Decision: Rounds of Golf v. Lessons/Driving Range Practice

[Philip9210]

Ok, I am a beginner, having played only three times on course. But my question is, to get better which should I do, play once or twice a week, or spend the money on lessons/driving range/learning material. Currently I am in high school, working a little summer job so the cash flow isn't the greatest. I enjoy going out and playing, but it gets frustrating hitting worm burners and slices 24/7....any advice as to what i should do? Thanks!

[Ryanrocksfender]

First i whould say go get a lesson! once you get your first lesson things tend to get worse! you just have to keep with what the pro is telling you! good luck!

[Marinemike]

Spend 12 bucks on Ben Hogan's 5 Lessons: Fundamentals of Golf.

Yes it was written a long time ago, but it is timeless because it's the ground floor fundamentals. It's only like 90 pages so it won't overload you. Then go to the range AND course to practice what it says. Once you have the things in that book in your head, THEN go get some instruction. Your instruction time will be so much more enriching if you show up even having just grip and stance down. That way he can work on the nuances and habits that hold you back rather than building you up from zero.

[timtim]

Take a lesson. Hit balls. Practice chipping. Practice putting. Play only nine holes. No need to play 18. Find a cheaper course, and then play afternoon when the rates drop. If you can find a shorter course that is like a par 60 or so, that would be good for your level. And don't hit driver up close to the hole, even if you can. Find out what club you hit with a full easy swing from 100 to 120 yards, and then hit long irons or hybrids off the tee to that distance. The good thing about this is that on one hole you are working on your distance with longer clubs and with shorter clubs.

And when you are hitting from 100 to120 yards, aim for the center of the green. At your level, the center of the green is good on any day. And if you don't hit past the center of the green a few times per round, you are not taking enough club.

When you go out to play 9 holes, spend an hour or more practicing your putting and chipping before you play.

One more thing, the problem with practicing putting it that on the course is that the putts mean something, but when you practice, you are typically in a lazy frame of mind. So put one ball at 3 feet, one at 6 feet, and one at 9 feet. The goal is to sink all three in a row. If you miss, you have to start over. So you are compelled to sink the three and the six, to give yourself a shot at the nine. This makes the three and six foot puts, and even the nine foot putt, more importance in your mind than simply rolling puts to the hole.

[timtim]

And, of course, get a job at a course where you can maybe play for free and maybe get some free help from the club pro.

[Felenah]

Lessons are always a good idea for anyone. Even Tiger goes to Hank Haney for instructional help when he needs it. I would opt for more practice then actual rounds of golf, plus you'll save money. I would also suggest purchasing a shag bag then find a nice course with a great practice area and hit tons and tons of chip shots and wedge shots. Most good courses have an area that you can hit 140 yard and in shots without having to spend cash for mutliple buckets of balls. One thing I noticed was all the same people spending $20 on buckets of balls, bashing them into the range, and not progressing. Find that practice area, find a flag and don't be shy. Find the practice putting green, drop 3 balls about 3 feet away from a hole and try to make as many as possible in a row, try for 100. The more you practice the more comfortible you'll feel on the course. Like any sport it takes practice and patience. Ohh and read a bit of golf material, books and magizines are great tools.

[MA5Bergey]

I'd recommend doing all three... Get a lesson on a monday, practice what you learned on a wednesday, and shoot a round on a friday, then rinse and repeat

[BTGolfer]

Take lessons until you know what to practice, and then go practice.

Practice until you feel like you are making progress, and then go play.

BT

[Creestoff]

Absolutely, get a lesson. I tried the "Play my way out of it" for a long time, and while the guys you play with mean well, none of them can see your swing/show you what you're doing right/wrong with video like an instructor can. There's some pride in saying you're self-taught, but I'd save yourself the frustration.

[PiKapp23]

As others have already said, start with lessons. I know this is typically the less fun option, but being that you are new it's much easier to get lessons have get those good habits ingrained now than waiting until you've been playing a few years and picked up bad habits.

If you decide to play instead, just be smart about it and play shorter courses (par 3 and 'executive' courses - no par 5's on those) and keep the driver in the bag. When you play or go to the range try to only hit ball with about 50-75% swing and try to become somewhat consistent with that before going to a full swing (which should still only be about 85-90% or so). This will help properly ingrain the proper mechanics of the swing. The key to getting better at this game is to be very patient and practice the right things. Also, spend more time putting and chipping practice than the long game since this is where most newer players strugggle the most (and may seasoned veterans as well). Most important of all is just have fun.

[GaijinGolfer]

My suggestion is to just play golf. Im personally not a fan of lessons or going to the range all the time.
IMO, the kind of swing that is right for YOU may not be the swing that your instructor thinks is right for you and going to the range, IMO isnt the best investment in time or money because what seperates the winners from the hacks is chipping, pitching, putting and just general shotmaking. You have to be able to, "think outside the box" and can be creative and find ways to make a shot happen when other simply give up and pitch back into the fairway.
Ive been playing for about 3 years (started playing in '98, quit after 2 years and started playing again in June of '08), have taken a couple lessons (didnt take me long to figure out that lessons arent for me) and seldom ever go to the driving range (I find it very boring, actually), play 2-3 times a week and Im a 15 handicap. If I invested more time in practice; I could easily be a single-digit handicap.
So, dont think that you NEED to take lessons and spend a bunch of time at the range to get better. Just play golf, work on your shortgame/putting and be patient.

[uppi]

I am with the spend more time playing crowd. As long as your not losing a box of balls a round, its probably the best money spent. To me actually playing the game is the best practice you can do. There are just certain pitches, shots , and situations you only see on the course. When I started up again I spent 90% of my time on the range and was getting nowhere. I would hit ballafter ball aimlessly not even sure what to work on. Once I started just going out and playing all the time is when I started to really improve. Now I play a round and when im done if I feel there is something I didnt do well I will get a small bucket and work specifically on that and only that. I did take one lesson this summer, complete waste of money in my opinion. 50 dollars for a half hour and I didnt feel I learned anything new. Could have bought a box of ProV's in exchange for that. If you read a lot (someone mentioned the ben hogan 5 fundamentals book) and learn as much as you can about the swing then just try and apply that when you play.

[ControlJunkie]

I am with the spend more time playing crowd. As long as your not losing a box of balls a round, its probably the best money spent. To me actually playing the game is the best practice you can do.

Though I'm of a different opinion on playing vs. practicing, I definitely agree with that first statement (in bold). Although, I do feel much more comfortable making those shots when I'm very comfortable with my feel, which comes from lots of repetition and practice at the range. But you are exactly right, there are some shots that just arent the same.

I bolded the other sentence because practice must be done with a purpose. Aimlessly hitting balls really doesnt do a whole lot of good for anyone. Instead, you have to pick targets on the range, and try to simulate as much of a round as possible during your practice time. For example, instead of hitting 10 consecutive driver shots, hit driver, 5I, sand wedge, then repeat or go 3W, then 9I. Kinda follow the same sequence as you would on the course, and making sure to shoot at specific targets. To the OP's question, I believe that both are equally important. I'll play a couple ouf rounds on a weekend, and then practice on the my weaknesses from those previous rounds during the week. I also try to make sure I dont neglect anything, but I'll just pay special attention to the areas that I was lacking. Another thing to consider is the time and location if you decide to just jump on the course without spending some time working your swing out. If you're not quite sure what the outcome will be, get a tee time at an off hour so that you dont hold up others behind you and make someone else's day very slow. If you do end up being all over the place, make sure and let any group behind you play through if they start getting close. Good luck to you! Definitely come back and let us all know how it goes.

[Robiola the Monster]

Get a practice bag going, get 50+ balls then try and practice with only 7iron to 9iron. have a good practice session 2-3 times a week and within 2 months your consistency will be much better. You may not be hitting it straight but you should be hitting a draw or fade 90% of the time and then you will be able to play to your natural fade or draw which will take some of the guessing out of your game. Good Luck

[Philip9210]

Thanks for the help guys! I am prolly gonna be buying a shag bag sometime here soon, and heading down to the local elementary school(they have a massive field), and hit some balls(is this legal ;) ).

[CarlSpackler]

I would definitely say get some lessons. The only thing more frustrating than hitting worm burners all day is repeating that for years and years. It is money well spent to learn the fundamentals and enjoy the game more.

[wrx_junki]

Thanks for the help guys! I am prolly gonna be buying a shag bag sometime here soon, and heading down to the local elementary school(they have a massive field), and hit some balls(is this legal ;) ).

Not sure if its illegal but just don't hit any of em no matter how annoying they are.

[jshady]

Whether you take lessons or not is really up to you. I personally have never had lessons. I did read everything I could get my hands on and combined lots of practice with less play. Picking up Hogan's book is a great idea.

After a long hiatus I've started playing again and hitting the books to brush up on my technique has been all I've needed to get my swing back into reasonable shape. I persoanlly enjoy going to the driving range to relax and unwind so that's certainly an option for you. I would definitely agree with getting yourself a shag-bag and practicing at the park. Some places this is OK, others not - you'll have to see the laws where you're at. Enjoy!