Man... :(

[ecooke21]

I suck.... I shot a 120 today.. my best round was 108 last year.. I am highly inconsistant.. I have taken 10-12 lessons(10 last year, 2 this year).. I can make a few good shots here and there..but its a crap shoot.. I am having a hard time turning my forearms... it doesnt come naturally...

I am going again tomorrow.. I will report back here .. hopefully i do better

oh yea, today was my first day out this year


Boo effin hoo!

[JEFF4i]

Something that may help turning your forearms is trying to get a strong shoulder turn.

Biggest thing that will drop your score is a solid short game.

[ezra76]

No offense but unless you are playing a seriously difficult course, like above a 140 slope, fire that instructor. I'd expect a minimum 5 stroke drop for 12-14 lessons off my current scoring avg. At a 100avg. I'd expect 10-12 strokes in 1 season. That's just with a short game within reason and a solid strike on a full swing.

Keep at it man. If it were an easy game it would take all the fun out of it.

[Sean]

I gotta agree with maybe trying a new instructor. I've taken six 45-minute lessons in about 14 months and played maybe 12 rnds of golf (4 last year, 8 this year) and dropped about 20 strokes down to around 105 avg.

Yeah, I'm not tht great either but each time out I feel like I'm improving overall, even if I have a bad day and shoot higher.

Seemed like every time I played after a lesson, I hit a career low and I'm losing fewer balls, too WOOWOO!

Right now my irons and wedges are nice so next time we're gonna work on the driver/fairways and hybrid and I expect fully to hit sevceral more fairways the next time out after that lesson.

Might be time to try a new guy.

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by ecooke21

I suck.... I shot a 120 today.. my best round was 108 last year.. I am highly inconsistant.. I have taken 10-12 lessons(10 last year, 2 this year).. I can make a few good shots here and there..but its a crap shoot.. I am having a hard time turning my forearms... it doesnt come naturally...

I am going again tomorrow.. I will report back here .. hopefully i do better

oh yea, today was my first day out this year


Boo effin hoo!

Sounds familiar. Today I had the worst round I've had in years. Holes where I had eight horrible, hacker shots. Drives with my normally reliable 4-wood yanked so far left they threatened to hit folks on the green behind me.

Yeah, these lessons are filling me with confidence...

On the other hand, I did hit a 160 yard 6-iron uphill into a slight breeze that cracked straight onto the front of the green, rolled right at the flag, and finished 8 inches short.

Aaarrrgh!!

[rob0225]

Originally Posted by ecooke21

I suck.... I shot a 120 today.. my best round was 108 last year.. I am highly inconsistant.. I have taken 10-12 lessons(10 last year, 2 this year).. I can make a few good shots here and there..but its a crap shoot.. I am having a hard time turning my forearms... it doesnt come naturally...

I am going again tomorrow.. I will report back here .. hopefully i do better

oh yea, today was my first day out this year


Boo effin hoo!

I'm kinda leaning toward finding a new instuctor as well, but are you practicing in between lessons?

Robert

[JEFF4i]

Oh, I completely missed the instructor parts. 10-12 lessons should have you at least skirting 90s by now.

[warbirdlover]

I agree on the instructor. Sounds like he's overloading you with swing thoughts to where you are all tightened up. I found a good instructor that doesn't try to completely change my swing. Just fixes what is causes my problem. Usually takes five minutes. But you've got to play a little to lower your score and get consistent.

[ecooke21]

i am surprised, alot of replies in such short time.. you guys need to get a life

J/K

Here is my take on my lessons

1-6 taught me a bunch of different things.. I was able to see a difference in my game/swing. also identified I have three major problems

1.I lift my shoulders sometimes( top the ball)
2.I dont rotate my forearms
3.I try to smash the ball

Lessons 7-10

consists of him telling me my swing is good ( for my irons).. then I start slicing my driver.. he just keeps telling me the same thing over and over..

"turn your forearms, like this"

then proceeds to show me the same drill he has shown me every other lesson.. to tell you the truth.. I dont think he cares.. I feel as though he doesnt have anything new to offer me.. I have been trying the drills.. they dont work for me.. thats why I made an appointment for the new guy..

As far as practicing goes, I go to the range all the time.. I have only been able to get out a couple times this year, but I still go.. its not like I take a lesson, then dont go back until my next lesson..

I fell as though there is no repitition in my shot.. every one is random.. sometimes at the range I can get a groove going.. but never on the course..

Also, I just got back from the driving range..after reading a couple of threads here, I went to try a couple of different things...changing my grip (looser) helped a little with rotating.. I hit my 3 wood for a couple of decent shots, but my driver was slicong like a Ginsu

I have a lesson on thursday with the new guy..I let you know how it goes..

thanks

[SilverUberXeno]

Basic things I've discovered from analyzing myself:

You must allow your backswing to FINISH before you start your downswing. If your arms are still going back when your hips start to turn, you're fighting yourself, and all that conflict will throw off whatever swing plane you had. A friend of mine who swings very roughly (and like this) actually snapped like Aldila NV 65-S right in the middle doing this.

Start by turning your shoulders and keeping your arms in place (in reference to said shoulders). It might feel odd at first, but it really helps. Try not to get your arms turning or moving until the clubhead is waist high from the torso turn. Hips and leading knee may turn slightly with your body as well, no worries.

You should get to the peak of your backswing before you start your lower body forward into the downswing. Keep that in mind, as when I do, I have PERFECT shots. The only times I hit hooks or slices is when I swing with my arms, or I don't START with my lower body. Believe it or not, your body is connected. When you're at the top of your swing, your lead shoulder should be turned in quite a bit and the club more or less parallel to the ground.

Roll your lower body forward; knees should slide ahead, hips should turn and bring the torso. Do NOT force the club down with your arms. Concentrate on turning your body and just keeping your arms at the right angle, not accelerating them.

Another note, you may feel right now that the follow through is strenous or unnatural; it's because you're not powering your shots with a body turn. when you do this, you end up in that perfect followthrough position every time without even thinking about it.

I hit 15 perfect drives in a row (give or take 10 yards right/left) here. After reading this, and taking it in, here are the checkpoints:

-Start swing with torso/shoulder turn, retain arm-shoulder relation for about half of the backswing. Try to turn your shoulders more if you feel like you have to bend your left arm any more than 10 degrees off straight.

-Allow backswing to finish, envision a pendulum reaching one of its peaks: it stops before it comes back. You only need to stop for a split second, but this ensures that all of your force is coming back to the ball.

-Start with your knees moving forward to shift your weight, and turn your hips to initiate the actual swing. This body turn is where power comes from. The faster you do this, the farther you will hit the ball. But remember also, control > distance.

-Keep your head down. Do not turn your head toward the target until your following shoulder forces it that way. Turning your head turns your shoulders, and usually results in a slice.

When I concentrate on bringing those shoulders back, stopping, and then starting the swing with my lower body, it's like magic. It really feels like, "I figured it out." Give it a try.

[OmegaG5]

Originally Posted by ecooke21

3.I try to smash the ball

The consistency killer!

Look at Ernie Else.... and then say to yourself... "I am going to swing slow and easy like that every time". It doesn't happen of course, because the red mist comes down on the downstroke and you still try to hit the skin off the ball many times.

But the one big factor in me getting more consistent was slowing down! And erm... the ball goes further too.

R.

[sandwedge]

I agree with getting a new instructor. You should be making more progress with that many lessons.

Course management and a good short game will go a very long way towards lowering your scores.

[SilverUberXeno]

Originally Posted by OmegaG5

The consistency killer!

Look at Ernie Else.... and then say to yourself... "I am going to swing slow and easy like that every time". It doesn't happen of course, because the red mist comes down on the downstroke and you still try to hit the skin off the ball many times.

But the one big factor in me getting more consistent was slowing down! And erm... the ball goes further too.

R.

This is actually a good point, although it SEEMS impossible. Swinging slower means moving the arms less and concentrating on your body turn. You will feel like you're swinging easier, or slower, but really you're creating MORE clubhead speed. Swing slow to go fast. Just know what that really means.

[Johnny Par]

I agree with everyone above regarding lessons and the instructor.

I took one 30 minute lessons where the instructor taped my swing and gave me tips on how to correct. The results were instant.

I think it's time to find a new instructor.

[ecooke21]

Well, i went out again today for 9.. I shot a 52.. I guess you could call that my best ever.? I felt much better today.. I was alittle more consistant.. I was gripping the club MUCH looser and swinging WAY easier.. I had a run in with a tree, that caused me to lose 3 strokes( I should have dropped it) .... I felt bette rthan yesterday.. I am looking forward to the lesson with the new guy..

Anyway to help me heal I went to Dicks sporting goods and bought two new Fairway woods, and a bag..