Taking Lessons and Getting Worse Before Getting Better

[Pablo68]

I've spent the last couple hours reading a thread about the Master Key swing and must say I'm intrigued. Enough so as to drop $12.00 to check out the Ebook and DVD. I'd like to simplify my swing thoughts and this seems to be along that line.

[davieboy1872]

It did for me. I was a 19 handicapper in November this year. Went for 2 lessons with a very sought after coach. For the next 3 - 4 weeks at range and on the course, I was garbage, like I'd never played before. I am now at 9.3 h/c and heading for 6 or 5. Peaks and troughs my friend.

[LovinItAll]

Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts and ideas on the subject. Many of you touched on what I believe to be true. For clarification, and as I said in the OP, when I say 'swing change', I'm not referring to a quick tip or two that a player might receive. I'm talking about making a major change in a player's golf swing. Even with that said, sometimes a quick tip can lead to major improvements, either immediately or over time. I understand that. Also, I'm defining 'getting better' as an improvement in one's score on the course. At the end of the day, I think most of us work on our game in order to improve our handicap or score, though there are exceptions as noted by one or two posters in this thread. I've heard instructors say, "I don't believe players should have to get worse before they get better if they take instruction from me." As the old saying goes, I think that's all pitch and no tar. I remember being a 10 HC or so and talking to one of the teaching pros at our club. He espoused and sold to anyone who would listen the idea that players don't have to digress before seeing improvement in their scores after talking a lesson from him. That's exactly what players want to hear, of course, and when their scores didn't improve immediately, the pro had a list of reasons why that wasn't the case. I took a lesson with him to work on the width of my swing, and I saw immediate results re: distance. However, picking up a club plus in length and losing my 'miss' resulted in higher scores for a couple of months as I made the adjustment. I didn't complain - I was happy to pick up the distance - but he didn't like it when I told other players that, while I felt he was a decent teacher, if they were looking for instant gratification, they might not receive it in the metric of lower scores. A 20+ capper might see instant improvement, and the higher the player's index, the more likely it is that they will see lower scores right away. I think once a player gets down to around a 10 or so (not a completely arbitrary number, and I'm sure there are exceptions), the less likely they are to see scores go down immediately, and that's for a variety of reasons. I think when a player hits ~5-ish, the chance that they will see immediate lower scoring diminishes to next to nothing, though again I'm sure there are exceptions to some of those players, as well. I know he's the exception to almost every rule, but look at Tiger. When he undergoes swing changes, he takes years to start scoring better consistently. I think it's fair to argue that Tiger has a VERY solid understanding of the golf swing, and if anyone is prepared to make changes , it's him. Pro golf is littered with examples of players making changes and going backward before going forward, with some never regaining their previous form (Duval, et al) and their winning ways. So the next time you hear an instructor say, "I expect my students to see improvement in their score right away."......beware! Unless they're only teaching rank beginners and high cappers, I think they're selling something they - or anyone else - can't deliver. If they'll exagerate that, how much can you really trust them? A couple of other points. When I hear an instructor say, "I think that, overall, most teachers are pretty poor instructors.", I run the other way. Almost every PGA Class A pro has something positive to offer most golfers. That's a big part of their training. Beware apprentices, though, as they just don't have the experience teaching yet, though I'm sure a few make pretty good instructors. Our club used to bring in apprentices that were going through a golf major at a university fairly close to our club. We even had a house on the grounds where the apprentices could live (often four would share the four bedroom place). They all offered lessons to the membership, but by and large, they were several notches below our 3-4 Class A guys. I'll elaborate should a debate ensue. Yes, there are some quick fixes to be found in golf. Like most things in life, though, a better golf game requires work and dedication by the player, either on the course or on the range....or both. Hit 'em good, and I hope eveyone gets what they're seeking out of our great game!