Anyone ever just... lose your swing mid round?

#1 of course

#2 I don't think that anything I have done on the course has ever got my swing back for more than 1 shot.

Most common for me is my grip doesn't feel right, and I can't make it feel right. I go thru the same procedures for getting my grip every time but I can't get my left hand on the club right.

Sometimes after a few holes I will address the ball and my shoulders are wide open and this seems to be the neutral position for them, a good crack to the right side brings them back in line.

It is probably best to NOT make changes in your grip or swing during the round, but make changes in your aiming point and play what you got.

Mine usually dies between 9 and 10. Can shoot around even on the front and 9 over on the back. Everything feels exactly the same except where the ball goes. It is the most aggravating thing in the world.

Yes i think everyone had had this at somepoint in time. Somtimes its couse your trying to get cute with the ball or work it to much. Sometimes you might be trying to Force the club to do what it dose naturaly. Even though you know your yardage for that club. Sometimes you hit it with a strong grip thinking your controlling the club more and of course this leads to fustration, random swing thoughts and bad temp fixes. My suggestion. Eat a hot dog, drink a water or beer or what ever you choice of beverage is. And simply relaxe loosen your grip and swing normal. if you hit a PW 135 and thats why your trying to hit. relaxe the grip and just swing it. trust your game. It's Mostly mental.

I think you're right John.  I was playing the other day and scoring well through 9.  I hit a thin shot on 10 over the green then got cute with my chip and left it just in the fringe.  I started to worry "not again" and felt myself getting too mechanical.  I just took a step back, thought about how nicely the flowers were coming in, and took 3 deep breaths.  The next little chip felt natural and left me with a tap in bogy.  On the following drive I didn't think about anything, and that's how I like it.  Thanks for the tips, and I'm convinced it's 99.9% mental.

I agree with John on how to 'fix' it.  Do something that takes your mind off of the game between shots.  I'll drink Gatorade or water, eat some food, or anything to keep from focusing too intensely for too long.

Also, by the sounds of it, you may have just hit a physical limit 8 holes into your round.  If you were fatigued or dehydrated going into your round, the effects would probably hit your in that 6-8 hole range.  Sure it is possible to lose your swing half way through a round, but if you've been playing for a while and practicing often, you'll start to know when things are going to turn south and will be able to reassess whatever it may be that you're doing wrong.  Usually it's the simple things cause the biggest problems.

I've had it happen. most the time it is when I get tired though. When this does happen I normally just sit down for 5-10 minutes drink some gatorade or something like that. It normally just comes back

I know the feeling well. It drives me nuts. My last 9 at my nightly league is a good example. Everything went to hell, and I felt like I never played before. Eventually, I forgot all about the game and only concerned myself with getting a couple of good strokes together. Forgetting about the score and the past seemed to help since I put a nice hole together on the last.

One time, I had the tale of two halves with 20 strokes between them. This was a few years ago, and I was about a 10 at the time. I showed up for my morning 18, and there were a few snow flurries in the air -- welcome to April in New England. By the 3d hole, my swing was completely gone. This course had a lot of water and woods. I lost a lot of balls and shot 98. Not good. Took a break, calmed down, had lunch, and tried to forget my round before heading to a different course for my second 18 of the day. By now, it had warmed up, and I was in short sleeves. I ended up shooting 78 that afternoon, so something brought my swing back. Most likely, it was because I had a break and was able to stop thinking about it -- something that's hard to do within the same round.

I have the same thing happen to me every once in a while. but when it happens to me it happens after i have had a bad hole. like last saturday i was 1 over through 7 and had a bad 8th hole and from then on i felt completely out of rhythm and just lost it. what i normally do when this happens is to take a deep breath, step back and take it one step at a time. good luck!!!!

Start of the round , mid round , end of the round .... That pretty much covers my game lately .... LOL

It's definitely a mental thing.  I've been trying to let my mind go blank after I decide what I want to do and it's been working.  I finally broke 80 for the first time this season.  When I hit a bad shot, I try to do what you said Owen.  I also remember an old Titleist commercial- the most important shot is the one you're about to take.

I feel you pain.  I had a round recently that started out great warming up on the range, but when I pulled out my driver to hit the last few shots I starting hitting a banana fade.  After a couple of adjustments I hit a few straight ones and off to the first tee.  I aimed to the left side of the fairway thinking I would slice a bit and hit the first snap hook of my life.  Next hole I hit the banana fade again.  I benched the driver and did pretty well.  After a couple of nice easy slow practice swings on the 10th (including a Dog and a brew) I figured I would pull out the big stick again, and wouldn't you know I started hitting my nice little controllable fade.

I guess if I feel like I can't hit the driver (always my iffy club), I'll just bench it until I can relax.  I'd rather lose 20 yards and be in the fairway than be tree-bashing in the woods.  A couple of nice controlled practice swings really helped me cure the mid round swing loss.

I'm sure it has more to do with what's in-between my ears than anything else.  Rarely do I hit an awful shot with a 6 iron or less.  Sure I've chili dipped a wedge and bladed a ball 120 yards out of a bunker, but those are things I can shake off pretty quickly.  It's when my swing feels good and the ball goes nowhere near my target is when I get worried.  I tend to over think, tense up,lose balance, and it just goes on down the bag until I hit a pure whatever iron or get my head on right.  

When this happens to me it's usually because I'm swinging too hard.  I tell myself to relax and then concentrate on loosening the muscles in my hands, up thru my arms, into my shoulders, neck and jaw.  Then I just try to hang on (barely) to the club and swing.

ALMOST DAILY JOSH.I EITHER START WITH IT AND LOSE IT OR I FIND IT ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH.GUESS THAT'S WHY I'M A 12 HANDICAP,,,,,,,,,,,,,LOL,LOL,LOL.

Gotta love this game huh Dog?

Love this topic because yes, of course it happens. It happens with pros too. Just watch them blow up off the tee. I have found that most of mine has to do with fatigue during the round. When its 90 degrees with humidity its tough when you are walking. Another thing is slow play might have something to do with it becuase some many find that getting into a rhythm can be tougher to maintain. I know that is the case with me. I just try and go back to basics and keep stretching. I agree with some of the other threads about doing something different to take your mind off of what you normally do. Shocking the body with something other than the normal wont hurt.

"Like water off a duck."  I try to just roll with it when I hit a terrible shot for no reason.  Sometimes it's fatigue sometimes is poor mechanics, but if I'm playing well, and feel like I lose my swing I'll just step back and think of the next shot as a chance to do something perfect rather than focus on technique.  

In the past when I've felt like my swing is all out of whack I would toil about it, and take a turn to negative town.  Now I just roll with it like water off a duck.  It works better for me, and I tend to find my groove again

It happens every round to me and most of driving range practices.

I appreciate the other posters' tips. I need to keep fortified water and a snack with me.

When this happens my woods leave me first. Not much for me to do but work my way back to the longest club that I CAN hit. The last round it was my 31 degree 6 iron. Used it off the tee and all approach shots at 120 yards or over for the rest of the round. Then I just make up the difference with a shorter shot to the green.

I prefer a 9 hole round. I really get too tired toward the end of a full 18 hole round.

Vin sounds like to need to find a fitness coach, last year i missed Q school final stage because I was soooooooo tired i couldn't hit it , ran out of gas, I have been training with a TPI fitness coach and ready to give it a try again.  just something to think about, fitness is very important, yes even in GOLF

I've found a very simple alignment/ swing thought that works for me if the game goes south.  Once I commit to the target I align my club to noon and my body to 11 O'clock.  I focus on visualizing my shot, grip lighter than normal, pull my take away slower, and then think "swing to 1 O'clock".  More times that not it produces that little draw that I love to hit.  It's also helped for first tee jitters and pressure packed drives (the tee ball is the worst part of my game).  I think getting back to basics and keeping things simple helps when you're swing takes a vacation for a hole or two.