How Many Golf Lessons?

[Vespidae]

28 minutes ago, Mr22putt said:

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

I don’t know. 30? 

[ChetlovesMer]

On 7/18/2020 at 7:14 AM, knott said:

After having learned the basics there is little point in lessons. Better spend the time on the practise range or spend the time on youtube spending nothing. May have some money over for actually playing golf and learn that way.

 

On 7/18/2020 at 8:49 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.

I would like to reiterate how strongly I DISAGREE with these two statements.

I've already mentioned that I'm not naturally good at golf (or any other sport for that matter.) I will be playing with the gang heading up to Erie this weekend. I have only played one round this year and felt I needed to get ready. 2 weeks ago I went to the range. I was a total mess. I thought "I wonder if it is too late to back out of playing in Erie?" 

Anyhow, I've seen my coach once last week and once this week. At last night's range session I was hitting it really well again. Now, I'm excited to head up to Erie and play. 
So, what's your point? you may ask. Well, I have several. 

1 - Having a coach who knows your swing, who has more than 3 years of video on your swing, makes it INFINITELY faster to diagnose a problem and fix it. Turning me from a total spaz to at least someone who is believable as an 8 handicap. 

2 - Yes, coordinated people can probably learn this game on their own and be better than me. But on my own, I'm hopelessly trying to break 100. With my coach I'm thinking about how to get to hcp of 5 and then scratch. We have a plan. Is that plan behind where I thought I'd be this year. YES, everything is behind where I thought it would be this year. But, we have a plan. 

3 - Yes, there are youtube videos out there to fix damned near every problem you could possibly have with your golf swing. ... See point 1

4 - Are my problems fixed forever? It's probably ridiculous for me to think so. I know from experience golf is a fickle bitch. One day the game seems so easy. The next day you feel like an orangutan performing brain surgery with a crowbar. But, what I do know is, my swing coach can get this orangutan back on track after a session or two.

5 - Finally, I really don't care if you take lessons or not. But for me, I enjoy golf way too much to shoot 110 every time I go out there. 

 

................................  BTW - Did I mention I'm excited to head up to Erie and play this weekend? 

[tsproul]

I started golf late - when I was in college so around 20 yrs old. Played for ~10 yes with 2 lessons. Around 20 index. Family took over and stopped for 15 yrs. picked up again a couple yrs ago and found myself in the same spot - 18 index. Decided I wanted to play better (and thought I could). Tried lessons and eventually landed at Golftec. Love it. Bought one of the big packages (50-60 lessons or so). I’m now a 9 index and feel like I have more improvement in me.

Lessons can be the way. You do need to be financially able to afford - way more expensive/yr than a new set of clubs each year. You need to be willing to “waste” some money at the start. You might try 3-4-5 or more instructors before finding someone who you work well with. This may turn some off of lessons but I think it is worthwhile.

[RFKFREAK]

Super late to this thread but I picked up golf late in life because my friends started playing golf so I I bought a set off the rack from Sports Authority (is company even still around) in 2007 after playing a few rounds in 2006 with I think an old set that was gifted to me.  However, I probably only played a half a dozen times until I really got into golf in 2011.  

I took instruction from a couple of local people in 2011 but I didn't feel like I worked well with them.  I found this site in 2013 and soon thereafter began taking lessons from an instructor on Evolvr.  The instruction is great but I'm bad with prioritizing practice time and am inconsistent with it.  I also find it hard to be motivated to go to the range and hit balls at anything other than at close to full speed so when my instructor would say, hit balls at 20% speed or something like that, I'd go with that intention but after a few balls or sometimes for the whole practice session, I'd try and implement the piece I was working on at full speed which certainly isn't the best way to improve.  I'll also admit that spending $6-$8 on a bucket of balls to have them go 40 yards also seemed like a waste of money to me so that de-incentivized me even more . 

And that, my friends, is just the bottom line as to why I'm a terrible golfer who hasn't improved much.

 

[uitar9]

This is our 9th year. Got lucky about 5 years ago and took 8 to 10 winter lessons each for two winters. He was CPGA instructor and a prince of a guy. Didn't  teach a specific swing, just worked with what we had and treated us each differently based on how we learn.

Unfortunately, he passed at 48 (Cancer) and we have chosen not to find a replacement.

[Leek]

On 7/18/2020 at 7:14 AM, knott said:

After having learned the basics there is little point in lessons. Better spend the time on the practise range or spend the time on youtube spending nothing. May have some money over for actually playing golf and learn that way.

I think it depends on your goals.  A good instructor can see things most of us just don't and get to the root causes of our swing challenges. Often times I find the things I notice about my own swing tend to be symptoms, not the cause.

If I just want to be able to knock it around the course and be able to play with mid handicappers, I wouldn;t need lessons. I personally wouldn't have fun either.

 

 

 

[StuM]

I started with many lessons several years ago but did not have the time or money to keep up with lessons, practice & play so I backed off the lessons & practice and just played.  I can confirm that my game suffered.

Over the 2019/2020 winter I spent time practicing and took 6 lessons.  This year my game is better than it has been in a long time and many things are starting to click.  Still have a long way to go.  A few weeks ago I went back for a lesson on my long irons/hybrids because I noticed they are my current "Big" weakness.  He made a few changes and I hit the practice range 6 days a week for the next two weeks trying to get the changes to become habit.  This Tuesday I started my round well but then collapsed on the 4th & 5th holes (shot 7 over par on 2 holes!).  On the 6th I took a deep breath, thought about my lessons & practice and went up and short par-bogie-par-bogie to finish.  I still have my problems but I am seeing improvement.  I intend to take more lessons over this winter.

One thing TST has done is make me more goal oriented in my approach to my golf game and lessons will help me as I work to set harder goals next year.  

 

[Greg 504]

I've been playing golf for just over a year now. I have averaged 1 lesson per month in that time and have used 3 different professional instructors. Not that any were "terrible," I felt as my game progressed, I needed to seek a coach that could continue to bring me along.

I feel I have made considerable progress in just over a year of golfing. I have kept an unofficial HI primarily to measure my progress. I started at 33.9 this spring and am currently 17.1. My current swing coach has likely taken 8-9 strokes off my cap in just 5 months. Like others have said, we click well and I really understand the priority piece he is trying to teach me from each lesson. My first coach was older and his teaching was a little antiquated. Again, not terrible and he got me on the right path early, I just recognized he would only take me so far. 

I view this sport as a never ending process of learning. There will always be something to work on, something to improve upon. If there was not, why wouldn't I be playing on the tour? Hell, the best in the world have coaches. With that, I guess it all depends what your personal goals are as well. I'll never tell someone they need lessons if they are happy getting out and knocking the ball around. Some are fine with that and use the game more to socialize and don't care if they ever break 100. I have set goals that I want to achieve and get a lot of fulfillment when I reach those goals with the help of professional instruction. Trust me, I'm not smart enough to figure this game out all on my own. Golf is hard!

[klineka]

37 minutes ago, Greg 504 said:

I've been playing golf for just over a year now. I have averaged 1 lesson per month in that time and have used 3 different professional instructors. Not that any were "terrible," I felt as my game progressed, I needed to seek a coach that could continue to bring me along.

I feel I have made considerable progress in just over a year of golfing. I have kept an unofficial HI primarily to measure my progress. I started at 33.9 this spring and am currently 17.1. My current swing coach has likely taken 8-9 strokes off my cap in just 5 months. Like others have said, we click well and I really understand the priority piece he is trying to teach me from each lesson. My first coach was older and his teaching was a little antiquated. Again, not terrible and he got me on the right path early, I just recognized he would only take me so far. 

I view this sport as a never ending process of learning. There will always be something to work on, something to improve upon. If there was not, why wouldn't I be playing on the tour? Hell, the best in the world have coaches. With that, I guess it all depends what your personal goals are as well. I'll never tell someone they need lessons if they are happy getting out and knocking the ball around. Some are fine with that and use the game more to socialize and don't care if they ever break 100. I have set goals that I want to achieve and get a lot of fulfillment when I reach those goals with the help of professional instruction. Trust me, I'm not smart enough to figure this game out all on my own. Golf is hard!

Is the current instructor you referenced Mitch or are you working with someone else now? Great progress!

[MattM]

My first instructor (when I started playing 10 years ago) was definitely decent, he got me to a level where I at least had a slight idea of how to hit the ball off the ground and probably went into detail, but it wasn't on video so I couldn't review the lessons.  Like I said, pretty good, but I basically had to remember everything (which never happened).

I have to say, my thoughts on instruction really improved when I started Evolvr and could get detailed breakdowns of what I needed to do with cocomparisons to a tour pro to see what it SHOULD look like.

Here is the thing..the beauty of Evolvr was that I STILL have all of my analysis vids 5 years later!  That's priceless!!! 

A good example is that over the quarantine I got a net in the back yard to keep my swing going.  Well I couldn't see ball flight, and I didn't find out until my first tournament that over thousands of swings into the net I had grooved a massive pull-duckhook!!! We are talking on every club!  Well, it's taken me all summer, but I was able to go back through my video lessons and my five year old "my swing" thread on here, and I've been able to get my swing at least back to being servicable!

I never could have done that on my own without those video lessons, and now if/when I get lessons again, it will be in the same format, so I'll have that knowledge going forward!

 

[Greg 504]

5 hours ago, klineka said:

Is the current instructor you referenced Mitch or are you working with someone else now? Great progress!

@klineka, yessir, still working with Mitch! He has been a phenomenal instructor and he does a great job conveying the priority piece (s) for me to work on. I appreciate your input and suggestion that I check him out. I'll be eager to get back to him once I heal a bit after my surgery. Maybe I can ease back into the game this winter with some putting and short game lessons.

[Billy Z]

As the op, I just took a lesson a couple weeks ago because my swing was starting to deteriorate. At the beginning year I was doing quite well with my swing and all of a sudden I started to pull hook the ball especially on the longer clubs. Turns out my left wrist was breaking in a wrong fashion on the backswing and he corrected it. A number of other issues I can work on through the winter to tune up my swing as well. It was well worth the price as my swing has already gotten much better as well as the results. It is still a work in progress.

[FlyingAce]

My instructor of 2 years left for a headpro position a few hours away and since I was playing well and improving on my own, I figured I am set for this year without having to find another instructor. I got a new driver and gained 30 yards immediately and kept improving, averaging 215yds and trending up when all of a sudden, I lost it all. For the last 3 weeks, I’d be lucky to hit 150 and my game deteriorated, so did my confidence.

I ordered a 3 hybrid 2 months ago and it finally came in, so I went to try it out but couldn’t make contact. Spoke to the manager and he suggested that I see an instructor immediately before more damage is done. He suggested the instructor in his store, who happened to have a cancellation. Forty minutes and $70 later, I found my missing 60 yards! It was such a minor issue but something that I wouldn’t have spotted on my own. It was time and money well spent on someone who saved my game! 

[ChetlovesMer]

29 minutes ago, FlyingAce said:

My instructor of 2 years left for a headpro position a few hours away and since I was playing well and improving on my own, I figured I am set for this year without having to find another instructor. I got a new driver and gained 30 yards immediately and kept improving, averaging 215yds and trending up when all of a sudden, I lost it all. For the last 3 weeks, I’d be lucky to hit 150 and my game deteriorated, so did my confidence.

I ordered a 3 hybrid 2 months ago and it finally came in, so I went to try it out but couldn’t make contact. Spoke to the manager and he suggested that I see an instructor immediately before more damage is done. He suggested the instructor in his store, who happened to have a cancellation. Forty minutes and $70 later, I found my missing 60 yards! It was such a minor issue but something that I wouldn’t have spotted on my own. It was time and money well spent on someone who saved my game! 

I'm glad that story had a happy ending. 😃

[FlyingAce]

On 10/2/2020 at 5:04 PM, ChetlovesMer said:

I'm glad that story had a happy ending. 😃

I played Saturday, wasn’t great but my swing was coming back. Played Sunday and shot 78, my best of the season! My swing is back and better than before😊

I think lessons are important and very helpful!

[DewSweeper09]

Wonderful question. In my opinion, it depends on too many factors to derive an easy answer to this question for everyone.
I’ve seen some players take fundamental lessons and take off and play at really high levels with minimal.. seen some need lesson periodically, seen awful instructors who just can’t either connect, articulate or let their personal bias interfere, seen great instructors who have to look at the same swing lesson after lesson because the player simply won’t buy in and put in the time to work on the things being taught.. they keep showing up for lessons thinking it will magically fix things...some pros have swing coaches, some do not. Sometimes constant lessons can really wreck a player too...

Personally I’ve always been a minimalist, that’s not to say I don’t have a colleague, or pro take a quick look every now and then. If I’m off, it helps to have an extra set of eyes. But I never seek out formal lessons, I teach my son myself as my father did, and the club pro tweaks here and there.. it’s worked out really well. But that’s just me. Everyone is different. Heck I was asking a question the other day about flops shots from tight lies here. (Extremely difficult to get an answer by the way) but hey I’ll always continue to try and learn in every way possible and improve. I’m losing a couple strokes there lately..I’ve been trying hard to contribute since joining the forum and interact to learn and share. That’s all lessons are right?
I think finding the right instructor with the right ability is important but the player needs to connect. Some instructors are good at technicals but their attitudes and dispositions are so weird they can’t get along with anyone and seem to get frustrated easily and actually make students uncomfortable. Finding that right combo, a player willing to put in the work, trust a quality Instructor which they connect and bond well can have great results and usually answers this question by the relationship they have. Some find they need more often, some occasional, some for just a tweak once in blue moon. Whatever the case, evaluate how it helps your game and if your improving and being honest with yourself about your commitment. Good luck in your journey.

Edited October 10, 2020 by DewSweeper09

[easyjay39402]

I’ve been playing off and on for more than 6 decades. Started as a caddy. The Assistant Pro (who later played and won on the PGA Tour) gave us free lessons and played with us before the course opened in the morning. Members donated their used clubs to the caddy shack. Those early lessons have stayed with me a long time.  Shot my age for the first time last summer and decided to get serious about the game one last time. Been taking lessons at Golftec and am enjoying trying to learn the modern swing. Not certain that my body is up to the challenge ... old dog and new tricks 😎
Edit - forgot to include that I have taken four lessons at Golftec over about 10 months. I bought a package. I live about 2 hours drive away from the facility and COVID has been an obstacle. I come away from the lesson with one big rock to work on and don’t go back until video shows that I have made some progress on it.

Edited October 19, 2020 by easyjay39402