Hello bvryan.. I understand your frustrations. I hope I can help a little bit here.
One, as Faterson said, you may want to try a new browser... some say they work miracles.. it's worth a shot.
On the jumpy meter, even with a new machine you may have to clear the cache and whatnot... there are enough tutorials over there under 'troubleshooting' that you can probably find something to help. Also, when the jitters start, it's a good idea to learn how to let the club swing through with out trying to make contact... think of it as a 'practice swing'. I find that I need to do this about 5 or 6 times in any given round.
On the chipping, pitching and putting... there are some very excellent guides on these forums for this shots. I will tell you that until I found them, I wouldn't dare chip from anywhere, it was a complete disaster. Well, after reading the guides, and understanding that you NEVER NEVER NEVER want to hit any chip at less than full power I have gained the ability to use that shot. So, take a few moments to get familiar with these guides. They are very very helpful.
As far as backspin/topspin/distances/deviations... there are hundreds of threads on these topics. It is a bit annoying when you expect something and get a completely different result. All I can offer is the advice to stick with it, because it does get a bit easier with time and practice.
Hope some of this helps. Have a nice day.