Intensive golf lessons

[Jaco]

Has anyone had experience of intensive golf lessons, say 3 to 5 day courses?
I‘m considering them for myself (51 yo, 20 hcap) as I’d like to get better, and also my 15yo son who is just starting.
It sounds like a good way forward but peoples actual experience of them might suggest otherwise.

 

[RichA]

I had 6 lessons in 6 weeks when I came back to golf 18 months ago. In retrospect, I think it was too much too quickly for me to really take it in and practice it properly.
If I have lessons again it will be the odd one here and there to try and iron out specific failings.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I went on one a good few years back. Was good to a point. I got a lot of tuition on all aspects of the game (short game, putting, driving and a general swing MOT). The down side is there is a lot of information given in a short space of time and you are limited to how much time you can then spend working each set of changes. I would prefer to pick an area to improve and have a lesson specific to that and then work on the changes and drills for a few weeks and take it to the course and then work on something else once that has fed into my overall game. For me, short game is the area to focus on and then keep having a lesson every 4-5 months on the main swing to check for any bad habits creeping in

 

[Orikoru]

Can't see the point of that. Surely it's information overload? Wouldn't you be better off having one lesson, improve something fundamental and go and work on that for several weeks to get the hang of it before moving on to the next lesson?

 

[SimonC]

I don't believe they would be worth the money due to the fact you can't make massive swing changes in the space of a week, you may improve 1 or 2 aspects of your swing though. In my opinion you would be far better off having a lesson every 3 to 4 weeks and in between these lessons practising the swing changes so they became ingrained in your swing. I'm currently going through this process myself for what I believe is the 3rd time now.

 

[Tashyboy]

Am sure most pros would shy away from being so intensive re lessons like that. So am surprised that’s what is on offer. Unless a customer wants it. I had 5 lessons over 3 or 4 months and it was right for me. Giving me
Time To work on putting, short game etc.
Am sure you will find that once you have had these lessons on vet the years you will have more. out of interest who recommended the pro/ lessons. Me head is telling me quality of lesson over quantity.
All that said I couldn’t swing a flipping lasso at the moment.

 

[sweaty sock]

Ive been on similar for different sports, i think they work well, as long as you dont expect to walk out a changed golfer.

The point is usually to inform you how to change rather than doing much of the physical changes.

You should leave with a strong understanding of the basics and the course should provide you with a way to get the most out of other resources - or more lessons.

Most golfers go onto lessons with little or no understanding of there current swing, many dont understand there biggest problems, and nearly all have no long term plan. The intensive courses normally give you this.

If the course doesnt ask you to bring statistics from your golf before the course then I'd be a bit worried...

 

[sunshine]

Same thoughts as the other posters. However, I imagine this could be good for a beginner to get them to a level where they are able to play on a course after a week.

 

[Orikoru]

Same thoughts as the other posters. However, I imagine this could be good for a beginner to get them to a level where they are able to play on a course after a week.

True that. You're probably more receptive to being inundated with information if you don't have a base level of years of rubbish to overwrite first.

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

Surely depends on why you are a 20 handicapper - e.g. major swing flaw and you can't keep driver in play then intensive lessons probably wont be the answer.

General lack of knowledge e.g. bad course management, wrong short game shot selection, reading greens then an intensive booking which often includes course time could be a useful way to shave a shot or two and have fun with your son.

 

[G1z1]

Has anyone had experience of intensive golf lessons, say 3 to 5 day courses?
I‘m considering them for myself (51 yo, 20 hcap) as I’d like to get better, and also my 15yo son who is just starting.
It sounds like a good way forward but peoples actual experience of them might suggest otherwise.

I did 10 lessons in two weeks before a club fitting. Trouble is the pro wasn’t very good and I beat him on trackman playing 9 holes on my last lesson lol. Suppose what I’m saying is intensive lessons are only good if the teaching pro is good. Current place I get lessons, I get one every Monday just because I have only been playing golf just over a year and want to get better as quick as I can.

 

[Orikoru]

I did 10 lessons in two weeks before a club fitting. Trouble is the pro wasn’t very good and I beat him on trackman playing 9 holes on my last lesson lol. Suppose what I’m saying is intensive lessons are only good if the teaching pro is good. Current place I get lessons, I get one every Monday just because I have only been playing golf just over a year and want to get better as quick as I can.

Sounds like he was bloody amazing if he had you beating a pro after only 10 lessons?

 

[SteveW86]

I guess it depends how much you want to improve. Personally, I think these types of courses are fine if you can play round some courses with a bit of a clinic in the morning/afternoon, so doubled up as a bit of a golfing holiday. The trouble is getting to many things thrown at you at once, without the time to bed them into your swing.

Depending on "a players" game though, I think a lesson every few months is pointless if you are actually trying to improve noticeably. Remembering what has been said and repeating the motions is pretty hard without someone there remind you of the correct things. I think this is where the difference between just having a pro for a lesson every now and then Vs having a coach comes into play. For me, if youre trying to improve noticeably then you need to be seeing someone regularly, even if just for a quick check in. We all know the "feel" of your swing isnt always the "real".

 

[Jaco]

Glad I asked. I think the replies make total sense. Of course you can’t learn to be a reasonably accomplished golfer in a week, especially at my age.
I think I saw it as a magic bullet, which it clearly isn’t. I struggle to get to grips with one alteration at a time, let alone a host of them. I will continue with a lesson every three weeks or so, and the same for my son.

 

[Boomy]

It might work for you, it might not. It depends on your capacity to absorb information and not be overwhelmed by it. As a qualified British triathlon coach I’ve seen both sides, week long training camps are common place and work well for some, but not others. Obviously with triathlon a lot of it is fitness based fatigue but some people really struggled with swim stroke changes, very technical and similar to golf swing changes.
For my own golf I went down the 1 or 2 lessons a week path for a couple of months to groove in some changes, and it’s worked well. The problem with a lesson every 2/3/4/5 weeks is the practice in between - it’s hard to self police if you’re doing something correctly. It may feel correct in your minds eye but bare no resemblance in reality (which is more often the case) A few weeks of consistent lessons and practice, aided by filming my own swing at the range (using a phone tripod, best training tool you can buy) and knowing what I was looking for whilst reviewing it constantly each session has really helped me groove in a significant change quite quickly.

 

[Boomy]

Glad I asked. I think the replies make total sense. Of course you can’t learn to be a reasonably accomplished golfer in a week, especially at my age.
I think I saw it as a magic bullet, which it clearly isn’t. I struggle to get to grips with one alteration at a time, let alone a host of them. I will continue with a lesson every three weeks or so, and the same for my son.

You could massively change your swing in a week quite easily.. or it might just be too much. What works for one rarely works for everyone.

It could be a fun thing to do with your son? and help groove in a swing for him. You could maybe focus on 1 aspect or short game etc - I’m sure there’ll be different options.

 

[Vikingman]

A few years back I realised my game was in a mess.

I had two alternatives, start again or give up.

Decided on lessons and had one a week for around two months.

My logic was I wanted to try to get it right as opposed to have a lesson, go back a month later and find I've been doing it wrong or slipped back into old habits.

 

[evemccc]

It might work for you, it might not. It depends on your capacity to absorb information and not be overwhelmed by it. As a qualified British triathlon coach I’ve seen both sides, week long training camps are common place and work well for some, but not others. Obviously with triathlon a lot of it is fitness based fatigue but some people really struggled with swim stroke changes, very technical and similar to golf swing changes.
For my own golf I went down the 1 or 2 lessons a week path for a couple of months to groove in some changes, and it’s worked well. The problem with a lesson every 2/3/4/5 weeks is the practice in between - it’s hard to self police if you’re doing something correctly. It may feel correct in your minds eye but bare no resemblance in reality (which is more often the case) A few weeks of consistent lessons and practice, aided by filming my own swing at the range (using a phone tripod, best training tool you can buy) and knowing what I was looking for whilst reviewing it constantly each session has really helped me groove in a significant change quite quickly.

I hit 300 balls on the range today — only hit the 8 and 9 iron and a handful with a new club

It’s a lot of balls and I was only trying to work on one thing — which I think I achieved as the number of flushed balls was surprisingly / pleasingly high. I will have another lesson in another week and if I’ve not mastered what I was supposed to be working on then it’ll be very annoying as I’ve just embedded some bad habits, after 300 balls ? But at least tonight, I feel confident and optimistic that there was improvement ??

I hardly ever go to the range as it’s such a ball-ache to get to, and on a day off (which I’ve given over to golf), I’d much rather play golf. I used a tripod as Boomy suggests. I would second the benefits of this 100%


As per the OP’s main point, I would certainly see the benefit of a 3 hour lesson…as long as it wasn’t a range-session. I had a 3 hour lesson twice - the first was on putting, chipping, pitching and full swing — this was excellent and v worthwhile. The second was all on a range and it’s a little too much

However, I feel like an intensive course wouldn’t necessarily be an awful idea for someone wanting to learn quickly. As there is so much to learn in golf, and I think an hour-long section on chipping, putting mechanics, green-reading, pitching, bunkers, full swing with irons, full swing with Driver, and course management / playing lesson could easily cover two full days and be worthwhile

 

[Deleted member 23270]

I once read that it takes around 3000 shots to get 'muscle memory' when making a swing change. It ain't going to happen in a few days. You need to find a pro that will make small incremental changes until you get to the point you want to be at.

 

[Boomy]

I once read that it takes around 3000 shots to get 'muscle memory' when making a swing change. It ain't going to happen in a few days. You need to find a pro that will make small incremental changes until you get to the point you want to be at.

There isn’t a single fixed number for any kind of adaptation - everyone is completely different. Some folk could adapt a stroke change in literally minutes worth of training, others may take hours worth (or even days) A lot can happen in a few days with the correct repetition - practice makes permanent, not perfect - form over volume every time.