First Lesson

I'm going for my first lesson next week and I'm wondering what to expect and how to prepare. I've been playing for years and am right around a 12-14 right now. Any suggestions for me? This will be my first ever lesson (with the exception of a lesson I took when I was about 14 years old a long time ago). Thanks.

I suggest discussing it with our THP pro. He can obviously help you better than us. The one thing I can tell you is to be honest with the teacher. Share your concerns. Share your troubles. I see it too many times people go to get a lesson and do not want to admit their flaws.

Be honest with your instructor, answer all his/her questions in that manner. Make sure you ask questions when you do not understand a point of instruction. Practice what the instructors has shown you after the session is over. You can't blame the instructor if you do not correctly apply what he/she is trying to show you. Above all remember you are their for your benefit, and not the instructors.
:comp:

Point of clarification: What do you mean about being honest? Honest about scores I shoot? Just wondering.

Honest of your game overall. And most importantly honest about when you understand what he is discussing with you. Sometimes they can explain things that do not make sense.

A couple of things come to mind. First, let him know what you want to accomplish. There isn't much point in going to a lesson and half the time is spent reworking your posture when all you wanted to do was learn how to putt better. If it is the whole package, then tell him that. If he is any good, he will know the best way to accomplish your goals. Second, as others have mentioned, ask if you don't understand. A great question is to ask "why". If he tells you that your grip is messed up and suggests moving your top hand to the left a little, ask why. That way you have an understanding for what he is trying to do. Also, the dialogue will help you remember what your faults were and you will know later that if your top hand isn't in the proper position then 'this' happens in the swing and the ball goes 'there'. You will get so much new information that it will be hard to remember it all.

I think the most important thing is to know that if you want to get a lot better, it will take many lessons to get you there. Everything isn't going to be fixed in one session. I took a lesson when I was in the 12-14 range and I went once thinking that would do the trick. Wrong. Half of the first lesson was just listing everything I was doing wrong. The other half was just trying to get me used to a proper takeaway. I ended up going 7-8 times over the next year or so. While I know I don't have a perfect swing every time, I know when I don't, and I know how to adjust. If I had the time and money I would go back for more.

StLCardsFan said:

A couple of things come to mind. First, let him know what you want to accomplish. There isn't much point in going to a lesson and half the time is spent reworking your posture when all you wanted to do was learn how to putt better. If it is the whole package, then tell him that. If he is any good, he will know the best way to accomplish your goals. Second, as others have mentioned, ask if you don't understand. A great question is to ask "why". If he tells you that your grip is messed up and suggests moving your top hand to the left a little, ask why. That way you have an understanding for what he is trying to do. Also, the dialogue will help you remember what your faults were and you will know later that if your top hand isn't in the proper position then 'this' happens in the swing and the ball goes 'there'. You will get so much new information that it will be hard to remember it all.

I think the most important thing is to know that if you want to get a lot better, it will take many lessons to get you there. Everything isn't going to be fixed in one session. I took a lesson when I was in the 12-14 range and I went once thinking that would do the trick. Wrong. Half of the first lesson was just listing everything I was doing wrong. The other half was just trying to get me used to a proper takeaway. I ended up going 7-8 times over the next year or so. While I know I don't have a perfect swing every time, I know when I don't, and I know how to adjust. If I had the time and money I would go back for more.

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This is what I was thinking. I know that alot of the things I'm doing are right, but a few of the things are wrong. I'd like to keep the right things and correct the wrong ones. This is going to save time and money and alot of frustration. Thanks for the input fellas. I'll keep you updated after my lesson and how I'm progressing. That is if I don't give up and quit

scarhead said:

That is if I don't give up and quit

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You are going to want to quit at some point. It will get worse before it gets better. It will be well worth it if you stick with it. My swing was completely changed. It was a struggle for a while, but it was for the better. Once it all comes together the game is so much easier.

StLCardsFan said:

You are going to want to quit at some point. It will get worse before it gets better. It will be well worth it if you stick with it. My swing was completely changed. It was a struggle for a while, but it was for the better. Once it all comes together the game is so much easier.

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Did you stick with all of the things you learned or did you end up combining what you were doing with what you were taught? How many strokes did you shave off? In other words, what were you shooting before and what are you scoring now? Thanks btw for the post.

I stuck with everything because most everything changed for the better. The first session he took some video and showed me what I was doing wrong and compared it to pros side-by-side so I could see it. Looking back I don't know how I was able to score how I did. I was awful and I could see everything needed to be changed for me to get better. The only good thing is that he said my stance, posture, grip, pretty much the whole set-up was fine. So I didn't have to change any of those things that I had been doing for years which made it a little easier. We then completly rebuilt my swing step-by-step. Once I figured it out, it was so much easier. The last time I went, we just hit balls and he would stand behind me and tell if it was right or not. After I got in a good groove and would hit several in a row correctly I got a real good feeling for it and have been continuing with it ever since.

Before I went, I thought I was pretty good. I was in the mid 80's, but I knew I could get better, I just needed some help. Occasionaly, I would have a sub 80 round, but I had to be playing perfectly. My short game was good enough that I was able to save shots and keep the scores in the 80's. Now, even not having been to a lesson in 4-5 years, I think I have it figured out and I am usually under 80, anything over 83-84 is a really bad day. My scores this year are 85, 79, 76, 78, 78, and 80. I'd like to think I could average even better than that, but I only get to play once or twice a month on average if I am lucky. To me that is the best feature from taking the lessons. I can not play for several weeks and be fine because my swing is fundamentaly sound and I know right away if I am doing something wrong and I know how to fix it.