As we sit here in winter, poor weather makes practicing our golf games tough enough, and forget playing on anything but a sporadic basis.  Consequently as we see those skills that were so finely honed during the summer months gradually erode, fear can often set in. Please take comfort in the knowledge that you are by no means alone!  At some point in everyone's golf game problems arise.  Be it the forbidden never to be talked about shank, flailing bunker shots, poor approaches, yipping short putts; whatever. In addition, many players will sometimes develop issues with a particular club: driver, 3 wood, 4-iron, or putter.  They have lost confidence in that club and fear hitting it; dreading every time the club is needed.  The urge to permanently and perhaps violently discard the unruly tool(s)

Bye-Bye Bad Clubs

When you feel the panic and frustration coming on, just stop, and don’t let yourself get worked up into a worse state of mind.  Face the problem and do what you can to make it better.  When you are sick, you go and see the doctor, so when your swing ails you, seek the advice of your local golf instructor.  They can help diagnose the problem and give you practice drills for fixing it.  The problem unfortunately may lie in your mechanics, in your head, or simply in the club you are using.  If not corrected, a swing glitch can turn into a handicap inflating habit.  And as any golf instructor will attest, no habits as they pertain to golf swings are WAY better than those of the bad ilk. The reality is that most golfers spend the majority of their practice time hitting their favorite clubs and avoid the unruly ones.  However let’s assume you took the challenge of regularly practicing with the club(s) you hate and it still didn’t respond.  Get rid of it, I say!  Sometimes you just don't like a club for whatever reason, so toss the thing and upgrade.  For example:  Longer irons can be hard to hit, so make it easier on yourself and buy a hybrid.  A new club certainly won’t fix a bad swing flaw, but they can often be more forgiving of poorly struck shots.  Remember, should the panic set in, a lesson or two and a new club or two can be the Prozac for your game.

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