Why Don't You Take Lessons?

[snapfade]

You go to the doctor for a check up every year, get your car serviced every 10k miles, dentist, shrink whatever. Why don't you see your local PGA instructor? Once a month I meet with my instructor, I take a few swings, he laughs at me, gets everyone over to watch, they all laugh, he gives me a lecture, shows me something, gives me some drills and I have added to my "tool kit" as they like to say. Seriously, there is no real excuse from my point of view. If tour pros practice under the watchful eye of a swing guru, you should at least visit one every so often. Can't afford it? Then don't eat out a few time one week. Don't have time? Yeah you do. Consistently shoot in the low 60's? OK then I will let you slide. YouTube is not an acceptable replacement for an in person block of instruction. You are doing several things here, one you are helping an instructor keep food on the table, second you are helping you get better. Everyone wins. You will play faster, save money on lost balls, just go see the man. Tell me I am wrong.

[billchao]

My instructor lives 400 miles away.

I don’t practice enough anyway.

[mcanadiens]

It's probably partially because I went D-I-Y from the start, but I've just had really awful experiences the couple of times I took lessons. Trying to follow the direction took my crappy, but somewhat manageable swing and made it a total disaster.

I got my limitations. Any more, the whole business of trying to improve is less important to me than just getting out and enjoying myself. Just really not interested in going down that path again.  

 

[ChetlovesMer]

I'm a huge believer in taking lessons. 

My instructor is 230 miles from my house.

I don't get near as many lessons as I'd like to, and sometimes I have take some time where I'm taking fewer lessons. Like right now. 
I tend to do most of my in person lessons in the fall and the winter. Fits my schedule better that way. 

[pganapathy]

I have only taken lessons twice in my life.  The first time was 35 or so years ago when I started.  Took maybe 6 months of lessons and it really ingrained the basics properly.  Then again maybe 13 years ago when I went for about 2 weeks of lessons.  That was to ensure I could eradicate bad habits which had crept into my swing.  I should take them now, but don because I never seem to hit the range.  Taking lessons and not practicing/grooving those habits on the range is a waste of time

[IceMike]

Ive already spoke to the local pro, will be arranging some when i become a member of local club. Ive just booked my first shot on the simulator this weekend so i can work out my ranges for each club properly and see what needs worked on first (there is alot to improve)

[klineka]

Man this topic misses the mark on so many levels, IMO.

 

  On 8/2/2023 at 2:32 PM, snapfade said:

You go to the doctor for a check up every year, get your car serviced every 10k miles, dentist, shrink whatever. Why don't you see your local PGA instructor?

You are doing several things here, one you are helping an instructor keep food on the table

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That is such a poor reason to justify why someone should go see a swing instructor.

Using your analogies, I've never thought to myself "Yeah time for my yearly check up to help keep my doctor employed" or "Thank goodness my teeth need cleaned so that my dentist can provide food for his family tonight" so why would I think that way about a golf swing instructor?

 

  On 8/2/2023 at 2:32 PM, snapfade said:

Seriously, there is no real excuse from my point of view. 

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I can think of plenty of reasons (or excuses as you say) for someone not to take lessons. Most of the guys I play with regularly have no interest in investing the time, energy, money, etc that it takes to seriously improve, they're out there to shoot around 90-100, drink a few beers, eat a hot dog at the turn, hit a few shots every now and then that make them feel like a tour pro, and get some exercise and time with the guys. They hardly ever practice between rounds, they're never going to play in any tournaments, most of them don't even keep a handicap or any stats about their games, etc.

So I'll ask you the question. Why should someone like that take lessons? In fact, for someone that I just described, there's a pretty good chance that lesson(s) will do more harm than good by filling their head with tons of swing thoughts that they likely wouldn't have practiced much (if at all).

 

  On 8/2/2023 at 2:32 PM, snapfade said:

If tour pros practice under the watchful eye of a swing guru, you should at least visit one every so often. 

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Tour pros golf for a living. Their scores affect how much money they make. I make the same amount of money whether I shoot a 72, a 102, or a 122. You using that example would be like me asking a tour pro why they don't practice their SQL skills because I work with databases to make my living. Or why tour pros don't go to the shooting range to increase their proficiency with firearms like a police officer would.

 

  On 8/2/2023 at 2:32 PM, snapfade said:

Can't afford it? Then don't eat out a few time one week. 

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Me not wanting to eat out so that I could afford a golf lesson affects more than just me. That would mean that my wife and son would miss out on the experience/enjoyment of eating out as well just so I could take a lesson. That's not fair to them because they don't care what I shoot. (Not literally me but you get my point)

 

  On 8/2/2023 at 2:32 PM, snapfade said:

second you are helping you get better. 

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Not necessarily. A lot of times with lessons there is a period of time (could be a multiple month period) where someone will hit the ball worse and even score higher after making a swing change than they did prior to making the change. Especially if they make a significant change mid-season and the change isn't fully ingrained yet so half their swings are the old motion and half are a new motion. 

  On 8/2/2023 at 2:32 PM, snapfade said:

You will play faster

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The guys I play with that can't break 100 can still play 18 holes in 3:30-3:45, I highly doubt our pace would improve that much if they started shooting in the 80s. There are often many other limiting factors that affect pace of play rather than the skill level of the golfer. Hell sometimes I feel like I'm holding some of them up when I spend a few extra seconds reading a putt from multiple angles, waiting to see if the wind will shift, in between clubs, etc where they will just get a yardage (sometimes) and just pick a club and hit. 

 

All of that being said, if you enjoy taking lessons, practicing, improving, etc then by all means continue to do so. I know I sure enjoy that part of the game too which is why I take lessons, practice nearly every day in some way, but it's absurd to think/expect all golfers to be like that and there are so so many reasons why people don't take lessons and there's nothing wrong with that.

[StuM]

I get the points @klineka made and if someone does not care to improve then yeah, don't waste time with lessons.  But if one wants to improve then lessons are a good option, if not the first option.  Very few people are capable of "Self teaching" something as difficult as a good golf swing.  Yes, some have done it.  I believe Phil Mikelson said he initially taught himself in a mirror trying to copy his father (that was why he golfs left handed, the mirror effect) but now he uses a swing coach.  Tiger, even when he was at the top of his game, utilized coaches and he practiced, he did not just go out the course and win over and over again. He worked at it. 

This year is the first year in a long time that I've had no lessons, and my game is the worst it has been in a long time.  I do not feel that is a coincidence and that will not be the case next year.

 

[ohioglfr]

I took lessons for a while about thirty years ago.  That got my fundamentals into play.  One of the things I didn't like about the lessons was that the instructor was also the Pro Shop counter man, the check-in cashier and overall trouble shooter at the facility.  There were other employees but it seemed like he had to cover their positions often.  Lessons were sometimes put on hold while he went to answer a phone call or fix the ball dispenser at the range.  That broke my momentum.  However, in the long run I feel the lessons were beneficial to me, and to his credit he made up for the lost lesson time.  That was my experience at a muni.  I'm sure a larger facility or private club would have been a better experience. 

[p1n9183]

As a feel player I'm a lot better figuring out my swing on my own rather than trying to explain an instructor that my swing completely changes when I'm hitting in different wind directions. Also changes if the wind speed changes. 
Also my swing changes if the hazard on a shoot is on the right or on the left of my target.
Moreover my swing changes a LOT if I have a 9 iron on my hands rather than a 4 iron and also and hybrid. Driver of course has his own particular swing. 
Basically how can a teacher understand that I play with 5 different swings, a couple adjustments and 4 different grips depending on the wind direction, wing speed, hazard location, lie and club.

I´m playing the best golf of my life at almost 40. A lot better than when I was a teen were I assisted to the best golf school in Buenos Aires and been the top3 in the country under 18 while been tough the David Leadbetter swing (2001).    

[iacas]

  On 8/2/2023 at 2:32 PM, snapfade said:

You go to the doctor for a check up every year… dentist…

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A lot of people don't.

  On 8/2/2023 at 2:32 PM, snapfade said:

Why don't you see your local PGA instructor?

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Doesn't have to be a PGA instructor. Though, as a member of the PGA, I'm probably not supposed to point that out.

  On 8/2/2023 at 2:32 PM, snapfade said:

Tell me I am wrong.

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Instruction isn't for everyone. It's not your health, or your car's health, it's something you do for recreation.

Sometimes I'm amazed that anyone takes lessons at all. I get it; golf is hard®. And I applaud those who are working on improving because as adults we often stop "working" on improving things.

[ChiTown]

@snapfade I agree with you, and I’m surprised at the number of critical comments. Generally speaking three ways I use a teaching PGA teaching pro

• When I’ve played several rounds and continue to have the same issue. For example my pitching and sand saves were inconsistent in terms of distance and direction. After an hour or so, we reworked the setup and swing. #done
• At the start of the season I was working a push hook that was just driving me nuts. Some time on the range and it’s now more of a baby draw.
• I’m considering a new driver, so I’ll go to the range with him to see how they do. 

[klineka]

  On 8/2/2023 at 10:48 PM, iacas said:

Instruction isn't for everyone. It's not your health, or your car's health, it's something you do for recreation.

Sometimes I'm amazed that anyone takes lessons at all. I get it; golf is hard®. And I applaud those who are working on improving because as adults we often stop "working" on improving things.

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I have to remind myself of these statements frequently when I don't magically go from an ugly steep swing to a beautiful Adam Scott or Rory McIlroy swing after 1 or 2 months of Evolvr 🤣

 

  On 8/2/2023 at 11:19 PM, ChiTown said:

@snapfade I agree with you, and I’m surprised at the number of critical comments.

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Because he tried comparing golf lessons to an oil change or a getting a physical.

Or because he acts like everyone who plays golf has the proper amount of time to practice, practice properly, and has the appropriate mindset and patience required to improve. 

Or because he acts like getting lesson(s) automatically means someone will improve.

Or because he stated that since tour pros, whose golfing ability determines if they make money that week or not, take lessons that all amateurs should too. 

[iacas]

  On 8/2/2023 at 11:19 PM, ChiTown said:

@snapfade I agree with you, and I’m surprised at the number of critical comments.

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Almost everyone replying regularly take lessons.

But the guys who enjoy drinking a beer, getting some time with their buds, etc. don't "need" to take lessons. Maybe things will change in a few years for them, maybe they won't. Not everyone wants to get to scratch or whatever.

[StuM]

  On 8/3/2023 at 12:57 AM, iacas said:

But the guys who enjoy drinking a beer, getting some time with their buds, etc. don't "need" to take lessons. Maybe things will change in a few years for them, maybe they won't. Not everyone wants to get to scratch or whatever

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Quite true.  I enjoy golfing with my league friends but they are different than golfing at a TST member.  Both are enjoyable but they are not the same.  Only a couple on my league are doing lessons.  I think one of them may be lurking in the background on TST.  

[ChiTown]

  On 8/3/2023 at 1:42 AM, StuM said:

Quite true.  I enjoy golfing with my league friends but they are different than golfing at a TST member.  Both are enjoyable but they are not the same.  Only a couple on my league are doing lessons.  I think one of them may be lurking in the background on TST.  

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That’s a very fair point. @StuM  

[roejye]

I would love to take lessons, but there are a few mitigating factors. The biggest are practice time and budget. Even if I did make practicing more of a priority, then budget becomes an even bigger issue. Yeah, I go out a couple times a week to get takeout, but that is basically the only social life a family member has unless he goes with me on an outing with a friend. The amount of money I spend on said takeout for a month would maybe cover one lesson.

I will say lessons are great for ingraining fundamentals and would probably help beginners get around the course faster. I will say, I could probably make some different choices and save up some money for a tune up lesson too.

[snapfade]

  On 8/2/2023 at 10:48 PM, iacas said:

A lot of people don't.

Doesn't have to be a PGA instructor. Though, as a member of the PGA, I'm probably not supposed to point that out.

Instruction isn't for everyone. It's not your health, or your car's health, it's something you do for recreation.

Sometimes I'm amazed that anyone takes lessons at all. I get it; golf is hard®. And I applaud those who are working on improving because as adults we often stop "working" on improving things.

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That's the only thing I could think of that you should do every so often that some people don't do.

@klineka As far as keeping food on the table comment, I would hope that wouldn't be the only reason you would see an instructor.  It's just an end result. For the not eating out part, that would apply to someone looking for a way to afford lessons, just an example. I appreciate the well thought out responses to my post, that was good. Didn't change my mind about anything, but good job.

Thanks for the responses. What I take from them is there are people who want to play better and will take the steps necessary to do so. And there are those who don't care and are happy where they are at with their game. Then there are those that just come up with excuses. My case study is done. Bottom line, enjoy the game however you see fit to do so.