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Lessons?

JB

JB

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It seems that most of the golfers I encounter while out at the range testing equipment never get lessons. Why is that? We spend thousands of equipment on gear and yet we never take lessons. I have been going to Amollerud for a while now and he has helped me. Before that I was self taught. I always feared that they would want me to start over. Is that the same for everybody?
 
Good question. Maybe these individuals think they don't need them, can figure it out on their own, or are afraid that the changes will send their golf game into a downward spiral.

I look forward to hearing answers to this topic. Personally, I started taking lessons from the start. I continue taking lessons to this day and work with my coach at least once per month. If I am making a major change in my swing, then I will only see my coach once every 2-3 months. This gives me time to perfect the change prior to the next lesson.
 
I don't have the money for lessons JB, and if my girlfriend gets laid off from her job we (I) will probably not golf at all this year and to think that I just got my new clubs and just paid for my membership last week. This is really upsetting me because I am not the kind of guy to just go out occasionally to golf, try to make it out at least 2x a week but if either one of us loses our jobs the sticks will have to be put away certain things are more important. It stinks because I was just starting to see real improvement in my game.
 
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That is very logical jcuray. I think that most people do not realize for about the price of a dozen ProV1s, they could get a lesson. Many pros in my area just $50 for an hour.
 
I took my first lessons in 17 years last year. Only reason was because Jacqui wanted to learnhow to play and I wasn't going to teach her! Turns out semi-private lessons for 2 people is not that expensive and we'll be doing the same thing this year once it warms up a little. If not for her, I probably wouldn't have taken the lessons last year. I was more of the mindset of the money I spent for lessons could have paid for greens fees. But I am a convert now. The game's much more fun when you can shoot better scores.
 
I got off to bad start with golf swing instructors. I paid for some instructions, from a local golf company. The first day's instruction went well, The second days instruction a different instructor showed up, and told me to forget everything I had been taught the day before. The third day was basically the same except another new instructor said that he did not teach the same swing methods as the previous two instructors. So after three days, and $300.00 of instruction I was no better off than before I signed up. Never again was that going to happen to my pocket book. Sometime after that, I met an older Irish gentlemen who was visiting his daughter in Vegas. Instead of any actual swing instruction we talked about how to use a golf club, and to know what the club head is doing during the swing. We talked about how ball flights related to club head's, and the golfer's alignment. He showed me a couple of practice drills, and how to tell if I was on plane during my swing. After a couple of weeks talking with him, my handicap started to take a nose dive for the better. Except for few lunches, and beverages every now and then, everything he taught me was free. A couple of other things he told me that made some sense were that with all the professional tour players out there trying to make a living playing golf, that any golf swing instructor worth his or her salt would be on a tour some where coaching a PGA/LPGA Player. Quality instructors are few, and far between. He also went on to say that if an instructor can't get his player's handicap down to single digits with in a short period of time, that either the instructor's instruction was faulty, or his student was not putting in enough time in practicing. Unfortunately he had to return to Europe, but we still keep in contact. :comp:
 
I was the same exact way a few yrs ago (and still am to an extent). I played for years without ever getting a lesson, I got to be a decent player, but never what I thought was a good player. Finally I broke down and had a lesson on some specific issues I kept having crop up, I immediately played better and for the first time in my life started shooting "good" scores. I was able to lower my handi to a 5.

Since then I struggled some more and went back for a lesson, I rec'd some new tips and also some drills to work on when things aren't quite as good as they should be. I struggled more after that lesson but now feel that I have a pretty decent understanding of what I should be doing, that's after two 1 hour sessions. I know now that I should get back with my pro and have another eye on my swing, cuz even though it feels good at times, there are more steps forward that I want to make.

Lessons can be similar to why people don't go get custom fitted for their proper loft/lie of irons and loft/shaft for their driver- it's something we know we "should" do, but just never seem to get around to it.
 
too much coin for lessons around here... most run 100/hour

unfortunately the best teachers teach at private clubs here and lessons are for members only. public courses have weak pros here and I wont even get started on driving range pros
 
Well, I went and got the new clubs fitted to me this year and if her and I go out regularly maybe I'll spring for a lesson next year but it all depends on if we both keep our jobs. I would like to see this year if I can break 100 consistently with the new clubs. If this thing gets worse before It gets better a lot of people won't be golfing if they are smart. Now keep this in mind golfing is probably the one thing I am addicted to so It does pain me to say that, also keep in mind I mean no disrespect to anyone on this forum with those comments everyone has treated me with the utmost kindness here.
 
I like our driving range pro. I think he's a pretty good teacher. I know my wife thinks so.
 
According to the teaching directory DD, many of them run about $75 an hour in your area. (for the ones that are 4 stars or better) That is 1 and a half dozen of the golf balls you play. Im just curious why people pay for greens fees and not lessons to better their game.
 
jcuray said:
Well, I went and got the new clubs fitted to me this year and if her and I go out regularly maybe I'll spring for a lesson next year but it all depends on if we both keep our jobs. I would like to see this year if I can break 100 consistently with the new clubs. If this thing gets worse before It gets better a lot of people won't be golfing if they are smart. Now keep this in mind golfing is probably the one thing I am addicted to so It does pain me to say that, also keep in mind I mean no disrespect to anyone on this forum with those comments everyone has treated me with the utmost kindness here.
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None taken at all.

Smallville said:
I like our driving range pro. I think he's a pretty good teacher. I know my wife thinks so.
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Some very good tour players take instruction from a driving range pro near me.
 
I come from an opposite background. Being a detail oriented, hyper-analytical person, I wanted to read every book and get every tip and coaching tidbit I could, since I was so terrified of developing a bad habit. At first when I learned the mechanics I improved bunches over the first time I picked up a club...of course. But that learning curve didn't continue. "Working" at golf becomes terribly frustrating. Lessons make me feel depressed now, like I suck and have no business being out there. And if you try something and it doesn't work for you and you go back, teachers are always saying "well I'm trying to help you, fine, don't take my advice."

I know I should get lessons and I plan to when I get a stronger self esteem that can stand up to the assault. I've found that forgetting what I'm doing - just going out there and swinging a club and not analyzing every movement - just having fun and "playing" golf - is a lot more freeing and fun. So that's what I've been doing lately. And any kind of practice is going to make you better at least some. Practice you hate is going to be practice you don't do (bad grammar I know - but the point is there) which isn't going to be any good for you.
 
Group lessons are a bargain, and there are some great pros at public/muni courses.

I think it's that great American desire for the effortless quick fix. We don't want to take lessons and practice hard--we want a new driver that will fix our game. We don't want to exercise regularly and watch what we eat--we want to get buff in 20 minutes. We don't want to save money and watch our budget--we want to win the lottery.

Golf is the same as the rest of it. QED.
 
Well said Claire.
 
Group lessons ARE cheap. But you have to spread the instructor's attention with nine other people (at our place, they want 10 people in group lessons). That's six minutes an hour, tops, of one on one instruction. Semi-private lessons with two people (definitely no more than three) are more effective, in my opinion.
 
I take lessons as time and money allow.

I need all the help I can get. :D
 
Group lessons at my club are different. They have clinics in which you get 2 instructors for 60 minutes and they spend their time walking back and forth up and down the range helping people. It has been great for GG going to the ladies clinic on Saturday Mornings.
 
maybe claire, In my case it is my and my fiancee's situation If i had the ways and means to do it I would her saying "we may not golf this year" for me is like her saying she is going "to give up smoking" LOL.
 
I don't think the group lessons have two instructors? I honestly never looked into it that much. I picked the semi-private because that is how I took lessons in the past and I wanted him to work with Jacqui because she was just learning. Turns out I got more help from the guy because I had all the bad habits! She's pretty much a natural athlete and picked up what he was saying pretty quickly. I'd say it was more 60-40 for me than the 25-75 I was expecting towards her!
 
Claire you couldn't be any more right...people expect the magic fix. Look at the way we buy clubs especially Drivers. If I buy this one I won't slice, hook, duff etc. any shot again. I've worked with (3) different coaches since I started. The guy I've ended up with is for me outstanding. One of the problems I think with some of the instructors is they try and change you into an Iron Bryon and not everyone can be one. Also I believe that some give too much info too quickly and don't allow the student to build a good base to work from. I had a putting lesson 2 weeks back from my coach and have been working everyday since on just that one issue. He didn't make a major change but to him it's important that I feel comfortable with the change. The major difference with him is that he works inside my swing not a major make over. I think some students get put off by far too many major changes that screw up their game and they go backwards. This frustrates them and they give up. When I played never did one of my Goalie Coaches make a major change especially during a season. Just as in any sport there is more then one way to perform it's a coaches job to refine your game not mold it.
 
I am only avoiding lessons right now In fear of getting worse. After today though, I am seriously considering looking for a swing coach.
 
One thing that keeps me from taking lessons is I don't have faith in instructors right now. I have been largely self taught and I have figured out basic, glaring errors that I was making that the instructors never once mentioned. They've got their multiple video cameras/launch monitors/etc. and they couldn't see that I was not staying on plane and I was standing up out of the shot (a fundamental error)? I ended up figuring it out by feel at the range one day last month. I'd been playing like that for a year.

I look at it like $50 wasted every time I go. I will continue to teach myself until I feel I have done what I can on my own, then I may consider lessons again.
 
Dent said:
I am only avoiding lessons right now In fear of getting worse. After today though, I am seriously considering looking for a swing coach.
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Remember this, when making a swing change, you always get worse before getting better. Look at Tiger in 2002, he changed his swing and did not win one tournament that year. Then the next year, he won 7. It always takes time to ingrain a change.
 
Callaway Girl said:
Remember this, when making a swing change, you always get worse before getting better. Look at Tiger in 2002, he changed his swing and did not win one tournament that year. Then the next year, he won 7. It always takes time to ingrain a change.
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That's true, I feel like I am going through one right now, my ball striking is terrible. I feel like I have a different swing everytime I go to the range.
 
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