How dedicated are you to getting better?

galwaylad14

Just a general question to everyone on here, how genuinely dedicated are you to improving your game?

What do you do in your attempts to get better? How important is improvement to you in terms of your enjoyment of the game?

I'd generally try to play twice a week (once for the full 18 and once for maybe 12 holes), aswell as do one range session and one short game session per week. I have improved a nice bit over the last year (from 10 to 5)

but I honestly feel I'd find it very hard to enjoy the game if I wasn't improving at it, so i suppose my question is, how many of you would feel the same as that? And obviously I know I won't be able to shave 5 shots off my handicap this year but if I wasn't at 3 by the end of the year I think I'd find it hard to say that it was an enjoyable year.

So I suppose for me I'm saying that the joy in the game is in improving at it, and would many others on here feel similar?

GreeBo

mine comes and goes in waves...I havent played a round in over 5 weeks now...unheard of for me, would typically play a couple of times a week.

I do want to get better and am assuming that come summer I will be back to crazy practice again (though probably not as extreme as before)

galwaylad14

I actually posted this thread twice, I just sort of phrased it wrong in one of them but they both essentially ask the same question so could you remove one of them? Thanks

Dossy

Im trying my best at the moment to get to the range as much as possible,
Last week i did the following:

Weds - 240 balls
Thurs - 160
Fri - 160
Sat - 160
Sun - 200

Weds - 120
Thurs - 160
Today - 160 and lesson after it,

I agree with what people have said about Burn Out / Injury
But im really trying to improve and was told by my Pro that its more range time i need in order to work on my swing and what he tells me,

I got good feedback this evening from the Pro saying that my swing has really improved in the last month so i know im getting there, just takes alot of time,
I plan on doing more short game practice when the weather gets better, my short game at the moment is only wedge shots at the range but better then doing none

Ben1977

This year it will dedication of the right kind. For the last 2 months it's been concentrating on setup and alignment.
Gone are the days when I hit the range hit a bucket of balls in less than an hour. I've got 3 lessons from the wife for Christmas, plan on using them on nothing but the short game.

alxmorgan

I am very dedicated to it but find it hard to do more than I do given home life. There is no range anywhere near me so I can only go once a week when I am away with work. I try to play at the w/e and then the night I'm away in an open if I can.

I remember standing on the grass range on one of my nights away last year in the pissing rain. Full wet gear on. For an hour. Not a sinner in sight. Felt I would benefit more there than from mats. So yes quite dedicated.

I started on 19 a few years back and dropped to 17 then 15 and now 13 so improvement has been constant year on year but defo only as waves within that. If I wasn't improving then I could live with it as long as I was enjoying it. Gave up the game for a few weeks last year as got so caught up in chasing cuts that I stopped enjoying it.

Dossy

alxmorgan wrote: »

I am very dedicated to it but find it hard to do more than I do given home life. There is no range anywhere near me so I can only go once a week when I am away with work. I try to play at the w/e and then the night I'm away in an open if I can.

I remember standing on the grass range on one of my nights away last year in the pissing rain. Full wet gear on. For an hour. Not a sinner in sight. Felt I would benefit more there than from mats. So yes quite dedicated.

I started on 19 a few years back and dropped to 17 then 15 and now 13 so improvement has been constant year on year but defo only as waves within that. If I wasn't improving then I could live with it as long as I was enjoying it. Gave up the game for a few weeks last year as got so caught up in chasing cuts that I stopped enjoying it.

Ya i was like this end of last year just aswell winter kicked in or god knows what would have happened, was expecting too much too quick, just need to relax and enjoy it, handicap will come down itself with practice

PARlance

Have discovered I can pop down to the range at lunch recently.... 12 days in a row between the range or the course. 13th day in a row tomorrow and can't see myself resting Sunday

Not that dedicated

Will have my hands full come April so I'm trying to get as much ironed out before then.
A weekly round will be the height of my expectations after that.

Dossy

In my opinion i think if you put the time in early in the year practing it will be easier to come back after a break because you have corrected most things in the off season

Rikand

I play twice a week and practice once a week, in the summer time though with the stretch in the evenings that'll be more like played twice a week, practice 5 times a week. Still wouldn't hit more than 60 balls in a practice session though

Dossy wrote: »

Weds - 240 balls
Thurs - 160
Fri - 160
Sat - 160
Sun - 200

Weds - 120
Thurs - 160
Today - 160 and lesson after it,

I would be in an extreme amount of pain if i even remotely attempted this

Dossy

Ya ill probably start to reduce the amount of balls i hit when the weather gets better and practice in the short game area,

Only thing with practing as much as i do at the moment, my swing has come on a good bit and starting to feel comfortable

charlieIRL

I only hit 90 balls at the range at any one time, mix it up between driver, 3 wood and irons with at least 30 used on sw and 60 degree wedge. After every single shot i stand off the mat and place the ball as if i was on a course.I don't see the point in hitting a shot and replacing the ball and hitting again.
Am fairly ambitious this year handicap wise, especially after taking a year out from competitions, but I intend on knocking a lot of shots off!

jamok

At the moment I have nowhere to practice as I am between clubs haven't decided where I am going this year, but once I do get back into a routine and the weather improves I spend about 6 hours a week practising mostly putting and wedge play.

I find that when I am working in the evenings on the putting green I can get lost for big chunks of time and all of a sudden it's almost dark.

I am hoping to join Killeen Castle and their practice facilities are included in the reason I hope to join.

Keano

I had hoped this year would be the year I'd finally get cut. Finished last year with strong scores in society outings but work has halted the practice/lessons. I'm now working later and having to travel a bit so I'm not putting in the time. I'm going to book another lesson to try get me back in the zone but come the long evenings I'll be around the putting green or at the grass range working hard

dan_ep82

Since I only started in September last year I feel I need to play as much as I can. At the stage I'm at its getting a handicap, not getting it cut lol . I found the more I play the more comfortable I'm getting with certain lies and with all my clubs.

So for me its twice a week playing with hopefully practicing on the range in between but definitely more lessons. Generally when I'm at the range I try to work mainly on my weaker part of the game (lately long irons and driver) with the rest building confidence with my other clubs. Hopefully Rathcore will be getting a chipping green this year so I can practice on it as as it stands now the course is the only place for me to do so.

Dossy

dan_ep82 wrote: »

Since I only started in September last year I feel I need to play as much as I can. At the stage I'm at its getting a handicap, not getting it cut lol . I found the more I play the more comfortable I'm getting with certain lies and with all my clubs.

So for me its twice a week playing with hopefully practicing on the range in between but definitely more lessons. Generally when I'm at the range I try to work mainly on my weaker part of the game (lately long irons and driver) with the rest building confidence with my other clubs. Hopefully Rathcore will be getting a chipping green this year so I can practice on it as as it stands now the course is the only place for me to do so.

Im in the same boat as yourself, only really took it up properly in Oct, one thing my Pro always says before i leave is ball position, its so important, it should help for better contact and help stop a bit of early release,
Now im not trying to tell you what to do as im same as yourself but just info i find helpful

dan_ep82

Dossy wrote: »

Im in the same boat as yourself, only really took it up properly in Oct, one thing my Pro always says before i leave is ball position, its so important, it should help for better contact and help stop a bit of early release,
Now im not trying to tell you what to do as im same as yourself but just info i find helpful

Its one of the first things we covered in the lesson I got, I was playing it too far forward resulting in fat shots in my longer irons.

My biggest problem at the minute is consistency. I can hit great irons and the same with woods and the driver, and then I can top the ball 4 times in a row, or hook it left or bleed it off right. With the driver I can sky it,hook it or slice it.

My bad shot used to be an over draw with the irons and a slice with the driver. Since the lesson and changing a few things I can hit great iron shots when everything comes together, the driver is another story but I'm hoping a change I made will calm it down somewhat.

Danny dyers double

Like a few other pósters im not playing too long (18 months or so) .

Im totally obsessed with it even if it breaks my heart at times . Im recently after joining a club so i am going to put everything into it this year . Iv a 9 to five job and we have a one year old son so during winter i had to settle for one round a weekend and the odd range visit Wednesday night .

Last Summer was a complete nightmere for me , it was so bad i really taught about jacking the whole thing in , i mean i couldn hit the ball out of my way . So September i went for a lesson and before the pro even seen my swing he knew my problem ....... My GRIP .

So from that lesson i started to enjoy it again and start improving , But of late id been starting to let my right hand grip slip back to a strong grip . And because i was playing resonably well with this grip and obviously it feels more natural to me i left it . Big mistake really because last 2 rounds or so nearly every single shot went left . But my driving really suffered as a result .

I know i was silly to stop doing what i was shown and it wont ever happen again .

Anyway i Went to the range today to start drilling the grip AGAIN . Hit 100 balls +100 practice swings and results where instant . Now i dont get too excited about range play as i understand the difference mats can make to bad hits.

Now on 50% or my drives i had a small slice but i can manage that , its a hell of a lot better then a 80 yard hook .

So Its onwards and upwards from here . Cant wait to get out on the course after today

FixdePitchmark

Too dedicated. :)

Spent thousands of hours at my game and hit - don't even want to say how many balls, over the last 3 years. I actually couldn't work it out.

Of all the time I spent at my game only a very small amount of it was productive. 10 % of it at a guess.

I know I can improve - but for me it is very very hard work. I'm beginning to think that no matter what I do - I'm naturally about a 12 to 15 handicapper. I love to have a more natural game were it is easy for me - but it isn't. If I don't stick at it , my game goes. I admire and am jealous of some of the lads who it all seems so easy to them - the Ronnie O'Sullivans on here. I wont give them a big head and name them

But after all that - I do enjoy putting the work in.

Maybe it isn't as easy as it looks for "them" - they are secret lunch range players. And. lie to the wife lads

I had a crazy idea the other day - was having a bit of an overly internalizing moment. When do you know, that your best ever golf is gone. We are only a bunch of hackers with too many balls in play - the work life golf balance seems impossible to get right. It must be an absolute terrifying aspect of the top level pro game.

I guess you need hope (and hard work) , with this game. Without hope or Optimism it would be so easy to pack it in - the human condition or something like that...
As your man says "I'm ****ed if I know".

Jaysus - that all seems very negative - I'm not as bad as that sounds
When I have ideas like that in my head , I look out at the Irish sea and say - look you are a very lucky lad to have to worry about golf.

It is a 1st world problem at the end of the day.

Ok enough of that - off to have a glass of wine with the Aussie to reminisce about our day on the Links the other day.

Maybe later I'll find the answer

ForeRight

Don't practice anywhere near what I'd need to.

Just haven't got the time to be going the range regular or spending ages on a putting or chipping green even though if love too.

Can't see this year being too different but when I have played during the winter which has been once every 2-3 weeks I've actually played quite freely and score very very well on a couple of occasions. Other than my great rounds I haven't been too far away from 36 points and I enjoy the game more by just going out freely without having too many thoughts in my head from practicing things.

Get the ball into that little hole whatever way I can that's what I think about.

jokser250

I ve been playing golf on and off with years but joined a club last year and got my handicap . In July I made a big decision to change from Cack handed to normal grip . Since July I ve had 16 lessons (changed pro recently as I felt I had come as far as I could with old one ) . Did nt play much on course since
I decided to make change but I plan on playing as much as possible this year . Got a 18 h-cap Cack handed and I know I'll be going up the way for a while but I've done a awful lot of work on the range in between lesson s so I'm hopeful for the year ahead . Hoping to play every weekend (maybe a midweek 9 wen long evenings come in if work/life lets me ) and to use short game facilities at new course u joined last year (6 miles closer to home than last year) . I'm very dedicated but I need to be realistic also , I'm not going to set to many goals this year except just to go out and see wat happens

MRnotlob606

Im no good better off to quite while im at it

spacecoyote

I'd say that I'm more dedicated to getting better then is visible on the amount of work I put in.

That's mainly down to work & life getting in the way of my golf.

My handicap came down every year since I joined a club until last year when I had a disappointing sideways season. But my average scoring came down so I can say it's improved golfing.

I have a decent 8ft putting mat which doesn't get enough work on as well as a few training aids. Last year I didn't really take any technique lessons. Have already had 1 this winter & have another this week so I'm really aiming to get down around the 10 mark or better.

I'd say I've done pretty well for the (lack of) work I've put in. I always want to do more, it's just difficult to fit it in a lot of the time

stockdam

I'd love to have the time to get back to where I once was but with work and family that's not going to happen. If I'm luck I'll start playing again in April and play once per week up to July when I'll go on holiday. After that I'll be lucky to play every month. Frustrating.

Johnny_Fontane

stockdam wrote: »

I'd love to have the time to get back to where I once was but with work and family that's not going to happen. If I'm luck I'll start playing again in April and play once per week up to July when I'll go on holiday. After that I'll be lucky to play every month. Frustrating.

jesus thats depressing.

Its depressing because its EXACTLY where I am at too! Apart from the holiday is in August!

BoardsMember

I'm pretty much in the same boat as the last two posts, I'd love to be able to say I am dedicated at improving I am just not in a position to be.

Played once between start September and the new year. First 18 holes back was semi-foursomes. I play off 9 and 9 is my lowest ever handicap, so the foursomes wasn't easy.

I'd love to have the time to spend practising, so that I could post on this thread that I am dedicated to getting better. To be honest, I would be happy enough to be playing off 8 or 9 for the next few years, and then apply myself. Off 9 I tend to go low once or twice a season, and accumulate +1's the rest of the time, not often am I in the buffer. Young kids & busy work does not a good golfer make!