When the Wheels fall off!?!?!?

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Dustin

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Early in the Michigan golf season here, and my last couple rounds has me wondering. What do you do when the wheels start falling off and you lose your swing. The end of last season and my first few rounds this year were stellar and I was seeing visions of low scores for my '08 season. Took a trip to FL last weekend and played twice and slowly through the 2 rounds lost my game somewhere. Played a couple times this week...and still really struggling with my game. Shot Bogey golf last night for 9 holes and finally admitted to myself that something is VERY wrong (5 handicap here). Would have been worse, but fortunatly I can still putt.

I'm not looking for swing advice or going to post my swing or anything, I just want to know what people do if/when this happens. Do you take some time off? Do you hit the range hard and beat it out of your system? Do you go back to some fundamental drills? Do you hit up BM videos or go back to a pattern that worked for you in the past?

Just starting to feel like i've tripped up somewhere and now I'm falling and can't stop. Tonight I'm headed to the range and going to work on short pitches and chips untill I find decent impact again, and go from there...

Any other advice???
 
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Dustin

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I agree...probably all in my head, and I don't want to do anything drastic to change my swing. Just wondering if there was anything people do that gets them back on track quick. Oh...and the part I left out is that my first tourney this year is Sat-Sun, so just feeling a little more antsy than normal.
 
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Little Brit

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Brian did a small video when I asked that exact question. Not sure where you can find it now. It must be in the archives somewhere.
 
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niblick1

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Recently I've begun to figure out that when I start to "lose it" I am probably starting to get a little flippy and hitting with my hands instead of my pivot. If I am out on the course I try to focus on hitting some lower punch shots, maybe 3/4 swings and try to get good compression. Then I go to the range and try to put more zip on the ball and make sure I have really controlled the clubface to avoid flippiness.

The worst feeling is when you are playing on a golf trip with a group and begin to lose it. I went on one two years ago where I shot something like a 78on a tough course then moved on to a new course the next day and the wheels fell off after blading a wedge over the first green off a tight, wet lie. By the 9th hole I couldn't hit the ball anymore, fortunately by about the 15th hole I started to be able to hit again or I literally wouldn't have broken 100. I think I was 78-95 in back-to-back days and have rarely been more embarrassed.
 
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fronesis

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Timely thread for me. Been playing some very solid golf lately - had a couple of great friendly rounds, and in competitions I've not been dropping more than half a dozen shots. Today I played a new course with an in-law (high handicapper): missed par putts inside 10 feet on the first two holes. Then 3 putted (for double) from same distance on number 3. Then hit one right in the trees on 4 (lost) and left in the trees on 5 (lost), to make it 3 double bogies in a row. I think I shot 48 on the front 9. Followed that up with a 41 to barely break 90, but I don't think I've shot more than a 79 in months. Still, I didn't make that many bad swings, just made some mistakes and then lost my mental game.
 
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Jim Kobylinski

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The key is to find a pattern that will always work for you no matter what. So when the wheels fall off you go to that pattern and just get through the round. For me, when the wheels fall off, i go back to Never Slice Again.
 
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Dustin

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Thanks for the advice everyone. Jim, I went to the range this afternoon with the exact thought. Even though I'm closer to the middle now...I went back to NHA pattern and sure enough started hitting some nice solid fades. After I felt like I could finally hit a ball decent again I started working on just hitting little knock down shots which is something I usually go back to when I'm not making solid contact. Sure enough, by the end of the range session, I was hitting it great and feel like I'm back on track.

I guess for me it was more of a panic factor when in the middle of a round I find that I'm not hitting any shots the way I want and can't find the middle of the clubface. I realized today I was getting back to old habits like being WAY under plane on my downswing and was trying to save shots by flipping. From now on if things start going bad, my NHA swing will come out and save me...just needed to figure out a swing I could use when things go bad.
Looking foward to the tournament again!
 
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