The 60 and over Thread
I wish. Poor contact, big misses left and right. It's scary bad and I have no idea how to approach it. Alignment seems ok, backswing, tempo... nothing that feels any different between good results and bad ones.
Been looking at new irons - not because of the poor results, just because I'm due. But the last several rounds have me pausing until I can figure this crap out.
Played 18 today…took a cart. It took our group 1:25 to play the front, 2:35 to play the back. Shot an 82 with six lost golf balls. Pretty much any other course it would have been zero lost golf balls. Fortunately I found more than I lost…so there is that.
Triple Lindy
Active member
The gauge of a good round - plus/minus ball count!
Exactly! I lost six, found 12, so I was -6 for the round, lol.
We laugh but I have had rounds when adding to my collection of practice balls is the only thing salvageable.
My cure all for such issues is counter intuitive, but it works for me. When I am swinging poorly I start making timid passes at the ball and trying to steer it. Try just swinging as fast as possible and ending in a high, balanced finish. Forget everything else. Just smooth and fast. Don't even worry about where it goes till you start making solid contact again.
Triple Lindy
Active member
I usually don’t recommend YT video instruction because different things work for different people, not to mention not knowing what’s happening in your swing. However, I found this video so simple yet so effective, at least for me. I’ve been trying to hold lag, and the “thumbs down” advice has really helped in a way no other instruction has. But the other pieces of advice are also easy and might help. Weight forward, hands forward, rotate shoulders (not hips) and then reverse the rotation for the follow through. The drill is simple and can be done in your living room. Hope you find it helpful!
charley48
Well-known member
Yeah, golf is year round here in Central California. Last time there was enough snow to leave some on the ground was early 60's. I was just a kid but I remember making a snowman with my sister. Didn't last long though. Typically the only time there is no golf if there is heavy rain. And some years there isn't much of that.
Thanks @1860VS. I will give that a try.
It’s weirdest thing, but I think as individuals, whatever causes us to suck at golf, those things can be just worse or less damaging from week to week. I’m other words, even with a text book swing, we’re just going to go through a funk relative to whatever level of golf is normal.
Thanks for the YouTube link @Triple Lindy. I watched about 3/4 of it and I like the 3 ball drill. I’ll try that as well.
If you saw my swing you’d wonder how I’m able to hit good shots at all with it. What I think is my biggest issue is the lack of consistent weight shift. I can’t seem to make that change after almost 10 years of effort. Whatever else is going on, If I’m unable to do that single change… well it’s no wonder why I struggle.
Good golf is not in everyone’s future and some folks are content playing lousy golf. I need to learn how to do that.
It’s weirdest thing, but I think as individuals, whatever causes us to suck at golf, those things can be just worse or less damaging from week to week. I’m other words, even with a text book swing, we’re just going to go through a funk relative to whatever level of golf is normal.
Thanks for the YouTube link @Triple Lindy. I watched about 3/4 of it and I like the 3 ball drill. I’ll try that as well.
If you saw my swing you’d wonder how I’m able to hit good shots at all with it. What I think is my biggest issue is the lack of consistent weight shift. I can’t seem to make that change after almost 10 years of effort. Whatever else is going on, If I’m unable to do that single change… well it’s no wonder why I struggle.
Good golf is not in everyone’s future and some folks are content playing lousy golf. I need to learn how to do that.
This game can really test us mentally. There is no other activity I can think of where if you put in the work, you might not see the results commensurate with that work. If you take up an instrument, learn a language, etc., you will get better. Not so much with golf. Sure, you're better than when you first picked up a club, but you don't see steady and constant improvement. According to the USGA these are the average scores by age:
| 20-30 years old | 90 |
| 30-40 | 92 |
| 40-50 | 92 |
| 50-60 | 91 |
| 60+ | 92 |
Despite modern equipment advances, access to technology and instruction, etc., average golf scores are still rather high. For those who keep a HI, and could probably be considered avid golfers, the average HI is 14.0, which translates to shooting in the mid to high 80s. According to the GRINT, only 10% of golfers who track their handicap break 80 on a regular basis.
Golf Digest said in a recent issue that "...despite all the technological advances, golf is still a very difficult game, and it is tough to improve beyond a certain point. We all have a limit to how good we can get. That limit existed in 1983, and it exists today." And, while golfers have improved slightly since the mid-80s, you would think they would have improved more.
I know how frustrating this game can be, but I try to keep it in perspective. Good luck to you moving forward.
I’d be happy to get to the point of bogey golf, meaning an index of 18. I’m playing golf that’s double digits from that right now.This game can really test us mentally. There is no other activity I can think of where if you put in the work, you might not see the results commensurate with that work. If you take up an instrument, learn a language, etc., you will get better. Not so much with golf. Sure, you're better than when you first picked up a club, but you don't see steady and constant improvement. According to the USGA these are the average scores by age:
20-30 years old 90 30-40 92 40-50 92 50-60 91 60+ 92
Despite modern equipment advances, access to technology and instruction, etc., average golf scores are still rather high. For those who keep a HI, and could probably be considered avid golfers, the average HI is 14.0, which translates to shooting in the mid to high 80s. According to the GRINT, only 10% of golfers who track their handicap break 80 on a regular basis.
Golf Digest said in a recent issue that "...despite all the technological advances, golf is still a very difficult game, and it is tough to improve beyond a certain point. We all have a limit to how good we can get. That limit existed in 1983, and it exists today." And, while golfers have improved slightly since the mid-80s, you would think they would have improved more.
I know how frustrating this game can be, but I try to keep it in perspective. Good luck to you moving forward.
It is what it is. Someone has to make up that right side of the curve. Lol.
CTRosarian
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I see steady and continuous improvement with golf.
My wife said my ability to constantly learn new things was highly unusual.
Instead of hitting into a net, I've been clearing out target areas in the back of the yard to hit to with Callaway foam practice balls..
I have understory surrounding two sides of a long and narrow back yard.
With practice I'm now able to keep the ball in my yard, except for sometimes hitting it long into the yard behind me if the ball works its way through the half dozen trees lining the back of the property. Most of the time the ball will hit a tree and drop down into my yard.
My wife said my ability to constantly learn new things was highly unusual.
Instead of hitting into a net, I've been clearing out target areas in the back of the yard to hit to with Callaway foam practice balls..
I have understory surrounding two sides of a long and narrow back yard.
With practice I'm now able to keep the ball in my yard, except for sometimes hitting it long into the yard behind me if the ball works its way through the half dozen trees lining the back of the property. Most of the time the ball will hit a tree and drop down into my yard.
charley48
Well-known member
Its been an issue for me too. I started using more lofted fairway woods. They do help. But I feel I've hit a plateau with them. Not getting any better with time. I use them on the course but I'm starting to spend more time with the irons at the range. A friend who used to be an instructor helped me get back to basics with the iron swing. Its a work in progress but I do see some improvement. I've been doing it wrong for so long my muscles aren't stretched to the proper way. I tend to ache more after a session. Especially in the hips.
charley48
Well-known member
I'm of the belief that some people are more natural than others. Just born with the ability. My oldest grandson is 22 now. He can go 3 or 4 months without picking up a club, then go out and shoot an 82. When he played more scores in the 70's were not unusual for him. He doesn't play that much anymore. At 5 years old when he had his first set of real clubs he already had an idea how to hit the ball. Most kids hack away. He was always in control of his swing. I used to take a bucket of balls and ball shagger out to the park to practice chipping. At 11 or 12 years old he came out with me a few times and he was already better than me at it.This game can really test us mentally. There is no other activity I can think of where if you put in the work, you might not see the results commensurate with that work. If you take up an instrument, learn a language, etc., you will get better. Not so much with golf. Sure, you're better than when you first picked up a club, but you don't see steady and constant improvement. According to the USGA these are the average scores by age:
20-30 years old 90 30-40 92 40-50 92 50-60 91 60+ 92
Despite modern equipment advances, access to technology and instruction, etc., average golf scores are still rather high. For those who keep a HI, and could probably be considered avid golfers, the average HI is 14.0, which translates to shooting in the mid to high 80s. According to the GRINT, only 10% of golfers who track their handicap break 80 on a regular basis.
Golf Digest said in a recent issue that "...despite all the technological advances, golf is still a very difficult game, and it is tough to improve beyond a certain point. We all have a limit to how good we can get. That limit existed in 1983, and it exists today." And, while golfers have improved slightly since the mid-80s, you would think they would have improved more.
I know how frustrating this game can be, but I try to keep it in perspective. Good luck to you moving forward.
But my youngest grandson, who is 15 and wants to play on the golf team just doesn't have it. He works with his brother and dad all the time. But he still struggles with the swing. He played a 9 hole round and kept a legitimate score. It was a 58. If it wasn't for good putting it woulda been worse. Yet, he was the best hitter on his little league team.
I'm also of the belief I'm not one of those who was a natural at playing golf. In the early days most times I played with a group I was usually the one with the highest score. That is still usually the case today.
Triple Lindy
Active member
I have days where I feel like a natural and days where the golf swing feels like the most foreign motion known to man.
uitar99
Well-known member
My wife and I were out for our first 18 of the season together yesterday. A local par 68 muni. I usually shoot 75-85, my wife 85 to 95
We occasionally talk about ball setup position, but yesterday, after hitting a ball to the left of the green, she looked at the club face and said, "I hit it off the toe,. How do I fix that?" I suggested standing half a ball closer in her set up.
It was like a light bulb went on. She saw the relationship to where the ball strikes the face vs where the ball ends up.
no change to her ingrained seniors swing.
She shot an 89 and was thrilled.
We occasionally talk about ball setup position, but yesterday, after hitting a ball to the left of the green, she looked at the club face and said, "I hit it off the toe,. How do I fix that?" I suggested standing half a ball closer in her set up.
It was like a light bulb went on. She saw the relationship to where the ball strikes the face vs where the ball ends up.
no change to her ingrained seniors swing.
She shot an 89 and was thrilled.
Absolutely. A young friend of mine picked up the game at the age of 22, by the time he was 25 he was a 2 HI and a legit 300 yards off the tee. Never had a lesson either. But those people are few and far between. At the same time, he started with a set of GI irons, and after two years switched to blades, and he definitely hit the blades better. Only about 1.6% of all golfers are scratch. And, comparing a scratch golfer to a professional golfer would be like comparing a 15 HI to a scratch golfer. And, given just how good professional golfers are, they too struggle with this game from time to time.
charley48
Well-known member
I've had a tendency to hit toe shots for a long time. Especially the longer clubs. Moving closer did not help. What works for me is to try and hit on the heel. It seems to hit the center more often that way. I just had to adjust from pulling to the left with it.
charley48
Well-known member
Yeah, there is a big difference between pros and the ones who just can't get there. Those guys on the Korn Ferry tour can hit well over 300 yards. Hit a lot of greens. Make putts. Make birdies. The difference between them and the PGA tour guys is consistency. Doing it for 4 rounds. But even the PGA tour pros have stretches where they aren't doing it consistently.
I always figured if a ski bunny looked good in a ski outfit, she’d be even hotter when she took it off.
Grand Stranded
Keep grinding… you never know
- Thread starter
- #7,748
82 with six lost balls is some pretty darn impressive golf.
That’s the equivalent of a sub 75 round without the penalties!
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Me neither! At being a natural..Taken instruction, tips, video, range time, just doesn't equate to on the course. A little daylight last Saturday, when I found a Maxfli Straightfli on 13. It was like everything in my golf world aligned for once! Parred 2 holes back to back, 14 + 15, and bogied the rest of the way in. Felt so good to play that way! Hit all the fairways coming in! If the ball IS the difference, so be it! Bought 2 boxes, so I can "test" out my theory...
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Tale of 2 days. A handicap score of 85 yesterday that could have been pushing 90. I was looking at making a 9 on a hole that my max score is a 6. Today was steady. 12 pars, 6 bogeys. 28 putts with 6 one putts for par. Included a sandy. Didn’t keep stats today, but I think it was 6 fairways and 6 GIR for 40-38 78. Hit a monster drive on 18 with only a gap wedge in on a 330 yard hole.