first timer golf lessons - new clubs needed from the start?

[Deleted member 21784]

I’m basing it on my club where 5 lessons are £100-150 depending on pro or assistant. I would hope a beginners package would be similar

Well that's based on one club and not a variety of regional or other variations

Where as iron prices are pretty much set by retail which is why you can judge there.

 

[HPIMG]

I’ve been to a few pros who charge £50 a lesson so wouldn’t be worried about the lesson prices. Seems strange he made you buy new irons, when I first started pro told me to buy second hand ping G series irons from eBay or gumtree and get a repeatable swing in place before I thought about buying new. If the irons are new did he give you a fitting to make sure they were right for you ?

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I would be more concerned that the " Pro" is not a member of the PGA and probably is mis-selling you false information.
Take it up with the Golf Club/course management or the owners of the venue.

 

[sjw]

Better alert the club and get them to check out the back - make sure the actual pro isn't tied up in his pants, Indiana Jones style

 

[TigerTime]

The irons are Taylormade Sim 2 with senior shafts - I'm sure I could sell them if that is what I choose to do.
I have been to the range a few times. I started watching a few tuition videos on Youtube e.g. Danny Maude and that seems to have made things worse. My "pro" said that watching them was a bad idea, so I'm confused, especially when some have had over 4M views.

Why I am not enjoying it? Aside from my progress plateauing, the "pro" convinced me I needed a driver, 2 fairways and putter to complete my bag. He has not given me 3 of these 4 clubs after over 2 months Each time I have tried to arrange a lesson in the last 3 weeks I ask about the clubs and then he doesn't come back to me. So now I'm more concerned with being ripped off than enjoying golf. I previously enjoyed a round of pitch & putt and was pretty good at it - right now I despise the thought of anything to do with golf.

I presume he's got some sort of access to discounted clubs and makes a bit on the side?

Out of interest, what sort of financial arrangement is he likely to have with the golf club? employee, contractor or pays a % to the club for each lesson? The club passed my details on to him - I didn't contact him directly.

I mean to be honest. He's ripped you off with the price of those irons.

However - the advice he's given you here isn't bad to be honest. Getting lessons then confusing that with Youtube videos is a bad idea generally speaking. You need to trust the lessons and practice what they teach, and stay way from other instruction otherwise you are just going to end up confused and dazed.

Progress - take it from me - is slow and it takes years to become farily competent. It took me 4 years to get down to a 9.9 handicap and starting from 21. It's not going to be a quick job. I'm not sure what your expectations are but it takes time. You also need to be out playing golf and having fun otherwise the grind will just grind you to a halt.

He's right you will need a driver, fairway wood and putter on the course.

 

[impreza280]

What were the old clubs that the pro described as "no good"?

My existing clubs are a set 3-9, P, S and a 3 wood - Apollo Precision Precisionaire Performance Plus - barely used but looking a little cosmetically tired after being kept in a garage for 30 years

 

[impreza280]

If you needed anymore convincing, here are brand new SIM 2 Max irons new for £430

TaylorMade SIM 2 Max Irons - Clubhouse Golf

Buy TaylorMade SIM 2 Max Golf Irons Steel Shafts at Clubhouse Golf - for a bigger choice with better value, 5 star customer service, and free UK delivery.

www.clubhousegolf.co.uk

He's taken you for a ride I'm afraid. And he is an utter scumbag.

He told me to disregard sets of clubs from places like this as they apparently assembled on the cheap, whereas the ones I have are apparently assembled with much greater care.

 

[Orikoru]

He told me to disregard sets of clubs from places like this as they apparently assembled on the cheap, whereas the ones I have are apparently assembled with much greater care.

If they're TaylorMade then they are mass-produced by TaylorMade, no matter where you get them from. He is talking out of his arse, frankly.

 

[impreza280]

As a very new starter your swing will change quite a bit as you progress. That includes swing speed which might affect what shafts you should have. Whatever clubs he thinks you might need now, that might not be the case in a few months time. Your 30 year old clubs might have served you very well through the lessons as he helped you build a swing.

The clubs he’s sold you might serve you well but his choice was an ignorant guess if he hadn’t seen you swing a few times.

If he is self employed, as many professionals are, you might not get too much joy with the manager. If the manager says he’ll speak to him, ask him can you be there. Let the manager act as a mediator. Ultimately, you need to get the pro to act professionally, and at the very least pay you for what you haven’t received. If you don’t get that it becomes theft, but that’s further down the road and different discussion.

My expectation is that he's probably self employed (though he does wear clothing with their logo on it). As I see it, the manager can get involved as the club's reputation is at risk; or he may want to have nothing to do with it and say it's between myself and the pro. If it's the latter, I will point out that the club passed on my details to him without my consent, then we get into a GDPR issue.

 

[impreza280]

Is it? Based on what? We don't know any information

Where is he based? How long are each lesson

My old pro pre COVID was £60 an hour

My current pro is £35 for half hour or £50 an hour

10 lessons for £500 isn't unreasonable depending what type of lessons

It was £500 for 10x 1 hour lessons - this is South East England and the rate is similar at another course 10 miles away.
I'm not unhappy with this rate.

 

[Orikoru]

It was £500 for 10x 1 hour lessons - this is South East England and the rate is similar at another course 10 miles away.

At my club it's £50 an hour. So 500 for 10 is ok, but it's not exactly a 'deal' with any incentive behind it. It's just like buying ten lessons.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

It was £500 for 10x 1 hour lessons - this is South East England and the rate is similar at another course 10 miles away.
I'm not unhappy with this rate.

Im in the South East, and I pay £60 per 1 hour lesson with an excellent PGA Qualified coach.
He also does a half price for first lesson, and if buying a bunch of lessons does discounts depending on how many youre buying.
He also does beginner lessons, at different rates as well.

 

[HPIMG]

I just looked up sim 2 irons 5-pw is £430 on multiple websites how the hell has he charged this guy £800.
To the op exactly how many clubs did you get for £800

 

[impreza280]

I just looked up sim 2 irons 5-pw is £430 on multiple websites how the hell has he charged this guy £800.
To the op exactly how many clubs did you get for £800

Sim 2 Max with Ventus 5-A Fujikura shafts 5-9, PW and SW for £829 - this was in early March. Just gone back through my messages - I found them for £599 at clubhousegolf at the time and queried it with him but he said the way they were assembled were no good, compared to the ones he could get. FYI he suggested senior flex due to my age (retired).

Then Callaway paradym Ai smoke with Cypher forty 5.0. Driver £320, 2x fairways £239 each and a Sik putter for £160. Not yet received the last 3.

There are 2 parts to this:
1. Did I get ripped off for the clubs he sold me? Yes
2. Did I need new clubs at all before I completed 10 lessons? No

 

[Springveldt]

Is it? Based on what? We don't know any information

Where is he based? How long are each lesson

My old pro pre COVID was £60 an hour

My current pro is £35 for half hour or £50 an hour

10 lessons for £500 isn't unreasonable depending what type of lessons

Up here, you could probably book Andy Paisley who is a DPWT coach for nearly that price. I think he is £60 a lesson, dunno if he does package deals.

The pro at my club is £40 for a 45 minute session on Trackman but often does package deals. Just last month he was offering a 4 for 3 deal, so basically £30 a lesson. Last year I got the 4 for 3 offer and a dozen Prov1's for £120, worked out less than £20 a lesson. Complete bargain.

 

[Springveldt]

He told me to disregard sets of clubs from places like this as they apparently assembled on the cheap, whereas the ones I have are apparently assembled with much greater care.

If you aren't at the wind up and this is real you need to get in contact with that golf club because they have a con man masquerading as their golf pro.

 

[Orikoru]

Sim 2 Max with Ventus 5-A Fujikura shafts 5-9, PW and SW for £829 - this was in early March. Just gone back through my messages - I found them for £599 at clubhousegolf at the time and queried it with him but he said the way they were assembled were no good, compared to the ones he could get. FYI he suggested senior flex due to my age (retired).

Then Callaway paradym Ai smoke with Cypher forty 5.0. Driver £320, 2x fairways £239 each and a Sik putter for £160. Not yet received the last 3.

He's a liar, simple as that. It may well be true that you need senior flex, but senior shafts don't add a £200-300 upcharge. Not a chance.

You've paid him for those clubs as well?? Jesus. In fairness that's probably an ok price for the driver, but you really don't need brand new gear as a beginner, you could have got a perfectly functional second hand set for £400-500 for the whole lot.

 

[impreza280]

If you aren't at the wind up and this is real you need to get in contact with that golf club because they have a con man masquerading as their golf pro.

Definitely not a wind up. He's not their head pro. I will be speaking to the manager on Tuesday (they day after the "pro" fails to give me a lesson yet again on Monday).

 

[Springveldt]

Definitely not a wind up. He's not their head pro. I will be speaking to the manager on Tuesday (they day after the "pro" fails to give me a lesson yet again on Monday).

Definitely need to go complain to either the golf club or the head pro as he's taken you for a ride. It's not the kind of service you should expect from any golf club, you should probably name and shame then here to be honest.

The woods don't sound too far off assuming they are brand new (as in they still have the cellophane on when you receive them) as otherwise you could have gotten them off Callaway Preowned for cheaper and in great condition. They were selling those fairways for £175 last week in "like new" condition which means they will have been hit once or twice.

The putter seems very cheap for a Sik putter if new, I thought they were a lot more expensive than that.

Thing is though, you didn't need to spend any of this money on learning the game. Even £50 a lesson from someone who isn't the head pro is pushing it.

 

[Imurg]

Definitely not a wind up. He's not their head pro. I will be speaking to the manager on Tuesday (they day after the "pro" fails to give me a lesson yet again on Monday).

Check for the word Velocore on the shafts.
If the word is there then the shafts are an upgrade on the standard Ventus and are serious money....
I suspect you won't find it.......