I played in the Spring Meeting (one of our biggies) yesterday. For a bit if practice I played 9 holes on Friday off the back tees in very windy conditions. Shot 40 but three putted twice and missed two five feet birdie putts. I hit the ball pretty solidly so was optimistic for the comp.
Disaster. Shot an 87. I warmed up in the nets and from nowhere I had a shank which didn't help the confidence and then lo and behold, from the middle of the fifth fairway (our stroke one) I shanked a seven iron into a pond that isn't really in play at all.
From then on it was on my mind all the way round. I actually hit the ball ok off the tee but my iron play wss so bad. I need to get on the practice ground.
A shank is as close as it comes to hitting a perfect strike, without hitting a perfect strike . Certainly with smaller headed bladed irons. Matter of mm's.
Certainly closer to the sweet spot than hitting one out of the toe anyway.
Have dug out my old 'Lesson with Leadbetter' VHS tape and player (not even your Pioneer will make that look good ;-) )
I played my best golf after following this tape, including playing the last 15 holes at Royal Liverpool in 3 under (pity I was 4 over for the first three holes)
My problem is that I change too much, even in mid round. I have got about 5 different swings and can usually find one that works. The problem is that it never seems to work two rounds on the trot.
Do any of you get the feeling that you can easily think yourself into trouble? I'll explain
Most of my worst shots off the tee I can remember staring at a particular hazard before the shot and thinking "I'm going in there" and sure enough I did. It's silly but it seems like I almost cause it to happen by thinking about it! There's no reason at all for the ball to have gone in those hazards and I'm sure if I'd been aiming at them from the tee I'd have missed
I think you are right but I am usually very good at ignoring hazards, I just don't see them.
But here is a good example of what you are talking about.
A few years ago I was playing in the Cheshire Foursomes. It was my hole to tee off and it was a long par 3 that needed a good 4 iron to the green. My mate steps up and says "don't go right" Out of bounds was very close to the right side of the green. Up until he said that I hadn't really thought about it at all. So then I hit a lovely high fade which bounces off the bank of the green and straight OB. My partner was not happy.
The second round in the afternoon we switched holes that we were teeing off at and he goes and does the exact same thing. Oh how I laughed.
a lot of times it is that peoples alignments are not right.
Golf is largely a game of opposites, a lot of times the person aims their body away from the hazard but not the club hence a hook, slice or pull towards the hazard.
I think what happens with me is that I get tense when I sense danger off the tee and don't swing properly. My swing is quite good in general now but tension plays havoc with it.
I do need to work on the finish and follow through part though as it's still not good enough.
I tense up when chipping, the amount of times I duff a chip then hit the second without a care, which ends up a lovely shot, is frustrating. Forcing yourself to relax is harder than you think, well, for me anyway.
Author: HMHB
22-11-2019 04:50:33
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