I think its a wrap...

[lhagsjr]

I have a lesson this Saturday with one of the best Instructors in the Country. PGA instructor of the Year for 2013. It will be  3rd lesson. The first 2 have gone like this: 15 minutes he had making solid contact after reviewing film of about 10 swings I made for him. Apparently my swing wasn't terrible. The rest of the hour long lesson went well, I took it to the practice range and the next 2 days went good to. Then all of a sudden the 3rd day of practice I was God awful and couldnt hit one ball solid. Grounders, Hosel shots,etc. I tried the next day to see if I could get the good stuff back and I couldnt.

I then went for my 2nd lesson 10 days later. Again, immediately Im hitting great shots with 15 mins and the rest of the hour. Same thing repeats after lesson 2 that happened after lesson 1.

I feel like Im doing the exact same thing. The only different I notice is my swing just seems choppy when I lose it. I cant put my finger on it.

I cant take a$100 lesson, swing good for 2 days and then run back to him for the rest of my life.

Will it just stick one day after a lesson? Will I eventually be able to retain it?

Ive been at it for a year and I feel like my swing is not any better.... Im on the fringe of quitting.

[lhagsjr]

I hit balls everyday at the range. Im more then willing to put in the work. But practice isnt good when you cant hit the ball

[imsys0042]

Meh. Lessons and the changes they bring take time to sink in, don't worry, I don't have a lot of time to practice, what with diving into wormholes and such. But it takes approx 1 month for me to take something and have it feel natural as a change, I generally have to block off three hours at the range to really groove something. So it takes times, and a couple of days or times out isn't a good indicator. What you feel is the same thing, is probably not the same thing. My miss is to swing on the inside and yet when I do it I feel as if I am swinging right, Don't give up.

[lhagsjr]

I dont understand how I can go from hitting so nicely to ground balls in 24 hours. Why does the good stuff go away so easily but the bad stuff stick?

[imsys0042]

Because it's not a sissy sport like tennis or curling. I shot my career round of 76 two weeks ago and now I can't break 90 on my home course (although it's a claustrophobic death trap to be fair). It happens. And it happens a lot when you overthink mechanics.

[iacas]

What materials is he giving you to take home? What drills, print-outs (or emailed photos), notes, videos, etc. are you given so that you can continue to progress on your own?

[lhagsjr]

not really anything materials wise to take home. we watch film during the lesson. I always just ask him what should I make sure Im doing. After last lesson he wanted me to remember to hinge my club up quicker, turn more, and make sure to turn completely through...

[iacas]

  lhagsjr said:

not really anything materials wise to take home. we watch film during the lesson. I always just ask him what should I make sure Im doing. After last lesson he wanted me to remember to hinge my club up quicker, turn more, and make sure to turn completely through...

Well, I'd suggest you ask for more concrete things than that. Feelings change. You need to know what the proper stuff looks like AND how to practice it on your own (as well as how to make sure you're practicing it properly).

We always provide a lot of materials to students. Heck, we do it here for people in My Swing threads.

[lhagsjr]

i cant kill this instructor. Im hitting clean shots 15 mins into each lesson. I dont know what hes suppose to do to make it last after a few days. I really think maybe its not for me. Which sucks because I love it

[lhagsjr]

but Saturday's lesson is a big one for me. I need to be able to practice better and not completely lose it after 3 days each lesson. I cant keep running back to him

[Hammer 4]

Kinda OT, but to back up what Erik said. When I have a lesson from Mike, he sends me video of what I did wrong, and also what I need to do to correct my mistakes, so he includes video of him doing the drills and what they will accomplish for me. Plus I have a nice log of drills in case I fall back into my old habits.

[isukgolf]

  Hammer 4 said:

Kinda OT, but to back up what Erik said. When I have a lesson from Mike, he sends me video of what I did wrong, and also what I need to do to correct my mistakes, so he includes video of him doing the drills and what they will accomplish for me. Plus I have a nice log of drills in case I fall back into my old habits.

What hammer said, but my guy is Brian ... I watch his feed back over and over ...

[lhagsjr]

there is ZERO in between with me. Either hitting solid shots or shanks. IT is just very weird.

[Hammer 4]

  lhagsjr said:

there is ZERO in between with me. Either hitting solid shots or shanks. IT is just very weird.

If your set up is the same, then I would suggest you may swinging to far from in to out. When I had the shanks, that was my problem, try making sure your right, if your a righty, stays close to your body on the down swing.

[lhagsjr]

i have been told my setup is very good. I have also been told my backswing is solid and i get a proper turn for most part. I think you are on to something. It is definitely in my downswing

[Missouri Swede]

At the next lesson, tell the instructor exactly what you're telling us.  Tell him what sort of misses you're having--for example, shanking to right, hitting fat, hitting thin, solid contact but slicing, low hooks.  That may tell him what to look for as likely causes of your swing breaking down--things that might look minor during the lesson (look like lower priority), but are actually worsening again after the lesson (and so are higher priority).

[mvmac]

  iacas said:

You need to know what the proper stuff looks like AND how to practice it on your own (as well as how to make sure you're practicing it properly).

Amen, I'm amazed at instructors that don't do this.

[teeitup22]

What kind of changes are you making to your swing? In other words, are they small changes like a setup change, straightening back knee, etc? Or are they big changes (swing sequencing) ? If they are big changes you probably should not take so many lessons in such a short amount of time. Time must be spent practicing short, slow swings. Read this thread for how to practice: http://thesandtrap.com/t/54840/simple-specific-slow-short-and-success-the-five-s-s-of-great-practice