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What's holding you back and why haven't you fixed it?

DevRickus

DevRickus

The Dirty Jerz
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We talked about this a bit in the Legacy thread but wanted to get a broader audience. I have played with many THPers and check the What Did You Shoot thread frequently and it always amazes me the difference between how I think they should be scoring and how they actually score. Guys that have swings people would kill for, yet are putting up scores way higher than they should be. With that said, what part of your game is holding you back? If you have identified it, why haven't you fixed it yet or is it just an everyday struggle? Some guys that come to mind, struggle with the mental aspect. I see guys putting up an 85 with the comment, "Had 3 blow up holes otherwise it would have been a great round" when I know damn well they should be shooting in the 70's consistently.
 
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For me, I would have to say it was consistency that has been holding me back, BUT, since getting my new irons fitted for me, my scores have been a lot more consistent with a spread of only 4 shots per round between my highest and lowest scores since putting them in the bag so I am going to say it was my old irons that were holding me back :D

So you could say I have fixed the problem I had, I just now need to continue to groove the swing to get the best out of my game
 
Flexibility.
I do stretches, and while I have seen better flexibility, at my age it's slow coming.

Also, I have my blow up holes,and sometimes it comes from laziness. For example yesterday a poor approach shot left me with a tree guarding my third shot into a par 5. I had to walk because the hole was closed to arts because of rains the previous day. I flubbed (twice) the 7i runner shot I thought I needed to hit when in reality, it was open for a wedge shot.

Also in Pittsburgh, I had a tough lie and went after a Heavenwood, flubbed it (again twice) before getting back to the fairway. Bad decisions are hole killers!

I'll work on better decision making!
 
For me game wise it's my irons. Particularly my 6i, I'm just not as crisp as I'd like to be. I know it's something that I need to address, but having free time is killing me.

I'm doing good to play a couple of times a month and maybe practice once a week. I "could" practice everyday, but that will come at the expense of spending time with he family and helping my wife or with the girls. I just don't feel it's fair to be that selfish right now with all of our commitments with the girls.

I'm happy right now with my game and know I can mentally buckle down on a course and pull a mid 80's out of my bag, but personally I want consistent 70's every time. Is that a reasonable thought? Probably not, but I've never been one to settle.
 
I believe what holds me back are the fundamentals. Grip, posture and alignment ultimately leads to most of my swing flaws. With the help of Freddie I have worked on these areas but I always find my self still struggling with these areas.


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Iron striking.

Not willing to put in the practice time during the week to score the way I would like to.
 
This is a fantastic thread that I look forward to following.
 
For me personally it's all mental. It's been my absolute focus. I know I have the ability to play to a low caper but I get in my own way.
 
Last couple of rounds, it has become obvious that 3 putts are killing me. Had three in a row over a stretch where I was hitting greens and fairways, yet walked away with 3 bogeys. I'm sure there are other parts, but that has stuck out through tracking lately.

Reason it's not being fixed? Lack of time practicing on the putting green.
 
My problem was dedication and practice. Up until a couple years ago I played several sports and never dedicated time to fixing flaws and getting better. Two years ago I decided to change that and have dropped almost 10 strokes from my hdcp. Condo stench has been my struggle and has been the one thing I wanted to focus on with the full swing. Second was short game and have worked on that with both my last instructor and my current one with more work to come.
 
Driver or short chips under 50 yards around the green...my driver miss is a 2-way miss right now and on the shorter chips I believe I am decelerating into the ball and tend to either chili dip it or hit it thin...I just don't put in the time during the week with practice to reduce these errors...a lesson could help with either of these shots, but I think I can always fix it on my own
 
This is a a amazing thread! Thank you for starting.

Prior to getting properly fitted to all of my clubs I was very streaky. One day 86 the next round 100 then 97 then 89...however since getting my new sticks my scores have been consistently in the mid to high 80s.

Another thing for is avoiding blow up holes. Heck last round I played I shot an 89 with 3 tripples... I am playing this weekend and am going to focus on my biggest weaknesses...alignment and not taking the club immediately to the inside on the takeaway.
 
I'm just not playing enough and don't have the touch on my chips 30 yards and in and leave myself with some long putts.
 
Making bad mental decisions especially around the greens. I have some physical issues like an ongoing bad knee and since I broke my hip, well it's been a pain in my arse, however the knee and hip only affect my long game. It's the scoring game where I seem to screw up the most and now that I know some good techniques, (thanks to a recent Dave Peltz school) and I practice this stuff all the time, it's the damn mental screw ups that hammer my scores. Putting has always been a thorn in my side and as I get older, the yips just keep kicking my arse.

To the fix my main issue (mental screw ups) would be to have a game plan before I approach the shot. Maybe while riding up in the cart have some thoughts going on so when I get over the ball, I don't draw a blank. Why is making up your mind over a shot so hard? If you're not going to be committed to a process, it will rarely work as planned. One of my issues is know what club to choose for different lies around the greens and where to land the ball. I practice shots like this but somehow when it's game time, actual execution of the proper shot seems to go out the window. :at-wits-end:
 
Pretty simple, time and money. If I could get out and play/practice more than once a month, I'd be real comfortable. It really isn't any one thing specifically, just need to have the course time to regain the consistency and touch.
 
Great question Dev..I'm looking forward to reading all the thoughts here, I'm sure there will be a lot of similar issues.

For me, it's been forcing myself to make the time to work on my game. Last year, I physically couldn't practice or play much. Now that I'm able to, I've let work and life make me too busy. With more of a dedicated effort, I could carve out at least a couple hours a week to work with an instructor on a plan and follow it. I have yet to do that, but have it "on my list"

As to the part of the game that's holding me back, right now it's the tee ball. Which is surprising, last year while I wasn't long by any means, i was pretty accurate off the tee. This year (only 3 rounds so far) I have struggled off the tee horribly. It could be I'm psychically doing things now that I wasn't capable of before surgery, and need to work on correctly and eliminating those.
 
Right now? Having time to practice. I play about 4-5 rounds a month on average and literally dont hit the range unless its 10-15 swings before the round. I do some chipping in my yard and I'll hit the putting green at lunch when it isnt 100 degrees out but other than that, nothing. It's hard to be consistent when you dont have time to practice. Considering that, I am fortunate to post some of the scores I do. Lately it has been putting and blow up holes. I am bringing the putting back around and last round I avoided double bogey or worse so maybe that is coming around too. Of course, no practice or playing until July 5th so who knows if anything will carry over!
 
Looking up! Figure it costs several strokes per round, mostly on chips around the green. Can't teach an old dog new tricks, I guess.
 
I hear several of the younger guys mentioning lack of practice time because of work or family. This is a real problem for most however what if you had all the time in the world to practice and your game still suffered. That would suck huh? I could actually go out to my course four hours a day, seven days a week (I'm retired) and practice my arse off and still average the same scores. I do practice I don't just randomly hit balls. I work on things I have learned from five different coaches and a short game school I recently attended so I have techniques that I work hard on. The funny thing is I can execute some pretty darn cool shots on the practice range but somehow they leave me during my actual round. Mental focus is my major nemesis and if I could keep myself in the moment, all those physical skills I have learned over the years, would actually work more consistently.
 
Mental focus. This goes for my practice as well.
 
To start the year it was being careless with the course and taking way more penalties than I should for OB or unplayables. I think I've really addressed that, to the point that I'm actually playing rounds with one ball now, which for me from where my game was, is like shooting par.

Now my focus is around the greens. So many times I'll look back on a hole that i might have been 20 yards from the hole after 2 shots, and look at my scorecard and wonder how the hell I got a 6 or 7. I hope I've at least somewhat addressed it over the last months of practice, but even so, it's still my greatest area for improvement. Why is it just getting fixed now? Because it's the least sexy part of practice and before I had the motivation of creating my Legacy, it was just always on the backburner every range session, even though I knew it was where the stokes were getting lost. It's much easier to hide the embarrassing around the green game in a foursome than it is a wayward wood or iron shot, and I think that was previously (and foolishly) my number one priority.
 
Consistency and distance. Considering that I've effectively been playing for 5 months, I feel like I'm moving in the right direction. Lessons are the way to fix them, and I'm taking them weekly.
 
Ole Gray said:
I hear several of the younger guys mentioning lack of practice time because of work or family.
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Take a look in any of the big THP event threads. There are probably 50 guys right now busting their asses to prepare for something.

The time is there if it's a priority for you. It's cool if it's not--golf is just a game for all of us (except the PGA pros). I just don't buy the "I don't have time" excuse. Better to say "improving my game just isn't really a priority for me, I just play to have fun".
 
It is mainly practice, I just don't anymore but lately my game has come around and I am playing well for me and someone who has never had a lesson. Except for the golf channel. I use to spend hours on my short game but life gets in the way and I just don't put the time it like I use to.
 
Dave Alvarado said:
Take a look in any of the big THP event threads. There are probably 50 guys right now busting their asses to prepare for something.

The time is there if it's a priority for you. It's cool if it's not--golf is just a game for all of us (except the PGA pros). I just don't buy the "I don't have time" excuse. Better to say "improving my game just isn't really a priority for me, I just play to have fun".
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ah, bachelorhood! Enjoy it while it lasts AV! :alien:
 
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