Why Don't You Take Lessons?

[shihtappens]

Took lessons from a good teaching pro when starting and he taught me to draw the ball. He was good instructor - I was open to his direction & practiced lots. But, after that found out "not everyone who can ride a horse is a jockey". Lots of BS teachers w quirky, very individual ideas. That and $ & time as others wrote.

[jdb1911]

I just signed up for lessons. I started playing golf in 2008 and fell in love. Since then I have quit 2 times due to frustration. I just wasn't getting better. I got serious and started practicing more and more and I had small breakthroughs. Went from shooting 120 to 95 but that's it. Long story short in just 2 lessons I have broken 90 I'm more confident and my back hurts less because he changed my posture and grip first. Lessons are definitely worth it and I wish I would have taken them sooner.

[antnee94]

Right now I finished this season as a 10.5 Handicap and have taken lessons the last two years. I was stagnant at a 15 handicap three seasons ago and didn't see any improvement for the first time since 2006...the year I started to take golf serious. I realized I was never going to achieve my goals of becoming a single digit if I didn't figure out some consistency.

I was a short driver of the golf ball...only 230ish with a push hook hitting only 42% of my fairways. I needed to figure out that part of my game to get better. I also had no short game. If the shot wasn't a full PW, GW, or SW, I was dead in the water from 100 yards and inside.

That's why I went to my local golf pro as a 15 handicap. I took 12 lessons last year. I was playing on Saturday mornings and then I would take a lesson on Sunday or late that Saturday afternoon. I dropped to a 13 the end of last season. I was happy with the improvement, but still struggled driving the ball.  I played two ways last season, either great or pretty bad. There was nothing in the middle.  The really good rounds were between 77-81, the bad rounds were 90-94. There were very few that were in the mid 80s, the consistency I was really looking for. They shortened my swing which helped me improve my irons and greens in regulation. My driver went from a push hook to a nice baby fade. I actually learned how to work the ball off the tee (one of my major requirements). I could groove it all day on the range, but not on the course. I would set up for a draw and then fade the ball. I'd set up for a fade and draw the ball. And now you can see why my scores last year were either great or bad with nothing in the middle. I was in trouble off the tee and didn't know where my driver was going. The dreaded two way miss. I actually drove my 3 wood only 5 yards less than my driver too.

This year I went for 5 lessons very early. I probably should have gone for another few, but I played more on Saturday and Sunday this year. The beginning of the year was a bit of a struggle for me, but I got down to a 9.9 in late September, before coming back up to where I finished the season...10.5. All the lessons clicked. Off the tee I was money this year. I'm a big stat *****, and tracked all my fairways and distances. Right now I'm +20 yards off the tee from my initial lessons averaging 250 yards and hitting 55% of my fairways. This was a big step for me. This year there were fewer great rounds than last year, but a hell of a lot more consistent rounds where I was 84-86. The bad rounds became 88-92 this year. And the good rounds stayed the same.

What really holds me back is the time. If it was up to me I would go to the range 2-3 times a week after work and take a lesson in that span. Money plays into it, but also my job and family (my kid is still young). I can't complain though, especially when I get 45 rounds in between the 1st week of April and week before Thanksgiving. That's my season in NY. Once I hit into a 2-3 club wind, it's time to pack it in for the winter. I love this game and can play everyday. I'm always trying to tinker with shot making. My instructor jokes around and tells me it's OK to try and hit a ball straight at the middle of the green. Hell... that wouldn't be fun. I am not as good as I think I am, but I am better than most amateurs and really take pride in that. If only I had more time and money, I'd get down to below 5...I know it. That's my story.

[rtylerg]

For me it's about the money right now.  I'm still a college student and barely have enough money for range balls and clubs let alone lessons.  However, I'm a true student of the game and I absorb all the freely available instruction I can get my hands on.  Also, I practice consistently and I've been able to narrow down all the instructional advice and tips to only the ones that work for me.  One thing I've tried to do more consistently is film myself practicing.  I find that being able to see what I'm doing is extremely helpful.

When I'm done with school I'll pay the money to go to a dedicated golf training facility like Golftec (or if I get a really good job I'll go to TPI:) and get a full evaluation of my body, my swing and my equipment.  All the swing training in the world won't help if your body and equipment aren't right.  Also, I think that if your instructor doesn't use Trackman you should look elsewhere.  From what I've heard that technology has revolutionized teaching in the upper levels.

[Hammer 4]

For me it's about the money right now.  I'm still a college student and barely have enough money for range balls and clubs let alone lessons.  However, I'm a true student of the game and I absorb all the freely available instruction I can get my hands on.  Also, I practice consistently and I've been able to narrow down all the instructional advice and tips to only the ones that work for me.  One thing I've tried to do more consistently is film myself practicing.  I find that being able to see what I'm doing is extremely helpful.

When I'm done with school I'll pay the money to go to a dedicated golf training facility like Golftec (or if I get a really good job I'll go to TPI:) and get a full evaluation of my body, my swing and my equipment.  All the swing training in the world won't help if your body and equipment aren't right.  Also, I think that if your instructor doesn't use Trackman you should look elsewhere.  From what I've heard that technology has revolutionized teaching in the upper levels.

In the mean time, if you haven't already seen these vid's, they are well worth a look see for some great info.

http://purestrike5sk.com/videos.php

[Jakester23]

So I received 3 lessons for my bday and I was wondering how often people take them(one a week, one a month ext...)? Ive never taken lessons before and Im looking forward to it. If they go well I could probably spring for another couple, but my wife just finished school so this year might be a little tight for $$$$$.  Thanks for any input.

Jake

[Hammer 4]

I took mine every 2 weeks. That gave me a chance to work on my lesson both at the range, and on the course. I'm sure the time period would be different for others.

[Hazard Finder]

I haven't taken lessons, and I don't plan to take them. The game's fun for me; it's been fun since I was consistent enough to shoot about 110. When I first started out, lessons could have helped me accelerate the path to playing well enough to have fun. But that ship has sailed. And I do like having things to "work on," but I don't need lessons for that, and I've never been super-serious about improving. Shooting in the mid/high 80s now; to me, there's very limited value in being better at golf. All that said, I could see my desire to take lessons changing in time. This would be way off in the future, but retiring to a golf-obsessed life sounds like a lot of fun. That or fishing-obsessed. Or both... Of course, this is all individual to me. Whether and how a person has fun isn't something that can be generalized. I say do what you need to do to make the game fun for you. If that means lessons, do it.

[Golfingdad]

So I received 3 lessons for my bday and I was wondering how often people take them(one a week, one a month ext...)? Ive never taken lessons before and Im looking forward to it. If they go well I could probably spring for another couple, but my wife just finished school so this year might be a little tight for $$$$$.  Thanks for any input.

Jake

@Jakester23 I think the correct answer to "when do you take your next lesson?" is:  Once you can do whatever it is that you learned last lesson.  I do online lessons (evolvr) and they allow for as many as 4 lessons per month.  That is excessive.  I started out trying to send in a video every two weeks or so.  Now, I've got to the point where I'm progressing slowly, and there is really no point in sending in a new video every two weeks because I'm still working on the same change.  My coach is simply going to say "keep working on it."

My advice would be to only schedule the first lesson, then work hard on what you are given, and play it by ear. Maybe you're ready to go back in two weeks, or more likely, you're ready in 4 or 6 or 8 weeks.  You would be "wasting" your next lesson if you went back too soon because the teacher would either A)  Just tell you that you need to keep working on what he showed you in lesson 1, or B) He tried to give you something new before you were ready for it, and now you've "lost" everything you gained from lesson 1 because you've moved on before you should have.

Good luck!

[dave s]

Ok, you've all shamed me into lessons.  Bought a 4-pack of 30 minutes lessons for both me and the wife.

If this doesn't improve my ball striking, living with a 16 hdcp will just have to do!

dave

[Dave2512]

Unless your instructor has serious flaws it will help. I made immediate improvement before my first lesson was over. I went back just a week later and my swing videos looked like two different people, it was that drastic. Within a month my scores improved significantly. I went from 18ish to 12 in a couple of revisions. then I got hung up again around 10. Time for some more lessons.

[BallMarker]

I had a really good instructor, until he moved to VA. Some instructor end up just confusing you more than before.

[BallMarker]

Usually one or two lesson isn't enough. They may give you one or two good tips. But the thing is those tips are only good if the other parts of your swing is sound. So, in order to fully get the picture, take lots of lessons.:-D

[iacas]

Usually one or two lesson isn't enough.

They may give you one or two good tips. But the thing is those tips are only good if the other parts of your swing is sound.

So, in order to fully get the picture, take lots of lessons.

I disagree with just about all of that.

Lessons aren't for "tips" and we sometimes see people twice a year and if they keep working on the same things, they keep improving. It's rare for something else to become the top priority relatively quickly.

[march11934]

"Why don't you take lessons". A great question that lends to answer so many issues in picking an instructor. I have been reading a lot of these posts and seems like most of it boils down to pride and/or money. I agree. I do go to a local club fitter that makes recommendations of my swing mechanics. I fist met him while searching for someone other than a big box store to get my cubs fitted. So aside from an occasional swing analysis and minor change recommendations I don't go for anything else.

I think my suspicions or lack of proof of a quality instructor keep me from risking wasting my money on one. I'm in my 40's and never played before. I picked up the game at 42 shooting 110+. Through videos and youtube and golf on TV I have built a swing that gets me to low 80's. This is now my 4th year playing. Maybe its my pride talking?? But one of my concerns with finding an instructor is similar to the drama you see on TV with golf pros switching instructors and different instructors all having different theories. How do you determine which instructor/theory to align yourself with? I am now on my third swing type that I can best teach myself. Went from the principles that i think best match with what Hank Haney taught to a failed attempt at the Ben Hogan swing and what Brad Hughes describes. Didn't work for me. I recently found the swing that Stenson uses and found this to be working for me. Back to low 80's. Hurray.

I just don't see the benefit. Unless you're going to fork up some serious cash, the best you're getting with an instructor is a 1 hour session on a mat at the range. I can throw darts at flags at a range all day long... But where is he when you crashing in the middle of a game? My point is instruction on a mat is great for hitting balls on a mat. But how much would it run to have an instructor shadow 9 holes similar to the Hank Haney shows on the golf channel??? And even then isn't Raymond still shooting 80's?

My point is i don't believe that going to a pro will magically improve a golfers game. Finding the right instructor with the right theory and methodologies in improving without breaking the bank is what stops me. I guess i'll just keep on shooting low 80's on my own and just have myself to blame....

Regards.

[BradBrad]

I just started this year and yes in the beginning, I was that foolieo just trying to hit the ball. I had a full around the body sideways swing that was working for me. It went strait but not far at all. I practiced every day for a few months like that. Some of the people I played with could hit the ball like really far. I wanted that real bad so I began to research the golf swing and all my troubles began..... :-)

I never could get a video of myself but I knew as soon as I started analyzing what a swing should look like that I was way off. So I purposely put my arms in the correct positions all the way through the swing and it felt completely wrong. I knew I was in for a recovery act. I studied and studied and came up with a swing that was proper but I sucked real bad. I was worse than before I even started. So I went to the range every day. Some days I just swung and swung and found that I built up muscles that helped a lot. Finally after about 6 months I got to a point where I was improving and could see the development of my swing. Now I have a pretty good idea of what to work on and where I need focus. At least I have a normal golf swing to work with.

Yah sure, lessons, lessons, yada, yada, call it pride or what ever you want. Indeed, from being watched I had a guy tell me that my swing was going around my back and it needed to go over my shoulder. Also a guy told me to keep my lower body still when I putt. These were eye opening things that I could not see and improved my game ten fold but they were just pointers. That's enough input. I got to know some pros at the range and their pointers are not very helpful in my opinion. I get more off the internet. Then I go to the range and focus on it. If its on the internet then its got to be true. LOL !

I just want to play golf. Lets go......

[Elvisliveson]

I think lessons are essential in the beginning. You need to learn the proper basics. After that, most anyone should be able refine their own swing with a little bit of practice.

[xerex250]

golf lessons are only useful is you take the swing instruction and make it natural. Don't try to control your swing consciously. Hit the ball trusting what you have learned. Read Golf for Dummies All in One book. This has 6 different books on golf improvement including score, physical fitness, swing mechanics, mental game, short game, and even some etiquette. It helped me a lot. I hope it does the same for you.