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Swing: Starting over or working with what you have?

robmypro

robmypro

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I have been pondering this lately and wanted to get some professional feedback (THP style!). I feel like I am making a lot of progress with my swing, but I also know my swing has flaws. If I take lessons, I know my instructor is going to want to revamp my swing. To me, that represents a big decision. Do I let someone reconstruct my swing, or just try to work with what I have, knowing it won't ever be optimal.

If you decided to go one way vs the other, what would help you decide? Let's assume that you haven't played since Reagan was in office. Would you play a few rounds and then let the results of that help you decide? Would you just say "I want to be the best I can", so screw it, let's do this right? It doesn't seem so cut and dry to me, for a few reasons. First, the thought of building a swing from scratch isn't appealing. Second, I am not sure my instructor is going to be good enough to really help my game. I am not saying they won't be, but it is a risk to me. And once I have their thoughts in my mind, I may actually be in a worse place.

What I am really trying to do is figure out at what point I should be considering lessons (already signed up for group lessons, but not the same as private), or determine that I have enough to go it alone? My first 4 range sessions have shown really good progress, but any progress looks big when you are starting from square one. I also feel like I am entering a new phase. I can get the ball in the air now, so the big and easy (bad grip!) fixes might be behind me. Within a month or two (at this pace), I am wondering if further progress might take professional help. And if that is a reality, did I just waste all this time?

If you were me, what would you need to see on the course (or range) to feel like lessons aren't needed, or an absolute must? Keep in mind that my dad was a pro, so I did get some basic instruction at an early age. That was A LONG TIME AGO, so I am not sure how much muscle memory could be floating around from that. It might be a small factor, but not sure.

I guess in a very long winded way, I am trying to figure out how to tell when I might be running up against a wall that only lessons can get me around. What might that look like?

Thanks guys!
 
I'd just go with the flow and trust your instructor. Do your homework and try to pick the best one you can afford and talk to him about it. I wouldn't say that I just started over, but I have steadily made some pretty big changes and it's not always easy, but it's rewarding. At your level, you have nothing to lose imo.
 
Thanks for the reply, Hawk. So you are saying just go for lessons, period? It doesn't matter what progress I am making now.
 
Go for lessons without question.
 
I would for sure. First of all, I bet you'll enjoy them more than you expect and second, your progress will come along much faster. You'll have less of a chance of ingraining bad habits too. It's pretty easy to compensate somehow to make things work marginally, but that may hurt your ability to really improve down the road. If I could go back in time I would have scheduled a lesson after my first round when I decided I liked the game and wanted to play.
 
Agree with those above. Go with the lessons and trust your instructor. It may take some time but the overall benefit outweighs a short fix


Proud Member of #TeamParadise
 
I'm confused, how do know the instructor is going to revamp your swing? Have you talked with someone that told you that?
 
The instructor I am working with right now was having an interesting discussion with me. I'm working through a set of six lessons and we are making fairly drastic changes, but he was talking about another guy he is giving lessons to who doesn't get to play or practice that much and that instead of working to correct every little move, they were working within the framework of his existing swing to try to make the ball go straight.

I have taken my share of bad lessons where they cursorily asked what my goals were and started changing a bunch of stuff, but a good instructor should be able to adjust their teaching style to the goals you want to obtain.
 
I finally took the big lesson plunge early this year. I know, with my "old" swing that I have the ability to break 80, because I have. But, I also have the "ability" to be in triple-digits with the same swing, and I have. I decided my end goal will be to be able to break 80 on a consistent basis. This drove my decision to go into the initial swing evaluation and the subsequent lesson package (15 lessons), understanding that I would likely be taking some steps backwards in order to take more steps forward over the next couple of years. IMO, if you want to improve your scoring a little bit over where you currently are, then it is possible to work on some of the weaknesses, without an over-haul (also, can focus on, and play to your strengths; avoiding the weaknesses). But, if you want to make more of a "paradigm" shift (geez, that sounds like consultant-speak) in your golfing abilities, then a more involved process may be needed.
 
Hawk said:
I'd just go with the flow and trust your instructor. Do your homework and try to pick the best one you can afford and talk to him about it. I wouldn't say that I just started over, but I have steadily made some pretty big changes and it's not always easy, but it's rewarding. At your level, you have nothing to lose imo.
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Thanks Hawk and JB. I put a lot of weight in what you guys say on this.

Tadashi70 said:
I'm confused, how do know the instructor is going to revamp your swing? Have you talked with someone that told you that?
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Hi Freddie. I spoke with a guy at GolfTec (inside of GolfSmith). He had me take a few swings and started listing off some things. For example, not rotating my body enough on the backswing, and the position of the club at the top being off. It didn't sound like a minor makeover to me, but maybe I am reading more into his comments than I should? He compared me to my favorite golfer's swing, which I thought was a little odd. I also don't have that guy's build or flexibility. I guess the thought of trying to make my swing fit an ideal swing made me nervous about it. But maybe it's not as bad as I think it would be?

You saw a sample of my swing. Your question makes me think that you might think it isn't that hopeless.
 
I just got back from taking my first lesson of the year and the reason I went was because my ball striking has been really poor lately. I have a pretty good relationship with the instructor I go to so I knew he wouldn't do a compete over haul of my swing. After a few minutes he noticed my problem was that I set my hands too early. He made only that change and I was back to normal. Who knows what another coach would have done but I have been to some that are always wanting to make drastic changes to your swing.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
 
Making you turn deeper into the back swing and get the club set at the top isn't a revamp. If you want to make the investment in your swing, make it. If you like the instructor, then go with it. You set the tone by telling them what you want to achieve. If you let them, then they will do what they want. You tell them what you want and it's his job to get you but also suggest other changes that will make your swing better.
 
adwillingham said:
The instructor I am working with right now was having an interesting discussion with me. I'm working through a set of six lessons and we are making fairly drastic changes, but he was talking about another guy he is giving lessons to who doesn't get to play or practice that much and that instead of working to correct every little move, they were working within the framework of his existing swing to try to make the ball go straight.

I have taken my share of bad lessons where they cursorily asked what my goals were and started changing a bunch of stuff, but a good instructor should be able to adjust their teaching style to the goals you want to obtain.
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Good luck with your lessons! Your comment about having your share of bad lessons is what is on my mind. I need to figure out how to tell a good instructor from a bad one. Is it just trial and error? Because at this point I am inclined to commit to only one lesson, and then see what they have to say, and how well we work together.
 
robmypro said:
Good luck with your lessons! Your comment about having your share of bad lessons is what is on my mind. I need to figure out how to tell a good instructor from a bad one. Is it just trial and error? Because at this point I am inclined to commit to only one lesson, and then see what they have to say, and how well we work together.
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It's a good question and one others may have thoughts on.

In my case, I finally quit taking lessons from the local driving range owner who lacked any type of actual technology beyond recording a couple of swings, and was able to talk to some other good golfers I know and ask for recommendations of who had helped them. Once I got that recommendation and did more internet searches about the guy, I set up one lesson knowing that I could turn that into a package if it went well.

So I guess like any other service area, recommendations and "interview" of sort.
 
Tadashi70 said:
Making you turn deeper into the back swing and get the club set at the top isn't a revamp. If you want to make the investment in your swing, make it. If you like the instructor, then go with it. You set the tone by telling them what you want to achieve. If you let them, then they will do what they want. You tell them what you want and it's his job to get you but also suggest other changes that will make your swing better.
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Thanks Freddie. I always appreciate your take, so thanks for chiming in on this. Setting the tone and the goals I want seems to be the key. Knowing that helps me think about the agenda I want to have going in.
 
adwillingham said:
It's a good question and one others may have thoughts on.

In my case, I finally quit taking lessons from the local driving range owner who lacked any type of actual technology beyond recording a couple of swings, and was able to talk to some other good golfers I know and ask for recommendations of who had helped them. Once I got that recommendation and did more internet searches about the guy, I set up one lesson knowing that I could turn that into a package if it went well.

So I guess like any other service area, recommendations and "interview" of sort.
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I wish I knew a few good golfers in my area. Maybe some people here may have ideas. One friend who golfs took a lesson from GolfTec, but that was like 15 years ago. So I need to do some research on this. Thanks for the help.
 
Last year, I applied a few bandaids to my game and patched a few things up. I was playing OK, but I knew if I wanted to be even better, I wasn't going to get there with just patching a few things up in my swing. So I made a decision to deconstruct and rebuild my swing back up with my pro. It doesn't have to take 10-15 lessons to achieve it, in fact, I've done it in 3 lessons, they are just spaced out over a longer period of time and it takes a ton (stress TON) of practice to ingrain these new movements to make them feel natural.

I would ask yourself this: What do you want to get out of the game? Do you want to consistently shoot in the 90's high 80's and just play for leisure? Or do you want to take it more serious and enter tournaments or events or maybe your goal is to be a single digit handicap. If you think more along the lines of the first answer, I wouldn't probably recommend a total revamp. But if you are more along the lines of the second, you will probably never get there unless you deconstruct your swing and build it back up. Just my opinion and there is really no right or wrong answer.
 
A good instructor won't burn the house down and rebuild from the ashes. A good instructor will see your natural swing and then tweak the areas for improvement. Now, if you're not interested in putting in the time to practice what the instructor is saying, then continue to do what you're doing and live with whatever scores you're seeing.

Neither is wrong, nor is one better than the other.
 
dcbrad said:
I would ask yourself this: What do you want to get out of the game? Do you want to consistently shoot in the 90's high 80's and just play for leisure? Or do you want to take it more serious and enter tournaments or events or maybe your goal is to be a single digit handicap. If you think more along the lines of the first answer, I wouldn't probably recommend a total revamp. But if you are more along the lines of the second, you will probably never get there unless you deconstruct your swing and build it back up. Just my opinion and there is really no right or wrong answer.
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I guess that is really what this all comes down to, isn't it? I want to be a good golfer. The question is...how good?
 
blugold said:
A good instructor won't burn the house down and rebuild from the ashes. A good instructor will see your natural swing and then tweak the areas for improvement. Now, if you're not interested in putting in the time to practice what the instructor is saying, then continue to do what you're doing and live with whatever scores you're seeing.

Neither is wrong, nor is one better than the other.
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So it sounds like I just need to find the right instructor, Blu. I have no problem putting in the time. I am pretty disciplined in that regard. My problem is more buying into what they are selling. Maybe I am skeptical now because I haven't hit that wall yet. Once I feel like my game cannot improve, that will be the motivator. I will see how this group lesson goes, and I will plan on taking one lesson from an instructor at the course I am going to.

I will let you know how that goes, and get some opinions about the first instructor.
 
robmypro said:
So it sounds like I just need to find the right instructor, Blu. I have no problem putting in the time. I am pretty disciplined in that regard. My problem is more buying into what they are selling. Maybe I am skeptical now because I haven't hit that wall yet. Once I feel like my game cannot improve, that will be the motivator. I will see how this group lesson goes, and I will plan on taking one lesson from an instructor at the course I am going to.

I will let you know how that goes, and get some opinions about the first instructor.
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Don't think that the instructor is selling anything. They are there to help you improve, nothing more, nothing less. If I could do things over again I would have had lessons earlier. Learning something right the first time sure makes things easier. There is no sense in committing to a faulty swing if you know it's going to reach a limit in the near future.

The best way to find a suitable instructor is to get a recommendation from a golfer that knows your personality, if there is no one to make recommendations, just give a few instructors a call and explain your goals. Just talking to them will give you a feel for how they operate.
 
I have the same dilemma as you do, and I started during the same time frame as you. I spent over 10 years away from the game and have debated the lessons. I'm getting better, but not all the way there yet. I still can't putt!!!
 
TheHeez said:
Don't think that the instructor is selling anything. They are there to help you improve, nothing more, nothing less. If I could do things over again I would have had lessons earlier. Learning something right the first time sure makes things easier. There is no sense in committing to a faulty swing if you know it's going to reach a limit in the near future.

The best way to find a suitable instructor is to get a recommendation from a golfer that knows your personality, if there is no one to make recommendations, just give a few instructors a call and explain your goals. Just talking to them will give you a feel for how they operate.
Click to expand...

My "selling" comment wasn't the best choice of words. What I meant to say was that I am not sure I would be convinced that their plan was the best direction for me. I have read a lot of comments here from people who are on their x's instructor. Lessons seem to be hit or miss, and I don't know what sort of luck I will have. But I am going to give a pro at the course I practice a one lesson interview and see how it goes.

I will let them know I am not interested in a complete overhaul, but that I want to get better, and work with what I have. I guess that also comes with an honest assessment, which I will ask for. Give it to me straight. Maybe I will be surprised by the outcome.
 
JPR1959 said:
I have the same dilemma as you do, and I started during the same time frame as you. I spent over 10 years away from the game and have debated the lessons. I'm getting better, but not all the way there yet. I still can't putt!!!
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Glad I am not the only one! It is a tougher decision that I thought it would be. My problem is that I always want to do things myself. In this case, that might end up being a mistake. Again, I will take one lesson and see what I think. I am trying to think about it, but once I actually have a lesson I will have more information to go on. And like Freddie, said, I just have to set the tone. I will definitely do that, and report back with my findings.
 
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