Intensive lessons?

[RGDave]

Has anyone tried having a bundle/package of lessons over a few days trying to fit in practice and play in between?
I ask because HID wants to get me a golf gift for my birthday.
I've ruled out the power-trolley (sorry, but I'm moving the date of no-return to aged 45 now!) and other than a pink chipper or £700 set of C/F irons, I'm lost for ideas.
If I started on a Monday (say), had a lesson, practised hard, played a few, then did it again the next day (and so on), would I get anywhere or would it be a no-point-doing-another-lesson-cause-it's-not-working yet waste of time?

I fancy making the course where I'm having the lessons my base and spending dawn 'till dusk doing the full swing stuff and sorting out my short game? It wouldn't be my home course either b.t.w.

 

[Farneyman]

I have no idea how that would work. Would love to try it though.

I am planning six / one a month. Starting in the next week.

See what others think..I mit have them a bit closer together if it would help.

 

[bobmac]

I recently spent a very enjoyable 4 hours with a certain fireman on here. Golfing.
We spent 2 hours on the range, followed by video analysis and coffee, finishing with a few holes playing lesson. I think he learned something from it but that's for him to say.
I think if you try and change too much, you'll end up changing nothing.
Buy a package of say 6 lessons and see if your pro will throw in a free playing lesson at the end.

 

[DCB]

Don't know how effective that would be Dave. Last year I had six lessons over about a month and it was fitting in the required amount of practice between lessons that was the hard part.

Depends just how much is being tweeked or tuned, or vastly reworked in your swing I suppose.

 

[Zeek]

I did 'golf school' at Sedlescombe (http://www.golfschool.co.uk). 2,3 or 5 day courses. I did 3 half days, where you get the pro from about 8:30 to 1, and then unlimited use of the courses and facilities in the afternoons.

I was exhausted by the end of it, and I didn't do much in the afternoons. That's most likely because I was totally new to golf and had no golf muscles I really enjoyed it though, and the food in the place was nice. There's a nice hotel on the course, but I didn't stay in it because I'm fairly local.

I still go back for lessons. The video rooms are superb - really make the lessons work for me. There are 6 or 7 pros there though, and some might be better than others, I think I was lucky with mine.

 

[Imurg]

Not quite the same I know, but Intensive courses are common in the Driving Instruction industry. In principle its similar to your suggestion. 6-8 hours monday to thursday, test on friday.

In my opinion it doesn't produce a good driver as you try to cram too much into too short a space of time. You don't have time to let the information sink in and retain it, you're always moving on to the next thing. As a result you become average at most things and not good at anything

To return to Golf, I feel an "intensive" style course of lessons may have a similar outcome. You need time to bed in any changes and ponder on the whys and wherefores of it all. Have the lessons by all means but spread them a bit more. Focus on one thing per lesson. If you have lessons every day then by wednesday afternoon you're not going to know which move you make at which time because there'll be so much going on in your head.

 

[RGDave]

Thanks, all good comments and food for thought.
The problem I have (if it is a problem) is that I get one or two things to work on at a lesson and then spend the next *forever* trying to perfect it (not because I can't get it; I normally get stuff within a bucket or two) Nothing wrong with that, but I wonder if at lesson 1 we did thing *a*, then at lesson 2 we did thing *b* knowing that thing a was already coming on, then maybe do some short game/bunker/pitching etc then see how a and b are doing.
If I work intensively with a competent person I tend to say "OK, that's coming on, let's do this now" and only re-visit the first thing if it's getting bad again or the new thing is adversely affecting the old one. (I'm sure you understand).

I'm not looking for dramatic changes just to tune up bad habits or tackle 3 or 4 particular issues over a 3 or 4 day period.

I believe it can be done (this is the man that hit 300 pushes to cure a slice the day before a 76) but the essential question is "can I accept that something is on-it's-way and forget it enough to let it happen whilst doing something new?"

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Interesting approach. I can definitely see where your coming from but not for me. I like to be confident that I'm comfortable with the change and that I'm ready to use it on the course without having to think about it.

I wouldn't mind something that intensive on say the short game. A session per morning for 3 or four days and work on it in the afternoon or play a few holes with the teaching pro try it out from tricky lies in an on course setting)

 

[JT77]

I think you are looking at things with a full cup, in order to learn something new, you need to empty your cup so the new stuff can fill it...

 

[RGDave]

I like to be confident that I'm comfortable with the change and that I'm ready to use it on the course without having to think about it.

You and me are the same then! It's breaking out this mould that interests me.

 

[RGDave]

I think you are looking at things with a full cup, in order to learn something new, you need to empty your cup so the new stuff can fill it...

I get your point. I think I can empty it at the start of the week...it's whether it fills up too quickly after that.

 

[JustOne]

I'm not looking for dramatic changes just to tune up bad habits or tackle 3 or 4 particular issues over a 3 or 4 day period.

To tackle 3 or 4 issues might mean a whole new swing. if you are prepared for that then it sounds OK. If you start picking the things you want to fix then you might aswell stay at home... in my opinion.

 

[need_my_wedge]

I'm not sure I can see the benefit of doing 5 or 6 lessons in a week. Too much to take on board and not enough time to groove them in . I buy my lessons in blocks of 6 (buy 5 get 1 free), and over the winter have been taking one every two weeks, leaving me time inbetween to work on whatever aspect was being taught, both at the range and on the course. Worked great until about 3 weeks ago when something caused me to completely forget everything that I'd been working on. Took another lesson this week to step backwards to put it right.

I think regular lessons are important, but you need to space them out a bit to give time for the contents to bed in.

 

[RGDave]

I'm not looking for dramatic changes just to tune up bad habits or tackle 3 or 4 particular issues over a 3 or 4 day period.

To tackle 3 or 4 issues might mean a whole new swing. if you are prepared for that then it sounds OK. If you start picking the things you want to fix then you might aswell stay at home... in my opinion.

Whole new swing... ....I did that last year going from flat to Faldo over 6 months...

I hope not. There are many aspects of it that are fine, I know that (confirmed by lessons over the years) and hope a "new" pro would agree. Mainly "niggles" really....I would certainly go with the pro's opinion over these, far be it for me to call what needs the work.

When I'm in top gear it works consistently enough, but I'd love to hit it a bit stronger (further) to make life easier on long holes and hit my irons better....I do get into bad habits....

 

[Spinn77]

I took on a few lessons last year, i've improved a lot from the starting point i had the. Consistently playing to 15 - 20 over par, and he said most of what i was doing was actually alright. he made a few very minor changes that i took to quite easily:

1. Grip, my right hand was too much underneath the club. After 20 or so hits you get used to it.

2. shorter back swing. feels wierd, that your not quite swinging fully. But what i was left with is plenty. accuracy improved no end (obviously combined with the other aspects too)

3. the transition. Stoped me 'looping' at the top, now kind of pull down with my hands before swinging back through the ball.

4. left shoulder. very minor adjustment, pulling it back a touch squaring me up a bit more. (was too far forward/over the ball). im right handed.

5. left foot. another minor one keeping it more rigid and fixed, stopped a bit of a sway and allows for the turn to move against it better on the downswing.


after the one lesson, and a couple of hundred balls on the range during the following few days i knocked 10 shots off my first round. the improvement remained in my first comp too.

I've always played sport and pick things up fairly quickly which helps, if your pretty similar i think you could see some genuine improvements with your idea. If most of what your doing is good then a overhaul isnt needed. I would imagine you'd need to quickly revisit aspects of the weeks as your going along, little reminders if you like. but i can definately see it being worth while. seems like a good way to spend a week to be honest.

keep us posted!

 

[RGDave]

Cheers Spin....much needed boost for the "in favour of it" argument.

If I get it sorted, I'll come over and we'll have a game....no strokes, as it should be!!!

 

[Spinn77]

Good stuff

 

[DanJ88]

Jesus! How much would an intensive course cost?? Bet that's a few pretty pennies!!

Dan

 

[haplesshacker]

As an instructor in a previous 'life'. Week long 'intensive' courses were very well supported. Whether it was raw beginners or folks looking to more onto the next level.

We'd combine short practical sessions with a bit of theory, reviews and video coaching. Yes it was intensive, but with the knowledge, practical and theretical Information provided the attendees went away knowing far more than they even immediately realised. But it gave them a foundation of knowing their strengths and weaknesses and what to do to improve.

I wouldn't expect miracles from an intensive golf series of lessons. But I would expect you to leave knowing how to improve your own game. It could also be more fun as a small group as opposed to the usual one on one scenario.

 

[RGDave]

I wouldn't expect miracles from an intensive golf series of lessons.

I wouldn't expect miracles, just some gentle improvement.

t.b.h. the general opinion seems to be that it could be all too much. I would like a course of lessons for a present (as opposed to a leccy trolley) so i think I'm going to ask, even if they go over 2 months rather than two weeks.