck to everybody and make sure to let us know your progress!
#2 and #3 mirror my agony.