Tears Before Bedtime

Many of those who know me will testify that I like a challenge and in particular will always put the hard yards in to try and make a swing change from a golf lesson fit into my normal game. I have to say, I've come to an impasse. The changes my teaching pro gave me to my address position in our lesson last Saturday simply haven't gelled. Instead I've been left with a swing that isn't working, a bad case of the shanks and after the practice session last night close to tears of sheer bloody frustration.

I understand the concept of trying to stand taller and tuck my bottom in more by feeling the pelvis is more underneath at address. However the position he got me into in the lesson is not the one I'm able to create now. I've tied myself in knots and even if I stand over the ball I'm so focused on whether it's right or not the swing itself is shot to pieces and tempo doesn't exist in my golfing vocabulary. I have never hit so many shanks, semi shanks and slices as I did last night.

Confidence has gone and I doubt very much that I'll be venturing onto a golf course again any time soon. I can't put club to ball and it would frankly be like being a golfing newbie if I played this weekend. So where does that leave me. Confused. Depressed. Angry. Frustrated. To be honest, it has got me questioning whether I'm making progress at all with my current teacher. The last lesson back in October focused on more wrist hinge and a better turn and that did work to a degree but again that change is hard to create when there are approximately 7,903 other thoughts jostling for attention standing over a shot. My handicap progress would argue that I've stagnated a little even if I did have some good wins and performances this year.

I've never been one to chop and change my teachers, and to be fair only went to this chap when my original teaching pro was going under the surgeons knife and then having some serious rehab. I had always planned to go back but Paul Harrison at N1 Golf and I worked well and things were moving on well. Ironically Grant Sayer my original teacher, based at Maidenhead Golf Club, is back under the knife to remove some of the pins from the first operation and tidy the tissue up. I wonder if I can get a discount for using a bionic coach. However it does mean he's out of action for a while yet.

Grant Sayer - his body is being rebuilt - can he do the same for my golf swing

So what next? I guess the simple answer is to take a deep breath, dry those teary eyes and put it down to a bad session and get out again and work on it. Rome being built in a day and all that nonsense. However it has got me questioning whether a) I should accept I am what I am as a golfer now,  b) a change of pro even for a couple of lessons might spark something new, c) look to go back to my first pro Grant and rekindle the partnership.

I am tempted by the first option and have begun to accept that the golf swing has flaws. When it is good it is very good but it is more consistency that is an issue rather than the ball strike itself. I still feel there is more to find in terms of playing a more reliable game and having a swing with fewer moving parts. Option A is a back burner. Option B starts favourite at the moment but begs the question of who and where. I think some homework needs to be done. I know a couple of local pros who are very good and so I might need to see what their availability is like. Perhaps a stranger is better. Someone who doesn't know me and has never seen me or my swing (and few will ever have seen a golf club swung like this!). As for Option C, I like that idea a lot too. I need to speak to Grant and see how he is progressing. I've actually still got a lesson paid for way back from when he first had his operation so a nice swing MOT could be the remedy and at least let him see where I'm at.

All I do know is I am struggling. Hopefully it'll click like magic and I can come back and tell your blog followers that it was all some ghastly golfing nightmare and all is well on the good ship SS Homer. However I fear that the next range session may also be a make or break one. I'm taking a box of tissues to wipe my eyes just in case. It could be a tough night!