Boone
Well-known member
Some quick background. I've never been a *serious* golfer until the past year. Previously, I'd play maybe 2-3 times a year on vacation, or occasionally when a friend was in town. Biggest barrier was that I did not have any local golf-playing buddies.
About a year ago, I decided to get into golf seriously, even if that meant playing solo most of the time. For me that also meant getting a decent set of clubs, committing to playing at least weekly (preferably several times per week), finding a 'home course' I was comfortable with, as well as developing some kind of practice/range regimen.
I've gotten better. For me that means the ability to consistently shoot in the mid-90's. I'm 56 and starting to have some aches, pains, and have a left shoulder that gives me occasional problems. Although I've gotten more consistent, I seem to have hit a plateau. A summary of my current game:
1) My chipping and short wedge game (inside 90 yards) is above average.
2) My putting is okay, but still have way too many 3 putts per round.
3) My driving is wildly inconsistent. I have managed to eliminate what used to be a chronic slice. But my distance flat out sucks. I probably average 175 yards on a drive. Some of my distance issues I chalk up to being stiff and old and not having a full swing. I generally hit it pretty straight off the tee, but my distance really hurts me, especially since ...
4) I cannot hit a wood to save my life. I finally gave up and moved to hybrids. I hit my hybrids 'better' but on any given 2nd shot, there's a 50% probability that I'll duff it and send a worm burner 70-100 yds downrange.
5) I struggle with my mid-irons for some reason. It's weird since I am really pretty good with 7 iron and up, but with my 4 iron through 6 iron it is a scary proposition...
The combination of short drives, an unreliable ability to hit my 2nd shot with a 2 or 3 Hybrid, and shaky mid-iron play means most holes play like PAR 5's for me. I rarely hit a GIR.
I know that's limited information, but I'd love to get 3 suggestions on how to dramatically improve my game over the next 12 months. I know 'lessons from a pro' will be many folks first response. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. I'm sort of terrified of what a pro instructor would make of my swing (my brother says I swing like the Terminator) and I'm also not sure I'm ready to start over with a new swing of any kind.
So short of 'get lessons' - what kinds of things might I do to make major improvements in my game? Even if you don't know what to tell ME specifically, if someone asked you 'What were the 3 most key things you did early on to become a good golfer?' - what would yours be?
About a year ago, I decided to get into golf seriously, even if that meant playing solo most of the time. For me that also meant getting a decent set of clubs, committing to playing at least weekly (preferably several times per week), finding a 'home course' I was comfortable with, as well as developing some kind of practice/range regimen.
I've gotten better. For me that means the ability to consistently shoot in the mid-90's. I'm 56 and starting to have some aches, pains, and have a left shoulder that gives me occasional problems. Although I've gotten more consistent, I seem to have hit a plateau. A summary of my current game:
1) My chipping and short wedge game (inside 90 yards) is above average.
2) My putting is okay, but still have way too many 3 putts per round.
3) My driving is wildly inconsistent. I have managed to eliminate what used to be a chronic slice. But my distance flat out sucks. I probably average 175 yards on a drive. Some of my distance issues I chalk up to being stiff and old and not having a full swing. I generally hit it pretty straight off the tee, but my distance really hurts me, especially since ...
4) I cannot hit a wood to save my life. I finally gave up and moved to hybrids. I hit my hybrids 'better' but on any given 2nd shot, there's a 50% probability that I'll duff it and send a worm burner 70-100 yds downrange.
5) I struggle with my mid-irons for some reason. It's weird since I am really pretty good with 7 iron and up, but with my 4 iron through 6 iron it is a scary proposition...
The combination of short drives, an unreliable ability to hit my 2nd shot with a 2 or 3 Hybrid, and shaky mid-iron play means most holes play like PAR 5's for me. I rarely hit a GIR.
I know that's limited information, but I'd love to get 3 suggestions on how to dramatically improve my game over the next 12 months. I know 'lessons from a pro' will be many folks first response. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. I'm sort of terrified of what a pro instructor would make of my swing (my brother says I swing like the Terminator) and I'm also not sure I'm ready to start over with a new swing of any kind.
So short of 'get lessons' - what kinds of things might I do to make major improvements in my game? Even if you don't know what to tell ME specifically, if someone asked you 'What were the 3 most key things you did early on to become a good golfer?' - what would yours be?
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