When the game you love becomes torture, it’s time to take action

When we’re playing well, the game is almost effortless – bad shots are out of the question. You feel like you couldn’t hit a bad shot if you tried. But, when you lose the zone, the groove, the slot, the feel, whatever you want to call it - nothing is more difficult than the game of golf. And nothing is harder to reclaim than that magic touch once it’s left you.

I don’t think I know anyone who hasn’t gone through a slump at some point during the course of the golf season. I know at some point, every season, I’m going to go through a period where the game becomes more difficult than it usually is. But I’ve found a way to shorten my slumps.

Slumps seem to come about overnight. In reality, though, slumps are usually caused by us gradually getting out of position with our setup over a period of time, causing our mechanics to change. It just doesn’t show up until we’ve gone a little too far - and then the bottom falls out of our game. I have a tendency to unconsciously work further away from the ball at set-up. Many people do this because subconsciously we feel more powerful when we’re reaching for the ball. I know I play my most consistent golf when my hands are about four inches from my left thigh. At 4-½ inches I still hit the ball pretty well, but when I move another ½-inch away I have the potential to hit it just about anywhere.

Rather than struggling through a slump for endless buckets of balls and brutal rounds of golf, change something - anything. How do I fix it? I go to the driving range and go back to basics. I start by checking my grip, set-up, posture, etc. Next, I hit balls at about 50-75% power. Most importantly, I change my grip or alignment or ball position just a little, until I’m aware of a new feeling, a new sensation in my body.

Why do this? Because I need some new reference points so I can feel what I’m doing. Without them everything feels, well, like nothing. I can’t tell where the club is, where my hands are, or what my body is doing. A slight change in grip, stance, or ball position gives me new sensations or reference points I can feel during the swing. Now, rather than “swinging in the dark,” these new sensations give me checkpoints to reference so I don’t make big changes trying to fix a problem that isn’t there.

Remember, even though your swing may feel as though huge mechanical changes have taken place, most people are just slightly changed from when they are playing well. Don’t make the mistake of trying to reconstruct your swing by changing your mechanics. My guess is your mechanics are fine, you just need to find one or two reference points to put you back in the zone again.

Having trouble finding new reference points? Your local PGA Professional can help you find some that will put you on top of your game in no time!

Kim Anders is the Director of Golf at Estrella del Mar Golf & Beach Resort in Mazatlan. An accomplished player early in his career, Kim now focuses on the administrative side of golf and helping others find enjoyment in the game. Contact Kim at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .