Considerably worse after lessons?

[opie]

I'm not trying to discount taking lessons. Lord knows my swing needs work but I've been working with a coach for over 2 months and I'm 10 strokes worse now that when I started with lessons. I signed up to hopefully get a little more consistent but it's gotten worse. A LOT worse. I"m working hard at it, trying to get it down and not giving up on it but it's hard after 10 weeks to be striking the ball more inconsistently than when I started

Should I find a new coach?

[uttexas]

experiencing similar frustrations here. I played golf and grooved a reliable/workable/repeatable swing over 20 years before my first swing lesson (four months ago)

You get worse before you get better. I can only play or practice once a week (If I'm lucky), so the "new" swing changes will certainly take a while to get repeatable in wind and under pressure.

I feel your pain

[opie]

I practice 2 or 3 times a week and play at least twice. I'm working hard at it and am doing the drills etc and trying to trust it but to be honest with you I don't have a damn clue where the ball is going anymore. Draw one second, fade the next, slice the next and hook

I used to come over the top a touch and hit a nice fade back. and when I missed it just went straight

[Cizzle]

Get a new coach. If you have been with this guy for over two months and he has not made you better, but has made you worse, it's time for a wake up call. Especially if you have been putting in the effort that you say you have. I just hope you did not get a package deal so you're stuck with him

[Doynish]

I used to have this problem too. I think it had to do more with my mental game, I was too focused on changing my swing. Recently, I've been trying not to think about it as much and my swing feels great.

[TN94z]

I might would think about a new teacher. You do usually hit the ball worse before it gets better but you should be able to tell that you are going the right direction at the lesson. I mean, I don't hit the ball as good as I did consistently right now (working with a coach) but I can tell that when I hit the ball like I am told to, the flight, contact, distance, and feel are all MUCH better than my old swing. So I have no doubts that in the long run, my swing will be on a much higher level than it was. I am just being patient and practicing when I can.

[retexan599]

Not exactly the same thing, but....when I have had a practice on the range and made changes in either set up or swing or whatever, it feels and works great on the range. So I leave the range and next day go to the course thinking that I am now going to see those improvements on the course. It seldom happens that way, at least not on the first course round after the range. In fact, that first round feels like I have retrograded. It usually takes a couple of course rounds for the range learnings to sink in and become a reality for me. So what I am now trying to do is not to monkey with my technique until I have had a chance to see how it works after a few rounds. There is a time delay in my feedback loop....

[CG031]

How long have you been playing/how long has your old swing been engrained into your muscle memory?

For me, it doesn't take THAT long for me to 'change' my swing because I've only been playing 3 years. But if you've been playing for 20 years with a different swing, and now make a pretty major change, it's going to take A WHILE before you will see results.

[Yukari]

It all depends on whether you are having a major overhaul of your swing or just tweaking the swing you had. Even Tiger took 2 years to change his swing. So don't expect a quick turn around.

If you are just tweaking your swing, you should be getting better within a few months. If you are changing your swing, expect at least a few years before seeing results. That is why for weekend hackers, it is important to find a pro who can work with the swing you have rather than trying to completely overhaul your swing.