I'm new to this site and have been playing golf just over 1 year, started Autumn 2003. I have a "beginner starter golf set" and enjoy the game very much indeed. I play around the high 80's - mid 90's at the moment and look forward to shooting closer to course par very soon
Please can anyone help with my concentration, I have been jotting down the number of drives, lay ups, approach shots and putts I do per round. My putting is very good (I think) in that I will 2 or 1 putt. My problem is off the tee and approach shots. I get very nervous on the tee, even if I am playing by myself and usually end up fatting or thinning the shot. Can anyone help with concentration tips? Also how much time should I devote on the range for 1) Drives and 2) Approach shots (iron play). I have been doing about 40% drives, 30% irons and 30% with special clubs like wedges etc. I concentrate on my drives more because I embarras myself soo much when I tee off! With approach shots to green, I will either push or pull the shot, again from being too nervous near the green.
Nervousness is nothing unique to your situation. Many of us experienced the same things when we were learning. When hitting to the green, I would imagine your nervousness is more excitement than actual nerves. The good news is it will pass.
I would adjust your practice to reflect 75% iron shots (5, 7 iron and wedges) as these GROOVE the swing and are much easier to control. The remaining 25% can be with woods but I would put the driver away until you can make clean contact and find the fairway more than 75% of the time...at that point, you are getting to the point where you will begin to see some benefit to hitting the driver over the 3-wood. Even those that hit the driver long right from the beginning would benefit from following this practice because always remember 220 down the middle beats 300 in the woods every time.
definitly practice the irons more, cause being a great ballstriker is more valuable then driving IMHO. lately i've been using 2/3i for alot of tee shots until i straighten out my driver.
but consider using a 3-5 wd or hybrid for tee shots, just something to get it in play. on the tee focus on keeping your head down, nothing else. it's the easiest mistake to make in this game. and it's one of those where you don't realize you're doing it until halfway through your round.
try dedicating 1/2 your practice time to the short game as well. a good short game can save a boatload of strokes. wedge-wise i spent last winter chipping wiffle balls off my living room wall, & now i'm one of the better wedge players i know. just find that one chipping club that you have confidence with and practice the heck outta it. putting is all feel. practice distance control & the rest will work itself out. :nodsmiley
if any of this sounds insane, just ignore.
I have the same problem, and I often dink and almost always catch my shots (not just tee shots) heavy, just to varying degrees. At my lesson yesterday, my instructor told me (which I kind of already knew, just reinforced it) that it was because I was lunging forward at the ball, dipping my back shoulder into the ground, thus forcing the club into the ground before making contat with the ball. This slows down your clubhead significantly, so, if anything, you want to catch your shots thinner than fatter! (I don't mind nearly as much when I lose 10 yards from a *bit* thin shot to 50 yards with a *bit* fat shot)
I agree with jcgolfpro, for starting, but the stats say that 43% of your score is putting, 23% chips and pitches, 14% drives. That leaves 20% all other shots. I spend most of my practice time on short game and driving. Teeing off in the fear mode will never work. To over come the fear mode you must laugh at it and become single task oriented. You can only think of one thing at a time. Some of the things things that work are visualize the target, keep your head still, your follow through position, etc.
Keep it up you will get more confident and get better.
January 10th, 2005, 12:17 PM
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