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Playing immediately after a lesson?

DawgDaddy

DawgDaddy

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Yesterday I had a lesson up at Monroe CC, immediately after I teed it up with Ole Gray, KellyBo & flog2424. I had a great lesson, it was my final in the series so we had an on course playing lesson. I was striking the ball really good for me and rolling the putter very good. Played 4 holes and birdied 2, my instructor was making suggestions as to alignment and hand position. After my last 4 rounds being on the bad side for me my confidence was soaring when we got to the first tee. I found the fairway in good position and on the next shot had my feet about 3" below the ball so I played a draw. The ball did not draw, hit a cart path and bounced directly behind the only tree on that side of the fairway to put me stone cold dead on an approach shot. Took a bogey and then it was off and running, shot my worse score in months as my confidence completely was shattered.

Having said all of that my question is, how many of you have played immediately after a lesson and do you think it wise to possibly not play then. I know that the others in the group said that sometimes too many thoughts are in your head to try to put them into play that soon and that made some sense to me but on the other hand if you don't play immediately then why would it be better to wait and maybe get to the range or play a practice round by yourself the next day or so. Would there still not be many thoughts running in your head then?
 
I have had lessons at 2 different points in my life and my following rounds have always been awful. I am the type of person that needs repetition. When I went straight on the course I was so stuck in my head and worrying about every little thing that I didn't just play golf. I need some time to digest the information and work it all out in my head and get some range time in with it. Everyone is different obviously but thats just my experience.
 
I did a lot of that this year. Maybe not directly after, but before I could put reps in on the range with what I learned. It almost always resulted in going right back to what I was doing previously. Maybe I am not good enough to understand what the coach is saying and fix it midstream without practice, but in my next lesson endeavor (starting soon), I will be stepping away from the course after lessons to dedicate more time to practice and get where I want to be.
 
I have and see nothing wrong with it. The thoughts are fresh and the swing is fresh. Mistakes are going to happen regardless if you just had a lesson or not. The key is not to abandon what you have learned good, bad or ugly.
 
I have tried it and they have never been good rounds, partly because of what others have said - I am worried about making the changes/adjustments that my instructor has given me. After the first time, I learned to put the scorecard away on those rounds and just focus on the changes. I always end up on the range working on the changes, but I don't think there is anything wrong with playing right after a lesson.
 
amsmith61 said:
I have tried it and they have never been good rounds, partly because of what others have said - I am worried about making the changes/adjustments that my instructor has given me. After the first time, I learned to put the scorecard away on those rounds and just focus on the changes. I always end up on the range working on the changes, but I don't think there is anything wrong with playing right after a lesson.
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That is pretty much what KellyBo was telling me but I found that hard to do also.
 
DawgDaddy said:
That is pretty much what KellyBo was telling me but I found that hard to do also.
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Trust me it was hard for me at first, especially when I was over on the range with the instructor hitting the ball absolutely pure. I would head on to the course thinking I was absolutely invincible and would be quickly reminded that I wasn't. The first golf instructor I worked with, ironically his name is Bill Walsh, told me something that took a couple of painful rounds to understand. There is practice on the range and there is practice on the course. His belief was that you can work on changes on the range, but ultimately you had to practice them on a course as well. Took awhile to sink into this thick skull of mine. :)
 
I usually try to play somewhat soon after a lesson. But always with reduced expectations. I find that it is a great way for me to force myself to think about the elements I worked on.
 
I have played immediately after a lesson. In fact, did it last year for the Iowa Outing. My game was already in shambles, and it probably got a little worse after the lesson because I had way too many thoughts in my head.

I am a big fan of using the driving range after a lesson.

~Rock
 
DawgDaddy said:
Would there still not be many thoughts running in your head then?
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I think so.
Its hard imo after lesson/s no matter that day or four days later. Something has changed and it will affect you imo. I would rather actually play sooner so as not to forget what was learned and start putting it to use soon as i can. develope the feel and memmory of it soon as possible. With one exception of course only if I am fatigued, tired or stressed, then that doesnt do any good at all. Outside of that i want it soon as i can.
 
My coach used to tell me that he wanted me to get out of the think box into the play box once I address the ball. He advised me to use the think box behind the ball only. I am pretty sure you were in the think box all day yesterday! I know you saw me do the exact same thing after a lesson earlier this year. I'm glad you played with us but I will remind you of this tip next time. We both know what to expect immediately after a lesson so next time we will just lower our expectations, relax and enjoy ourselves.
 
I have, I think I get in the way and think to much. If I start thinking about mechanics during the round that is the end of that round.
 
Most usually do not play well after a lesson. It does mess you up and often times it'll get a little worse before you get better. The key is to stick with what you are working on. People will get a lesson and get information to use and if they don't start hitting it well right then, they go back to what they had before when in reality they just needed to practice and trust what they had been working on.
 
DawgDaddy said:
Having said all of that my question is, how many of you have played immediately after a lesson and do you think it wise to possibly not play then. I know that the others in the group said that sometimes too many thoughts are in your head to try to put them into play that soon and that made some sense to me but on the other hand if you don't play immediately then why would it be better to wait and maybe get to the range or play a practice round by yourself the next day or so. Would there still not be many thoughts running in your head then?
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Noooo!, Don't do it!

I have a note in my little golf journal about that. I can't post exactly what it says but the last line was "Never ever do this again."

Why?

To hit the ball well you need a clear mind and to focus on the target. That ain't gonna happen the same day as a lesson.

The mental side of the game and the stages of learning say to keep practice and lessons (Process) separate from play. Go to your lesson. Practice until you don't think about the new move or skill or whatever you learned is automatic and you don't think about it. Sleep on it. Then go play. The mental and physical energy you spend even in a 1/2 hour lesson is not conducive to good focus and a clear mind on the course later in the day.
 
I think too much immediately after a lesson which translates into bad golf on the course. I don't play right after a lesson anymore. I just stay on the range and work on solidifying the lesson.
 
I do it after every lesson with lower expectations. I know I'm going to have too many thoughts going and know I'm probably not going to play my best, but ingraining the process on the course is an important part of having the lessons make a difference.

But the next round is typically pretty darn good.
 
usually it'll depend on what the lesson was on. If all that was changed was just alignment or posture, probably not a big deal. And major swing changes, i would prefer to get a few range rounds in.
 
Never have done that. I often want to go to the range right after, but usually I'm so tired out already I skip it.

Never thought about being too occupied with swing thoughts. That's a good point.
 
I had a couple lessons earlier this year and while I didn't play right after the lesson the next time I played (day or 2 later) I was awful. I have never hit so many shanks or hosel rockets in my life. It took me about a month to get worked out and I was able to incorporate in the major swing change I got from the lesson.

I think the issue, at least for me, is that during a lesson or range time you hit the same club many times in a row and can groove a swing. Once you get back onto the course and you barely ever hit the same club twice in a row it is hard to keep the new swing going. Then throw in a not flat lie or rough and now what you were doing on the range/lesson isn't even close to real world conditions.
 
SaskeyInWash said:
I had a couple lessons earlier this year and while I didn't play right after the lesson the next time I played (day or 2 later) I was awful. I have never hit so many shanks or hosel rockets in my life. It took me about a month to get worked out and I was able to incorporate in the major swing change I got from the lesson.

I think the issue, at least for me, is that during a lesson or range time you hit the same club many times in a row and can groove a swing. Once you get back onto the course and you barely ever hit the same club twice in a row it is hard to keep the new swing going. Then throw in a not flat lie or rough and now what you were doing on the range/lesson isn't even close to real world conditions.
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And that's exactly why I go and play after lessons, even if I know I'm not going to necessarily play well. Making that transition between the range and the course is difficult enough. I will also play 2 or 3 balls when I am working on something and the course is empty.
 
SaskeyInWash said:
I had a couple lessons earlier this year and while I didn't play right after the lesson the next time I played (day or 2 later) I was awful. I have never hit so many shanks or hosel rockets in my life. It took me about a month to get worked out and I was able to incorporate in the major swing change I got from the lesson.

I think the issue, at least for me, is that during a lesson or range time you hit the same club many times in a row and can groove a swing. Once you get back onto the course and you barely ever hit the same club twice in a row it is hard to keep the new swing going. Then throw in a not flat lie or rough and now what you were doing on the range/lesson isn't even close to real world conditions.
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I actually did have two of the dreaded $h@nk$ which is something that I rarely do.

The second point was not valid yesterday as it was a playing lesson and I did not hit the same club over and over. Good thought though for a regular swing lesson.
 
Let me tell you about the only lesson I ever had.

I live near Cleveland and every year the city hosts a golf expo at the local exposition center. There's always a well known instructor in attendance who gives a clinic. This was 11 or 12 years ago, maybe 2002, and the big name on hand was David Leadbetter. I was dating a girl who's father worked for the local paper and the company had purchased an hour long practice session for 20 of it's employees, with David Leadbetter. One of them backed out at the last second so I was able to go. 20 guys were lined up on mats and he made his way around, spending a couple minutes with each. I was terrified of what he would criticize about my swing, but to my rejoice, he walked over and said "you have a very nice swing". He changed a couple minor things with my grip and my finish and he was on his way. I felt a little cocky after receiving a compliment from one of the world's premier instructors but who cares, my swing felt great!

The next day, overflowing with confidence, I took my new swing to the course. At the time I was about a 12 handicap and usually shot in the mid 80's. In 13 years of avid golfing this would be the only round I carded in the triple digits. 107. I did nothing but shank the ball all day, straight right line drives. Eventually I did adopt some of his short lesson into my game and it did help.

I guess my point is, don't expect results immediately after a lesson. Allow time for the changes to sink in.
 
My recent lesson experience has convinced me that the answer is an emphatic NO! I would say not even the range afterwards, unless the drill I'm tasked with working on or change involves ball striking. For example, if the lesson concentrated on a proper hip turn, I'd just do the turn drill at home or wherever (I've been known to get a few reps in waiting for the train or red light) over and over concentrating on the sensation of engaging the muscles and locking in how it's supposed to feel. Hitting a ball at that point, even at the range, would just distract me since I'll naturally be paying too much attention to ball flight or the results. It's also too easy to be discouraged by the results if they aren't good due to the changes not being fully or properly integrated. My confidence might've been stronger had I not butchered those handful of rounds after the first few lessons.
 
I think I am not going to hit the course after lessons again, my 3 rounds this week were 75, 78 & today a 77. They were all from the senior tees but that usually translates to being 3 to 7 shots more when I move back. Pretty happy with the progress I made with this series of lessons and I plan to do another at the beginning of next season, maybe April & May. Thank you everyone for your comments and advise. Kelly I have worked hard this week on the think box versus swing box, that was an excellent suggestion, thank you for sharing it.
 
I always try to at least get on the range after a lesson. Wasn't able to after my last lesson, and it felt like a lot of the strides I made during the lesson got away when I got on the course today. Alignment was off, swing was out of sync. Took a few holes to make some adjustments.
 
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