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Winter Rust

KEV said:
In the past I would take the winter off and not swing a club and usually came out firing on all cylinders. Evidently that break would get rid of my bad habits.

The last couple of years though I've played sim golf and come out playing like crap, this season is no exception. Now it's usually 4-5 rounds until things get going in the right direction.
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Billy889 said:
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+2
I worked my game at the Dome and took lessons 2x a month for 6 months.
In January, my swing was a "Well Oiled Machine" gained ball speed and distance.
Fast Forward to April and my iron swing is "Hot Garbage" I don't know what happened.
It is starting to come around as I proceeded to "Nuke" an Iron and Hybrid shot last night in my league play that cost me the match.

It's funny, but I have been "Hammering" the par 3 holes. I have made at least one Par on the Par 3's in every round this year so far.
Go figure this game.
 
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I usually seem to get into my peak form after winter when the snow starts to return!

But for real it varies for me. This year my form didn't really miss too much of a beat shooting in the 70s in 2 of my 4 rounds this year and 80, 81 in the other 2.

Last year I didn't break 80 until June. I just take it as a fun little mystery waiting for you at the end of winter. Golf season is so short up north that I say just go out there and have as much fun as possible!
 
No rhyme or reason for me. We generally can play a round or 2 through the winter months up here. Once warm weather arrives I can get in a decent groove after a couple rounds as club distances get back to normal. I can throw up a stinker mid-season just as easy though.
 
Wife & I played about a month ago. She hadn't been out since November. No simulator golf this winter.

She shot her PB and her irons were spot on. Nearly jarred a par 3 with another group of guys watching. One of them let out, "Holy geez..." It was quite funny.
 
It used to take me darn near a month to get my game back, now that I live in the South my season can extend into December. When not playing, I would only work on wedges, putting and mid to short irons.

Coming off this three year layoff, I basically hit around 500-600 range balls to dial-in and correct before playing my first round.
 
The struggle is real for me right now. I've had a decent first and only 9 hole round, but I hit the range yesterday to prepare for a golf trip this weekend, and the first 20 balls were flushed. The next 30 just proceeded to get worse where I ended the bucket hitting shank after shank.

I'm hoping this is a mental thing, but I'm concerned that it is not. Hopefully I can find my groove quickly.
 
Tentativity won't help that's for sure. Continue to get after it, it will come around.
 
We started up here in Canada after clubs sat for 6 months. No simulators around here so didn’t hit a ball the entire winter. I would say for me in terms of numbers of games to get back to 90% of mid season form would be as follows:

- Driver 7-10 games
- Woods/hybrids. 5 games
- Irons. 5 games
- Wedges. 10 games
- Putter. 10 games
 
I hit up the range at lunch today. Lots of good simple ideas to incorporate. Keep my posture, limit my wrist hinge, don't overswing. No change. Still hoseling stuff. To get anything remotely playable, I have to contort my setup and make a huge loop in the backswing. Even then, it is a pretty strong fade. Driver was all but impossible. Didn't help that the range was directly into a steady 25mph wind. Any miss was a big miss. Everything was climbing in the wind. The most frustrating part, was that I was hitting some 5 irons and they felt great. Compressing the ball nicely. Divots were going straight down the target line and the ball was nowhere to be seen when I looked up. Turns out they were going so far right that I couldn't even pick them up with my eye.

Thinking about taking a week or two away with absolutely no golf swing thoughts, no practice swings in the house. Don't even pick up a club. Come back in early to mid May to see where things sit. At this point, I am not doing myself any favors by continuing to punish myself hitting hosels. This could be the most discouraged I have ever been in this game.
 
I generally hit the golf dome once a week during the off-season so my full swing is usually OK to start the season. The problem for me early in the season is my short game. The touch needs to be fine-tuned.
 
Supperman said:
I generally hit the golf dome once a week during the off-season so my full swing is usually OK to start the season. The problem for me early in the season is my short game. The touch needs to be fine-tuned.
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That is tough. When our dome was still around, it was near impossible to practice the shorter shots of the mats. Was nice as a tune up to keep the body loose

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Only been to the range 2 times so far. Been itching to get out for a round but the weather in Northern Ohio hasn’t been great with all the rain.

Once the weather cooperates I try to keep the momentum going to shake the rust off with lots of range and practice the first couple weeks and then start playing.

October to April is such a long stretch of no golf.


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I rely on my only two assets:
- A short memory, and
- A mind that can only hold a small number of thoughts at once.
 
Hitting the range again tonight. I think I have assembled what I "feel" like is my swing from last year. I referenced some video that I took last season against what I am doing now (took some videos inside of my practice swings). I think it's a matter of me not shallowing the club in transition. I think I have been pulling the handle through and swinging way into the inside. I suspect that I was leading with the hosel a bit and that was causing some uglies on the course. On the sim, as long as it started online, it pretty much stayed online. Famous last words, but I hope that I finally have it figured out. Now it's a matter of confirming the suspicion and re-ingraining the feel into my swing.
 
GraniteRoost said:
It usually takes me a good 3-4 range sessions plus a few rounds on course to really come into my swing. My biggest issue isn't solid contact but swing path for a while after a layoff - the first few tee shots could literally be anywhere.

Chipping in the front yard I find is a great way to get the short game touch back, and I get my short game back quicker than , 10-20 yard pitches are like a mini swing, good for proprioception.
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As an example of my short game centric tendencies, yesterday afternoon I played my second and third nine's of the year. Despite only hitting 3 greens each loop, I scrambled my backside off to an even par 36 on the first circuit, and then +3 39 on the second. 12 putts, two birdes and bogeys each on the front, 15 putts and three bogeys on the back. My FIR and GIR were down a little, but got lucky with the short game. Fairly easy course but good enough it will count as a cap round.
 
Things are starting to come together a bit. Had two really bad shots. Both lead to double bogeys on the front for a 41. Shot a 1 over 37 on the back with another double. Short game is prime right now, which is not normal for this time of the year. Chipped in for birdie and saved par countless times by getting it close.

Considerably shorter than normal on all of my shots right now. At least a club. Only hit one hosel rocket today. So, progress is being made.

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Typically takes a few range sessions and getting out a few times and then I am back. Usually it’s touch around the greens and iron contact that are the worst for me coming back from winter.
 
My first real round after about a 10 year layoff, I went -2. Since then (5 years and probably 200 rounds) I’ve been under par 3 times. Usually my first round or two of the year, I do well. See ball, hit ball. No thoughts of trying to work it, just make freaking contact. This year I’m a lost soul. I went to the range yesterday and hit driver 20ish time. 4 of them went less than 100 yards. 4 others of them were horrible. 12 were playable and of those I hit 4-5 right on the button.

It’s going to be a long year as I continue to regress. So in answer of your question, it all depends. Some times I’m hot out of the gate, some times I’m not. This year ain’t looking good.
 
I’m hoping it doesn’t take too long but a recent range session is saying a much different story, I’ve been rusty before but I’ve never gone this long without playing or hitting balls. Scary
 
Trout Bum said:
I’m hoping it doesn’t take too long but a recent range session is saying a much different story, I’ve been rusty before but I’ve never gone this long without playing or hitting balls. Scary
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This game is a trip. It is a delicate balance of confidence and a clear mind. I was brimming with confidence up until I started hitting balls this year. Got rattled and can't clear my mind now, resulting in some tentative swings. I am personally doubting everything starting with my takeaway. The weather took a turn for the worse here and we're looking at cold and rainy for the next few days. Won't be able to hit balls until Thursday. Probably need a mental break to just let things fall back into place.
 
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