What's wrong with taking a lesson from a teaching pro?

[Fourputt]

Quality lessons will take you farther than any clubs ever made, for several reasons. One, Lessons will simply help you develop a better swing, and that can't do anything but help. Two, you will have a better understanding of the golf swing, and your swing in particular, and will learn how to correct for most bad shots/swings. Then when you actually have a fundamental understanding of the golf swing and what you are trying to accomplish, then you can match your equipment purchases to that goal through knowledge and experience, not by what some 25 handicapper suggests in the equipment forum.

That way you might actually end up with clubs that work for you, and a set that you can keep for several years, instead of changing sets annually and as a result constantly adjusting your game to match.

[flopdarock]

i know guys with crappy sets of clubs and they are close to being scratch players...
i know guys with shiny expensive sets that cant break a hundred...
i think lessons and the right equipment can take you far...
but some ppl can take a billion lessons an can never ever ever get tour equipment to work for them and vice versa

[Garthmo]

I don't think there is anything wrong with buying a good game improvment irons or even a bigger headed Driver to help out when learning. Yes you can do the same thing with normal equipment but it can make the game more enjoyable when the equipment can aid in playing a better game, even if it is only a few shots a round. It doesnt mean the player isnt still going to struggle most of the time but a combination of proper equipment and PROPER instruction can go a long way.

[I KyotE I]

Lessons would be a big help, there are very few pros that don't have some kind of help. VJ being the only one I can think of. clubs could have a good advantage as well. forged lades tend not to be a mid to high handicap players friend. Now days the tech put into clubs helps a lot. I know if I could afford either I would but only playing two years self teaching and playing the very low brand I do with little to no major tech in them could be why I can't get any better. Lessons to help learn good form is better than any "words of wisdom" given by anyone that that isn't a teacher or course pro. in my thoughts anyway

[neophyte]

It's like marrying the first girl you see. You have to find a good one.

I may not be able to explain myself but I will try. Most pro's are not good teachers. Only a few pro's could get letters of recommendations from more than one student who went from scoring 125 to scoring in the 70's or low 80's.
If your pro has never helped anyone lower their score from over 100 to 70's. Unless you are talking about their lowering the amount of cash in your wallet. If your pro has never had success with other students, what kind of success do you think they will help you achieve?

[Parker0065]

Taking lessons can be controversial because I think a lot of times adults take 2 or 3 lessons and think this will improve thier game. I have watched many pros give lessons and basically if your not willing to commit to 8-12 lessons then you are probably not going to get much out of it.

My son did 8 week junior golf clinics from age 6 to 9 then started taking individual lessons the last few years. He's 11 and his swing looks like a miniature tour players swing! It takes time, money and dedication to develop that.

Not every teaching pro out there is a great teacher, but you can't beat good instruction and personal dedication to improving! If you dedicate 12 lessons or so with your pro and you see no improvement at all then it may be time to move on to someone else. Yes it costs money and time until you find the right pro, but if you want to improve, nobody said it was going to be easy, or cheap :)

[Fourputt]

Taking lessons can be controversial because I think a lot of times adults take 2 or 3 lessons and think this will improve thier game. I have watched many pros give lessons and basically if your not willing to commit to 8-12 lessons then you are probably not going to get much out of it.

This depends on your playing level and why you are taking the lesson. I don't feel that an experienced player necessarily needs a string of lessons to refine a part of his swing that may have gotten just a bit out whack. What he needs is a trained observer who can point out the flaw and suggest a practice regimen to get back on track. That doesn't require 8-12 lessons.... a good pro can usually watch you hit a dozen balls, and know within a few minutes what is needed.

For a beginner, yes I would recommend a series of lessons, with plenty of practice time in between them.

[mkrolewski]

I think fourputt is on the right line.

To become better you have to practice and practice. Most of the people I know, myself included, practice very little.

To make lessons effective, one has to practice/apply what was taught. In addition, you can only learn so much in a lesson. Especially if there are significant changes involved. Most likely to get significantly better, one is going to take many lessons spaced between lots of practice over a long period of time.

My best personal experience was a 12 one hour lesson program, every two weeks. It gave me enough time to try and typically forget what I was taught. And the instructor could repeat or add the next step as the lessons progressed.

The biggest benefit of a lesson may be that since you paid for it, you want to learn it, so you will practice.

[Parker0065]

This depends on your playing level and why you are taking the lesson. I don't feel that an experienced player necessarily needs a string of lessons to refine a part of his swing that may have gotten just a bit out whack. What he needs is a trained observer who can point out the flaw and suggest a practice regimen to get back on track. That doesn't require 8-12 lessons.... a good pro can usually watch you hit a dozen balls, and know within a few minutes what is needed.

It really depends on what you want out of your golf game. Yes, if you are a accomplished player you may only need a couple lessons to make a significant difference in your game, but your talking about maybe 1%-3% of all players that play golf. For the average player(+20 Handicap) the number of lessons may increase 10 fold to get the desired effect.

[Blades4me]

I have read so many posts about "equipment I can buy to improve my game." I have read about what have to be some awful swings. What is wrong with taking lesson or two and developing a swing and then get equipment. Game improving golf clubs have a limit on just how much improvement can be made. Imagine how good you would be with a good swing and good equipment.

And imagine it wasn't that long ago that there was little difference between the clubs Pro's used and the public used. Thats why many of us who have been golfing for more than 10 laugh at OEM's and their "forgiving" clubs.

Forgiving means more off set and / or bigger head neither of which you want if you want to get better. No amount of off set or larger head can make up for a bad swing. So the bottom line is get lessons so you at least know what a decent swing looks like. If you have any athletic ability you will be able to "feel" it. That is of course after your instructor has worked with you. Suggestion for lessons: 1) find a PGA teaching pro that you can relate to, personally I like the ones that are sticklers for the basics cuz that where it all starts, 2) sign up for at least 3 lessons, (thats how they usually come and should be at a little discount this time of year). Try to space the lessons out at 2-3 weeks apart and golf as much as possible in between to practice what you have learned, even if its going to the range and hitting a bucket of balls. 3) take the lessons with your current clubs; familularity when learning something new is a good thing. 4) take lessons at a range, NOT indoors. That way you can see what type of shot, (fade, draw, slice, hook, etc.). And thats enough for now. Oh, I forgot, if you don't like to learn, be very frustrated at times and don't have a healthy sense of humor, FOR GOD SAKES don't start this sport.

[Fourputt]

It really depends on what you want out of your golf game. Yes, if you are a accomplished player you may only need a couple lessons to make a significant difference in your game, but your talking about maybe 1%-3% of all players that play golf. For the average player(+20 Handicap) the number of lessons may increase 10 fold to get the desired effect.

Isn't that exactly what I said?????

Let's see....

This depends on your playing level and why you are taking the lesson. I don't feel that an experienced player necessarily needs a string of lessons to refine a part of his swing that may have gotten just a bit out whack. What he needs is a trained observer who can point out the flaw and suggest a practice regimen to get back on track. That doesn't require 8-12 lessons.... a good pro can usually watch you hit a dozen balls, and know within a few minutes what is needed.

[I <3 Titleist]

I'm getting my first lesson this weekend, after playing the game for 10 months. I can't say I'm not really excited to have my swing adjusted to benefit my game.

[SubPar]

I have read so many posts about "equipment I can buy to improve my game." I have read about what have to be some awful swings. What is wrong with taking lesson or two and developing a swing and then get equipment. . .

Good question. The golf business thrives on this kind of thinking. There would not be so many golf equipment companies making so much much money if golfers would do the right thing and learn the game through study and hard work rather buying different clubs every year. I set myself some goals to control this urge. I would not allow myself to get a new set of clubs till I could shoot under 90 with the $150 used set I bought. After that, I set my sights on a single digit handicap before I would upgrade again. It worked out fine.

I played several rounds over the holidays with different sets of rented or borrowed clubs and the experience reinforced by belief that "better" clubs or custom fitted clubs do make a difference, but only about 2-3 strokes a round... and only if your swing and ball striking is reasonably consistent. For most 11+ handicappers it will make no difference at all. Until you get down to a single digit handicap, I believe your swing is not yet consistent enough for the equipment to make much difference. You can get balanced, well designed and/or fitted clubs made when you are a high handicapper, but most of the things wrong with your game at that point prevent you from gaining any advantage with them. If you get a set of irons that are about the right flex for your swing speed and the shafts the right length, you should be able to get to a 9 or 10 working on the fundaments and taking lessons. Until then pretty much and $400--$600 set of irons will do. You can usually get some clubs that were the "hottest thing out there" two years ago for half the original price. Pick up a good used 5-wood and 3-wood and start working. I got down to a -10 without a driver in the bag. And stay away from advertising and golf shop club racks so you don't get the bug to upgrade when it is a waste of money. The guy I take lessons from can take any 8-iron from any bag down the range and hit it 170 yards dead straight. Equipment makes a slight difference and only if you are good enough to take advantage of it. SubPar