How often do you schedule your lessons?

[gregsandiego]

I'm taking regular lessons from a local instructor. I have taken 6 single lessons roughly one week a part, followed by a  3 week break.

How often and for how long do you prefer to schedule these lessons? Do you take long breaks, say months between several lessons?  Or do you just take an occasional single lesson?

Obviously cost can be an issue also. I'd be interested on how that factors in as well.

[Rainmaker]

I started out taking regular "once a week" lessons.  I did a series of 8 weekly lessons with a guy that I didn't really learn from.  Then, a couple years later I did a once a week group lesson for 6 weeks.  I saw some improvement in that so I signed up for individual lessons with the same teacher and did about 4 more weekly lessons. 

edit - in the middle here is 3 years I didn't practice or play because of life - youngest born, practice area flooded, Tiger Woods ruined golf for me, etc.

Since then I've been spacing them out a lot more.  I would go every single week if cost was no issue.  Some lessons might be less efficient than others but I'd progress the fastest that way.  Shoot - I'd go every day if I could, lol.  As it is, though, I schedule lessons when I think I've either made significant progress on what I was asked to work on at the last lesson or am stuck . .ie . .can't seem to make progress on it.  It works out to about twice a month. 

Edited July 16, 2016 by Rainmaker

[iacas]

I typically expect to see students once a month or even a bit farther apart.

I think it's a racket to see people once a week. I get the "personal trainer" aspect, and if you need/like that it's great, but one week is nowhere near enough time for most people to truly change their priority stuff and get a new or modified priority item.

We don't even see people submitting lessons on evolvr more than once every two or three weeks, in large part because they quickly realize that if they submit the same type of swing, they're going to just be told "okay, but do it more, and keep at it."

Then again, other instructors are often "throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks," and seem to act as if the good swings and the bad swings are remarkably different, even though they're really not…

[boogielicious]

I do Evolvr. I would say the average time between my video submissions is 3-4 weeks. The only time it is less is when Stephan wants to see me do the drill. In that case, it could be a couple of days later. I don't want to submit until I have gotten the piece down.

[billchao]

I take a lesson about twice a year, which is probably too long between lessons. Time, cost, and the fact my instructor moved to California are all factors.

In a perfect world, I think I would do lessons once a month.

[b101]

1 hour ago, boogielicious said:

I do Evolvr. I would say the average time between my video submissions is 3-4 weeks. The only time it is less is when Stephan wants to see me do the drill. In that case, it could be a couple of days later. I don't want to submit until I have gotten the piece down.

Exactly this. I almost always submit one the week after when I feel I'm getting the drill and just want to check I'm not mucking anything up, then it'll be again about 3 weeks after that.

[gregsandiego]

3 hours ago, iacas said:

I typically expect to see students once a month or even a bit farther apart.

I think it's a racket to see people once a week. I get the "personal trainer" aspect, and if you need/like that it's great, but one week is nowhere near enough time for most people to truly change their priority stuff and get a new or modified priority item.

We don't even see people submitting lessons on evolvr more than once every two or three weeks, in large part because they quickly realize that if they submit the same type of swing, they're going to just be told "okay, but do it more, and keep at it."

Then again, other instructors are often "throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks," and seem to act as if the good swings and the bad swings are remarkably different, even though they're really not…

Good feedback.  I wonder if 1 per week is too many.

But then again I also agree with @Rainmaker that if money were no object I'd go every day. The problem is I know what i do wrong. It's kind of like a coach that keeps yelling at me for the same thing all the time.

[Shindig]

8 hours ago, boogielicious said:

I do Evolvr. I would say the average time between my video submissions is 3-4 weeks. The only time it is less is when Stephan wants to see me do the drill. In that case, it could be a couple of days later. I don't want to submit until I have gotten the piece down.

I'm at about this -- also on evolvr, possibly the same instructor (same instructor name at least).  Mine is probably closer to 2-3 weeks when I'm able to actively practice, because I go in bursts of being able to practice very regularly and bursts of being near unable to practice.  Also, I'm more inclined to send a "is this right?" video, but I'm also okay with getting the corresponding "yes, do that" or "no, I said X not Y" responses.

[Tod]

So, I have had seven or eight lessons since January, so roughly about monthly. My pro plays on the mini tours, trying to get to the PGA tour. Thus during the season it is about scheduling when he is in town. This suits me fine because job is demanding and I need time to practice what he teaches me. Back in the mid-90s I did the five lessons in five weeks thing and it was hard to make real progress. When I do have a lesson it is pretty much a focus on tweaking things just a bit more.

Works for me.

[onthehunt526]

I've only had like 3 lessons in my life.

But if I was taking some lessons... I'd probably do once a month; if I was working with a regular instructor. It's a miracle I shoot in the 80s with a self made swing.