I am in pretty much the same boat as you. I attribute it to not enough playing time. Work gets in the way. So for now I deal with it. Gunna pull the plug on work in just under 2 years, I know my game will soar then. Hit um straight , Dave...

Not staying down on the ball causing a horrible line drive slice

I hear ya Carl. There are days I hit it great off the tee but my 2nd shot is just awful.. Other days it's the exact opposite. It's a lovely game isn't it? :)

My big miss I think for me is thinking too much... I need to look at my target, set up and then hit... I just need to put in the time and practice but with work and family, it's tough....

Play well Carl and I have a feeling someday you'll get down to a single digit hcp :)

In keeping with "pace of play" I still tend to rush shots. Especially in my short game. I am making it my goal to correct that this year. It never ends well !

For me, it really depends on the club. The driver miss is a big block right, usually from trying to steer the shot. Rather than turn my body, I just swing with my arms. For all other clubs, it's the hook. By ball flight is typically right to left, but every now and then, I'll just pull hook one hard to the left. Never a good feeling when I'm hitting those.

I guess I'm similar to you. I was going to label my troubles as lack of consistency. Sometimes I'll be driving the ball really well and not able to figure out why (I hit 12 of 14 fairways off the tee on one round last month, but my score was just about average - the 2nd shot and around the green made up for my good driving). Some days its the putting that is saving the day. I hadn't played much golf for a long time until about two and a half years ago, so when I first started playing regularly again, I was having trouble keeping my round below 100, averaging in the high 90s, but with more play, I've cut more than 10 strokes off my round and am shooting in the mid 80s. My consistency is getting better, at least a little bit at a time and I even broke 80 a couple months back.

Breaking my shot routine. What can then go wrong probably will.

Usually it's playing well until I try to aim left to cut a dogleg left. I usually either pull the shot further left or badly push with a fade the making my second shot either further than I wanted or having to punch out and have to scramble for a good score. I know it's alignment issue but the visual and swing plane don't always match what the intent was. Lol. Then there is making a definite 2 putt into a 3 putt because of not following my shot routine and missing those 2-3ft putts.

For me, it is my driving. I hit a lot of greens and my cap is a 6, but I always lose a ball OB during the round. My best rounds are always when the ball is in the fairway all day.

My big miss is a pull. Everything from drives to putts. Like Carl probably caused by lack of concentration.

Ahhhh.....Played yesterday and the crappy second shot came outta the bag on the front nine. I typically shoot high 70's to low 80's but yesterday it felt like I'd never swung an iron nor a wedge in my life. The kicker here was, everything in my warm-up on the range was perfect and I also hit 100% of fairways and 100% of par 3 greens. Standing on the tee box I was perfect but everything else was either chunked or bladed horribly. I can attribute a little of of it to long wait times, but that's just the mental side of the game that I struggle with at times. Wait times dropped on the back nine and I managed to salvage a decent back nine. So its back to the practice facility I go!

I chip like a muppet! Would easily be a couple of shots lower if I had a short game

What happens to me is that I'm so excited to even be at the golf course that my driver swing speed is out of control. after I settle down and just try to get good contact things go better. so the key to me is slow down and just get good contact with all the shots the score goes lower. And on the putts just try to get it close don't try to pound it in like the pros.