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Instruction vs. Going it Alone


iacas
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  1. 1. How much instruction have you had?

    • None - I'm completely self-taught.
      29
    • Little - A few friends have helped and I've had a few lessons.
      39
    • Lots - I've taken a number of lessons from one or a variety of pros.
      18


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I decided to get serious and take lessons a month ago, and I'm taking an hour lesson once a week until I get to where I'm comfortable with my swing. At first, I questioned why I was getting lessons, because I initially started playing worse on the course, but then realized it was a mental thing. I was thinking about too much during my setup and swing instead of relaxing and just trusting myself. Range work everyday for 30 minutes during lunch helped me groove my new swing and get used to it, so there's not much thought involved now, but it took about a month to see the benefits of getting lessons. Now I'm a believer. My game today felt better than it ever has, and I hit a lot of great shots that I wasn't capable of a couple months ago. It was during a scramble, so no score (team shot a 65 though), but I am finally starting to really feel comfortable on the course and hitting a lot better shots.
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Well let's see. I learned to play from just a few very informal lessons from my grandfather. He would take me to the range and tell me to keep my left elbow straight, head down, head still, and swing through the ball - not at it. That got me along until high school. Then my coach and a pro gave me lessons once a month for a couple of years. That helped too, but it wasn't until college that I really became serious about understanding the swing on my own. I really became a student on the golf swing, and the game. That plus the implementation of the things I learned on the practice range helped me become a 5 cap. That's the lowest I've been and I haven't had a lesson in 8 years. My index has gone up but that's due to my limited time to play. I'm actually striking the ball better than ever now and I am convinced that is due to my study of the swing. I think I would benefit greatly from some short game coaching at this point.

What's in my bag:
Driver: taylormade.gifBurner 09 Stiff 9.5*
Fairway Woods: adams.gifRPM Low Profile 3 & 5
Irons: mizuno.gifMP 57 - 3-PW Project X 5.5
Wedges: wilson.gifREG. 588 54* &cleveland.gif 60*Putter: ping.gifAnserBall: titleist.gifProV1x Home Course: Forest Ridge Golf Club

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I believe you can only go so far without lessons. I've been playing about the same for the past month and haven't had any lessons from my friends dad in about a month. So I'm probably going to get lessons here soon.

Whats in my Nike Xtreme Stand Bag:
Driver-Nike SQ SUMO 5000 10.5* w/ SQ Diamana R Flex
Fairway-Nike SQ DYMO 19*w/ UST Wide Body R Flex
Irons- Nike SQ SUMO 4-P w/ True Temper SpeedStep SuperLite R flex
Wedges- Adams Golf Tom Watson Classic Grind 52.08, 56.12, 60.08 w/ Adams Golf TW Wdg FlexPutter-...

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You've never come to take a lesson from Dave Wedzik or myself. We talk about those things all the time. We quiz people to make sure they understand their particular flaws - when they see this shot popping up what are they doing? They're ________ (varies by student) so that they can fix it on the course or go and practice it themselves. The LAST thing we want is to keep giving someone the same lesson.

Firstly, you don't come off rude at all. It's nice you've read my post and taken time to respond to it.

However, you've gone down the ad hominem route of looking at the handicap, and deciding that last paragraph isn't worth commenting on properly. I still stand by it, and I'm happy to agree to disagree if you don't feel the same. As for the rest of my post, I'd like to clarify. Clearly, the instruction you give is of the second kind I was referring to. With your breadth of knowledge and explanations on "why", and not just the "how", a good swing works, you're an asset to the golfing community- and I mean that. And clearly, the instruction you received that allowed you to reach your peak was of the same type- not just some old boy telling you to have your hands higher at the top of your backswing. Unfortunately that isn't the case for most people who visit their local pro for lessons- and that was the point of my post..... (I'll add my own experiences of golf lessons in another thread maybe....). Sorry if my post came across as some hacker whinging that pros were useless and the average player was better off without lessons. What I meant to say was you're better off without crap lessons :)

Putter - TaylorMade Rossa Corza Ghost
Wedges - Titleist Vokey Oil Can; 50/08, 54/14, 58/04
Irons - Mizuno MP53 4-PW
Hybrid - Mizuno MP CLK 3 iron
Rangefinder - Bushnell Tour V2Ball - Pro V1s / Srixon Z Star Yellow

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I haven't had a lesson in 6 years, before I started golfing with any seriousness. I'm mostly self-learned, but I feel like I've hit a wall in my development, and if I want to get any better than I am, I need formal instruction.

I'm actually kind of in awe of people like iacas who can get so low without formal instruction. Maybe I could get that low if I played every day, but probably not. I just don't have that kind of talent.
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However, you've gone down the

That's not ad hominem. I'm not attacking your character or appealing to emotions. I'm suggesting based on a fair amount of experience that your handicap directly speaks to the fact that you have no personal experience playing golf at a high level. In doing so I'm asking the question "who are you to say what a scratch golfer needs, let alone someone on the PGA Tour?"

Unfortunately that isn't the case for most people who visit their local pro for lessons- and that was the point of my post..... (I'll add my own experiences of golf lessons in another thread maybe....).

I would agree, and I've railed against instructors like that in the past.

What I meant to say was you're better off without crap lessons :)

Also agreed. And good instructors are better off without crap instructors, because the bad ones spoil things for the good ones. They turn students off to instruction and they cause frustration.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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Hey Guys

I have been playing the game for 57 years and have been teaching it for 44 years....lessons from the right instructor do help. You never stop learning and new ways to explain the golf swing keep emerging...like S&T....I; attended a one day school in Erie with Dave, Erik, & James and I learned even more....keep your brain open and realize that success doesn't come immediately

PB

PB
Canadian PGA Life Member
Peter Boyce Golf Academy
Strathroy, Ontario
:tmade:

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It's all about the instructor. I took a lesson a month and a half ago with the pro at my home course. I am just now starting to get back to where I felt I was before the lesson.
I personally have seen much more progress by studying S & T as well as different books by people like Dave Pelz, Stan Utley etc and then practicing.
I've added power and distance to my game to the point where I hit it as far or further than anyone I golf with, and my irons are cut down 1.5 inches for my height. My driver goes longer CONSITENTLY than most I golf with. Sure they might hit the odd bomb, but I am in the fairway more consistently and longer consistently.

My only wish was that there was a S & T instructor here, but I never expect there to be. It's a very small market here and I don't see it taking off.

Outside of that, there really aren't any pros I feel are worth my hard earned $$ here. Even the "good" ones will be attempting to move me away from my swing that I've built into a more " traditional " style and I am not up for that.

In my bag:

Nike SQ DYMO 10.5
Big Bertha 3 Wood
Big Bertha 3-10 IADAMS Tom Watson Classic 54,58 and 64 Wedges Nike Oz 5 Putter/Wilson Staff ( not sure model, bought it in second hand store ) Ball: Bridgestone E6

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I started taking lessons and I can't tell you how much better my swing has become. I no longer sit over the golf ball going - shit I hope this doesn't get topped, hit it fat 15 yards, where is this ball gonna take off to and then land. I played a round tonight, nine holes, and I can honestly say I didn't have one shot that was a killer shot such as a topped shot or a 15 yard fat shot. All my shots were smooth and consistent. The game becomes so much fun when you can stand over the ball and know you are going to make good contact with the consistent swing I've been able to get coached to.

For those on the fence, go talk to some local golf pros. You'll immediately know if that person is going to be a good fit for you or not. I'm so glad to have met my pro because he is certainly helping my game and I don't see a stop to the learning and benefits.

In my Tour Sasquatch Stand Bag

Driver: 10.5* R9 460
Fairway Wood: Dymo2 3 Wood
Hybrid: SUMO 21* 3 HybridIrons: Pro Combo Forged Irons 4-PW Gap Wedge 52* Vokey Sand Wedge: iWedge 56* Lob Wedge: MX-950 60*Putter: Studio Select Fastback No. 1 35"

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For those on the fence, go talk to some local golf pros. You'll immediately know if that person is going to be a good fit for you or not. I'm so glad to have met my pro because he is certainly helping my game and I don't see a stop to the learning and benefits.

I agree 100%. I talked to 3 Pros and took a single lesson from them to see if we "meshed", and the 1st 2 were worthless. They sit and let me hit 100 balls without giving me any real tips, just saying tidbit comments that really didn't help. The 3rd one I went to before the lesson looked at my bag, and said "You've got the right equipment to shoot in the 70's, but are you fit for them?" and stressed the importance of fitted clubs to a great swing, especially when I'm only 5'6". He let me take 3 swings before he stopped me and addressed my posture and alignment. What I like is that he doesn't give me too much at once, or try to completely rework my swing in one lesson. We work on one or two things and that's it, he believes (as I do) that repetition builds muscle memory, and you have to be extremely comfortable with one change before you get your head filled with a million swing thoughts that you can't process standing over the ball.

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Going at it alone sucks. It took me an entire shag bag this morning to figure out why every single one of my shots (with any club, SW up to 6 iron, which the longest club I was using during this session) was a horrendous push fade. On the LAST ball, I realized that if I moved the ball forward in my stance, I might get a different result. So I put it waaaay forward. And boom. Straight. I collected some nearby balls (5 or 6) and did this again. Straight again. I finally realized that my weight shift was either really good or too quick or something. The swing was really bottoming out near my left foot. I just couldn't wrap my head around this possibility until the last damn ball. So frustrating.

A knowledgeable eye probably would have fixed that MUCH sooner and I wouldn't have been pouring sweat at the end (it was getting hot out there).

I think if you're gonna go at this thing alone, you better get yourself a great camera and start using it for every session. But that also means you have to be able to understand what is going wrong when you watch it. That's a big maybe for most of us.

Patiently waiting until I can get some swings on camera so I can send them to Golf Evolution already.......I did free shipping so my newly ordered casio (thanks for the recommendation) probably won't be here for a while.

Constantine

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