r/golftips

Forgive the rant.

This may seem like a silly question, but how does one practice golf? And please don't give me the stupid, obvious answers of swing a club and hit balls. I played a round this past weekend and hit the ball pretty well and shot a 98, which is a good score for me as I rarely break 100. I wanted to build off that momentum so today I went to the range. I took my 8 iron and paid $16 for two bags of balls. The first half I hit the ball fairly well, with the only issue being pushing the ball to the right somewhat. As I tried to figure that out, everything fell apart. By the time I was done with the second bag of golf balls I looked like Roy McAvoy with the shanks. This is usually how it goes at the range. The more I practice, the worse I hit the ball.

So it brings me back to my question of how do you actually practice the golf swing? Without someone there to watch me and provide insight, or filming every swing and watching them back (nobody has time for that), what exactly can you do to know what is going right and what is going wrong? What makes it more difficult is practicing golf costs money and you have a limited number of balls to hit. I was a great shooter in basketball in my younger days. I had a ball and a hoop and it cost me nothing to practice endlessly. The more I played the better I got. Golf doesn't seem to work that way.

I'm at the point where I might stop trying to get better and just treat golf as a fun activity. But that bothers me because I really, really want to improve. I know I have it in me. I have improved since I started playing again about a year and half ago, and when the swing is working my 3 wood goes 250. I just can't figure out how to create consistency in my swing. If anyone has tips on how practicing golf should work please let me know.

TL;DR - The more I practice the worse I get, probably because I don't know how to practice or I don't practice the proper things. How does it work? How can you actually get better at this game?

Debating on the best player irons out there. What are your thoughts? Looking for distance and an 8 hcp.

Wanted to get some advice on my first set. I’ve been practicing with proper coach and doing my own driving sessions between class. I went to a specialty golf store and based on my conversation, the salesperson recommended the following (all brand new)

(Prices are SGD)
Driver
Callaway Elyte Core 10.5 degrees $350

Irons
Mizuno JPX 925 Hotmetal 5-P 950GH S $750

Sand Wedge
Callaway Mack Daddy 54 degrees $90

Putter
DFX #1 34” $220

So around USD1,000.

Coach says the Stiff Shaft irons are suitable for me, but wanted to get some independent advice whether this set would scale beyond the first 6-12 months of me playing and whether I actually need all this now.

I’m hitting the ball like a bullet along the ground. When I practice at home, my shots have a good trajectory, but on the golf course, almost every shot comes out low and stays close to the ground, regardless of which iron I use.
I practice at home using a hitting mat, so I’m not sure what changes when I’m on the course.
Has anyone experienced this before, and what did you do to fix it?
I was playing today with a 75 years old who was hitting the ball beautifully he kept telling me he have a good contact with the ball and don’t worry it will come.
I had 3 lessons before and during the lessons I hit the ball good after the lesson when I go to the course I’m back to these flat ball with no trajectory.

Any tips?

Started playing again over the past month, mostly at the range. Not sure if my clubs are too short for me cause I'm taller than average. I don't really know how upright to stand. When I miss, it's usually a slice if I do a half practice swing, I usually find that my grip isn't strong enough and the club face is open during contact. I correct that by angling the club face more aggressively at the address, but then the connection doesn't feel great My power isn't that good, maybe 200 yds carry on a good hit.

Thoughts? Thx in advance.

EDIT --> see video below (forgot to include)

I consistently shoot in the mid to high 80s, sometimes in the low 80s but not super often. I’ve been trying to lock in on my short game and cutting down on 3 putting and 2 putting from 6ft and under. The hardest part of my game right now is my 56° goes 116 and if I hammer it I can get it low 120s. My 50° goes 150 with a smooth swing so I have a huge gapping in my clubs and need to get a club to switch it up. Other than that my game is pretty consistent.

What kind of tips would help me get consistent in the low 80s or even breaking 80?

I've come back to the game after a long layoff (20 years!) due to work/kids/travel etc and starting to practice again

I seem to be really struggling with swaying/sliding such that in my downswing i slide rather than rotate, end up with a wide open club face, come up out of posture and end up topping/blocking to the right. Im fairly sure this is the issue but i cant seem to find a way or feel to solve it. Very frustrating. So

• Any tips for a stance that stabilises the lower body? Push the knees out, less knee flex etc?
• Any tips for a cue or feel to start the downswing to stop that slide and make it a turn? I was pushing into my left heel and squatting but that seems to make the slide worse. Would pushing into the right heel be better?

Any ideas gratefully recieved

Just started playing about 3.5 months ago and 18 birdies had me at around a 30-35 handicap. I’ve been able to get it down to a 20.8 so far and was wondering if it’s realistically possible to try and get down to a 15 in another 6-10 months. Although I’m not sure if 18 birdies is the most reliable way to keep handicaps

I’ve golfed 30 years and have never felt comfortable w my grip due to a missing pointer finger on trail hand. Any tips on club grip fitting? I’ve tried grips w less taper at bottom and regular taper. I talked to a professional club fitter who taught at a David Ledbetter academy and he suggested a junior’s grip and building the top up.

Every golfer seems to have a different answer when it comes to actually getting better.

Some swear that taking lessons completely changed their game.

Others say the biggest improvement came from spending more time on the driving range, putting green or practising on their own.

And then there are golfers who believe there is no substitute for simply playing more rounds and learning how to score on the course.

So let's hear from people who have actually gone through it.

What made the biggest difference in YOUR game?

🏌️ Lessons with a golf pro
🏌️ Practising on your own
🏌️ Playing more rounds
🏌️ YouTube / online instruction
🏌️ Better course management
🏌️ Equipment or a proper fitting
🏌️ Something completely different

What was your handicap when you started taking golf seriously — and what is it now?

If you made a big improvement, tell us what changed.

For example:

Started: 24 handicap
Now: 12 handicap
Biggest difference: Lessons + practising my short game twice a week

You never know — something that helped you knock 5, 10 or 15 strokes off your game might be exactly what another golfer in here needs to hear.

What worked for you? 👇⛳

Getting back into golf for first time in years. Haven’t played course properly yet. Lots of time on the par 3 course (averaging 32 - 36 for 9 holes but I think I’ve got a sub 30 in me soon), plenty putting practice, driving range. Happy with progress .

I’m driving consistently and straight but seems maxed at 200m even when it feels like a perfect hit.

Just did 2 sneaky holes on the real course after a range session. Both drives hit fairway, 200m.

I’m also chipping and pitching fairly well.

Putting needs work. Full iron shots biggest weakness right now.

Anyway, everything can improve, but the drives already feel so good that it’s hard to imagine getting much more distance. Even if I’m wrong, treat this as hypothetical, let’s say for some reason i never manage to hit further. But the other parts of my game develop fairly well. Does that driving distance (and of course my other clubs also similar relative distance), make it very hard to get a good handicap? If so where do I realistically start to hit my upper limit?