[loyal-blue]

OK, I recently took up golf and as of yet don't have a handicap.
I have a few family members who are really good at golf and would like to be good myself.
I have been practicing quite a lot lately, on my own and with family. When I am out I tend to play well getting 4's 5's or 6's. However, last night I played in my first competition, disaster! 65 through the front 9 , shocking, I know. Basically I didn't hit anywhere near the level I know I can.
As far as my play went last night I was drive quite far, sometimes with a massive slice.
Irons, either huge slice or thinned, chipping generally over the other side of the green and putting really, really, really poor.
Can anyone give me some advice on these different aspects of the game and also give me some practices I can do on the practice green, chipping green or putting green?

[Shengus Khan]

The best advice I can give for chipping, especially for a beginner, is to not be too cute or greedy with your chip. If you've got to go over a bunker just try to get the ball on the green. If you try too hard to get the ball close you'll more often than not make a mess of it. Just get it on the green and you should be no more than 15/20 feet away and in 2 putt country.

If you're off the green but have got no hazards between the ball and the flag, try and play a bump and run with a 7 iron. It's a very simple, risk-free shot.

As for putting, well it's all about practise i'm afraid. Go to a practise green and hit hundreds of putts from 5 or 6 feet and I can guarantee you that you'll reap the benefit on the course.

[mid-table]

Chipping; don't decelerate on the downswing.
Putting; There should be no wrist movement - putt with your shoulders.

[centralparker]

loyal-blue, on Jul 18 2009, 15:01, said:

OK, I recently took up golf and as of yet don't have a handicap.
I have a few family members who are really good at golf and would like to be good myself.
I have been practicing quite a lot lately, on my own and with family. When I am out I tend to play well getting 4's 5's or 6's. However, last night I played in my first competition, disaster! 65 through the front 9 , shocking, I know. Basically I didn't hit anywhere near the level I know I can.

Sounds like you're doing incredibly well.

[chub]

If your putting is really poor then the best advice i can give you is always reach the hole, you're better going 8 feet past than 4 feet short because at least you have given it a chance of going in and you will be able to see the line of the putt coming back the way if you go past the hole. For chipping as Shengus says, when you're a beginner don't try anything too difficult, just getting the ball on the green should be the target. For your iron play, if you're thinning the ball then generally you'll be trying too hard to hit the ball as far as you can, go a club or two down and take it easy, remember not every shot has to be a full shot and as for your driving it's just the same, just take it easy and try to make sure you hit the fairway, even if that does mean you're sacrificing 20 yards on distance, 20 yards back in the fairway is better than a massive drive that has gone wildly into the rough.


As for practises you can do on the green, pick a hole on the green and start about 5 feet away from it, putt from that distance until you have holed it 3 times in a row, then move 2 feet back and putt that until you hole it 3 times in a row, then move back again and keep doing this until you get to about 20-25 feet or so. Got told that one by a professional i got lessons from a couple of years back and it worked brilliantly, gives you a massive amount of confidence for longer putts.

This post has been edited by chub: 18 July 2009 - 20:53

[loyal-blue]

Thanks for the tips. I will be out practicing tomorrow.
I played a bit maybe 2 years ago and got my handicap down to 22 with relative ease before I gave up. Now I am starting again and struggling to play to 36. Is it just a case of getting practice?

[loyal-blue]

Also, any drills to help cure a slice would be appreciated.
Does everyone here think that your mind is important in golf? I mean after a bad shot I'm in temper mode throwing clubs about. Do you think keeping a level head is important?

[mid-table]

loyal-blue, on Jul 18 2009, 22:18, said:

Thanks for the tips. I will be out practicing tomorrow.
I played a bit maybe 2 years ago and got my handicap down to 22 with relative ease before I gave up. Now I am starting again and struggling to play to 36. Is it just a case of getting practice?

Yes, but meaningful practice. There's no point standing on a range hitting ball after ball after ball, if you're doing something wrong then that will only make it worse. You need someone qualified to tell you what to do, or who has given advice, say in a lesson, and given you some things to take away and practice.
Gary Player's phrase of 'the more I practiced the luckier I get' is absolutely true, it's something I absolutely believe in.

loyal-blue, on Jul 18 2009, 22:36, said:

Also, any drills to help cure a slice would be appreciated.
Does everyone here think that your mind is important in golf? I mean after a bad shot I'm in temper mode throwing clubs about. Do you think keeping a level head is important?

Don't have any slice cures as I draw the ball and can't say I've ever had a dose of the slices.
As for your mind, it depends on the individual, but it's somewhere between 50% and 95%. Over the last couple of years I have matured, and started practising that there is nothing I can do to change my last shot, the only shot I have any influence over is my next shot. I've known this for years, but putting it into practice is different. In that time I've come down from 8 to 3.
If I have a bad shot I can honestly say that it is out of my mind by the time I start my prep for my next shot.
Also last year, I was saying negative things over a putt (4ft, big break right to left), and I subsequently missed it. A playing partner told me I'd missed it before I even stepped up to the ball and that struck a chord with me. Now, I think or say positive things before a putt, no matter how difficult.

[loyal-blue]

I have been watching a few videos with drills for chipping and putting. I will try and put them in practice tomorrow.

[chub]

loyal-blue, on Jul 18 2009, 22:36, said:

Also, any drills to help cure a slice would be appreciated.
Does everyone here think that your mind is important in golf? I mean after a bad shot I'm in temper mode throwing clubs about. Do you think keeping a level head is important?

I have a pretty bad temper on the golf course aswell but as soon as you step up to the ball for the next shot that one you're unhappy about is gone, you can only recover what you've done, you can't play the shot again so you just have to forget about it when you're playing the next one. My biggest problem also used to be the slice but you can't really do any set drills to cure it, you have to just work hard on your alignment and make sure you're square before taking the club away, just swing smooth and be prepared to sacrifice a bit of length in order to get it straight and it will work a treat, after you've gained a bit of confidence in hitting the ball straight start going for distance a bit more. The reason i used to slice the ball so much was because my body was aiming a mile left but the club was aiming straight down the middle so if that's the problem you're having you just have to ensure that the clubhead is aiming the same way as you're feet and shoulders, it sounds so basic but it can often cause problems because you don't even bother thinking about it half the time.

[loyal-blue]

I was out playing well today. I think my problem may be my consistency or just playing under pressure as I seem to be fine on my own.

[chub]

loyal-blue, on Jul 19 2009, 21:26, said:

I was out playing well today. I think my problem may be my consistency or just playing under pressure as I seem to be fine on my own.

If you're playing well on your own but not with others and in competitions then you're just trying too hard, just try to calm it down and take it easy and you'll be fine