I haven't struck a ball since September 2003. Even then I only played once a fortnight or once a month. Before 1996 i played a lot. First handicap was 14, then 10, worked my way down to 4 like you.
My handicap nowadays is tellies data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Mid thirties now and would like to get back into it (golf). Would like to introduce my 3yr old boy to golf very soon. Never know he may love it. Then again may not.
So with your overactive leg action - presumably you pushed and sliced a fair bit ?...
My inconsistency was unfortunately my putting. It drove me to distraction. Putts under 5ft very wobbly. Good one day miss lots the next. I was forever chopping and changing strokes, ball position, hitting up, hitting down, standing closed, open, left below right... You name it. I believe i could have been quite comfortably a scratch player otherwise data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
I know it was in my head, but for some reason i hated practice putting. So my own fault i guess... Eventually it started to affect my confidence on other parts of the game. Which were (all) solid for a long time. Then i stopped altogether, partly because of my inconsistency, partly because of changes in lifestyle/family etc.
If i was to get back into it now... first thing i am doing is booking half a dozen putting lessons data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
I'm still not hitting the ball right at all. Was going to pack it in completely again but giving it another go tonight at the range later on.
I think my troubles started when I tried to get my hips moving. Before that I was striking the ball very cleanly but not hitting it as far as other people. This was because I was relying on my shoulders etc to hit the ball.
Ever since I've been thinking about getting my hips moving as well I've gone to pot. I think maybe I'm just rotating all my body or something like that and so not keeping my head steady. I really don't know, so I'm probably going to try to go back to just concentrating on what I was doing before this.
I went to an evening at the range where a club manufacturer were giving free fittings etc and I was embarrassing. I ended up throwing my club down and everything. Right at the very end though, one of the reps let me have a go with a 5 wood and I hit three very good shots (for me!). I hit the 5 wood further than I did the driver and the 3 wood so might have to try one of those and see if I can get some confidence back.
If you were dodgy on short putts and played off 4 you must have had a damn good long game. Its funny how everyone, even the very good players, have one part of their game which let's them down. I have a friend who has played off scratch for a while but give him a bunker to chip over and he was screwed.
Putting is mostly in the mind. I have to putt with a claw grip like Garcia to stop me yipping right to left putts. Left to right I can put a perfect stroke on it every time. Madness.
I did block to the right occasionally but my problem was dropping the club too much on the inside and hitting a low toed hook.
I hope you get back into it with your son. My lad is 19 playing off 7. He hits the ball like a pro and miles but his short game is poor.
Apologies to the op for going off topic.
Something to try on the driving range. At the top of your back swing try and hold your shoulders (the feeling should be of keeping your back to the target for a split second) as your lower body unwinds.
I was thinking about changing this thread title to something else anyway. Any ideas? I was thinking about "General Golf Help And Advice" or something like that.
Some better news tonight, was hitting the ball good again tonight data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7 Not back to my best but lots better. I just cleared my mind of "moving my hips" and concentrated on keeping the swing wide and slow and it all came back together again.
Better again last night. I've just decided to forget about my hips and concentrate on keeping the wide smooth swing and that works best for me at the moment. I'm very close to daring to go out on the course for the first time in probably 15 years data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7 data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Nice one.
I'm not far behind you lol, be ten years this September since i was on a course data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Wish i lived near a course like i did years ago which was also my club course. I just used to hop over the back garden fence, walk fifty yards and it took me to the 3rd green/4th tee data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Now I'm two miles from the nearest driving range and about the same again for nearest course. Was looking at the course website recently and it's length is just under 6,200 yards from the back/medal tees. Not the longest course in the world. Especially now with all the advances in ball and club technology. Bring back the bladed irons and persimmon woods/drivers I say. And probably going back to ball technology in a technology/time sense to roughly 1996 and no further, would be ideal.
But none of the big manufacturers would agree or make any money in comparison to today so it's never going to happen unfortunately.
Indeed, I doubt we'll ever get back to those days! I've just realised that the balls I will be using are at least 15 years old too, so hopefully they won't explode when I hit them data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
There is no ball that will ever ensure you hit it straight, but I would give the Bridgestone e6 a try. I am using the 'previous' model which was released in 2011 and it just feels so nice to me off all of my clubs and is designed to reduce the amount of side-spin on the ball
Up to now I have played 3 rounds with and despite a couple of encounters with trees the 2 balls I have used are both wearing very well so assuming I don't lose them, it is going to take quite some time to get through the 3 dozen of them I have got (1 dozen of the 2011 and 2 dozen of the new 2013 model)
Alternatively, just grab some of the cheapest ones you can find for now until you are a bit more confident that you aren't going to lose them all in a round - nothing worse than hitting a £4 ball of each tee and losing it...
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Thing is mid to high handicappers shouldn't be hitting 7 or 8 irons into the longest par fours for second shots at club course standard length courses.
Go back fifteen years or so and it would be 3 or four irons for second shots (provided the ball landed on the fairway from the tee of course)and that sorts the men from the boys.
I know when i get back into it i will be laughing at how far the ball goes nowadays in combination with clubhead and shaft technology. So i will buy the bladed irons once more and use the dynamic gold s300's of years gone by because i was relieved to find they are still used/made. Basically because if i flush it with a blade and a normal stiff steel shaft it was because i put a good swing on it and the club wasn't helping really.
Nothing i can do about the balls or the drivers though. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7n: