Have You Hit The Wall

FixdePitchmark

I've improved a bit over the last few years , up and down at times. But enjoyed the idea that improvement was possible. And in general felt I was getting places.

It made me think of what is it like when you feel there is nothing left.

I'm not there now. (I hope)

But have you ever hit a wall . Where it is sort of a limit.

Did you give up. Was it just you , or did the reality of how much harder it was to improve just hit you.

On a positive note. Did you overcome this . Or even accept it as your level. Nothing wrong with being happy at a level. Is there ?

Maybe it doesn't exist at all and is a state of mind in a way.

Anyway
The weather is bad and grey . Perhaps that is what made me think of this. Lol.

ForeRight

A few weeks ago I went very stale with my game. I was just going out and shooting 28-32 points and I was actually playing quite well. Game just wasn't coming together. I actually wasn't looking forward to going and playing a round a couple of times which I had never ever ever experienced before.

I decided to take a little break. Just 2 weeks. No range, no practice no play at all. Clubs in the shed.

Went out last week for my first game. Felt refreshed, excited and with no pressure other than just enjoying the ramble and hit the ball nice and steady.

2 rounds in the following week have resulted in 37 and a 39 pointer to be cut by .5 after 8x .1's in a row.

I did nothing different other than just going out after a little break and excited to play.

Golf is a very weird game.

Domo1982

This is a decent thread and question FDP

Life made me take 6 months off this year. Previous 12 months my handicap had plateaued for sure. No light with regards to seeing handicap dropping further. Changed a few bits when I got back into the game and I now feel I can perhaps take things a little lower over the next year.

Interesting how the correlation between reducing the handicap and enjoyment of the game works for sure

Dublin Spur

yep, have accepted that I have reached my level, I float between 4 and 5

don't have the disipline or interest do try and do what it takes to get any lower

FixdePitchmark

The thing that was on my mind a bit.

when you even start to think like that . Are you damaging you psychological mindset to keep going.

Maybe a break is an important part of golf.

Staying fresh as the pros say.

Domo1982

Make sure you include posting on boards golf as part of your break FDP:):):)

FixdePitchmark

Domo1982 wrote: »

Make sure you include posting on boards golf as part of your break FDP:):):)

Sure your only new how would know .

No you are right as golf mentalist. Even off the course can be come as psychology intensive.
Last night. Before I slept I played every shot.

John Divney

I don't know, I got cut twice breaking single figures this year for the first time and I played some rounds afterwards that I stopped counting stableford score it was so bad.

I broke a six iron over my knee.

It just takes so much effort for me to be on my game, two weeks off and I struggle badly.

I have family and friends who wouldn't touch a club for months and just swing beautifully from the first tee, bad chipping etc and putting feel the only expected rust, driver accuracy a bit.

I think this is the wall for me anyway.

PARlance

I'll have no problem hitting a wall as long as it's built correctly.... If some eejit builds it 5 foot (shots) ahead of where its sopposed to be then I'll have issues... Big issues

fearruanua

I have tried and failed this summer to get down to singles figures. Played alot of golf. Consistency being a huge issue or at least some level of consistency. I'm either excellent or utter scutter. No in between : (
Starting on 10.5 I managed to get to 9.9 and have since gone back out to 10.5.
I think I might have hit my wall.

Senecio

I'm a firm believer that we all have a wall. It is governed by swing mechanics, natural coordination and dedication. In order to break through that wall one of the above needs to change. Those people that are dropping huge shots still haven't reached theirs yet.

Personally I hit mine about 15 years ago. My handicap has bounced between 5 & 7 since then. As I can't change natural coordination and I've no inclination to poor endless amount of time into my game, the only thing that will allow me to progress further is to make significant swing changes to correct faults.

It doesn't make the game any less enjoyable for me. I still challenge myself every time I go out but I also accept that this is where I'm likely to stay.

GreeBo

Hitting a wall means you are not practicing the right things, i.e. the things that will improve/lower your score.

Its the boring extra up and down, one putt less type of things.

rohoso

Floating between 11 & 13 - cant really get the motivation to try harder. Had 43 pts in a singles and thought that would really get me going but nothing great since .1s building up again.

Rikand

when I was a junior and had gotten down to 16 after a summer of golf, i set myself a target of 6. That one day i was going to get to a 6 handicap. It took about 7 years for me to get there, but i did it, working my way down slowly and then in the last counting competition of the year, I went from 7.5 - 6.3 : target achieved.

i was delighted, ecstatic even and I couldnt stop smiling for a couple of weeks afterwards. But then I hit a wall, which lasted for about a year. I had spent all that energy getting myself to my dream goal that i didn't know where to go from there or what to do. How to refocus myself into playing and i spent the next year working my way from 6 back out to 8, I was pretty aimless on the golf course.

I talked to a friend of mine about this and he said the only way to beat something like that was to constantly reset targets. but not constants, like your handicap. Smaller targets ( always chipping to within 10 feet ) ( always driving it straight ) that sort of thing. That helped me get out of my slump and helped me refocus my game. The next year I got back to 6 and the year after that kicked on to 5 and the year after that, down to 4.

I seesaw between 4,5 and 6 these days. I never stay at 4 for long and i never stay at 6 for long. I'm pretty much always off 5 but that's the nature of the game and probably the true extent of my ability.

I learned a lot about hitting the wall. Picking a few smaller targets to work on rather than one big target is what helped me knock it down. maybe it can help you too

Rikand

GreeBo wrote: »

Hitting a wall means you are not practicing the right things, i.e. the things that will improve/lower your score.

Its the boring extra up and down, one putt less type of things.

Greebo says in 50 words what I tried to say in 500

mike12

Not sure if it was hitting a wall but the arrival of my kids halted my progression.

Had gotten down to 7.6 thru really playing a lot and taking lots of lessons and range time thru the winter. Used to hit a lot of greens or fringes so chipping was never critical to my game, got down in 3 most of the time so no real damage done.
Still play twice a week and a couple of lessons a year but i'm no longer driven to get as low as possible. Off the tee i'm still good irons not as good as they used to be but my short game is now a dismal.
I know i won't get back to single figures without putting in more practice but that would mean playing less.

I have hit a wall but I actually think i'm happy enough to take what comes. The 15 different variations of chipping i have tried haven't worked so far but maybe there is one out there that will be a easy fix.

Dr_Colossus

Senecio wrote: »

I'm a firm believer that we all have a wall. It is governed by swing mechanics, natural coordination and dedication. In order to break through that wall one of the above needs to change. Those people that are dropping huge shots still haven't reached theirs yet.

Personally I hit mine about 15 years ago. My handicap has bounced between 5 & 7 since then. As I can't change natural coordination and I've no inclination to poor endless amount of time into my game, the only thing that will allow me to progress further is to make significant swing changes to correct faults.

It doesn't make the game any less enjoyable for me. I still challenge myself every time I go out but I also accept that this is where I'm likely to stay.

I agree with the above to an extent. I had a great year in 2012 dropping from 14 to 7 handicap mainly as a result of spending more of my practice time on my short game. I tightened up my long game also somewhat through lessons, practice and generally playing more golf.

I was hopeful and expecting great things in 2013 as I strived to be a category 1 golfer but it was nothing less than a disaster resulting in not having beaten CSS once. I spent the year climbing from 7 to 9 handicap even though I probably practiced and played the same amount and got an equal number of lessons.

One could claim I'd reached my wall and 8-9 handicap was my level but this year I changed professional in the hope of new instruction/guidance. During the first lesson my pro advised I'd the back swing of about a 4 handicapper but on impact and follow through I was more of a 13 handicapper. This is the direction I was heading due to inconsistency so now was my chance to change my swing mechanics and push on to the next level. It's still a work in progress and certainly has been difficult/testing but I'm on the right track and back to my original 7 handicap and looking forward to try and reduce that to my season target of 6.

Sure we all hit walls but those walls can always be dismantled and rebuilt further down the road and that I think is the beauty of golf. It's a never ending game of learning, testing and hopefully improvement.

bustercherry

I hit a wall literally; two fecked discs in the back, broken collarbone and getting tendonitis in the wrist after a mountain bike crash last year :mad:

I just couldn't practice/play as much as I want and struggled in any comps I played in since at the later end of last and start of this season. Had to mentally rebuild my approach (combined with a few swing changes) over the winter as I just cant physically hit it as far or have the same flexibility. Back to .4 of my lowest HC and .4 of my target but it's been slow getting back let alone improving.

The positive thing is the swing holds up without much practice (putting doesn't though :rolleyes:) and it was more a fitness issue causing me to drop away in rounds, which is now getting better.

FixdePitchmark

Ok interesting stuff.

I'm lucky I haven't hit it yet.

There are 3 or 4 easy shots of short game to go yet.

Working hard on mental side. And understanding what I'm good at more.

So have low points. But haven't hit that wall yet.
This year was honestly about convincing myself I can be a single figure golfer.
Sounds silly. But I needed that before I could move on.

Hijpo

Its so frustrating for me that I'm not renewing my membership this time. Im in a situation where I know I could probably get to around 10, its just that lack of confidence from inside 120y is killing me. Its the part of the game that only comes with consistency derived from repetition and I don't have the time to repeat the drills. When I'm scoring I'm scoring with pars for 3 and bogies for 2pts (16hc) but the number of scratches from inside 120y is stopping me from bringing in a worthy score.

So I've decided that membership is a non runner and will instead just play the odd round here and there, which in aware will probably result in me jacking it in all together.

BoardsMember

GreeBo wrote: »

Hitting a wall means you are not practicing the right things, i.e. the things that will improve/lower your score.

Its the boring extra up and down, one putt less type of things.

I don't really practise. When I do get time I play worse. When I take a break I always come back playing well. If I play regularly, for me that would be maybe three times in two weeks, I play well for first 2 or 3, then I get steadily worse.

Maybe its the type of golfer I am. I enjoy the opportunity to play so this trend does not bother me. I tend to shot one good round a year, maybe two, whick keeps me off 8. My good shots are excellent. My bad shots are horrendous. I udually have 13-14 decent holes and the rest blanks.

I'll never hit a wall because I don't really have time to get below 8 and 8 is my best hcap ever. Maybe when the kids are a bit older I'll give it a rattle, set some goals, see how I go. For now I'll continue to get great head space when I play and hope for the odd good round.

PARlance

Rikand wrote: »

Greebo says in 500 posts what I said in 5 words

Fixed that for you Rik

Senna

Definitely feel the wall this year.
12 months ago I was off 12.7, now I'm off 12.7.
I just don't have the time to practice, at the moment if I get one round every week, I'm happy.
Into the winter my job gets quiter so I would usually play more, but I'm going back to college so I have a feeling the golf will be completely on the back burner for awhile.
I hope my wall isn't at 12/13 but if I'm off 12.7 this time next year, it will probably be an achievement for me.

FixdePitchmark

[QUOTgame bustercherry;91966749]I hit a wall literally; two fecked discs in the back, broken collarbone and getting tendonitis in the wrist after a mountain bike crash last year :mad:

I just couldn't practice/play as much as I want and struggled in any comps I played in since at the later end of last and start of this season. Had to mentally rebuild my approach (combined with a few swing changes) over the winter as I just cant physically hit it as far or have the same flexibility. Back to .4 of my lowest HC and .4 of my target but it's been slow getting back let alone improving.

The positive thing is the swing holds up without much practice (putting doesn't though :rolleyes:) and it was more a fitness issue causing me to drop away in rounds, which is now getting better.[/QUOTE]

This game is tough enough as it is.

fair play Buster dealing with that

FixdePitchmark

GreeBo wrote: »

Hitting a wall means you are not practicing the right things, i.e. the things that will improve/lower your score.

Its the boring extra up and down, one putt less type of things.

Maybe for some.

But you can hit it for 100s of reasons.

mister gullible

After 14 years of gradually lowering my handicap (began when I was 34) I hit a bit of a wall 3 or 4 years ago, started sliding out from a solid 6 to a 7 and then had major abdominal surgery and out of action for 4 months. Due to muscle weakness kept sliding out to 9. However with some perserverance and a couple of very good lessons it turned around and got back down to 6. I'm at the stage where I can't get any longer, I can only get technically better with irons and particularly short game. For instance, after all the years I was playing, I only learnt to use the bounce properly on the sand wedge inside 25 yds two years ago. A bit of practice and have saved numerous shots from that one lesson. I think people hit walls but if you can keep going you will start moving again. In my experience you never stop learning golf (two steps forward one step back:mad:)

FixdePitchmark

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Maybe for some.

But you can hit it for 100s of reasons.

To quote myself.

It can be time .
Motivation.
Slicing
Home life.


Golf is not all about up and downs for everyone.

If I stood up and couldn't hit a 6 iron well . My game would fall apart.

A wall can be hit for many reasons.

SaveOurLyric

GreeBo wrote: »

Hitting a wall means you are not practicing the right things, i.e. the things that will improve/lower your score.

Its the boring extra up and down, one putt less type of things.

Rikand wrote: »

Greebo says in 50 words what I tried to say in 500

I would disagree with you both though.
There is a wall there waiting to hit you even if you practice the right thing every hour of the day.


Anyway, you guys and your first world golfing problems.
I envy you, smashed into that wall. I hit mine years ago and its now disappearing into the distance as the rebound has taken be 4 shots back our from it.

GreeBo

SaveOurLyric wrote: »

I would disagree with you both though.
There is a wall there waiting to hit you even if you practice the right thing every hour of the day.


Anyway, you guys and your first world golfing problems.
I envy you, smashed into that wall. I hit mine years ago and its now disappearing into the distance as the rebound has taken be 4 shots back our from it.

I firmly believe you can practice your way over or around any wall.
It takes dedication and honesty, it can be tough to practice the boring things but at the lower end the scale margins are smaller and that's where the shots lie.

SaveOurLyric

GreeBo wrote: »

I firmly believe you can practice your way over or around any wall.
It takes dedication and honesty, it can be tough to practice the boring things but at the lower end the scale margins are smaller and that's where the shots lie.

Ok, so with enough practice no wall cannot be breached. Therfore we can all get to the level of golf of having 18 holes in one in every round if we put in enough practice on the right elements. I accept that. ( I just havent the time at the moment, but maybe next summer).
But how do you go lower then ? 18 shots per round. There is none more lower, to borrow a phrase.

GreeBo

^
got it in one chief.

GCW

I got to 7, then did a Padraig Harrington and got some lessons 'to take the extra step' forward to maybe get to 5/6. Was working on more wrist break at the top to take the club back farther. Made shoight of my game. Trying to shorten my swing again so I can get lower again. Messed up game. Only talented golfers in my opinion can hold single figures playing less that once per week. Im probably truly a 12. Work hard I can go low but life doesn't allow for enough time.

Rikand

SaveOurLyric wrote: »

But how do you go lower then ? 18 shots per round.

Theres a north korean dictator who could answer that for you

SaveOurLyric

Rikand wrote: »

Theres a north korean dictator who could answer that for you

I dont think so. He only had four holes-in-one in the round when he tried the game. So for his first round, yes, pretty good. But a long way a way from the wall. Would have been great to see him had he really applied himself.

TheDoc

My problem is taht I identify something that needs work, and while I'm doing that, something else falls away.

Recently I wasn't happy with my iron striking, so did a few weeks work, and now I feel such an improvement. Really crisp, penetrative flight. And now my driving has gone to ****, something that was so reliable all summer.

think I'm good when it comes to practice. I take a few couple houred sessions a week, and just work a problem out. Make something stick. But there in lies the problem. I focus so much on one thing, I nearly ignore the rest.

I'm also a horrible tinker(er) when it comes to my swing. Always want to change stuff. Because I'm not consistent in my play, I feel like something is broken, so need to change. I'd LOVE to see my results going three months not changing something.

I'm heading out tonight for just "practice". Get things moving ahead of a golf outing with work on Friday. I've for once nothing specific to work on, just out to hit balls. But I'll put any money that I'll come back here tonight and tell you I changed something.