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Indoor vs Outdoor instruction

jdtox

jdtox

Lord Tox
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I have come to the point where I feel like I need a tune up. I had been consistently a low 80's player for quite some time, I've even broken 80 a few times, but this year I have just seem to have lost my swing. I have shot 45, 47 and 49 in my league this year so far and am very frustrated to the point I am going to seek assistance.

I have never really had a lesson in my entire life.... My question is which am more likely to gain from, a driving range pro @ $70/hr OR an indoor facility that will put me on video and the bio-mech vest that will cost be $90 for 1 hour?
 
Depends on the pro in my mind.

All things being equal, I prefer to be outdoors, but that's not often the case. I've had some pretty lame outdoor lessons with the wrong guy. Same goes for indoor lessons. I don't think just video is enough, but that's me.

Current guy that I really like is indoors with video, weight sensing plates, and a sim/monitor during the off months. Outdoors during season.

I'd find out which one is the better teacher/communicator for your needs first and then go from there.
 
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I don't know anything about either one of these guys. How would you find out which one is better without actually having a lesson?
 
Maybe ask for referals or hang around while they are giving a lesson? That's what I did with my current guy. Watched him teach and also talked to a lot of his students, who were at the place he taught at. Sometimes just a little chat with the teacher helps to get a feel for if you get along with them. Worst case you could pay for a short lesson and see how you like the person.
 
Learning by seeing how the ball reacts to your swing vs. seeing angles and numbers are both valid. I think that part is more a function of how you learn best, rather than one being better than the other. Since you want a tuneup and you've never taken a lesson before I personally think the better place to focus is finding a pro that you are comfortable working with, someone you mesh with.
 
where is the loss of strokes comming from? Reason i ask is your ball striking off the tee and on approaches whats hurting you? or is it more from the short stuff like the chipping and putting end of the spectrum?
If its the short stuff than maybe some self pratice is all you'll need to get back where you were. Not that lessons on that stuff wouldnt also be of good use but just thought I'd throw it out there.
 
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rollin said:
where is the loss of strokes comming from? Reason i ask is your ball striking off the tee and on approaches whats hurting you? or is it more from the short stuff like the chipping and putting end of the spectrum?
If its the short stuff than maybe some self pratice is all you'll need to get back where you were. Not that lessons on that stuff wouldnt also be of good use but just thought I'd throw it out there.
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Off the tee mostly. Playing from behind trees and not able to hit full irons into the green really hurts. I'm not making any putts either to be honest, but thats never been my strong suit. In the past I hit a nice power fade and I knew where and how to hit it. Now the ball goes, left, right, banana slice, 4 feet off the ground, etc. I have no idea whats going to happen up on that box anymore and have zero confidence. I'm to the point where it might be all irons all the time this week.
 
tequila4kapp said:
Learning by seeing how the ball reacts to your swing vs. seeing angles and numbers are both valid. I think that part is more a function of how you learn best, rather than one being better than the other. Since you want a tuneup and you've never taken a lesson before I personally think the better place to focus is finding a pro that you are comfortable working with, someone you mesh with.
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Agree with this 100%. Video for me makes all the difference in the world but that's not true for everyone. But the instructor obviously makes a big difference too. My instructor last year used video but we hit outside which was great but I had a hard time connecting with the drills she'd give me and what to feel during my swing. Started at Golftec in late March and this guy just knows how to communicate the concepts to me and makes it very simple to apply. Which is good because I'm pretty darn simple.

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boondoggle said:
Agree with this 100%. Video for me makes all the difference in the world but that's not true for everyone. But the instructor obviously makes a big difference too. My instructor last year used video but we hit outside which was great but I had a hard time connecting with the drills she'd give me and what to feel during my swing. Started at Golftec in late March and this guy just knows how to communicate the concepts to me and makes it very simple to apply. Which is good because I'm pretty darn simple.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
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Exact same for me. Golftec and the video analysis have been fantastic for me. I like outdoors too but so far this has been helping the most
 
I took the Golftec approach this year which is indoors with all the fancy equipment. While I have benefited a bit from it, I find that my swing indoors is completely different than when I'm outdoors. I feel restricted and enclosed inside and can't really ever get comfortable with my swing. That being said, there are some places that have HUGE indoor practice facilities like a dome or PGA superstore which may better suit you and your swing. It's really just your personal preference but I'll be sticking to outdoors and domes from now on.
 
With a cap under 10 and usually shooting low 80's I assume you are already a pretty good ball striker. I wouldnt think a slice is any hard fix for you with an instructor. I assume your just looking to straighten that out and I dont see why a half hour with any decent instructor wouldnt help tweak that for you without getting involved with a whole makeover and get you back where you want. Tlak to an instructor and tell him exactly what you said to us about your game over all and about how you cant get rid of this slice off the tee which is hurting you. My bet is you being a decent ball striker to begin with he would see that problem in a few swings. Of course there is always the chance you happen to hit perfectly well while in front of him lol. Indoor or outdoor? To fix your temporary slice I dont think it matters imo.

I am all for lessons but i also know how one can end up with a whole can of worms from it too. I think it depends on what your looking for. Fix this slice problem? or break it all down and try to improve on everything. One could be a quick fix or tweak and the other while eventually beneficial could lead to a lot of work and effort and time. Just my .02 Good luck. Its just that you seemed (from your open) pretty happy where you were before if it not for this slice issue.
 
Personally I like the outside lesson with the pro. You get to see immediate results, feel the results and in grain the results. Gettiong caught up in numbers screws with most people's heads. I could stand on a lesson tee all day and give lessons. There is something about watching a finely struck shots rocketing out in space vs spin rates and angles of attack.
 
I would prefer outdoors if possible. There are some great simulators out there, but it's just not the same as seeing the ball flight outside.
 
Thanks guys! I do tend to get caught up in the numbers and all that stuff, so maybe a good outdoor lesson is the way to go. Results > numbers on a machine. Unless of course you could combine both. :act-up:
 
I like what alot of pros have done in terms of making a studio at their range. You can hit indoors regardless of the weather and get video of your swing but you still see the results outside.
 
jdtox said:
Thanks guys! I do tend to get caught up in the numbers and all that stuff, so maybe a good outdoor lesson is the way to go. Results > numbers on a machine. Unless of course you could combine both. :act-up:
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I am very fortunate to have that set up for my lessons. I do enjoy flight tracker (or whatever it is called) but I tend to not look at the other stuff very much - thinking about the things my instructor wants me to do is enough for my brain.
 
Although I like the tech that can be enabled in an indoor setting. Seeing ballflight and divots etc at an outdoor lesson is nice. I think though the pro themself has a lot to do with the success or failure of a lesson. A hybrid setup like Crossfield has would be pretty awesome if it could also have grass in it.
 
dhartmann34 said:
I took the Golftec approach this year which is indoors with all the fancy equipment. While I have benefited a bit from it, I find that my swing indoors is completely different than when I'm outdoors. I feel restricted and enclosed inside and can't really ever get comfortable with my swing. That being said, there are some places that have HUGE indoor practice facilities like a dome or PGA superstore which may better suit you and your swing. It's really just your personal preference but I'll be sticking to outdoors and domes from now on.
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Same experience as dhartmann... I have benefitted from indoor lessons with golftec, but continue to have some sort of mental block swinging in a more enclosed space. The video is really helpful, though, so that will be something I look for, just in a bigger space.
 
I like both-

Indoors-- to groove a change in position or feel in the swing, yet get the feel of contacting a real ball as I struggle to make a feel/position/move change when I see flight as I am too concerned with outcome

Outside-- to work on ball flight, turf interaction, alignment and distances

Each has their purpose to me but I love hearing a well struck shot and seeing the results verse just hearing the ball-club contact
 
I've had lessons indoors and outdoors. I find the instant feedback and seeing exactly how that ball reacts to your swing as the biggest thing I like about outdoor lessons. As for being indoors, seeing your swing on that video is the biggest advantage of indoor lessons for me. Also, the heat here in Vegas during the summer makes indoor lessons very attractive.
 
I prefer outside because you can truly see the ball flight
 
I think when you're up to your eyes in snow and it's 40 degrees outside inside is fantastic lol, having the ability to instantly see video and numbers that make up the swing would be invaluable too but, having the ability to interact with the turf regularly and gaining an understanding of how your club interacts with the turf for different shots is invaluable as well, flight is really important but turf is equally important.
 
Tadashi70 said:
Personally I like the outside lesson with the pro. You get to see immediate results, feel the results and in grain the results. Gettiong caught up in numbers screws with most people's heads. I could stand on a lesson tee all day and give lessons. There is something about watching a finely struck shots rocketing out in space vs spin rates and angles of attack.
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I've largely taken indoor lessons and I got more out of the one lesson I took outside than any of them. The combination of hitting off of real grass, and being able to see the entire flight of the ball was extremely helpful.
 
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