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Why Are You NOT Scheduling Lessons

Canadan said:
5pm today.

Finally.
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I broke finally and scheduled a driver lesson today at 5:30pm.
Gotta improve this club before the MC
 
That post said:
I desperately want to get some lessons. But the reason I'm not getting them right now is bc after 10ish years off from golf I've returned by using my dad's old clubs. Unfortunately, they are pretty old 'Founders Club' clubs with Senior flex shafts. I'm not sure exactly what my swing speed is but I'm confident it's too fast to be using these shafts.

I don't want to start lessons with these old clubs and misfit shafts. I feel like if I do then maybe bad habits from using equipment not suited for me will engrain bad habits. I'm going to be fit for new clubs near the end of August and will most likely get some lessons after I get them.
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Conventional wisdom is get the swing together through lessons, then get fit for clubs with your fixed swing…..


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JayB said:
Conventional wisdom is get the swing together through lessons, then get fit for clubs with your fixed swing…..


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Good to know. So getting the swing together with Senior flex not going to wreck me when I get new clubs with Reg or stiff flex?
 
I doubt lessons would do any good at this point.
 
I've been playing for over 55 years. I've had countless lessons over the years and I know they work. However, at 71 my swing is not going to change.
When I struggle I go back and read the first three chapters of Hogan's FIVE LESSONS. I know my swing and my poor shots are not caused by a mechanical flaw, but by a lack of focus or physical limitations. The young pro I last visited recognized this and we worked more on my mental game than my swing. I'll probably get with him again, but not this year.
 
I took a lesson last Saturday. My arm position on takeaway had gotten sloppy, and without external observation and correction, i had kept going the wrong way. A small backswing correction made a big difference already. Next lesson this upcoming Saturday. And every other week thereafter. Going to chip away at all the little things that atrophied and turned into a crap swing.

1 hour of instruction started to right the ship that endless hours of range time and self diagnosis couldn’t fix (and absolutely hurt).


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Instructor not available until September.
 
I finally broke down and scheduled a lesson for tomorrow.

What did it?

I shot 41 in league last night. Not bad. I took 3 penalties off of the tee, one which was effectively a 2 shot penalty, because even after the drop, I had to lay up. I was pounding driver on the range, and was completely lost with it on the course.

11:30 tomorrow, I get professional eyes on my swing for the first time in over 7 years.
 
So I have a good swing, I am on plane, lots of power. A little shut at the top, but the pro doesn't mind that at all.

In typical golf fashion, I was pounding it, and didn't hook any on the range or on the tee we hit off of.

Pro wants me to feel like I am turning the lower body hard, need to clear to be able to play with that shut face.

Played with weakening my right hand grip to see that I can hit the ball right, and to try weakening the grip when I as having a case of the hooks on course. He doesnt want me to change my grip as a baseline otherwise, since it is working rather well.

Easiest lesson ever. I'm glad I dont have too much to work on.

Should have scheduled it sooner (which seems to be the theme of this thread).
 
BCSupreme said:
I have mine locked in. This is the year I plan to take my game to its best.
I have a giant package through GolfTec hear in Nashville (Cool Springs) and absolutely love my coach.
Having the visual aspect has been eye opening thus far. I highly recommend looking into GolfTec or someplace that can record and give the data.
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How did the GolfTec lessons work out for you?
 
JayB said:
I took a lesson last Saturday. My arm position on takeaway had gotten sloppy, and without external observation and correction, i had kept going the wrong way. A small backswing correction made a big difference already. Next lesson this upcoming Saturday. And every other week thereafter. Going to chip away at all the little things that atrophied and turned into a crap swing.

1 hour of instruction started to right the ship that endless hours of range time and self diagnosis couldn’t fix (and absolutely hurt).


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Two months after my first lesson and the changes are substantial. Have touched nearly every facet of the fame in my bi-weekly sessions. Have scored a PB since then and several easy feeling, good-scoring rounds. Index has dropped 2 points in that time. 2 more sessions before our pro heads South for the winter. Will use the last session to come up with off season drills to keep things sharp for next spring.


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When I first started playing golf, I was in college and money was in short supply. So I basically figured things out by myself. Now that I'm starting back after a long time away, I decided it was the perfect time to get some lessons and hopefully play better golf. First lesson was yesterday and it was very helpful. I was happy to learn that I actually have a good swing, but I had some small stuff going on that was killing my accuracy. So we worked on those and I was hitting some pretty good shots at the end. Even hit some good shots with my hybrid, which is by far my worst club. I'll be back at the range tomorrow working on what I've learned. Next lesson will be short game/putting. Pretty excited about the results so far!
 
Lessons can be weird. We have two schools of emphasis. The Hands Oriented, Body will respond to the arms, and the body controlled emphasis with speed and sequencing and position based teaching.

My instructors are body-controlled, sequencing with arm speed the last... I mean, it's good, but it has you thinking about positions and the hands/arms are less of an emphasis.

So I had my younger son go to a more hands/arms based, body responds to speed of arms instructor, which is simpler for him.

I am blending the two in order to balance out. Now that I have positions, and appreciate them, I am working on arm speed, relaxation of shoulders, arms and hands. And no, I don't rotate the wrists in the downswing because that takes too much timing. I found the flip is caused when you stop turning, your lead forearm gets away from your left ribcage on the downswing or your arms get stuck behind your body. It's all a balance.

With the hands/arm based swing and relaxation, you can feel the body respond to the arms but I've found it's not automatic, so knowing positions, for me, is required.
 
I live in a town where there aren't many instructors. I can only think of 3. Two of them specialize in kids instruction. The other has been too busy with running a golf course and no assistants to help with giving lessons. He's greatly reduced his lesson schedule so its harder to get enough lessons with him. He'll basically spend some time at the range for one session then watch you play a 9 holes and work with you through the 9 holes. But it has to be during a slow time so he can do it right. The window is limited with him.

I've been told by older adults that the two who teach kids are not good at working with older golfers who are not new to the game. Fine for beginners to get the basics down. But they can't work with someone who's had a certain swing for a long time. They're not able to recognize flaws and they just want to change your swing to the long held traditions. More than one person has told me they were either no help or messed up their swing even more.
 
charley48 said:
I live in a town where there aren't many instructors. I can only think of 3. Two of them specialize in kids instruction. The other has been too busy with running a golf course and no assistants to help with giving lessons. He's greatly reduced his lesson schedule so its harder to get enough lessons with him. He'll basically spend some time at the range for one session then watch you play a 9 holes and work with you through the 9 holes. But it has to be during a slow time so he can do it right. The window is limited with him.

I've been told by older adults that the two who teach kids are not good at working with older golfers who are not new to the game. Fine for beginners to get the basics down. But they can't work with someone who's had a certain swing for a long time. They're not able to recognize flaws and they just want to change your swing to the long held traditions. More than one person has told me they were either no help or messed up their swing even more.
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That eff you up even happens with so-called very good instructors.
 
2021 was the first year ever that I felt like I found a good instructor. I've had several in the past and while I can't say any of them were bad, none were not right for me.

He listened to me when I said I was not like most students and that I did not want to go down the road of trying - and failing once again - to develop a classic swing. It had to have been difficult as an instructor but he agreed. Whether my game ever improves or not, he has helped make me a better student of the game. It was the best money I've spent on golf. The thing is, I want to continue lessons next year.

On my last email him, I promised I wouldn't tell anyone who has seen my swing that he taught it to me because if that got out he'd never have another student. I liked his response...

"I give you permission and encourage you to tell people that I taught you your swing, on one condition. You have to demonstrate your “before” swing!"
 
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