We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Have you had a lesson? Why/Why Not?

Last lesson I had was in the fall last year and the pro said my swing was 'great' 'beautiful' and 'perfect' and that I just needed to play more, keep my right hand a little quieter through contact and work on my short game in order to score better. I believed him. Haven't been back since.
 
I have taken lessons throughout the years from the same instuctor. When I am going really bad I go to see him and he always gets me back on track. Money well spent.
 
Last edited:
I really want to get lessons but Hank Haney and Butch Harmon are all booked up.
In all seriousness I intend on getting lessons in the off season as I keep "tweaking" my swing on my own. What works one day stops working the next. While I have improved my handicap by double digit points this season I kind of feel like it is a bit of a fluke and may pass when I find a new "fix".
 
I have now graduated to working plane and slotting the club on the way down. I cannot believe how much my swing has changed in 2 months. It is shorter, more connected, and more powerful. It is a brutally tuff road with a lot of practice and work in my down time but I am so happy with the results to this point. I am now playing a draw with most clubs in my bag as a stock shot. I have always been a fader of the ball and the draw was an only when needed type of shot. I am starting to feel real good about the direction my game is going. I am curious to see just how far I can get with the changes.
 
I was just kidding by the way, about not being back for a lesson that is not about the pros comments though. If I could putt my handicap would be at least 4-5 strokes better than my current -5. I am going to go get on the computer at the local putting lab to figure it out.
 
Osahar said:
I've never had one, and probably would benefit from a set quite a bit. I know I do a few things wrong but have no idea how to fix the issues.

My driver I think is a swing plane & release issue but it's been getting somewhat better lately. But I still hit a 9* driver like it's 12.5* - skyball!

With my irons, I seem to be pretty short vs. a lot of other players. As an example, my 6i is good for about 150, and my PW is good for about 100-105. That seems to be much shorter than most guys that hit drives in the 250-275 range. I just don't know what's wrong with my swing - I think I sweep the ball like off a tee instead of this "trapping" I've heard people talk about and rarely take much of a divot if any at all.
Click to expand...

You sound like me except I can't hit a drive 250+ Did it twice with a 3w with a strong tailwind and downslope though.

My 6i is about 150ish because I can't hit it solid, so we match there. My PW from the deck is 120 -125, because I'm finally hitting it solid.

I've been taking lessons over the last 2 seasons. A few weeks ago we started to work on a flat left wrist at impact, along with taking a divot. I'm, was, a sweeper and always picked the ball. Part of the problem is I would let my left wrist break down prior to impact.

I'm starting to nail things with my wedges. A nice high draw, divot in front of the ball, the sound of solid contact. This has not progressed up through my set. I can kinda do it with my 7i and it'll go 140 - 145. My 5 and 6i, forget it. I just can't hit them for crap right now.

One time a few months ago I hit my 5i off the tee and hit this amazing high draw on a par 3 that went over 170 yards. So I've seen a glimpse of what could be in my future if I work at it.

So my lessons have really helped my game and my score. I suck alot less now. I have gained yardage, my 5i was good for 150 earlier this summer and I've been hitting it close to 160 over the last few weeks.


So try to find a good pro and work at it. It may not be a quick fix but you definately should be able to hit it farther.
 
Bortass said:
You sound like me except I can't hit a drive 250+ Did it twice with a 3w with a strong tailwind and downslope though.

My 6i is about 150ish because I can't hit it solid, so we match there. My PW from the deck is 120 -125, because I'm finally hitting it solid.

I've been taking lessons over the last 2 seasons. A few weeks ago we started to work on a flat left wrist at impact, along with taking a divot. I'm, was, a sweeper and always picked the ball. Part of the problem is I would let my left wrist break down prior to impact.
I'm starting to nail things with my wedges. A nice high draw, divot in front of the ball, the sound of solid contact. This has not progressed up through my set. I can kinda do it with my 7i and it'll go 140 - 145. My 5 and 6i, forget it. I just can't hit them for crap right now.

One time a few months ago I hit my 5i off the tee and hit this amazing high draw on a par 3 that went over 170 yards. So I've seen a glimpse of what could be in my future if I work at it.

So my lessons have really helped my game and my score. I suck alot less now. I have gained yardage, my 5i was good for 150 earlier this summer and I've been hitting it close to 160 over the last few weeks.


So try to find a good pro and work at it. It may not be a quick fix but you definately should be able to hit it farther.
Click to expand...

This is the kind of stuff that keeps me from taking lessons. Everyone I have ever talked to who has had lessons has stopped thinking about hitting the ball where they want it to go. Instead, they are talking about a flat wrist, or a move with their hips, or keeping their head in the right spot. I think they lose the joy of hitting the ball in the details. Their games stop being about playing the game and start being about obsessing over some little thing in their swing. If that is your bag, fine, but it would just ruin the game for me.
 
C-Tech said:
This is the kind of stuff that keeps me from taking lessons. Everyone I have ever talked to who has had lessons has stopped thinking about hitting the ball where they want it to go. Instead, they are talking about a flat wrist, or a move with their hips, or keeping their head in the right spot. I think they lose the joy of hitting the ball in the details. Their games stop being about playing the game and start being about obsessing over some little thing in their swing. If that is your bag, fine, but it would just ruin the game for me.
Click to expand...

Not sure where I said anything about obsessing about the details. Some people may do it but not everyone.

My lesson a few weeks ago started to focus on the left wrist. Here is what we did: He has a training aid that helps keep the lead wrist flat, left in my case. It makes it alot harder to setup with a bent left wrist at address. So we worked with it and my PW and 7i. We'd do a set of half swings with the aid and then some w/o. When I started to lose it, the aid went back on.

I was hitting some iron shots that I only dreamed of. During the swing itself I'm not thinking about anything. This was all around my setup.

The shot pattern that I'm working on with my pro is a high draw, FWIW.

My pro is a feel guy as well. So our lessons are not as technical as some people.

On the course, I just go through my routine and play. Sometimes I may think about something before or after a swing. Namely what I felt was off if it was a bad shot.

I don't think about where's my right elbow when I'm 53% of the way through my backswing. I just swing the club.

On the range, I work on what the pro has covered with me. Namely drills. Even then I'm not thinking alot except to try to replicate what I'm supposed to. Sometimes I check things but that's when it's part of a drill. Success is judged by contact and ball flight.

What you are talking about is all about perspective. Some people care more about the swing then playing golf. I've read about a guy complaining about an ace because he got it on a mishit. Some care more about the game then their swing. That's me. I've been lucky on the course where a mishit led to a good result. I'm happy with the end result even if my execution was lacking.

On the flip side, I'm also happy when the execution was great and the result hurt me. A couple times recently I made perfect contact with wedges on full approaches and I flew the green. I can't get upset when that happens even though my score just went up by at least 1 stroke.

Something to keep in mind with regard to what I've said. I'm a hacker. I would regularly shot in the high 50s/low 60s for 9. I'd top the ball down the course or slice it into the wilderness. I started taking lessons July 08. I've recently started posting some 9 hole scores in the 45 - 49 range. My average scores are now in the low 50s per 9.

I wouldn't be where I am now w/o these lessons. I got lucky and found a pro that works well with me. I have complete faith in what he shows me.

Sometimes my scores baloon because I'm getting used to the change. For example, right after the lesson where we worked on the flat left wrist at address my scores went up. This is because I started to make solid contact and was hitting that draw alot more then before. The ball was going where I was aiming. So it took a few rounds to adjust to the change in ball flight that occurred.

The results of a lesson are dependant on both teacher and student. For me it's been worth every penny. I enjoy the game more now because I don't embarass myself as much and take great joy from watching a well struck ball take off in a nice high draw.

Cheers.
 
I was not being derogatory about your lessons, just making the point that every "lesson" I have heard people talk about had to do with some specific detail that was supposed to "fix" his/her golf swing.

Once you have learned how to grip the club, set up square, and make a repeatable swing through the ball, that should be the end of it as far as I am concerned. Once you have that, you can learn how to aim to get the ball to go toward the target regardless of how different your swing is from the ideal. Again, for ME, it is about getting the ball in the hole with the fewest strokes, not where my left thumb is halfway through my backswing.
 
C-Tech said:
I was not being derogatory about your lessons, just making the point that every "lesson" I have heard people talk about had to do with some specific detail that was supposed to "fix" his/her golf swing.

Once you have learned how to grip the club, set up square, and make a repeatable swing through the ball, that should be the end of it as far as I am concerned. Once you have that, you can learn how to aim to get the ball to go toward the target regardless of how different your swing is from the ideal. Again, for ME, it is about getting the ball in the hole with the fewest strokes, not where my left thumb is halfway through my backswing.
Click to expand...

I know you weren't being derogatory. I just found it funny that my post triggered a reply about obsessing over the mechanical details of the swing is all since I don't do that personally.

We both have the same goal, getting the ball in the hole with as few strokes as possible.

In the end it comes down to what do you want to get out of it. I had little luck teaching myself, so I went this route with good results. I don't want to play a slice that's very repeatable. It's just not very efficient IMO. But we are in vastly different places. You're an 11.3 and I'm a 37.2.

Also some of my best lessons have had nothing to do with the full swing. I've had a putting lesson that helped me out. The 15 minutes in a bunker learning a basic bunker shot has paid off. The two playing lessons had some real good stuff in them as well.
 
i have not taken any lessons before. i have self taught myself quite well. for the longest time i thought it would be a waste of time for the same reasons as many. also for me there was a little self pride issue with playing well and saying that i was self taught and don't need lessons. now the more i look at it, the lessons aren't going to hurt me. the worst thing that happens is that i go and what they try to help me with doesn't improve anything, or i go back to what i was doing before.

i am going to try to give it a shot though. i just need to find a good instructor now. i'll take a lower handicap however i can get it. if that takes lessons, then so be it.
 
Learning to play golf is a process, and the fact a lesson might focus on one specific swing thought or position is not really a mistake in my opinion, what is missing sometimes is a good explanation of why you need to focus on that swing thought or position. A change or a fix or a new swing thought or whatever you want to call it is not necessarily intended to fix everything that is wrong with your swing instantly. What it will do is to help ingrain a correct move for part of the swing, then you can move forward and fix the next part and so on and eventually build a swing that works. The truth is that a necessary fix to your grip or your posture or stance might actually make your game worse for a short time while you work through the strangeness of it but when you are through assimilating the change your game will have an opportunity to improve where before you probably had very little chance of ever really improving.
 
ive lost count on the number of lessons ive had.
when i decided to take up golf, i purchased a 'Fundamentals' package. it ingrained all the basics i needed to know about posture, swing positions etc..
i now try to take lessons each winter, and work on improving my game. i only go during the main golf season if my game gets really bad.
for now, im in the midst of some improvements to my swing, being winter and all, but still playing every week bad mixed with good while it beds in.
i think if you have had lessons and your fundamentals are good, lessons can only be a good thing. if your swing is home made, and has lots of 'technical' issues then lessons will be very hard work to take on.
 
I get a lesson every week. Sometimes they help me right away, other times it takes awhile for that lesson to make sense or work its way into my swing. The hardest thing currently for me right now is to not take such a big back swing. So I have to mentally tell myself when I get over the ball and get ready is take a 3/4 swing and face the front. Basically it tells me to take an abbreviated back swing and get my weight to my left side. Seems to work well when I am hitting the ball good, other times I probably look like I have some serious issues.
 
amollerud said:
I am a couple of lessons into the swing changes. It has been very tuff and a lot of hard work. For the most part it is a complete overhaul of my swing. We are working on lower body stability (more turn no sway and getting my weight onto my right side). Believe it or not but we are working to shorten my swing. SCARY stuff there. I am working on keeping it short of parallel! and when I pull it off the results are GOOD. It is a lot of work and I am problably a couple of months or so from getting it to where I want but I know it is the right thing for me at this stage to get me to the next level.
Click to expand...

Amoll, Ever been on a Trackman to get some insights into your swing?
 
Phana24JG said:
Amoll, Ever been on a Trackman to get some insights into your swing?
Click to expand...

He uses it quite a bit as a teaching professional. He is our THP Pro.
 
JB said:
He uses it quite a bit as a teaching professional. He is our THP Pro.
Click to expand...

OK, now I am officially impressed. I got in a short session when the rep was demoing it for an instructor. They had to physically remove me :beat-up: The info I got in those ten shots was priceless. Of course, two weeks later, I managed to bang up my elbow sufficiently to end the 2009 season. I suspect you will soon have a thread or subforum just for Trackman stuff.
 
Technology has come a long way when it comes to golf and the instruction end of things. And as JB said I use the technology every day in my teaching. It is the same equipment that I am using with my instuctor to get my game better. I had always thought of myself as a pretty good range pro, but with all of the new technology it is amazing how much you can truly learn about your swing and being able to see it really make a huge differance in my opinion.
 
amollerud said:
Technology has come a long way when it comes to golf and the instruction end of things. And as JB said I use the technology every day in my teaching. It is the same equipment that I am using with my instuctor to get my game better. I had always thought of myself as a pretty good range pro, but with all of the new technology it is amazing how much you can truly learn about your swing and being able to see it really make a huge differance in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I have had several discussions with some quality instructors who believe that Trackman and their inevitable competitors will essentially change how golf is taught, and those instructors who are not up to speed on the latest technology are going to be hurting in the very near future. Kudos for being in the know.
 
Great thread this one. Especially for a big fan of lessons.

I have had roughly 30 lessons during the past 2 years, a lot you may say. But to me these lessons is as important as going for a round of golf. Why did i start taking lessons? my slicing on all irons from P -> 6i trough woods till driver was so bad it was either lessons or stop playing golf.

I am so fortunate that one of my friends is a part of the group educating new teacing PGA's in Denmark. I called and asked for the best one within driving distance (by Car :eek:)). The pro he found for me is a true believer of video teaching with the PC on a table rigt next to the range. Meaning immediately visual feed back when something is good or bad, that's really great. We have an agreement that I never leave a lesson without being able to do a reasonalbe round of golf. And yes I have in between lessons seen other teacing pros, and they have all mentioned the same swing fault, so we must be on the rigth track here.

My tought is that i will continue to take lesson at least once a month as i spending so much tome on golf that i find it a waste of money not to take lessons. This meaning all the money i spend on new gear, membership, grenfees compared to the money spend on lessons is a small price to have more value for money on the rest of the money spend. To my experience lessons is a necessity to gain more fun of the game we all love.

Have fun out there here as there here in Denmark is 15inch of snow, so no wintergolf right now :)
 
Yeah...I take lessons...I want to get better...



...right now I'm with a fairly new instructor for me...he's managed to turn on some lights for me that no other pro could...I finally am starting to understand the movements better...made a mini breakthrough recently an am much more in tune with my tempo...last two things that we've been working on is footwork and takeaway...it's coming along...
 
I seem to always play much better after a lesson :) But my only issue is, my instructor says one thing, but tons of other people disagree :confused2:
 
Golf Chick said:
I seem to always play much better after a lesson :) But my only issue is, my instructor says one thing, but tons of other people disagree :confused2:
Click to expand...

If you listen to everybody you're guaranteed not to learn a thing...there are way too many ways to hit a golf ball to definitively state one is better than the other over the net, from a book or magazine...the whole point of lessons is that hopefully you'll get a good pro who teaches YOU and not a method...
 
I did when I first started playing over 22 years ago (I was 10) and that was for a year or 2.

I didn't play for a long time during my late teens and 20's and recently got back into it. It's amazing how much I remeber from them but I think I'll go for a couple more now just to iron out any bad habits I've picked up since playing again.

Funnily enough, the same Pro that taught me back then will probably be the guy I go back to!
 
I'm a returning golfer after 4 years away from the game.
Back for about 4 months, refreshed all my gear and have gotten back to playing around a 5 or 6.
Problem was my bad shot was a snap hook off the tee and sometimes dead left shots with irons.
This was stopping me from shooting low 70's consistently.

Recently just had a lesson with a reccommended pro and within 5 seconds he saw my fault (coming in too much on the inside and relying on my hands to square the club) and he has given me a collection of simple drills to help me "feel" and groove where I need to be and it's made a huge difference.

Nothing radical but once you can intelectualise your flaws and see them illustrated on video (as hard as it can be to watch your swing) it really helps.

I'd rather spend some $$$ and know why I hit the bad shots and work on fixing them then slugging it out hoping things will improve from round to round trying to teach myself and think I know what I'm doing wrong.

I will continue to go every month or so until I have sorted (or atleast understand) my current flaws.
I'm big on taking notes so I can refer to them in the future as it's not $$$ possible to take lessons all season through.

Simply. Lessons with a good pro are worth their weight in gold!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top