Anyone over 50 had lessons and actually improved?

[CliveW]

I regularly get my pro to look at my swing in case I've picked up any bad habits or am not hitting the ball as well as I should. Fifteen minutes is usually enough to point out any faults or bad habits that have crept in. I always think it is better to have a professional to advise you rather than try and analyse it yourself. (I am the wrong side of 60)

 

[Wilson]

My mate has had well over 50 lessons, between four coaches, (I think), his game is so much better than before lessons, and not a chance he'd have got this far without them - he's now a half-decent short game away from single figures, and I reckon he could get down to 7-8.

It's all about the Pro, the first one he had was useless, had no real interest and couldn't remember what he'd shown him the week before, he then went through a couple of decent coaches who helped him with some fundamentals and increased his distance. I then convinced him to have some lessons with the guy I use, and his game has come on leaps and bounds, he practices what he's told, (short game aside), and his game is now unrecognisable from when he first started.

 

[Billysboots]

The OP is a really tough question. It all depends on your definition of the word “improve”.

If by improving you mean lowering your scores, that may be different from merely hitting better shots, because the two don’t necessarily go hand in hand in my experience.

As a single figure golfer I am more than capable of some really decent ball striking. I can hit it a good distance off the tee. I can strike my irons really well. And I can roll in some good putts. Whether I actually do all of that in the same round, or consistently, is another matter altogether.

So do I need a lesson or a few lessons? I’m not sure there is too much that needs changing in the way I play the game. What I need to do is bring it all together, more often, more consistently. I think that’s more to do with application on my part than any input I could currently get from one of our pros.

Then my scores would improve. Not necessarily because I’m a better ball striker, but because I’m putting it all together better.

 

[garyinderry]

I don't know if this guy had lessons but a great achievement to get to his lowest handicap at the age of 67

 

[mister v]

im in the over 50's gang, a 14 hcp and this is the first winter period where i have practiced. We go away over christmas to play golf in the sunshine and last year i spent more time picking up than playing so i have buckled down and hit the range 2-3 times a week.
My lad has got into golf a few years ago and is off 1.7 and improving. He has weekly lessons and gives me a few pointers to work on, quite basic stuff but effective.
Now im getting a constant feedback of "dont over swing" and "look at this video of what your doing" (watching yourself on an iphone is a real wake up!!) i can see and feel improvement
on the range im now hitting the ball better than i've ever hit it and in the last few weeks i've played a couple of 12 hole and 16 hole rounds due to course closures etc but my scores have gone to pars and bogeys instead of doubles and trebles, i cant wait to play some proper golf to see where im at.
Finding the right Pro or person to help you is key, if your not getting anything out of it pack it in and find someone else whos on your wavelength. We all know that lessons + practice = better golf, but when your a club golfer you dont always have the time or the money to fork out £40-£50 a lesson and then the time on the range or chipping area to practice, but its the only way to improve

 

[sunshine]

My mate has had well over 50 lessons, between four coaches, (I think), his game is so much better than before lessons, and not a chance he'd have got this far without them - he's now a half-decent short game away from single figures, and I reckon he could get down to 7-8.

It's all about the Pro, the first one he had was useless, had no real interest and couldn't remember what he'd shown him the week before, he then went through a couple of decent coaches who helped him with some fundamentals and increased his distance. I then convinced him to have some lessons with the guy I use, and his game has come on leaps and bounds, he practices what he's told, (short game aside), and his game is now unrecognisable from when he first started.

When I first read the OP I thought it was

Anyone had over 50 lessons and actually improved?​

 

[patricks148]

I had a few lessons in 2023 with a very good pro and did see big improvements in ball striking and distance. i was already off 2 though. we did a fair bit on flexibility and core strength training. he got me starting a stretching and warm up routine prior to the round. alas i hardly played in 2024 and have not touched a club in over 4 months.

 

[pokerjoke]

Reading the Op it would seem to me a lot of it is mental.
You mentioned the word “resigned” that in itself says a lot.
If your handicap is 15 then 100% your ceiling has not been reached.
Having a great mental strength will definitely help.
Being physically healthy will help.
Being flexible and able to get into good positions will help.
Having lessons long term will help as long as you’re practicing the changes.
Getting better at all aspects of the game,even if it’s 20% will get you to single figures.
The real thing that has helped me recently is the time I’ve put into practice.

 

[sunshine]

Reading the Op it would seem to me a lot of it is mental.
You mentioned the word “resigned” that in itself says a lot.
If your handicap is 15 then 100% your ceiling has not been reached.
Having a great mental strength will definitely help.
Being physically healthy will help.
Being flexible and able to get into good positions will help.
Having lessons long term will help as long as you’re practicing the changes.
Getting better at all aspects of the game,even if it’s 20% will get you to single figures.
The real thing that has helped me recently is the time I’ve put into practice.

Great post. I've seen golfers with terrible swings get down to single figures, just because they know their game which gives them mental strength (or maybe it's the other way around).

And you need to do the reps, whether that's playing or practising.

 

[ntommo]

If you can go and have an on course playing lesson.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

The answer to the question...'Anyone over 50 had lessons and actually improved?'

Well if I simply use myself as an example the answer is a resounding Yes.

Three years ago age 63 I started having occasional lessons as my blowups and the nature of them were wrecking my scores and messing up my mind - to the extent I was on verge of quitting - course handicap at time 11-12. My CH off our back tees is now 7-8 and this summer I've briefly been 6 off the back and 5 off the front tees this year - I have not been 6 since about 1990 (yes near 35yrs ago) and have never previously been 5.

So what has happened? My pro identified what I HAD to change if I wanted to keep my sanity and get back to SFs. He explained exactly what I was doing and why it was causing me issues; he then explained in very simple terms where I had to get to with my swing - and gave me simple exercises and thinking to practice. The exercises were designed with only fixing the basic fault in mind - nothing else. Get my swing to a place we could start building on. My coach's objective is to get me able to look at my ball flight and work back. For if I know the likely reason that I made the ball fly as it did then if it's not what I wanted it to be I have a chance of fixing things. That's his philosophy anyway.

Most importantly he set my expectations about what I might be able to achieve - being realistic about my limitations with me no longer being a young lad - but stressing HOW I could get lower without me deluding myself that with all the practice I could maybe get to low SFs; maybe get to scratch or even plus...I mean I suppose that's possible - but it's not my objective.

And I practiced. Not for hours and hours on end - but maybe 2-3 x 45mins most weeks - plus 2-3 times a week going out by myself playing a few holes to try and put it into practice on the course. But it's taken me 3yrs - gradually improving along the way - and this year it has paid off.

My objectives for next year. Get better (hit or get close to more greens) at the 160-180yds range - and if that means forgetting about hitting a 5i or longer - then so be it...I'll get a hybrid to make it easier. And I need to do some work on my close in (within 40yds) chipping/pitching...it's pretty good but it's where I can make a mess of things and easy run up a double bogey. My coach is going to give me one or more lessons on that in the new year.

If I can meet these objectives I can probably take 3-4 shots off a typical decent round...not my best but more regular decent...get me down to a steady course handicap off back tees of 5-6 is possible (but it's not an objective - it'll come if I meet my other two objectives). And my coach tells me that if I succeed with these objectives he'll have me getting the ball round in level par - something I've never done.

And so by end of next year that could see me off 5 off back tees for the first time ever - at the age of 67. Lessons from the age of 63 and 6 shots off my handicap in 4 yrs. Well we'll see. Lots of depends.

 

[Backache]

The answer to the question...'Anyone over 50 had lessons and actually improved?'

Well if I simply use myself as an example the answer is a resounding Yes.

Three years ago age 63 I started having occasional lessons as my blowups and the nature of them were wrecking my scores and messing up my mind - to the extent I was on verge of quitting - course handicap at time 11-12. My CH off our back tees is now 7-8 and this summer I've briefly been 6 off the back and 5 off the front tees this year - I have not been 6 since about 1990 (yes near 35yrs ago) and have never previously been 5.

So what has happened? My pro identified what I HAD to change if I wanted to keep my sanity and get back to SFs. He explained exactly what I was doing and why it was causing me issues; he then explained in very simple terms where I had to get to with my swing - and gave me simple exercises and thinking to practice. The exercises were designed with only fixing the basic fault in mind - nothing else. Get my swing to a place we could start building on. My coach's objective is to get me able to look at my ball flight and work back. For if I know the likely reason that I made the ball fly as it did then if it's not what I wanted it to be I have a chance of fixing things. That's his philosophy anyway.

Most importantly he set my expectations about what I might be able to achieve - being realistic about my limitations with me no longer being a young lad - but stressing HOW I could get lower without me deluding myself that with all the practice I could maybe get to low SFs; maybe get to scratch or even plus...I mean I suppose that's possible - but it's not my objective.

And I practiced. Not for hours and hours on end - but maybe 2-3 x 45mins most weeks - plus 2-3 times a week going out by myself playing a few holes to try and put it into practice on the course. But it's taken me 3yrs - gradually improving along the way - and this year it has paid off.

My objectives for next year. Get better (hit or get close to more greens) at the 160-180yds range - and if that means forgetting about hitting a 5i or longer - then so be it...I'll get a hybrid to make it easier. And I need to do some work on my close in (within 40yds) chipping/pitching...it's pretty good but it's where I can make a mess of things and easy run up a double bogey. My coach is going to give me one or more lessons on that in the new year.

If I can meet these objectives I can probably take 3-4 shots off a typical decent round...not my best but more regular decent...get me down to a steady course handicap off back tees of 5-6 is possible (but it's not an objective - it'll come if I meet my other two objectives). And my coach tells me that if I succeed with these objectives he'll have me getting the ball round in level par - something I've never done.

And so by end of next year that could see me off 5 off back tees for the first time ever - at the age of 67. Lessons from the age of 63 and 6 shots off my handicap in 4 yrs. Well we'll see. Lots of depends.

Deserves more than a like, that's a great post about how to work well with lessons.

 

[Orikoru]

Great post. I've seen golfers with terrible swings get down to single figures, just because they know their game which gives them mental strength (or maybe it's the other way around).

And you need to do the reps, whether that's playing or practising.

I dunno. In theory this is correct, but I've been to the driving range more this year than any other year in my life, and I've still got worse. I'm not sure that just hitting more balls is enough.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I dunno. In theory this is correct, but I've been to the driving range more this year than any other year in my life, and I've still got worse. I'm not sure that just hitting more balls is enough.

In my experience just hitting more balls is most certainly not enough.

Do you know one key thing that you have to change to improve - and why? Do you know what you have to practice to achieve that change - and why? Do you know if you are actually achieving what you set out to practice?

Three years ago I couldn't truthfully answer any of these questions - and so I really struggled when I went to the range...in fact during a practice session things would often - no usually - deteriorate - to the extent that I came to think that practicing was a complete waste of time for me, indeed it was counter-productive.

No longer. I can have occasional dips (as you know from H4H) but most of the time that is down to me losing focus on what I now know I must focus on.

 

[Orikoru]

In my experience just hitting more balls is most certainly not enough.

Do you know one key thing that you have to change to improve - and why? Do you know what you have to practice to achieve that change - and why? Do you know if you are actually achieving what you set out to practice?

Three years ago I couldn't truthfully answer any of these questions - and so I really struggled when I went to the range...in fact during a practice session things would often - no usually - deteriorate - to the extent that I came to think that practicing was a complete waste of time for me, indeed it was counter-productive.

No longer. I can have occasional dips (as you know from H4H) but most of the time that is down to me losing focus on what I now know I must focus on.

Lately my practice sessions have been decent, feel like I figure something out that works. Then next time on the course it's vanished and back to rubbish again.

 

[Imurg]

I dunno. In theory this is correct, but I've been to the driving range more this year than any other year in my life, and I've still got worse. I'm not sure that just hitting more balls is enough.

But then....you're not 50 so........

 

[Orikoru]

But then....you're not 50 so........

So practice works better when you're 50? Interesting. Only 12 years to go...

 

[Imurg]

So practice works better when you're 50? Interesting. Only 12 years to go...

Wouldn't know Ollie....

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Lately my practice sessions have been decent, feel like I figure something out that works. Then next time on the course it's vanished and back to rubbish again.

That's all well and good - but do you know why what you are practicing seems to be working - and are you confident that you are not just tweaking a part of your swing in a way that might be storing up problems for the future.

In practice I can hit a ball and it can look like a 'good shot' but I now have the tools and understanding to help me know whether it was or not - whether or not I achieved the objective I set for that particular swing. For that reason I actually rather enjoy practice now.

 

[pokerjoke]

That's all well and good - but do you know why what you are practicing seems to be working - and are you confident that you are not just tweaking a part of your swing in a way that might be storing up problems for the future.

In practice I can hit a ball and it can look like a 'good shot' but I now have the tools and understanding to help me know whether it was or not - whether or not I achieved the objective I set for that particular swing. For that reason I actually rather enjoy practice now.

Practice is great if when you go onto the course and something happens that you have practiced.
I too like working on my game,some don’t,but each to their own.
The key is working on what your weaknesses are because that is obviously where your losing shots.