to change or not to change...

Ok so plan this year is to get to scratch. Sitting at 2.6 right now, month ago shoot 67 gross off par 72. Sadly was non qualifier. Anyway, since then had a lesson as when i have a bad swing its pulled/hooked left. Need to get a consistant plane etc etc. So have lesson and next comp shoot 11 over gross. Gutted.

So question is, carry on with 'small' changes, forget about changes and carry on as usual (im self taught pretty much) or try and find a middle ground where i can work on some small things that will help but forget about the bigger structural changes im being told i need.

For the record, i drive well, have good short game and putting but irons have been hit and miss. Just not hitting enough greens in reg and putting pressure on short game.

Would really appreciate your thoughts. Im at the stage now where im a little baffled by the impact the changes have had and not sure if i have the will power to carry on whilst watch my h/cap rise and not fall.

One. I've been where you are and have increased to the point where I am in danger of getting up to 5... Which is really not a good thing. My miss was a really bad hook off the tee and I have recently committed to a complete change of swing from the ground up.

It's a long road but the results are going to be worth it (I can already see evidence that my ball striking will be more consistent). That said unless you really are wanting to get it all sorted there is no point. And you will go a long way back before you go forwards.

One. I would love to be cat 1 player and envy you in your plight. My advice which should be completley disregarded is really a gut feel. I like you am just about 'self taught' having only had a couple of lessons. I would hazard a guess that being self taught means you could end up stripping your game down to the bare bones. As LJ has said, he's in the process of changing, and has accepted that he will go backwards before seeing the improvement etc. His mind set is such that he is able to disregard the rubbish knowing he's getting there, and he has had lessons. You are however different and the lessons you had recently hurt your game, and will carry on hurting it badly. If you can accept that you are going to be bad for good while, and the lessons will change your game significantly, then go for it. I don't think a significant change is required, especially when you can shoot the odd sub-par round. it's minor, so find the problem and devise a correcting routine yourself. being self taught means you have been able to take yourself almost to scratch, and stripping down your whole game doesn't guarantee you will get better, indeed you may not be able to get to where you are now.

I, like Doc, am pretty much self taught and have had only a few lessons. I am nowhere near as good as you - I teeter around the 7 / 8 mark. However, the question I would ask is "how much confidence do you have in the professional giving the lesson? Are you confident that he is pointing you in the right direction?" Only go for it if you are and, as Doc says, if you are prepared to go back before going forward. I have had one "rebuild" and went from 7 on the old h'cap system to 12 and back again.

One, I'm pretty much in the same situation as you, however have learned the hard way in recent years that expecting to get to a certain handicap in a certain amount of time is not a good way to achieve your target.

It's far better to go out with no expectations and just try to play well. That way the scores and ultimately the handicap will take care of yourself.

Other than that I'd say that practice is more important than lessons, you haven't got to where you are because you are doing anything drastically wrong or are without talent, but you are probably not getting as low as you could because at least one element of your game, probably the short game or your putting could do with tightening up.

My view - which I guess is worth what you are paying for it - is that if your swing is/was good enough to get you to 2.6 then there isn't *too* much wrong with it. I'd(and I can only dream of being in your situation) carry on as you are and work my backside off on the short game. I know you say its good - I'd aim for "outstanding" "excellent" "unbelievable"etc etc.

IMHO its the area where pars are saved and birdies made and I suggest that once you get to the situation whereby you are convinced that no matter what happens to your approach shot you can get up and down or you'll make the putt then you'll find your approach shots get better due to the relaxed nature / lack of pressure you are putting on yourself.

It depends on your long term goal. If you see golf as a career, then you probably have no choice but to make the swing changes.

If you play golf for fun, and the love of the game, then just practising more will probably get you close to scratch.

Thanks for the really good feedback. Im not looking to make it a career sadly. those days went a long time ago when i chose Uni and not FT golf. I think the changes come from the frustration i am feeling of not being consistant in my iron play. once i know im going to miss greens it puts pressure on all other areas of the game. My short game could always improve, my driving same, but consistant attack at pins or placement on green is the key to low golf. The recent 5 under gross round actually shows that going out with zero expectation works - i went around in a bit of a daze really and not until the 18th did i feel any real pressure. It felt weird looking back. Saying that i had a 12 foot eagle chance for a 66 that just missed.
Ive decided to only work on one area of the swing change. Trying to take the club away smoother and on plane. have a tendancy to come inside quickly ( ) if you know what i mean

thanks for such a good range of positive thoughts though. I have become a little obsessed with hitting scratch. Not sure what happens when i do though...probably be wanting +1 onwards and never achieve the feeling i suppose im freaming of having when i hit scratch. Saying all of that not liking giving away so many shots now on roll ups so god knows what it would be like to add shots to other h/cap. I can only dream for now though!
thanks again chaps much appreciated.

My short game is a mess, it did not release how terrible it was until I played a pitch and putt course. I often think that not enough people get their pro to work on the game within 100 yards.

Until the full swing changes I'm making are bedded in I'm not working on my short game. I have a huge power control issue at the moment and am finding myself going long a lot of the time right now.

LondonJonnyO wrote:Until the full swing changes I'm making are bedded in I'm not working on my short game. I have a huge power control issue at the moment and am finding myself going long a lot of the time right now.

Take less club maybe?

It's tough when you're making such big changes though. I need to relearn everything in relation to my yardages and that's not easy to do.

Onetoanother,

I'm coming from a completely different place to you... if off 17, but also bit the bullet at the beginning of this year and after really improving my short game to play to 14/15 at the beginning of the year, hitting 3 or 4 fairways and 2 or 3 greens i thought if i could get come consistency in my swing and just double those numbers to close to 50% of fairways and maybe 30% of greens my handicap would tumble. I've started another thread which has been none to popular reagrding the explanar, when you mentioned coming inside too quickly, it resonated... thats what i was doing (probably to a much greater degree than yourself)... i think a bit too much so my club pro decided to try me on this contraption which seems to just give you the feeling of what you need to do rather than too many thoughts... At first i was very inconsistent (could shoot anything between 84 and 104) but its really starting to pay off now and my arc of potential misses is much tighter and i'm generally hitting the ball much straighter.

Maybe instead of thinking about it as 'a rebuild', just have a go on one of these things, it may turn out to be a bit more evolutionary rather than revolutionary... especially if your just a bit off plane...

The pro i am/was (not sure yet) was seeing has one so might be worth trying it out. The key to a swing that goes fairly straight is a simple down swing and relaxed turn trhough the ball. I can do the relaxed thing, just either get stuck inside and have to rescue with hands, or i over compensate and over the top. The Explanar might just give me the feeling im after so thanks for the tip. Will try it out soon and report back!

Make sure the pro fits you up for it though, the circle is set at a different angle depending largely on your height at address... i've been hitting 40 balls a night this week on the practice area with a few minutes on it between every 5 or 10 balls and the results last night were amazing out of 20 i fatted 2 bit so came up short of the rest but the other were quite close for for me maybe 10 yards front to back, and 20 yards left to right... which is a massive improvement in consistency.