Do lessons work?

[nulassilb]

I think so. I play golf for fun - I teach for a living. In March I was given a course of six lessons with my local pro. As I have mentioned before - the lessons have done me the world of good. I knew that I was losing most of my shots from 100 yds in. So I chose the following focus areas:
1.chipping - I now have a method and chip better
2.pitching - still a weak area - but I give myself a chance
3.putting - a real eye-opener and I miss fewer 3 foot putts
4.sand - more work required, but I now have a method!
5.grip and set up - something that I find needs checking regularly with me
6.swing path - related to the above

The results have been really positive. I have not won anything for years - but this year have won two pretty big competitions and have won a monthly medal and a monthly stableford. All since the lessons began. My hcp is gradually coming down - from 18.1 at the beginning of the year to 15.9 now - and the chance that the latest competition will shave a little bit more off this.

The answer to my own question is a massive yes.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I totally agree. Like you I had a series of short game lessons and my scores and handicap have improved accordingly. I've been with my teacher for 18 months or so and having remodelled my swing from a very upright one to something more rounded and reliable I went from 20 to 14. I've now dropped another 3 shots thanks in the main to my improved shortgame.

I'm another advocate of lessons. Congratulations on winning your competitions and on that decent cut too. Like you say its a work in progress but half the battle is having the right technique

 

[Herbie]

YES!

 

[bobmac]

Lessons aren't for everyone.
Some people prefer to learn from books, magazines, dvds and of course t'internet.
Others are quite happy to bumble around for 5 hours not really sure where the ball is going but just enjoying the experience.
Thirdly are the people who do have lessons. They get fed up not knowing where the ball is going and are brave enough to ask for help.

Driver 1 is trying to find his way to a golf course. He has no map or sat nav and certainly wont ask anyone for directions.
After a few hours, he heads off home. He didn't find the course, missed his game with Di Stewart but had a nice day out.

Driver 2 has a map and although it has place names on it, the golf course isnt marked.
After several hours driving around, he eventaully finds it but misses his tee time with Di.

Driver 3 has the same map, he stops and asks the first person he sees for help, finds the course and tees off with Di bang on time.
Some people just dont ask for directions

 

[Fore]

Lessons aren't for everyone.
Some people prefer to learn from books, magazines, dvds and of course t'internet.
Others are quite happy to bumble around for 5 hours not really sure where the ball is going but just enjoying the experience.
Thirdly are the people who do have lessons. They get fed up not knowing where the ball is going and are brave enough to ask for help.

I have been through stages 1 & 2 and reckon i am just about ready to embark on stage 3. Trouble is i am not sure where to start. I think i am a bit beyond beginners lessons and it is probably more coaching that i require. I have developed a nasty slice with my woods and the more i try to correct it the worse things are getting. I'm reasonably happy to varying degrees with all my other clubs including the driver.
Question is do i go to my own club, or pick a local Range which is easier to get to midweek that do lessons.

 

[CrapHacker]

Lessons aren't for everyone.
Some people prefer to learn from books, magazines, dvds and of course t'internet.
Others are quite happy to bumble around for 5 hours not really sure where the ball is going but just enjoying the experience.
Thirdly are the people who do have lessons. They get fed up not knowing where the ball is going and are brave enough to ask for help.

I have been through stages 1 & 2 and reckon i am just about ready to embark on stage 3. Trouble is i am not sure where to start. I think i am a bit beyond beginners lessons and it is probably more coaching that i require. I have developed a nasty slice with my woods and the more i try to correct it the worse things are getting. I'm reasonably happy to varying degrees with all my other clubs including the driver.
Question is do i go to my own club, or pick a local Range which is easier to get to midweek that do lessons.

Personally, I'd always try and support my club pro first. If you don't like him, or his teaching ways, then obviously go elsewhere. But if you are paying subs to your club, surely you want to support it as much as possible. And for me, that means building a relationship with the pro as well.

It'll often pay dividends in the future as well.

 

[CVG]

You have to think that lessons will help, but how do you know which lessons you need?
For example I have reasonable confidence with my driver just now, but would like to get more yardage out of it, but at the other end of the scale I would love to have more control around the greens.
I suppose I'm nervous that one lesson to work on a fault will adversly affect the other weakness.
Also I only play once a week and worry that I won't have enough time to work on the guidance.

 

[freddielong]

Lessons aren't for everyone.
Some people prefer to learn from books, magazines, dvds and of course t'internet.
Others are quite happy to bumble around for 5 hours not really sure where the ball is going but just enjoying the experience.
Thirdly are the people who do have lessons. They get fed up not knowing where the ball is going and are brave enough to ask for help.

Sorry couldn't agree less, everyone can improve therefore anyone can have lessons and improve, with the right teacher. People who say lessons don't help them are not understanding the lesson properly or not being taught properly.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I would always advocate trying your own club pro. He's the guy you are going to bump into regularly (in theory anyway) so he'll have a good idea of how you play now and what to work on. Try him out and see where you go. Maybe agree to start with an assessment lesson which should cover the basics (grips, stance, alignment and swing) but also looks at how you chip, hit bunker shots and putt. It should last about an hour (mine always have) and the pro may video you on various aspects so he has a starting reference point and can point out your flaws.

From there its up to you and the pro where you want to go. If you just want a lesson to stop slicing that will be cheap and easy and you'll get a few drills to try out and keep working on. If you bite the bullet and decide for a bit of an overhaul or as a newbie to learn the swing properly you and your pro should draw up some form of plan so you both know what you are working on. If you get given drills to work on, please do so as it really makes the progress quicker and smoother and the pro can see in an instant if the previous lesson has worked.

Some members don't get on with their pro and their teaching methods. I'll use mine in an emergency but have a great teaching pro at a range near me I've seen for ages and in whom I have complete confidence.

At the end of the day if your not sure ask your mates and other members who they go to or would recommned.

 

[need_my_wedge]

Yes they most definately do.

It's like learning anything. You can try on your own with a bit of reading and video help. you'll get so far and maybe be happy (maybe not), especially if you have a good aptitude for sports. However, someone who can see where you are going wrong and point it out simply, explaining why you should or shouldn't be doing it is worth their weight in gold.

I help run our local Aikido club, and have been teaching for a few years now, sometimes the pointer to helping someone improve their technique can be very small, almost invisible to the person in question. Helping them make that change can sometimes improve things 100%.

I have been playing golf disastrously recently, absolutely down in the dumps with my game. Went to my instructor the other week, a small change in the swing path and the release of the hands has changed my game beyond belief. Now working to try and groove the new swing so that I can stop thinking about it.

 

[Billysboots]

Yes, but you have to be committed to change and trust the pro who is teaching you.

I have had a terrible year on the course - having started really well, I scored 43 points in a stableford early in the year, got cut to 9.8, and have seen my game unravel ever since. I ignored the problem at first - I believed that if I was capable of shooting 5 over off the whites in a comp then there couldn't be too much wrong. But it got to the point where I wasn't enjoying my golf, and that's when the alarm bells started to ring.

My previous approach to lessons was to go once every six months or so, and only then when I needed a cure for a problem. At long last I have come to accept that this is not the way to go. I want to get to single figures and stay there, and the only way for me to do that is to bite the bullet and have a series of lessons over a six month period so that I can groove my swing - I am well over 6 feet tall, so any errors are multiplied several times over!!

The bottom line is that, whilst we all have friends who give well intended advice, and are all capable of reading instruction articles and viewing DVD's, you can only cure a fault such as a slice if you know the root cause. And as there are often several causes of the same poor shot, what works for one will not work for all.

I have accepted that to get better through lessons I will probably get worse to begin with, but in the short term it is a price I am willing to pay. And I have also accepted that, much as I enjoy playing, I am going to have to commit to time on the range this winter to practice the routines I am being taught. Half an hour on the range can be of more benefit than half a day on the course. I am two lessons in now, and am starting to see signs of encouragement.

But what really put it into perspective for me was a comment from a mate of mine yesterday. He pointed out that so many golfers are prepared to spend £300 on a driver (I'm not one of them, I hasten to add), but aren't prepared to spend the same amount over several months on 15 half hour lessons. And it doesn't take a genius to work out which is going to be of more benefit.

 

[bobmac]

Lessons aren't for everyone.
Some people prefer to learn from books, magazines, dvds and of course t'internet.
Others are quite happy to bumble around for 5 hours not really sure where the ball is going but just enjoying the experience.
Thirdly are the people who do have lessons. They get fed up not knowing where the ball is going and are brave enough to ask for help.

Sorry couldn't agree less, everyone can improve therefore anyone can have lessons and improve, with the right teacher. People who say lessons don't help them are not understanding the lesson properly or not being taught properly.

Freddie, what I meant was golfers come in 3 types.
Those who are dead keen to improve and will have lessons
Those who want to improve and will try and figure it out themselves
Those who dont really care about their swing, they just enjoy being out in the fresh air and having a nice walk.

 

[freddielong]

Sorry I am inone of those moods, I think I will disagree with myself at some point today

 

[jammydodger]

I'm in the category of working it all out myself. I have had lessons in the past (years ago mind) and they gave me something to work on but ultimately its how you know your own swing. If I hit a bad shot (hook for example) I know that i've come across the top of it with my lower body being too passive and not moving. So for me knowing what i've done wrong and how to fix it is all I need.

I work hard on the range and work through things myself. If I want to work on my draw/fade/punch shots I know the theory and will spend as long as it takes to feel comfortable with the shot.

I also think getting the right teacher for you is important , so would recommend lessons but theyre not for me anymore.

 

[haplesshacker]

Despite my obvious commercial leanings towards one way of improving. I would whole heartedly say that lessons are the best way of learning. You might think that you're doing one thing, but in reality the pro can actually see what it is that you are doing.

I think that a lot fall into the trap of thinking that a lesson is a quick fix. But without the correct practice after the lesson, the lesson is effectively wasted.

The number of times I've heard folks say that the pro says the same thing to them at every lesson. And they wonder why they're not progressing. Lack of time put into practicing what's learnt from one lesson to another.

Though hopefully I can add a bit of value and enjoyment to that all important practice time.

In short. Lessons only work if you're prepared to put a bit of effort in yourself after the lessons.

 

[bobmac]

Sorry I am in one of those moods, I think I will disagree with myself at some point today

No you wont, Yes you will. No you wont, Yes you will. No you wont, Yes you will. No you wont, Yes you will. No you wont, Yes you will.

 

[nulassilb]

Following my initial post, my club have emailed me to advise me that my handicap has been reduced...

I concur with Bob. What made lessons work for me was the fact that I really was determined to get better. What I realised - and perhaps want to underline, is that for me, lessons were the best way of doing that. You have to want to improve and then trust the pro.

Reading mags and watching DVDs etc is fine - and some have enough natural ability to make progress through experimentation too. I read plenty of instruction stuff, but when I was stood in the bunker the pro said something along these lines:
Yes, you're standing open - but too open; yes, you've settled your feet into the sand - but too far; yes, you're lowering your centre of gravity a bit - but a bit too much; yes you're taking sand before the ball - but far too much....
in other words, the methods in the books had taken me as far as they could; the tinkering on the course had been little more than that as I have little natural aptitude - so lessons were ideal for me.

 

[BushFinder]

I wouldn't be playing golf without having had my original course of 6 lessons. I then block bought 6 more (including a playing lesson) I was of the belief that if I tried to work it out myself, then I would only get to a certain point.
I've seen other golfers, that have been playing for over 20years, with their own developed swing playing off 24!

My only frustration is, that follwing a lesson, I need to hit hundreds of balls in order to ingrain the new habit, so often have a toss up between range or course, with the late sunset and the weather, the course wins everytime!
(Old swing on the course, otherwise wont get around)

Ideally, I would have a PGA pro watch me hit 150-200 balls a day, and give me feedback after every shot!

 

[RGDave]

I think anyone who has even the smallest hope of getting better should always go for lessons. Maybe not regularly, but certainly enough to keep on top of letting good habits develop and bad habits gradually disappearing.

My trouble is, I go for one, start playing well (again) and enjoy getting out there so much, I don't want to have another and be in limbo again waiting for the next thing to settle in.

If I kept at it (more regular lessons) I know I'd be better in the long run but I wouldn't enjoy getting out and playing not trusting my swing the way I do after a few months of hard grind and regular games.

I will go for one or two over the next month or so in the hope of being in the "swing improvement" zone over the winter.

 

[Fore]

Right, i have bit the bullet and i am going for an assessment with a Pro later today and hopefully will reach an agreement on which aspects of my game we will work on. It will probably be more of a case of where do we start!(Pro's face later today!)
I am determined to go with an open mind and open ears and see where we go from there. I am totally self taught and lessons were never really in my budget till recently although i always felt they would help. I also wanted to at least to be able to hit the ball a bit before landing myself on some poor Pro's lap. Maybe that was a mistake but the damage is done. Current handicap is 24.1 and rising so let's see what happens to that.
Wish me luck,
Fore.