Golf lessons on DVD vs. private instruction

[larlev]

Which do you guys think is the most productive?

I was looking at Jim Hardy, PurePoint Golf on DVD.

[klaymon]

The thing about having an instructor is they can see things you are doing that you don't "feel" you are doing. For example, I would have sworn before last week that I was keeping my lower body pretty quiet. My instructor showed me otherwise. I can see a DVD showing you some finer points of the game like improved chipping techniques, etc. But for getting big swing flaws fixed, you should see someone.

[JeffJ]

I thnk an instructor is the way to go. On the topic what is the going rate per hour for a teaching pro? Not a rookie but with 10+ years experience.

[larlev]

I thnk an instructor is the way to go. On the topic what is the going rate per hour for a teaching pro? Not a rookie but with 10+ years experience.

Here in Austin $80-$120hr.

[Trevor07Silvy]

Are you from Austin, Texas? There's a Golfsmith in North Austin off of I-35 near Braker and they have instructors there. My friend bought 4 1 hour sessions I believe and he payed around $65 and hour I think. Go check it out, Im thinking about it.

[Everardo]

The thing about having an instructor is they can see things you are doing that you don't "feel" you are doing. For example, I would have sworn before last week that I was keeping my lower body pretty quiet. My instructor showed me otherwise. I can see a DVD showing you some finer points of the game like improved chipping techniques, etc. But for getting big swing flaws fixed, you should see someone.

Yup, I agree with klaymon, definitely go with a live person. Same with clubfitting, go with a live/professional person to do this. It's like cutting your own hair, sure you can do it but quality will be better if someone else does it

[larlev]

Are you from Austin, Texas? There's a Golfsmith in North Austin off of I-35 near Braker and they have instructors there. My friend bought 4 1 hour sessions I believe and he payed around $65 and hour I think. Go check it out, Im thinking about it.

Actually Taylor.....I'll check into Golfsmith.

[larlev]

Thanks for all the replies....I have an instructor in mind, he studied under Chuck Cook and coaches several of the UT players.

[JeffJ]

Are you in South Austin? If so you might want to look at the group at Grey Rock(formerly Circle C). A buddy of mine was real happy with Buck and his wife...and he actually picked up with Tina when Buck was real busy. Buck is $100hr and Tina is $80

[tm22721]

Ringer is the best instructor I have seen especially this video on the hips .

[Big_M]

I think another good tool is to video your swing and watch it. When you can begin to analyze your own swing you will start to learn how help yourself in some ways and not be so reliant on another person to tell you what you are doing wrong. I'm not saying lessons are bad... just that helping yourself is good too. If I had the money I would take lessons and tape my swing and buy DVD's... but, since I'm on a budget I can't do it all.

[Avid Golfer]

Which do you guys think is the most productive?

I think it depends on a number of different factors. Including what type of golfer you are, what you know about golf from a conceptual standpoint, what your re-occuring faults are (and if you are aware of them), what the instructor knows, and the information the instructor shares with you during a lesson.

There are positives and negatives to each. I think regardless it is important for a golfer to have a conceptual understanding of the basics and fundamentals (grip, aim, alignment, stance, posture, ball position, and balance) as well as an understanding of the science of golf (cause and effect relationships, path and plane, power generators and leaks). That way a golfer can have a general idea how to get through a round if things start to go bad. In many cases the tapes/dvds may be better at providing you with that information. I've played occasionally with people who say I'm trying to do "X" to make my ball do "Y", or to prevent or correct for "Z". Often what the person is trying to do isn't helping to do what they think it is, and in many cases it is adding another fault to the swing. A better understanding of cause and effect would have prevented fustration and saved time in the long run. Usually during private instruction the instructor will focus on a few key concepts that usually relate to faults he/she *may* see. As another poster said it provides another set of eyes to see things you may not be aware you are doing. In general you'll likely spend the lesson hitting shots with the instructor watching, and not get too deeply involved in discussing theories and science of the overall swing. Good golf instructors usually don't want to overload the student with too much to think about. Some people learn best from visuals, some from hearing/reading, and some from kinestetics (physically doing). If you're a person that learns best from visual and auditory instruction then you may benefit more from tapes and dvds, and if you're more of a kinestetic learner the private lesson may be of more benefit. On one hand I remeber a personal lesson I had a long (long) time ago where an instructor gave me a tip that had me striping the ball, and how the next round I played I annihilated a scoring barrier I had never even got close to up to that point. On the other hand the Rick Smith's Signature Series videos and Nick Faldo's instructional videos taught me important things about the golf swing that no instructor before or since ever discussed. Like another poster said you might benefit from recording your setup and swing on video, and seeing how it differs from the pros. The more you know about the game and the better your game (scoring) becomes the less benefit you'll see from private instruction.

I was looking at Jim Hardy, PurePoint Golf on DVD.

I don't know if what I turned up with an Internet seach is the same dvd you are referring to (I'm not familiar with PurePoint, but I am familar with Jim Hardy's teaching).

http://www.purepointgolf.com/instructional-videos Looking at the website linked above I don't see any connection to Jim Hardy, and based on the price of the PurePoint DVD's I strongly suspect you'd be wasting your money.

[larlev]

Purepoint isn't related to Jim hardy....they are just examples of swing dvd lessons that are out there.

"The Plane Truth" by Hardy has recieved really good reviews...

I'm going with private...I feel I am almost there swing wise, I have studied the mechanics of the swing in depth, so I can say I know what I am supposed to do...it just a matter of doing it ...

[dave39]

You want to learn things while being able to do them.
How practicle is it to watch the DVD on a course and hit balls at the same time?

I would choose lessons over the DVD anyway, but depending on a persons skill level they might be able to learn new tricks from videos or books/magazines.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Teaching pro, all the way. Find a guy you are comfortable with and stick with him (or her). My guy and I have been together since i picked up the game. We have formal sessions once every 6 weeks or so, but most of the time its just him and I bullshitting around at the range he owns and I learned that way.