Lessons?

[par_par_par_treble]

How quickly would you expect to improve?

I have been off 14 for 3 years, since joining my golf club. I have had a lesson nearly every month since Jan 2009, and still play off 14.

Swing seems better, but shouldn’t I be a pro by now?

 

[john0]

Have the lessons been focused on your long or short game?

If your not focusing the majority of your time on pitching/chipping/putting then your handicap probably wont come down as quick as it otherwise would

 

[slugger]

Maybe you've reached your peak?

Maybe you need a different pro?

Maybe you need to practice more?

Maybe you need different kinds of lessons?

Who knows?

 

[JT77]

Maybe it's all mental mate, maybe you can play great stuff just not often enough!
Possibly missing from 10 feet to often? Maybe a bad hole costs you 3 bad holes!
i think Slugger hit the nail on the head "Who knows? "

 

[steveyjd81]

most people take a step backward and two steps forward

you r lucky

nick faldo took 2 years to change his swing, and he practised everyday,

maybe stop having lessons and see how it goes

probably a mental thing now

 

[par_par_par_treble]

I definitely went backwards first, and I feel like my swing is better now. Less 3 off the tee scenarios.

It’s been all long game so far, with short game to come over the next couple of months (partly because my lessons are at a driving range). Hopefully improvements in the short game will bear more fruit.

Think ill stick with the lessons this year and see where I get to.

Has anyone else had lessons and improved pretty quickly?

 

[JT77]

I definitely went backwards first, and I feel like my swing is better now. Less 3 off the tee scenarios.

It’s been all long game so far, with short game to come over the next couple of months (partly because my lessons are at a driving range). Hopefully improvements in the short game will bear more fruit.

Think ill stick with the lessons this year and see where I get to.
Has anyone else had lessons and improved pretty quickly?

I have had lessons in the past, and went from 17 - 11(10.7) over last year, back to 11.5, but that was more down to lack of time toward end of season.
If you have had a years worth of lessons all long game, I would suggest you have a Mcilroy esq swing! Just my opinion, but I think you should look at short game lessons and maybe a putting one too.
Why do you not try the Pro at your home course? Or a local course?

 

[Spinn77]

I had 3 x 30 mins last year, had been consistently scoring 15 -18 over par. After the first lesson I went round in +6 and my H/C has come down to 12. The HC's were suspended in Nov and dont start again till april. Im hoping to come down more when the season starts.

Mainly worked on long/mid irons and the driver. Stopped my slice and i stopped hitting the really horrible parts of the course and you can hit more greens from the fairway....


Maybe you should record your stats when you play a round, see where your losing these shots as this will give you an insight into what you should practice. Do you miss the greens and chip poorly and then put badly? if so, then work on this instead.

 

[Losttheplot]

Usually the first things to be addressed is your set up and all the basics so if he's skipped them and mainly worked the long game it's saying there is no problem with the set up/basics. So to only work the long game for 12 months is a bit strange to me.

The coach I see says the one thing he hates is people coming for lessons then playing 3 rounds before next months lesson without going to the range or practise ground to cement the things he's covered. It means he spends the next lesson going over what he did the month before.

How often are you practising what he's teaching you as you have to put the hours in to cement the things you've been taught???

 

[JT77]

Very true, I have had plenty of time over the last year to hit the range as have been working away from home, so not much else to do on an evening, but hit the range. It helped working on 1 or 2 swing thoughts, or different pitch techniques, putting etc after lessons, without just trying them on course.

 

[steveyjd81]

if you wanna get a better golf swing take lessons

if you wanna get better at golf practice the short game

my general rule is to practice short game the same amount of the long game. another rule I have is to keep chipping and pitching till I hole one.

gets dark sometimes

 

[par_par_par_treble]

I don’t knock enough putts in, and I don’t get up and down often enough - obvious where I need to spend my time practicing I suppose!

Generally though, it's a bad hole or two that ruins my card. I can handle a 3 putt for bogey, but it’s the 7s on par 4 / 8s on par 5s that hurt. I suppose an 8 would be easier to avoid if you can get up and down from 50 yards though!

 

[steveyjd81]

what is it that you struggle with in the short game?

 

[JT77]

I can only speak from my experience mate, and I found that 2years ago I was great off the tee, hit a few bad ones, but really consistant, the lads I play golf with called me westwood, as I my long game was great, but round the green not so much! I had few short game lessons and a putting one, bought my scotty and had it cut to 33 inches to get over the ball better, and read Bob Rotella books.
I dont practice longer clubs as much as I did, but I am reasonable solid off the tee, but now if I hit a bad one, I feel like it doesnt matter as I enjoy the challenge of getting up and down more.
I play twice a week, and get to the range once/twice a week so I am pretty lucky I guess, maybe more in the summer, I will spend 20% on longer clubs and the rest with wedges or short irons.
But that is just me, I have a lesson booked for when I get home from England to work on 50-60 yards and in so hopefully it will help me get to single figs!
Good luck mate

 

[steveyjd81]

i have all of rotellas books, the putting one is amazing!

 

[JT77]

i have all of rotellas books, the putting one is amazing!

I have 15th club atm, putting one is next! lol
I found that the little bits of putting advice in game of perfect and golfers mind really helped me, so I holding it back for a little bit!

 

[par_par_par_treble]

what is it that you struggle with in the short game?

Most things.

I’m reasonable at chip and runs.
Horrible from a bunker (4 bunker shots around one green last time i played)
Not good at all from 50 yards and in. i very rarely get down in 2. 3 is pretty easy, but doesn’t help your score.

Might use my local pro for a bunker lesson and keep the long game going with the pro at the range

 

[Spinn77]

I'd stop the lessons your having. Sounds slightly that he's taking advantage and going over the same stuff over and over.

You do need to practice between lessons as has been mentioned. Given your last post, get lessons for pitching, chipping and putting.

Also, look at the score saver software, theres a free 30 day trial and its interesting

 

[par_par_par_treble]

I think he is helping me build a much better swing, and don’t want to go back to my weird ways.

Hopefully making the most of my better swing, by learning how to get it in the hole will make the difference.

Thanks all.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It does sound surprising that you've had so many lessons and not seen that much of an improvement. I had the same accusation levelled at me yesterday that I keep having lessons and not getting any better. In my case I went from 20-11 in the last two years but we're working on specifics and in particular tempo (from a blur of a swing to one that can be seen with the naked eye). Its a big job and is taking time. We've also made a huge change to my set up and turn. I am starting to see the difference and my longer game is getting there. My driving is the biggest let down and is a culmination of losing my tempo (and hitting an old fashioned yahoo) and sometimes letting myself get booged down with swing thoughts especially if I'm having a good driving round.

My short game has been badly neglected since about last September and I've paid a price for it. Whilst my ball striking has improved hugely with the changes if I miss a green I knew it would be 3 (or more to get up and down. This put more pressure on the irons to hit the green which caused tension and so more bad swings. It was a self perpetuating cycle. I've had a chipping lesson now and we've made a few basic changes so I really need to get out and really work on it so I can trust it 100% (I don't and it causes tension at the moment which leads to poor shots and the chain doesn't get broken).

I think if you've not had much success with the changes your oach has made it might be worth looking around elsewhere. It might just be that the guy isn't getting the message to stick so you hit it great in the lesson and then forget what to do after. You do have to make the effort though to go away and really practice the drills you're shown etc. Someone mentioned about a pro he knows getting frustrated when he sees a pupil who has clearly just gone and played after the lesson and not worked on the changes and so he has to repeat the fixes. It will take time and you have to stick with the changes and not go back to old habits even if they feel more natural and produce short term results.