Why Don't You Take Lessons?

[ChristopherKee]

I've had nothing but bad experiences so far with any instructor I could "afford". Because of this I just gave up and purchased a bunch of books, V1 software, a camera, and watch youtube. My swing is about where I like it now and I know what type of swing or swings do not fit me (I tried every system to see what it's like). I feel good about my game overall but I feel I'm ready to get some advanced teaching. My swing mostly falls in line with 5SK so I'm saving up to take some lessons from Dave and Erik, it's a 6 hour drive from my house though so need lodging too probably.

[mvmac]

I've had nothing but bad experiences so far with any instructor I could "afford". Because of this I just gave up and purchased a bunch of books, V1 software, a camera, and watch youtube. My swing is about where I like it now and I know what type of swing or swings do not fit me (I tried every system to see what it's like). I feel good about my game overall but I feel I'm ready to get some advanced teaching. My swing mostly falls in line with 5SK so I'm saving up to take some lessons from Dave and Erik, it's a 6 hour drive from my house though so need lodging too probably.

You'll have a great time with those guys.  It's worth the travel time and expenses.  Stick with what they tell you and you'll get better.

[ReviewMyGolfPro]

Thanks Chris.  I'm sorry you have not had good individual instruction experiences but maybe you just didn't find the right teacher.  It raises a good point about ReviewMyGolfPro.com though.  Many people think all we want to see are good reviews.  What we want is the truth about any individual's experience with a given golf pro, the good and the not so good, so this may be the one time where if you don't have something nice to say, well, say it anyway.  If you want to remain anonymous all you have to do is pick a user ID that won't identify you. So if you are so inclined we'd love to have you review a pro.  Cheers.

[bjwestner]

I'm still floored by the fact that most golfers have never or rarely ever taken lessons.  I went through 2 frustrating seasons before I decided to take lessons because I thought I could just practice my way out of it, but ultimately finally decided I couldn't fix it myself.  I'm interested to hear why other golfers are not taking lessons or why you may have put off taking them in the past.

Thanks

Chris

I addressed why I have not taken lessons in the thread I started "a new golfers journey".  I started it shortly after first hitting a golf ball/playing golf for the first time in June of 2012.  To specifically answer your question:  I decided not to get lessons then or now because I believed and still believe that one needs to be able to hit the ball first with the club on a consistent basis.  I do not think that lessons will help your coordination and the only thing that I believe will improve this is experience and practice time.  Thus I could have gotten lessons but it would not have made a difference if my hand eye coordination was not good enough to put the club on the ball first time after time.

I've made a lot of progress but have a long way to go to get to be as consistent with my coordination as I want to be.  With that being said, when I get to a point where I am consistent and if I am having issues with something that I cannot fix, I will seek out an insutructor for lessons.

[ReviewMyGolfPro]

I decided not to get lessons then or now because I believed and still believe that one needs to be able to hit the ball first with the club on a consistent basis.  I do not think that lessons will help your coordination and the only thing that I believe will improve this is experience and practice time.

I don't know BJ? I have a really hard time believing lessons aren't the way to go TO start hitting the ball consistently.  If I was learning this game from scratch my first step would be a few lessons to learn the basic movements that I need to make, and have interactive help from a real pro to help me FEEL them so I could have a chance of making consistent contact.  Then I would go off and practice like crazy till I got good at it.  I can't see starting from scratch on my own and am only modestly more confident that the myriad of on-line help would be a great place to start either.  But that's just me...

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjwestner

I decided not to get lessons then or now because I believed and still believe that one needs to be able to hit the ball first with the club on a consistent basis.  I do not think that lessons will help your coordination and the only thing that I believe will improve this is experience and practice time.

I don't know BJ? I have a really hard time believing lessons aren't the way to go TO start hitting the ball consistently.  If I was learning this game from scratch my first step would be a few lessons to learn the basic movements that I need to make, and have interactive help from a real pro to help me FEEL them so I could have a chance of making consistent contact.  Then I would go off and practice like crazy till I got good at it.  I can't see starting from scratch on my own and am only modestly more confident that the myriad of on-line help would be a great place to start either.  But that's just me...

Not only do I think you need lessons from the get go, but you need to get good lessons or it could lead to injuries (short and/or long term).

No, it's not just you...

[GolfyDan]

Hi,

For my part, I think that finding the right instructor is the most difficult part. You need to find a Pro that will adapt to your style and morphology otherwise he will change you too much to really appreciate it.

I've tried many good Pros, but few of them were good for me.

Now I practice in a place called Golf ONE near Montreal where I can get good Pro Advices while practicing on Golf ONE Simulators, which analyze each swings and gives good feedbacks.

Within the last year, using this technology once a week, I passed from Mid 90s to High 70s while enjoying the game a lot more.   I've learn how to control the ball and how to do beautiful Draws.  Today, I can go for the PIN at 185 Yards.

Cheers

Dan

[GangGreen]

What was it that Albert Einstien said "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" - I think they should post that quote at every driving range. Totally agree and if I could start all over again I would no doubt have done so with the benefit of lessons. I think part of it, for me at least, was when I started playing it was just for pure fun and something to do with my old college buddies so I didn't take it too seriously at first. Before you know it, you catch the bug, start hitting the range every now and then, and play a little more regularly. After awhile you do start to see improvement in your game (maybe even start breaking 100 regularly) and figure...hey, I can figure this out on my own, all I need to do is play more and I'll keep getting better so who needs lessons. At some point, though, you hit the wall progress wise. Oh sure, every now and again you have that "great" round where maybe you dip into the low 90's and tell yourself I'm just a blow-up hole or two away from being in the mid 80's (just keep swimming!!!). Eventually, though, you come to the humble realization that this game ain't easy and the only way to get significantly better is to work with someone who knows what they're doing...so that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

[FWMS]

Lessons and the internet have been my salvation over the years. This year I took 6 lessons from a local pro and went from shooting in the mid 80's to breaking 80 six times with a low of 76. Joined a golf web site run by Manzella and Jacobs and this site has increased my knowledge and I am hitting the ball longer.

My instructor has gone to Florida for the winter so I signed up for a swing assessment and 3 lessons from Golf Tech. Had the assessment this week and found it very helpful. My swing coach advised that I do not have to make major changes. Two things he wanted me to change: take the club back more inside and to stop a slight sway.

Next lesson we will focus on the short game. My misses tend to be low and long. Seems that with age (63) my tempo can get quick.

Last weekend I had a great 9 holes for me. Only 1 bogie, 1 birdie and 7 pars for an even nine of 36. It helped that I played with the pro. He has a great tempo, a joy to play with. This 9 holes will make my winter a bit shorter!

[Crim]

Same reason I don't have a personal trainer, nutritionist, etc.

DINERO

[rehmwa]

Same reason I don't have a personal trainer, nutritionist, etc.

DINERO

yeah?  wait until the new one starts driving, or is ready for college.  your money woes have not even begun.

[Lihu]

Hi,

For my part, I think that finding the right instructor is the most difficult part. You need to find a Pro that will adapt to your style and morphology otherwise he will change you too much to really appreciate it.

I've tried many good Pros, but few of them were good for me.

Now I practice in a place called Golf ONE near Montreal where I can get good Pro Advices while practicing on Golf ONE Simulators, which analyze each swings and gives good feedbacks.

Within the last year, using this technology once a week, I passed from Mid 90s to High 70s while enjoying the game a lot more.   I've learn how to control the ball and how to do beautiful Draws.  Today, I can go for the PIN at 185 Yards.

Cheers

Dan

That is some serious club head speed! 305 carry? Must be nice.

[Hammer 4]

I just think that trying to learn on your own, i.e. watching vid's and reading books can't give you Feed back like a Pro can. Unless you can spot mistakes/ bad habits, it would be difficult to correct them, and once you have ingrained a bad habit, it's hard to break vs learning how to set up and swing the correct way from the get go. This is all assuming you find a good pro in the first place.

I kinda compare learning golf to roadracing motorcycles, there are correct ways to ride a bike fast, yet safe, and there are wrong ways, and unless you know the difference you can get into trouble pretty quick, that's why they have riding/racing instructors to help new riders and racers, it's imho well worth the $$$.

[mvmac]

Unless you can spot mistakes/ bad habits, it would be difficult to correct them, and once you have ingrained a bad habit, it's hard to break vs learning how to set up and swing the correct way from the get go.

Even if you do know what to look it always helps to have someone else's take on the swing.  I know plenty of teaching pros that seek advice from other pros on their swings.  It's not that they don't know what's wrong, analyzing your own swing can be tough, you can overemphasize the negative things, sometimes pieces that don't matter.

Can you tell I'm speaking from personal experience? From helping other pros to seeking advice myself.

[Lihu]

I just think that trying to learn on your own, i.e. watching vid's and reading books can't give you Feed back like a Pro can. Unless you can spot mistakes/ bad habits, it would be difficult to correct them, and once you have ingrained a bad habit, it's hard to break vs learning how to set up and swing the correct way from the get go. This is all assuming you find a good pro in the first place.

I kinda compare learning golf to roadracing motorcycles, there are correct ways to ride a bike fast, yet safe, and there are wrong ways, and unless you know the difference you can get into trouble pretty quick, that's why they have riding/racing instructors to help new riders and racers, it's imho well worth the $$$.

I had a bunch of  "bad habits" ingrained over three years and eliminated them with 2 good lessons in less than a month...

Even if you do know what to look it always helps to have someone else's take on the swing.  I know plenty of teaching pros that seek advice from other pros on their swings.  It's not that they don't know what's wrong, analyzing your own swing can be tough, you can overemphasize the negative things, sometimes pieces that don't matter.

Can you tell I'm speaking from personal experience?   From helping other pros to seeking advice myself.

with ^^^^ and Dana, as instructors.

I have to say, I have never felt better about improving my game.

[joekelly]

Lihu, you are fortunate to have only 3 years of bad habits to chase from your game. Many of us have 43 years of the same to flush out.

[KyleAnthony]

just had my first lesson. he really opened my eyes to what exactly i was doing. already feel more confident. can't wait to take more lessons

[FWMS]

Had my second lesson at Golf Tech. Surprised to learn that the instructor wants me to keep 55 percent of my weight on my left side during the entire swing. Also working on not swaying with my hips and head staying more in place. Felt solid. Would like to be able to take these swing changes out to the course but courses closed in my area.

Will visit outdoor driving range next weekend.

Enjoyed watching Zach and Tiger battling it out at the World Challenge. What a 4 for Zach Johnson on 18.