Getting the best from a playing lesson

[IanG]

I have my first ever, on course playing lesson next week with our Pro. I've had some normal practice ground lessons with him over the past 18 months so am looking forward to seeing what a playing lesson is like.

Any tips how I get the most out of it from those who've experienced such a lesson format?

Ta.

 

[patricks148]

never had one, often thought about it but too tight to stump up the cash

cheaper option is to play with someone off plus Fig and just watch them

 

[fundy]

Assuming the pro knows what he is doing then you'll be fine.

If youve had technical lessons on the range Id expect this to be very different, focussing more on approach, shot selection, course management etc as well as a few technical bits around the short game and putting, much more an assessment of your golf game than your golf swing. If you're anything like me you'll have plenty of "bad habits"

I had 9 holes in a group of 4 on course lesson recently and from it I got the following:

I hit a lot of shots very quickly and appear to have no focus (often shots I dont fancy!)
If this is off the tee then my alignment is often poor with it
I need to choose a shot shape off the tee as I dont do straight very well
I tee the ball far too low for a modern driver
I hit my short irons far too hard and sacrifice a lot of control in doing so
I often am too negative with club selection off the tee

I actually hit the ball pretty well that day but lots of small mistakles led to me not scoring, seemed a pretty decent summary of my golf on many days this year so for me I got a lot out of it. Spending some time since working on shaping the ball off the tee to a plan and trying to hit more club from a narrower stance with the shorter irons and then improviong my focus on shots when on the course

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Assuming the pro knows what he is doing then you'll be fine.

If youve had technical lessons on the range Id expect this to be very different, focussing more on approach, shot selection, course management etc as well as a few technical bits around the short game and putting, much more an assessment of your golf game than your golf swing. If you're anything like me you'll have plenty of "bad habits"

I had 9 holes in a group of 4 on course lesson recently and from it I got the following:

I hit a lot of shots very quickly and appear to have no focus (often shots I dont fancy!)
If this is off the tee then my alignment is often poor with it
I need to choose a shot shape off the tee as I dont do straight very well
I tee the ball far too low for a modern driver
I hit my short irons far too hard and sacrifice a lot of control in doing so
I often am too negative with club selection off the tee

I actually hit the ball pretty well that day but lots of small mistakles led to me not scoring, seemed a pretty decent summary of my golf on many days this year so for me I got a lot out of it. Spending some time since working on shaping the ball off the tee to a plan and trying to hit more club from a narrower stance with the shorter irons and then improviong my focus on shots when on the course

Some interesting points. I've had a couple of these and one thing very noticeable was a deviation in the length of time I take to hit shots even though |I thought I was going through the same routine. When I was playing well I was much quicker to hit the ball.

I am also too negative on some shots too especially laying up on par fives.

The great thing about these lesson is the pro sees you in a real time, one ball, one shot scenario. It is easier to see a lot of what you are doing wrong and right and often, very small changes can make a huge difference. It's also good to see how a pupil thinks around the course, something that can't be replicated in a teaching bay

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I read a piece by a journalist once who had played a round with Greg Norman. Norman saw him hit shots in real situations and offered him advice at the time. The journalist proceeded to play the best golf of his life. To his dismay he was never able to replicate it to the same level but he learnt more then than in a static lesson. Fundy has done brilliantly in that he has remembered the points raised. Perhaps that is the thing to take out of this, how to remember the advice given.

 

[IanG]

Thanks all for the inputs.

 

[ScienceBoy]

If you are playing well then just play, if do your best but don't try to work on anything. Just relax and listen.

You are there to learn how to play a golf course and the game of golf NOT to learn how to swing a club!

 

[chrisd]

I had a 2.5 hour one a few weeks ago on my home course which I thought was best to do. My pro didn't hit any balls so I didn't have to spend half the time watching him! I'd say to ask about anything and everything you can think of regarding your swing and overall game

We talked about (in no particular order)

My alignment, whilst not bad, changed from shot to shot to one side or other of the target

That I never fully completed my practice swing

That to get to single figures I need to use premium balls, preferably thir same make model all the time

That I need to play more boring, safe golf, on certain holes

That I had a good putting action/alignment/read of greens but a putter that was wrong for me as it didn't roll the ball well

That I was pretty long for my age, 5 iron = 200, so I should get to single figures if I work on the issues he saw

Work on short game more and more

A better shot for getting out of trouble than I was doing

Sort out the slight across the line swing plane at the top

I think there were a few more things but when you add up all the little nuggets and add the positive things he said that he felt were good in my game, it was £70 really well spent as far as I'm concerned

The other thing that I did (with another pro) was a gapping check and I now religiously use the distances given by the GC2 as the basis for clubbing and just add or take away for the shot according to the variable factors (wind, elevation etc etc) it's surprising how accurate the indoor measurements were


Enjoy it and let us know how it went!

 

[Garush34]

I have my first ever, on course playing lesson next week with our Pro. I've had some normal practice ground lessons with him over the past 18 months so am looking forward to seeing what a playing lesson is like.

Any tips how I get the most out of it from those who've experienced such a lesson format?

Ta.

Which of the pros are you having the lesson with? I have lessons with Martyn and have had a couple of playing lessons. There great, for him to see your game as a whole and suggest where is best to improve. Course management is a big one you'll get from the playing lesson.

Just play your normal game and he'll advise where you need to improve. The insight will be great for you comp rounds in the future.

For me also I like playing your course as its lovely. So its nice to play a different course from time to time.

 

[Jake O'Reilly]

Any tips how I get the most out of it from those who've experienced such a lesson format? Ta.

Normally with mid-handicappers in my experience your course management is one of the most important factors as you have the ability to hit the shots (some of the time) and so are more likely want to take them on, where say a 20+ handicapper wouldn't back themselves and take the safe option most times. So my tip would be to pick his brain for the best option if there's any holes you chop and change your club/strategy on each week. Same goes for your approach around the greens, do you bump-and-run or fly it to the hole? He'll be able to tell you which one works for which situation.

 

[NorfolkShaun]

Have had a couple of playing lessons and found them fantastic. Used mine mostly for course management and got some great tips for this. I always talked through each shot with the pro and listened to his advice.

As mentioned the pro will know what he is doing, I always found I played so much better in playing lessons than I normally play. Have not had one for a long while and never had one on my home course. Have been thinking of doing this but never had a lesson with the pro.

 

[IanG]

Which of the pros are you having the lesson with? I have lessons with Martyn and have had a couple of playing lessons.

Yep it will be with Martyn who has been helping me for a while now so knows the vagaries of my swing. Lots still to be learnt about playing on the West Links so I'm hoping for loads of local tips.

 

[IanG]

....I always found I played so much better in playing lessons than I normally play.

Thanks - I hope this is true! Feels a bit exposed to have him critiquing my every shot but nothing ventured nothing gained.

 

[NorfolkShaun]

Thanks - I hope this is true! Feels a bit exposed to have him critiquing my every shot but nothing ventured nothing gained.

Have to agree it is a little strange at first but once you get used to it it is great, just wish I could bottle the way I play in a playing lesson. I did mention it to the pro and he said it is quite common.

 

[Father_Ted]

Interesting thread as I have one of these planned shortly as part of a package

I think I know my weaknesses but always good to have a professional assessment

 

[Garush34]

Yep it will be with Martyn who has been helping me for a while now so knows the vagaries of my swing. Lots still to be learnt about playing on the West Links so I'm hoping for loads of local tips.

Yeah Martyn's great has a lot knowledge and a lot of good stories to tell. He's help me greatly with my game. The west links is a lovely course, just remember to ask lots of questions especially since it's ur home course his knowledge will be great.

 

[IanG]

Yeah Martyn's great has a lot knowledge and a lot of good stories to tell. He's help me greatly with my game. The west links is a lovely course, just remember to ask lots of questions especially since it's ur home course his knowledge will be great.

Must ask him for those stories .... Drop me a pm if you're in the area and fancy a knock, work interferes with golf mostly but we might get lucky.

Cheers
Ian

 

[turkish]

Interesting thread indeed- planning on using one of these at the start of the new season.

I remember watching a thing with Alice Cooper and when he gave up the drink to play golf he was a complete novice- had never seen a club in his life.... obviously being a celeb he was able to get in with other pro's and was playing in the morning 4 hours with one set of pros then another 4 hours in the afternoon with a different set of pros and was a 9 handicap within a year due to all the playing advice he was getting... he's now a 1 handicap.

 

[IanG]

Well finally managed to get the playing lesson done. Our first attempt a few weeks back was a washout after 6 holes. The main thing I learnt that day was that I needed new waterproofs.

Got back to it yesterday and in summary it was very useful and enjoyable - if your pro is good company I'd recommend it as it shows up things you don't get exposed to on the range. We didn't talk about technique at all during the round, mostly about course management and attitude.

Among the take-home points for me were.

1) Think more carefully about risk/reward in assessing which shots to take on. Any improvement I've seen recently has been achieved by taking risk out - perhaps too much. There are times when a little risk can bring a lot of reward so I should have more confidence in taking that risk. An example is on a long par 4 like our 17th. To get up comfortably in two I need to hit one of my further drives. There is not really too much trouble either side of the fairway so the advice was to give a little more juice on the drive. If I fade it into the light rough I'm laying up anyhow for a comfy 5. But 8/10 times I might expect to hit the drive far enough to get on the green in 2 and have a decent chance for a 4.

2) Smarter short game. On a links course it is too easy to always reach for the putter when you are off the green. While that can be the right call it is not always so. I need to consider better the nature of the ground between the ball and the hole and whether a bump and run with a mid-iron would be a less risky option.

3) I bet he says this to all the boys - 'take enough club' ... a tired but true refrain.

4) Play with more confidence

5) When in trouble and 'taking ones medicine' think hard about how to make the next shot as easy as possible - not all places back on the fairway are equal don't just bunt it out anywhere.

TBH I played pretty ropey in the beginning and was 10 over after 9, but managed come back in 3 over for the back 9 which saved face somewhat. I think it was just being tense in the beginning.

All in all a very worthwhile and enjoyable round.

 

[NST]

Normally with mid-handicappers in my experience your course management is one of the most important factors as you have the ability to hit the shots (some of the time) and so are more likely want to take them on, where say a 20+ handicapper wouldn't back themselves and take the safe option most times. So my tip would be to pick his brain for the best option if there's any holes you chop and change your club/strategy on each week. Same goes for your approach around the greens, do you bump-and-run or fly it to the hole? He'll be able to tell you which one works for which situation.

This is one of the things I need to work on. My coach tells me as a rule of thumb if I can't make the shot 7/10 don't try it unless no other options. Being off 21, not to be afraid of bogey. Sometimes on a long par 4 with low stroke index, if left with just over 200 after drive instead of going for it with 5 wood, now I often hit 6/7 iron leaving myself 50 yard chip and hopefully two putts.

Trouble is their is still a moron inside my head that wants to birdie every hole.