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How Many Golf Lessons?


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I first took lessons at the age of 11 or 12.  Both my brother and I went for a couple of months I guess.  Since then, I have had the odd single lesson, with one exception.  There was a coach who did a set of about 8 to 10 sessions and I went for the camp.  He helped me tweak my swing a little and my game has been pretty decent all my life.  High single digit to low double digit.

Three reasons I don't take many lessons now.  One is vitamin M.  The second is lack of practice.  If I had the time to practice regularly, I might make an effort to take coaching.  The final reason is the amount of information available online.  I am not looking to overhaul my swing, just tweak it slightly and improve in certain areas, especially short game.

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On 7/18/2020 at 9:06 AM, knott said:

 

It´s absolutely true. You couldn´t teach me anything I am quite sure 🙂 

 

Lol. Seriously dude. Add me to the list of lessons being crucial to play your best. I’ve taken dozens of lessons and continue to do so. Had I never been encouraged after joining this site I’d still be dominated by shanks and misery rather than the occasional hosel rocket. If you’re fine with bogey golf have at it. Otherwise your self teaching philosophy is very unlikely to improve your scoring.

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On 7/18/2020 at 5:49 AM, knott said:

Well I have had lessons. Absolutely helps what I mean is just that when you learned the basics there is little point you can fine tune the rest yourself with ease. It´s your body nobody knows it better.

That's not true at all. You may know how something feels but you don't know what's actually going on.

I recently did a physical assessment and learned about how I can improve areas in my body that need to be stronger and areas that need more stability. That's not something I can figure out on my own. Rather than guess or do generic exercises I can prioritize and focus on what I specifically need to improve.

What's funny is you never see these kinds of comments from good golfers, they appreciate how difficult this game is.

8 hours ago, iacas said:

Feel ain't real. That's one of the strongest arguments against teaching yourself. Even the instructors I know see other instructors. @mvmac knows as much about the golf swing as anyone… and gets regular instruction.

I had two eagles yesterday and six birdies today. I have a session with my instructor on Thursday. When guys in my weekend group see me they wonder why I would take a "lesson" after playing well. Obviously they miss the point, I play well because I get regular instruction. I'm not "learning" about the golf swing, he's keeps me on track with my priorities, I give and receive feedback, reinforce current cues, possibly experiment with different cues, rehearse situations and shots on the course, evaluate misses.

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Hell Butch Harmon took a lesson from George Gankas. 

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8 hours ago, iacas said:

 @Mr22putt no lessons except from his dad, but he hasn't commented on whether he'd recommend that for someone else looking to play better

 

If money was not a barrier....yes take lessons from a qualified instructor.....but not any instructor as it could take from 3-10 different instructors to find one that one has confidence in to get one to their golf goal(s).

Can someone teach themselves to get better?...absolutely...assuming they have the natural talent...but it will take them longer and also pick up some bad habits that are hard to break without the guidance of proper instruction.

But if one isn't committed to put in the time to take that instruction to get better then one will minimize their chances to getting better and scoring well.

That saddest thing I see quite often out here is that a child is taking lesson from an instructor....only to have the parent (who I have never seen hit a golf ball nor likely ever played golf) tell there child what to do at the range in the absence of that instructor....I LMAO when I see this...but don't say anything because it's none of my business...unless that parent is being abusive to the kid...then I'll step in...though that has never happened yet.....though I have heard at the range I frequent....the cops called in for an abusive dad that he and his child were not longer welcome at the range or course.

Everyone has different goals...if a 22 cap would be happy as a 15 cap...and if money was a barrier....I'd say...ya try to teach yourself and shave those 7 cap strokes....if that 22 cap wanted to be a 7 cap...then I'd say try to find the money for proper instruction or find a 'competent' golfer you trust who is willing to spend the time to aid you...but that might be a lot of time commitment and patience from a friend....especially if one has minimal natural talent to improve quickly.

If one has the ability to be a 'good' golfer...it doesn't take long to figure it out early on if they will become a good golfer......there are many golfers who have played golf for decades and will never be a good golfer either because of lack of talent, time and desired..... or all 3.. 

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I've only taken 2 lessons in my life.  But did get instruction on my high school and college golf teams.  The coach of my college team was a + handicap so I listened closely.

About 10 years ago I decided to get my first lesson from a pro.  Told the guy my history, my sports injuries, my goals and that I'd like instruction specifically to fit MY game.  Very weird... he gave me the "one size fits all" lesson.  I know that to be true because when I'd be on the range after that "lesson" I'd overhear him giving lessons to 25 - 30 handicappers and it was the same tips he gave me.  One after the other.  Great guy, but I don't think he listened well.

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Going to a short game lesson tomorrow.   It's never too late to realize with good help, the game becomes easier.

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28 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Great guy, but I don't think he listened well.

Golf instruction “in general” is a scam. “Uh huh”, “I see ..” The goal for many is to sell instruction hours rather than results. 
 

Before you hire an instructor, you should learn, HOW to hire an instructor. 

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5 minutes ago, Vespidae said:

Golf instruction “in general” is a scam. “Uh huh”, “I see ..” The goal for many is to sell instruction hours rather than results. 
 

Before you hire an instructor, you should learn, HOW to hire an instructor. 

Well sheesh, he had given my young son lessons and the kid spoke highly of him.

Curious Vespidae, HOW would you hire an instructor?  Granted, I didn't do a good job with that.

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3 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Well sheesh, he had given my young son lessons and the kid spoke highly of him.

Curious Vespidae, HOW would you hire an instructor?  Granted, I didn't do a good job with that.

I’ve spent thousands on lessons. First, I’d be interested in how an Instructor is going to help me reach my goals. Paying an hourly rate on bandaids isn’t customer oriented. That’s instructor oriented.
 

Second, I want testimonials. What were your goals, what was the process, how did you guys collaborate and what results did you produce?
 

I live near Atlanta. My instructor is 12 hrs away. Twice a year we do a 3 day school. We start with stats ... what % FW do you hit, % GIR, etc? And we build a plan. 
 

I don’t want to see an instructor that charges by the hour and isn’t committed to helping me achieve my goals. In 30 plus years of taking lessons, I’ve met ...one. 
 

 

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21 minutes ago, Vespidae said:

I’ve spent thousands on lessons. First, I’d be interested in how an Instructor is going to help me reach my goals. Paying an hourly rate on bandaids isn’t customer oriented. That’s instructor oriented.
 

Second, I want testimonials. What were your goals, what was the process, how did you guys collaborate and what results did you produce?
 

I live near Atlanta. My instructor is 12 hrs away. Twice a year we do a 3 day school. We start with stats ... what % FW do you hit, % GIR, etc? And we build a plan. 
 

I don’t want to see an instructor that charges by the hour and isn’t committed to helping me achieve my goals. In 30 plus years of taking lessons, I’ve met ...one. 
 

 

Thanks!  Sounds like you've found a good one.

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An anecdotal observation. The kids of golf instructors. They’re usually really good players. Maybe even almost always. 

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24 minutes ago, Vespidae said:

I live near Atlanta. My instructor is 12 hrs away. Twice a year we do a 3 day school. We start with stats ... what % FW do you hit, % GIR, etc? And we build a plan.

And here I thought I traveled far to see @iacas, who is 7 hours away from me.

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16 hours ago, Vespidae said:

Golf instruction “in general” is a scam. “Uh huh”, “I see ..” The goal for many is to sell instruction hours rather than results. 

I couldn't disagree more with this statement. People who go into teaching/instructing usually have a vested interest in seeing their students achieve their goals. My friend's brother is a private baseball coach (pitching I think, but not sure) for youth baseball players. If his instruction was only based on getting more billable hours from his clients (parents of the kids), rather than achieving good results, he would be out of business. I would imagine this is the same for any type of (insert activity here; music, art, dance, sport) instructors. I'm not saying that there aren't bad golf instructors out there, or bad fit between student/teacher, but it's false to say that golf instruction is generally a scam.

In any teacher/student relationship, there is equal burden on the student to practice/study/rehearse to achieve the progress they expect. I quickly learned that that the reason I wasn't seeing the progress I expected was because I was practicing poorly. I told my instructor that I was having trouble getting what she was asking me to work on. Her response was - "Tell me about how your practice". We had a good conversation about practicing correctly, and I realized that in addition to learning a better golf swing, I had to commit to learning how to practice the right way. A student who doesn't practice well has a limited ceiling for their instruction.

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16 hours ago, Vespidae said:

Golf instruction “in general” is a scam. “Uh huh”, “I see ..” The goal for many is to sell instruction hours rather than results. 
 

Before you hire an instructor, you should learn, HOW to hire an instructor. 

Yup, it must be a scam.😁

Unless you made a typo.....your cap is 17.6...so you generally struggle to break 90.

I've seen your list of instructors...quite impressive.....so it seems like you've spent $1000's and many years obtaining instruction without much, if any, progress.

Please tell me your cap is a typo.

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36 minutes ago, Mr22putt said:

Please tell me your cap is a typo.

Nope. It’s not a typo. 
 

I think instruction is an essential part of the game. I finally found one that understands my game and was pretty blunt about what it would take to fix it. He has helped me win my flight at the club and we’re working to win another. 
 

That’s great instruction and I wish I had taken that approach 30 years ago.

 I’m not a fan of simply buying bandaids. That’s my point. 

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20 hours ago, mvmac said:

I had two eagles yesterday and six birdies today. I have a session with my instructor on Thursday. When guys in my weekend group see me they wonder why I would take a "lesson" after playing well. Obviously they miss the point, I play well because I get regular instruction. I'm not "learning" about the golf swing, he's keeps me on track with my priorities, I give and receive feedback, reinforce current cues, possibly experiment with different cues, rehearse situations and shots on the course, evaluate misses.

DING!

My bag is an ever-changing combination of clubs. 

A mix I am forever tinkering with. 

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1 hour ago, Vespidae said:

Nope. It’s not a typo. 
 

I think instruction is an essential part of the game. I finally found one that understands my game and was pretty blunt about what it would take to fix it. He has helped me win my flight at the club and we’re working to win another. 
 

That’s great instruction and I wish I had taken that approach 30 years ago.

 I’m not a fan of simply buying bandaids. That’s my point. 

So if you never had instruction what do you think your cap would be?

What was your cap before you met your current instructor?

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