Slump

I have been reading some of my fellow bloggers thoughts on practicing and lessons and it got me to thinking.  I am in a bit of a yearlong slump with my game.  The scoring ability is just not where it needs to be.  I have narrowed it down to three factors that are causing the higher numbers.  Let’s get into them.

Factor 1 – Inconsistent driving accuracy: To put it lightly, I hit it all over the place.  This is the most maddening part of my game right now.  When I was younger I hit 10+ fairways a round every time.  It doesn’t matter how good your short game is if you are in trouble off the tee a good part of the time.

Factor 2 – Poor Chipping: This is somewhat influenced by the driving.  I put extra pressure on this part of the game when drives are wild.  In addition to that, I have had far too many chunks or skulls that add up really quickly.  I would attribute most of this issue to a lack of practice.

Factor 3 – Lack of confidence: I will be honest with you.  I don’t practice a lot.  Either due to time constraints or just wanting to play when I have the time for golf.  I understand that practice is key to improvement, but I am also playing scared at times.  I think this is a combination of poor results and a lack of practice.

So what am I doing about this slump?  Am I going to quit the game after the dire synopsis above?  Um, of course not!  I love this game too much.  So while it is extremely frustrating to shoot in the mid to high 80’s when you have broken par multiple times, I would never consider giving up on the game.  Put quite simply, it is one of my favorite things in life.

The plan is simple.  I am taking lessons, which I hadn’t done in about 8+ years.  This has resulted in a lot of changes.  Some of these I have listed below:

• Fixing my alignment: I aimed way right to compensate for my pull hook.  Aiming left of my intended target feels really weird.  So does sometimes hitting a cut.
• Keeping my hands higher at address: They had gotten really low and I was surprised to see it on video.  This also feels awkward, but I am committed.
• Focusing on not swinging my arms back after my shoulders have stopped turning: This would get me out of sequence and my arms were having to play catch-up.
• Stopping the flip of my hands at impact: This is by far the hardest part.  When I do it correctly I sometimes hit shots well right because I have been so afraid to release before due to my ever-present hook.

So, the second part of the plan is to practice.  I won’t be hitting balls until my hands bleed, there just isn’t enough time.  I do hope to get more work in when my job slows down a little bit and the weather turns a little warmer.

The final portion of the plan and arguably the toughest part is to play with a better mental game.  This involves minimizing swing thoughts when I play, playing with more confidence/positive thoughts, and generally playing without expectations.

I am encouraged that things will turn around and even if they don’t I am still playing a wonderful game on wonderful courses with wonderful people.  It’s a win-win.  Let me know what you think in the comments and I hope this has helped if you too are going through a slump.