We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Lessons anyone?

Pears

Pears

Well-known member
Albatross 2022 Club
Joined
Apr 23, 2018
Messages
807
Reaction score
262
Location
Fond du lac, Wi
Handicap
20 Grint
I'm on the fence about having some lessons and am wondering your thoughts.

I feel that my golf game is, and has always been a struggle due to the fact that I have played baseball/softball since I was young (I'm 41 now). Sad to say, but I wont be able to play ball forever....boooo

Now, I don't think I play bad golf just know that I can and want to be better. Truly, I beat my self up more than anything. I have never before had a lesson or a golf coach of any sort. I guess what I'm asking is, because I've played and established a swing that works for me is it worth having a coach try to change what I have been doing for sooooo long.

Anyone get lessons and found their game got worse and just went back to what they were doing before?? Flip side, how many of you took lessons and found your game to really improve?

Just something that I have been thinking about, thanks for any of your thoughts!
 
I would invest in lessons before another club or another swing aide. I’ve been taking lessons consistently since about 2014 and would not think about using the university of google to correct a swing flaw now. I know when something is off, but what I can’t pinpoint the majority of the time is the cause of it. That is where a good teacher comes in.

Now i I would not go and seek out a celebrity instructor that charges $$$$$ because he/she worked with insert name here I’ve had the most luck with the $80-$110 per lesson instructors. Ask around, post on FB to find a good instructor in your area. Start with a swing evaluation and if you two click, move forward. If you don’t then find someone else. Also, only focus on one thing at a time - don’t change too much as once.


Lessons are the absolute best money spent in golf.
 
Absolutely invest in lessons. Will you regress before you get comfortable with any swing change - probably. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

If nothing else, invest in learning more about the game and what your swing flaws are. Before my very first lesson, I had all these thoughts about what I’ve been doing wrong...I couldn’t have been more off. 1000% advise for lessons. It will always be worth. Though the one caveat is that you have to stick with it, practice, return to the instructor, practice more.
 
Oh, it’ll get worse before it gets better but if you put in the time & sweat equity it will oh so much better. That’s the deal any change, no matter how small throws off what you’re doing now so you have to learn it.
Find a local instructor, commit to the work & do it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
My advice, go into a lesson with something specific you want to address.

I went into my last specifically wanting to improve impact/contact. I had just played, and had one specific shot that bothered me that I wanted to a work on. Worked wonders for fixing that one shot, but as a carryover it also helped address impact/contact issues through the entire bag.
 
Do it !
 
lessons are so good, but you have to be up front about your expectations. don’t want an overhaul? tell them. and be honest about your ability/preferences to practice vs play. a good instructor can alter his or her plan to accommodate your specific desires.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
I have taken 2 lessons and both have had positives outcomes for me. I think it is worth it if there is something specific you want to work on.
 
McLovin;n8888759 said:
lessons are so good, but you have to be up front about your expectations. don’t want an overhaul? tell them. and be honest about your ability/preferences to practice vs play. a good instructor can alter his or her plan to accommodate your specific desires.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...

Good advice above. You also probably need to decide how much time/financial committment you want to make, at least initially. A couple or three lesson tweak is a different coaching plan than say a 5-10 package one.

It may take a try or two to find the right fit for you for a coach. So ask around.
Even "simple" things like alignment changes can make a huge difference to swing plane and accuracy from a pair of fresh trained eyes.

Something I did after seeing a coach a few years ago was wonderful. and is something you might want to try before booking lessons this year. Assuming you have enough golf season and games this year to make it work:

Over say 10 rounds on the scorecard make a "tick "for every fairway hit ("X" if no), same for greens in regulation. Then the biggy...an X for EVERY shot from 50 yards and in that you did not get it up and down (or 75 or 100 yards as per your preference). So for example, just short of the green, or in a bunker, and up and down in two shots is a check mark. Two shots to get on from <50 yards and two putts would be 2 over Up and Down for 2 X's. (etc.) So a potential 4 (one chip, one putt), turned into a 6 (two chips, two putts.) When I showed the cards to my coach at the time he said" so, you really think the issue is the long game?". So the focus was short game for a bit.
 
Unless you get an instructor/pro that just doesn't care, lessons are almost always good for you. IF you're willing to listen and do the work.
 
ive played softball/ baseball for as long as i remember ive played in multiple world tournament fo rd usssa and nsa and asa so i know your hesitations about lessons. ive just started golf and noticed that what i can do with a ba TV is not the same as with a golfball so ive been taking lessons<for 2 months and counting> my club pro used my softball/ baseball skills to help guide my swing to a more proper allignment. i have personally noticed my ball goes straighter and longer and higher then it did with out lessons. feel free to contact me if you havd anh questions
 
Lessons will be worth it and money well spent. Like mentioned before finding a great instructor that you work well with is key. Don’t be afraid to try a few out.
 
I appreciate everyone's thoughts here! Thank you.
My next step will be having to figure out who I can talk to in my area. I have especially over this summer, learned more about my game and changed things on my own with range time, but am not afraid to ask for help either.
 
try group on

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
There are two huge variables in your question: you and the instructor.

You mentioned playing baseball/softball for most of your life. Did you ever have a coach? A REAL coach. Someone who taught you positions, techniques, the mental side of the game. If so, were you a good student? If so, you'll probably be a good student in golf. If not, maybe not. What kind of student you are matters.

Similarly, golf instructors aren't cookie-cutter either. Some are good at it, others are not. Some instructors take the approach of accepting your swing as a starting point and are good at introducing one thing at a time that will yield the most improvement in your game. Others teach to a fixed final product. Some would refer to this as starting from scratch. Some instructors are particularly good with visual learners. Others are particularly good with feel players. Others are great at teaching concepts. Some want you to be able to repeat the motions. Others want you to understand the biomechanics and physics behind the golf swing. Some put a priority on getting you to understand your fault tendencies and how to correct them. Some are very focused on results/improvement. Others focus on the experience. Some are able to adjust how they teach based on the student. Others really only know one way to teach.

Obviously to be successful takes a reasonably good match.
 
Lessons are critical, for me.

But remember, a lesson is not a fix, it is a tool. Lessons teach you what you need to practice. Practice helps you get better.
 
millsan1;n8890249 said:
Lessons are critical, for me.

But remember, a lesson is not a fix, it is a tool. Lessons teach you what you need to practice. Practice helps you get better.
Click to expand...

Practice isn't a problem for me that's for sure, if I had a bottomless bucket of range balls I would hit and work on things all day.
 
maybe think about getting a pop up anx a few dozen ball dont need much space and short money to practice

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
I am taking lessons, and I recommend it but with the caveat of only go pay for lessons if you are going to work on your own outside of the lessons to improve.
 
I was struggling with a pull hook off the tee with my 5W. Took 2 swings for my Pro to see what was wrong and 2 more to correct it.

Lessons are worth the money when you have a good teacher.
 
If you can find a teacher that can get their points across in a manner you can understand and work with, then lessons are the best thing you can do

I have had lessons with the same person for a couple of years and my swing has changed a lot, but in a good way. It is more consistent and if I do hit a bad shot I know exactly why it happened and I can correct it for the very next shot
Initially I had issues around trusting my new swing, but stuck with it and I have seen my scores become more consistent and my handicap is close to single figures now

Scores now are regularly low 80's with bad rounds in the mid to high 80's and I can't remember the last time I had a round over 90, but I broke 80 a number of times last year including a best of 75 when everything came together in that one round
 
Pears;n8888450 said:
I'm on the fence about having some lessons and am wondering your thoughts.

I feel that my golf game is, and has always been a struggle due to the fact that I have played baseball/softball since I was young (I'm 41 now). Sad to say, but I wont be able to play ball forever....boooo

Now, I don't think I play bad golf just know that I can and want to be better. Truly, I beat my self up more than anything. I have never before had a lesson or a golf coach of any sort. I guess what I'm asking is, because I've played and established a swing that works for me is it worth having a coach try to change what I have been doing for sooooo long.

Anyone get lessons and found their game got worse and just went back to what they were doing before?? Flip side, how many of you took lessons and found your game to really improve?

Just something that I have been thinking about, thanks for any of your thoughts!
Click to expand...

I very much would like to recommend golf lessons, yet I agree so much on what others have said here. Lessons could improve your game but will depend on you and your instructor. Can you spend the time to practice what the instructor is teaching and is the instructor able to relay the way to improve your game via swing, game management, or some other method that is truly keeping your scores higher?

My game is a prime example. Last year, I took a few lessons from a very respected instructor close to my office. We didn't work on my swing mechanics, but more on situations and how to try not to make huge mistakes. Yes, he helped correct a few things in my swing, but nothing crazy. I was shooting in the 18-22 range on most rounds. Fast forward to this year and I had to go to a different instructor, who proceeded to reconstruct my entire swing. Boy, I look pretty on the video now, but my shots have been much more inconsistent which has increased my handicap versus lowering it. I am still forging ahead as I think correcting the swing will produce long term results and understand that it will take a bit longer to get out of bad habits and learn the proper method of the swing will take more time.
 
Since I am new to the game I decided to purchase a 3 lesson package this summer after trying on my own for a year. Best money I've spent on golf. Coach noticed my set up and alignment was good but I was way OTT. Worked on 2 drills in the first lesson then practiced them 2-3 times a week for a month. I saw my game improve dramatically. When I went for my second lesson last week he filmed it again and did a comparison of the 2 swings and it was night and day. Said it was perfect the way I was now dropping in the slot and on plane. Now working on face alignment and wrist rotation and already seeing improved distance and dispersion.
So from this long winded reply the gist of it is, YES, lessons from a good coach are worth it!
 
Last edited:
Everyone that has contributed here has some really great testimony for how lessons helped them. Thank you!!
 
I have never taken a lesson. I have given lessons to many. I think there is a bit of a placebo effect; you have to believe they will help you and be willing to take direction. And I agree with those that say you will need to exert effort to improve.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top