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Any tricks out there to be more consistent? As of late I have been playing very solid golf but, there are always 3 or 4 shots that really wreck my end result. Starting to get really frustrated with it. Hit 300 to 500 balls a week on the range and do well. I understand that the range and course are 2 totally different beasts but, straight is straight. Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

where do you notice the inconsistency to be the most, off the tee, fairway, around the greens? give us an example, that would help.

Thanks for the posting advise Mikey, new at this. Something different every time I play gets me. Today: 80 (not many complaints on this but, should have been better) 11 fairways hit, 5 greens and 29 putts. Driver has been the problem in the past and iron play has been very good. Last round: 92.......7 fairways, 10 greens and 32 putts. round before that 84.....4 fairways, 9 greens and 30 putts. I think my desire to shoot under 80 has made me displeased with my game. Just so inconsistent in my opinion.

You've identified the major secret to this game: consistency. The prize usually goes to the player who makes the fewest errors, not the one who can hit miracle shots to get out of trouble. Golf is 90% physical at the range and 90% mental on the course. Maybe it's time to look at how you practice. Every shot at the range (except warmups before a round) should be hit with a purpose. Practice several of the shots you have the most trouble with and see if there is an improvement in those areas. That should be enough to get your score under 80. Good luck.

Darn it, for a moment I thought someone was starting a thread about me not winning a POY award!

You know, it could all be that you are not playing one shot at a time. And in the case, forget about score, and play one shot at a time, in order that afterwards you can say, "I put a good swing on the ball." (No matter where the ball goes).

But looking at your record,(which I thought was pretty good) next time you play, after a missed shot, ask yourself these two questions as one: "Was I comfortable, and did I finish in balance?" If the answer is no, one or the other is the reason you missed the shot! Make sure you correct that or them with your practice swings before you hit the next shot, and then believe in your swing and swing away.

If the answer was no, then ask yourself this question: "Did I really see the club hitting my spot on the ball or the image of the club hitting the ball?" If the answer is no, then why would you think you would hit a good shot? Your mind was somewhere else, i.e., thinking of trying to do something with the
club, the ball or the body, other than focusing on catching the ball in the center of the clubface, anddddddd thinking only of hitting the ball solid. In other word, using your hands, arms or body to try to make the ball go straight
or up. At some moment before impact,that action will cause your hands/clubhead to slow down, (a no-no) throwing your timing, weight shift and balance off. Timing and balance is needed to help insure that your clubface is square to the tagetline at the correct moment. Remember the club follows your shoulderline in the downswing, trust that to start the ball out in the right direction, and focus on using your hands and arms to deliver the club to the ball with power, instead of using them in a steering motion. Do this while thinking, "Hit it solid, hit it solid," and swing, while watching for the ball to be hit in the center of the clubface. When you hit that next bad shot, Let us know if you really saw the clubhead or its image hitting the ball? Good luck!

do you have a preshot routine? prior every shot you should develop one to help you relax and focus on your target.
1. Driver/fw wood - Stand behind the tee and pick out a target. Walk over the ball and take a practice swing . take your setup and take 1 last look at the target or area you want the ball to go .then fire away.
2. Irons - same as above.
example ^
If that doesnt work spend most practice on short game . Most amateurs even scratch golfers dont hit to many greens at times. chipping the ball within 3 feet of the pin to save par will definitely lower your scores.

Thanks for the input so far. I was thinking about this issue after i posted the thread. My thoughts are, that I am most inconsistent with my driver. I am constantly thinking about 1,000 different things at address. Maybe the thing to do is as some of you have said, address the ball, look at the target 1 time and let it fly. don't put so much thought in it.

Not for everyone, but for many of my students this works. Is it for everyone, no, but everyone should try it.

A golfer will be in 1 of 2 zone when making a swing. They will either be in the NOW, THE ZONE, the present time, which is RIGHT BRAIN THINKING, or they will be in the TRYING MODE, which is LEFT BRAIN THINKING. WE have a 2-sided brain. The left side is where our thoughts deal with making choices, deciding on an action and then trying to put that action into play. A mechanical thinking way of playing golf. The right brain is where we get our sense of feel and where our inter-vision process takes place. This is the side where the professional more times than not are playing golf from, THE ZONE. Dr. Debbie Crews of AZ.State was given a quarter of a million dollars to do a study and found that, (by using C-Scans of the brain) when professionals hit golf balls there was basically no brain activity on the left side of the brain, but tons of it on the right side. When amatuers hit balls, the scans showed their left side overflowing with thought patterns. There is now no question about the number #1 reason why we hit bad shots, rather the question/s should be how not to play golf by mechanics but how to learn to play golf by feel. How to learn to trust our swing. One thing for sure, the mind can only focus on one thing at any one second. You figure it out. The golf swing takes between 1 1/2 to 2 seconds to happen. That means that when you feel your hands at the top of the backswing, they aren't where you feel them, they have already started on the way back down. When you feel the hit of the ball, it is not how you are hitting it, but how you did hit it. The ball is 12" from the clubhead before the feel of the hit reaches the right brain, the same for the top of the swing. The trick is to block out the mechanic left sided brain during the swing. Since we can only focus on one thing at a time, how can you focus on some mechanic move, or the tree, or the water, etc. and still focusing on the following? The short answer is you can't, our minds aren't built that way. Knowing that you can take the steps to change the way you think. You can chose not be in the zone, or you can chose to be in the zone. You have not choice, you have to be in one or the other! I have my students just make the club make the esssss sound or whoooo sound happen just behind the ball and finish in balance, holding that finish until the ball hits the ground. This action is the action you can take before hitting the shot, it will pre-program the feel to the right brain, causing it to automatically produce your natural swing. One you won't have to try to produce, therefore you can control your thinking by focusing on the correct things. What you should be thinking, "Hit the ball solid, hit the ball solid, hit the ball solid."what you should be seeing is the clubhead catching the ball right in the center of the clubhead, or an image of the clubhead coming into the ball. Because your mind is busy with those things, they bring you to the single focus point of hitting the ball, taking you into the Zone, shot after shot after shot. It is an art form, but one that can be mastered. Good luck and re-read my earlier Quote. They go hand and hand. Good luck!

At the range, practice,practice,practice,this is the place to work on faults and fixes. When you get to the course you either have it or you dont TRUST YOUR SWING!