Lesson or wait for lessons

[MrC]

Hi all

Money and time a little short at the moment

Handicap 21 given last year. Currently playing twice a month

Should I do one lesson now? Will I get much benefit?

Or just play for fun and wait until I have more time

 

[Depreston]

Have you had any before ?

If you havent I’d have one... you could have a few quick wins just by having posture ball position grip etc looked at

however if you havent got the time time to put effort in at the range I wouldn’t bother with a block

 

[Parsaregood]

If you play off 21 and have never had a lesson I'd say don't just get one if you haven't had one before aswell if you haven't got time to work on it. If you want to improve, find a good pro and book a block of 5 or 6, it will be the best money you spend if you apply yourself the right way.

 

[Capella]

I'd say, if you can afford it and have a pro available you feel good about, have a lesson as soon as possible and try to throw in a few hours of range practice afterwards to really take advantage of whatever changes the pro suggested. It is worth in the long run. On the other hand, if you really can't or don't want to invest any practice time, because you only can get away twice a month and really want to spend that time playing, then don't bother with the lesson and just enjoy your golf as it is. Also depends if there is a specific mistake or weakness that is bothering you, like a slice off the tee or fat shots or anything like that. Then a single lesson could be worth your while as well, just to get an idea how to fix that specific issue.

 

[virtuocity]

A lesson's effectiveness is often determined by how much and how well you practice what you are taught, then reviewing progress with the professional. Some of this can be done in the garden (posture, grip, alignment etc- you can take photos), whilst, inevitably, you will need to put in some time at the range or course to improve your game.

Overall- you need to decide what outcome you're looking for. If it's just reducing your handicap, you'd be better served spending a fiver on a chipping net and practicing different length chips in the garden until your arms feel like they are going to fall off. That'll save you a tonne of money and improve your game.

 

[NorwichBanana]

I had a block of 6 in 2015, and came away after lesson 1 with a new grip and set up. But needed the following 5 lessons to start to feel like I was making gains. As much as 1 lesson will be helpful for sure, I do think a run of lessons will be most ideal!

 

[Roops]

Personally, from what I know now, if money is tight I would keep it in your pocket and have a trawl of Youtube. There are literally dozens of good coaches posting vids about fundamentals. Find one you like, who delivers the info in the way you want it. Paying someone to instruct you on grip, stance, posture, setup is money for old rope, when there are so many excellent reference sites available online, hosted by qualified teachers.

If this doesn't work for you then consider breaking into the piggy bank, but online would be my first port of call if funds are short.

 

[Curls]

It takes a long time to bed-in serious changes. You'll need a bit of range time and realise that your score may take a backwards step while you work on something technical on the course instead of just playing your natural game. Worst thing you can do is quit this process mid-way and go back to your old ways, you'll just be back where you started. So whatever about the timing of getting lessons, you need to commit. Commitment is going to be a far greater predictor of success that how much time you have, or how often you play.

 

[MrC]

A lesson's effectiveness is often determined by how much and how well you practice what you are taught, then reviewing progress with the professional. Some of this can be done in the garden (posture, grip, alignment etc- you can take photos), whilst, inevitably, you will need to put in some time at the range or course to improve your game.

Overall- you need to decide what outcome you're looking for. If it's just reducing your handicap, you'd be better served spending a fiver on a chipping net and practicing different length chips in the garden until your arms feel like they are going to fall off. That'll save you a tonne of money and improve your game.

so true - you must have seen me play!

 

[MrC]

this is the dilemma - and the replies have confirmed what i thought and what i didnt want to hear

in reality i need to find some time to practise - maybe one lesson and then a few nights of practise as a starter is more achievable

thanks all for the responses and guidence

 

[User 105]

The other thing to consider is even if you spend time practicing some changes can take a long time to bed in and can make you play seriously bad until you do.

So if your only playing a couple of times a month for enjoyment, is it worth the risk of spoiling that enjoyment ?

Long term your likely to get better and might help nip any bad habits in the bud now, short term you'll probably feel like breaking your clubs in half after every shot

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Making changes can be a time consuming business to make the differences feel natural and more importantly feed into your game on the course. The question is, do you want to improve and become more consistent or are you happy playing for fun and spending the spare time doing other arguably more important things

 

[casuk]

I'd say take your lessons as soon as you can but you need to be playing as much as possible to cement the changes I took a block of 5 last year and in lesson one he just broke down my swing and changed a whole lot of my set up I still revert back to my old style through habit,

 

[Marshy77]

Hi all

Money and time a little short at the moment

Handicap 21 given last year. Currently playing twice a month

Should I do one lesson now? Will I get much benefit?

Or just play for fun and wait until I have more time

I'd wait, if you can't practice what you've been taught then imo there's no point. I've been in the same situation and the lessons have been wasted and also messed up my game as I couldn't commit to what I should have been doing and it messed up my enjoyment.

The only lesson that has improved my game was a putting lesson, this has improved my putting so much.