I think I am ready to take the plunge

[sam4msu]

I am ready to take a few lessons. I do not belong to a club. How should I go about finding a teaching pro? I do not want to get someone who is just a good golfer, I want a good teacher. Do you all think it is worth taking 4 or 5 lessons or is it only beneficial if you take a bunch of lessons. I really don't have the time to devote to a full set of lessons. I really hoping to have someone identify my swing flaws and give me some pointers on getting rid of them.

Thanks
Sam

[mgresh]

Hi Sam,
I think a good first step is to go to http://www.pga.com/improve/find-an-instructor/index.cfm and find memebers of the pga in your area. Also, just asking around you can generally find out who others have seen and been successful with. I think anyone can benefit from 1 lesson or 20 from a good teaching professional. Hope that helps.

Matt

[RayG]

If you are serious about improving, go for the series of lessons. Watch out for those "One Free Lesson" coupons, though. I had been playing for 25 years and was having a little trouble with pulling the short irons on approaches. I made the appointment and told the pro on the phone "I've been playing for 25+ years and have an idea of what I'm doing. I just need some help with the iron play". I show up and explain again what I'm looking for. By the time the half hour was over I was completely screwed up. Not one short iron hit, hitting 5 irons off a mat. I went from the upper 70's to the low 90's. Because I had been playing for so long with my initial instructions firmly entrenched in my mind, I never really had to think of the little things any more. Well, so much for that. I was constantly thinking about what he told me about my grip, etc... It took me several years to get back to my fairly normal form. And guess what? I started pulling those short irons again. Solution? I widened my stance a stitch(about a half a shoe width), and opened my left foot a bit. Helped me to maintain my balance better and keep me from sliding to far to the left on the downswing. So that half hour lesson took almost five years.

[mgresh]

That is very unfortunate Ray and I can empathize with your situation as I have witnessed similar over my years playing golf. That said, I have usually seen common threads in the folks who have experienced this like "so and so's brother in law is a golf pro and he'll give you a good deal", etc. Not sure how many of you have actually looked over what it takes to become a "class A" PGA professional but it is no small accomplishment and if you search out the quality pros in your area you are likely to not be led astray. It is important, however, that you come to your lesson prepared and you are able to convey to your teacher what it is you are trying to accomplish in some level of detail. Otherwise, you leave them with a blank slate, so to speak, an of course they are going to try to create a swing that will last and adheres to as many of the modern fundamentals as possible. I have been through a few instructors, some better than others, and I find that those who are most aware of my physical composition and limitations are generally the best for me. Good luck and don't let too many "bad lesson" horror stories steer you from instruction.