Hello from Los Angeles!

[Gary]

Hello fellow golfers,

My name is Gary. I live in Los Angeles.

I bought a set of cheap clubs on Amazon in 2007, went to the range >10 times and gave up.

In Aug 2010 I picked up my clubs again and went to the range. I've practicing ever since. (watching youtube instructions and driving range)

I've never had golf lessons, but I know I need a teacher soon.

Played the 5th round today and broke 100

Gary

[Robato]

LA in the house! Congrats. Took me years to break 100.
I recommend lessons to anyone. Pros got teachers too.

[Shindig]

Congrats, Gary, on both finding the board and on breaking 100. Plenty of us in the L.A. area on the board.

[bertrans]

welcome gary well done on breaking 100

[dzdncfsd]

Welcome!! Hello from a fellow golfer from your neighboring OC.

I have mixed feelings about instructors so I'll hold my comments.

[Gary]

Welcome!! Hello from a fellow golfer from your neighboring OC.

Why say so?

I am still really new to the game and I dunno how to find a reasonably priced and quality instructor.

[dzdncfsd]

I guess part of my problem with instructors is the bad luck I've had finding one. I've taken about 10 lessons with 3 different instructors myself.

I'm also a new golfer and didn't play my first round of golf til January of this year. I'm currently playing to a 14.3 handicap. To be honest I think the instructors I visited did more to hurt my game rather than to help it. Now don't get me wrong I'm sure there's some great instructors out there. The problem is that the majority that I've met are looking to pad their pocketbook rather than teach you the basics.

Here is an example

I had an instructor start off my first lesson by changing my grip and posture. Then he tells me we need to work on this alone for the next 4-5 weeks before moving on. I figured ok this guys knows what he's talking about so I'll play along. Over the next 4 weeks I had 4 lessons with him basically talking about the exact same thing. I could have just spent the time on the range rather than paying 50.00 each week to have him repeat the previous lesson. Then after 4 lessons he completely changed his lesson and wanted me to change my grip back to what I had been doing originally.

Now I know this is just one guy but ive seen this with both of the other instructors I've worked with and heard the same tone from others I've interviewed. Unless you plan on working for the tour a lesson a week in my opinion is overkill. It takes far more than a week for anything to sink in and become natural.

I'm in search of an instructor I can visit when my swing falls apart. The type of guy I can walk in and say I'm slicing the ball and he'll make the fix and I'm done. Not a guy that wants to put me on a pocket emptying lesson plan that'll take 6 months for him to teach what could be done in 6 weeks.

[dzdncfsd]

Oh yeah and I'm ready to be attacked for my opinion here but I've even heard these same comments from instructors. The problem is that I've had two instructors at one course both make the comment about each other haha

[Gary]

I'm sorry to hear that. I heard stories about A instructor will teach you something that B instructor would tell you not to do. I am okay with just practicing by myself and watching videos of my own swing. But recently I practiced so much to some point that I no longer know why I hit a bad swing. I really need someone who can stand right next to me and tell me what has gone wrong.

[Robato]

I agree with you guys. Too many lessons with a teacher can cost a grip. I wouldnt recommend that. A good teacher I went to recently was surprised to see me a week later, I think because he thought he gave me enough things to work on to take a while. He didnt know how much I practiced to absorb the stuff. But what I do recommend for more intermediate players is an instructor that uses video. If you know what to look for in a good swing, an instructor can save you a lot of time to get there. Its hard for me to accept advice and change a swing I cant see, and I've learned that what I'm doing versus what I think I'm doing can be way different at times.