My trouble with lessons.

[DaveyG]

Evening,

So I definitely think lessons are the way forward for a newbie to golf and have recently got my dad and brother in law to take some who are benefitting from them

Since I took the game up 2.5 years ago I have gone from scoring 120 to mid 90's on average and can appreciate the difference the lessons have made. I have prob had about 10 lessons overall and am told mt grip/stance and swing is very much a pro taught tidy swing BUT i still struggle to hit the ball consistent. I am not expecting the world but Here is what this post is actually about...

Why do I start to hit the ball badly... Try everything I can think of... Book a lesson... Hit it amazingly after the most ridiculously short advice... Play well for a month and then return to a gorllia holding a golf club.

Annoyingly ita always something different that slips. I keep notes from lessons and review them to find out what I am doing but for some reason after time I always fall out of a nice consistent swing.

Does anyone else feel this. I hear "ahhh Dave you aren't doing XXX try and do it. All of a suddern instant results.

 

[Spark.]

Sounds like you need to build yourself a pre swing checklist. Take your time at each address, talk yourself through your setup and the swing you're about to take, relax then let the club do the work. I know the second i start rushing or trying to push for extra length or manipulate a shot, i make a mess of it. Take your time and be more methodical with your golf. You said yourself after a crazy short time with the instructor your shots changed.

 

[duncan mackie]

you sound like you are over thinking the swing

put another way, you are thinking about how to swing as components. by all means do this at times on the range, but you need to get to a single thought about what, not how.

part of the evidence for this is what happens when someone gives you a direction, or simple 'tip' - you start off just thinking about that rather than everything!

there's no simple 'how to stop thinking about everything tip' - but mentally training yourself on the range to hit a particular number of balls thinking only about outcome, then permitting yourself a couple with thought etc can help.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I keep notes of my lessons and the drills I was given to fix that particular fault. I have simplified my swing (no really) and so the checklist of possible problems has reduced. I would speak to your pro and tell him the problem. He might try a different approach to get it to stick. I have had lessons with my club pro and I understood what he was saying and hit the ball well during the lesson but it will slip from my consciousness in a few weeks. It doesn't stick. My current teaching pro has a way of getting the message across and the info to stick.

Keep with it. Speak to the pro and see what he says. You have made great progress so far so stay positive and try not to self diagnose too much. In my experience this complicates it and you end up tied in knots

 

[Vincent Gary]

I can relate to this, I don't know about you but i always over think the shot even before i step up to the tee resulting in more pressure and in-turn making a mess of the shot.

I was told not to over complicate things and master one or two things at a time rather than the hundreds of possibility's it could be!

 

[lyden]

Don't beat yourself up about it I've had plenty of lessons, its like learning to drive a car it seems to all come together at once. I still hit bad shots but so does the +3 handicapper I play with. You will eventually get to the point where you feel the mistake youve made, but a pre shot check list is imperative so you can eliminate setup from your list of causes. I expect my handicap to tumble over the next few weeks but that's as dangerous mindset as I found out last week.

 

[One Planer]

Evening,

So I definitely think lessons are the way forward for a newbie to golf and have recently got my dad and brother in law to take some who are benefitting from them

Since I took the game up 2.5 years ago I have gone from scoring 120 to mid 90's on average and can appreciate the difference the lessons have made. I have prob had about 10 lessons overall and am told mt grip/stance and swing is very much a pro taught tidy swing BUT i still struggle to hit the ball consistent. I am not expecting the world but Here is what this post is actually about...

Why do I start to hit the ball badly... Try everything I can think of... Book a lesson... Hit it amazingly after the most ridiculously short advice... Play well for a month and then return to a gorllia holding a golf club.

Annoyingly ita always something different that slips. I keep notes from lessons and review them to find out what I am doing but for some reason after time I always fall out of a nice consistent swing.

Does anyone else feel this. I hear "ahhh Dave you aren't doing XXX try and do it. All of a suddern instant results.

How often do you practice?

I don't mean hit balls, I mean work strictly on the drills your pro gave you?

 

[Grogger]

Evening,

So I definitely think lessons are the way forward for a newbie to golf and have recently got my dad and brother in law to take some who are benefitting from them

Since I took the game up 2.5 years ago I have gone from scoring 120 to mid 90's on average and can appreciate the difference the lessons have made. I have prob had about 10 lessons overall and am told mt grip/stance and swing is very much a pro taught tidy swing BUT i still struggle to hit the ball consistent. I am not expecting the world but Here is what this post is actually about...

Why do I start to hit the ball badly... Try everything I can think of... Book a lesson... Hit it amazingly after the most ridiculously short advice... Play well for a month and then return to a gorllia holding a golf club.

Annoyingly ita always something different that slips. I keep notes from lessons and review them to find out what I am doing but for some reason after time I always fall out of a nice consistent swing.

Does anyone else feel this. I hear "ahhh Dave you aren't doing XXX try and do it. All of a suddern instant results.

I know how you feel! I've been playing for a year now and and in the last 2 weeks I've managed to break 100 for the first time then do it again yesterday and also played at a 9 hole course and went round in 45 shots. The best golf I've ever played! So I thought I had turned a corner..........until today. Organised a quick 9 holes with a friend who's taken up the game only 3 months ago. He went round in a very respectable 53 shots too my 61!!!! I was gutted. I couldn't come up with any excuses, he outplayed me. Simple as that. I just couldn't seem to settle and I believe I must have just put a lot of pressure on my self? He even said he played as if he had nothing to lose. I felt like an idiot! I cant remember one shot where I was relaxed and I think this was my down fall In the end, perhaps?

Booked a lesson for tomorrow with a new instructor. Just for peace of mind more than anything. I know I can play the game and being able to break 100 has shown this. I just need to learn to relax. I find If I control my breathing at address that really helps me so I need to do that and come up with a pre shot routine. My practice shots appear to be fine but put a ball in front of the club face and I panic.

 

[DaveyG]

How often do you practice?

I don't mean hit balls, I mean work strictly on the drills your pro gave you?

Ermm hard to say which is probably the answer.

I think the issue is with my swing everything seems like lil fixes. I.e i have a lesson and can all of a suddern hit it well again but then a couple of weeka after im struggling and the verdict from the pro is its something different. I am doing what I was told last time but something else has gone wrong.

The posts about a good pre shot routine definitely seem like a good shout.

I am off for 2 weeks now and have stocked up on practise balls. Im gonna try and hit the practise range and worl on a everytime shot routine.

Gonna google it now what people recommend. Sure its all personal but what do people do everytime in steps 1 to whatever?

Thanks for this guys. Helpful posts.

 

[Spark.]

Alignment, Feet, ball position, balance, grip, shoulders, back, alignment again. check all comfy and if not start again. relax, have a look at where you want to place ball, picture shot and swing. Let club choice decide your length.

 

[Neddy]

Sounds like you need to build yourself a pre swing checklist. Take your time at each address, talk yourself through your setup and the swing you're about to take, relax then let the club do the work. I know the second i start rushing or trying to push for extra length or manipulate a shot, i make a mess of it. Take your time and be more methodical with your golf. You said yourself after a crazy short time with the instructor your shots changed.

Good advice. I had an iffy range session tonight, but towards the end i took a 9 iron out and very slowly and carefully set up to the ball.

Grip, stance, posture. As soon as they were all as i wanted them i swung. 5 shots in a row bang out the middle and within 10 yards of each other.

Really does pay to take your time to get your basics right.

 

[Spark.]

Even today, the times i had someone on the tee behind me, i messed everyone of my iron shots up, purely for not being selfish enough to take my time and worrying about slow play. I think far too much pressure is placed on playing to pace. Urgency getting to the ball and slow and steady when at address is what ill be doing from now on. Id rather hold up someone for an extra 15 seconds at the ball than 2-5 mins in the rough.

 

[Grogger]

Even today, the times i had someone on the tee behind me, i messed everyone of my iron shots up, purely for not being selfish enough to take my time and worrying about slow play. I think far too much pressure is placed on playing to pace. Urgency getting to the ball and slow and steady when at address is what ill be doing from now on. Id rather hold up someone for an extra 15 seconds at the ball than 2-5 mins in the rough.

I think thats a problem I suffer from too. Glad to see It's not just me who rushes when People are waiting on my next shot.

 

[Spark.]

Don't worry about it, i just reckon it stems from being quite a conscientious person off the course, i dont like to annoy people or be a pain.

 

[Grogger]

Had a lesson today and hey presto, after some kind words of advice and a few knocks to warm up I'm hitting my 6 iron like a pro (well as near as ill ever get)

This game frustrates me!! Playing tomorrow so the proof will be in the pudding now. Used a new instructor today and he's gave me less things to work on which has simplified it for me. Less is more I suppose?

 

[ScienceBoy]

I have a saying, "Routine for a 5".

It stems from playing a game where I score a shot on the range from 1-5 depending on my target, 25 is a perfect score with 5 balls.

My routine is based on GASP: Grip, Aim, Stance, Position/Posture.

If I am not comfy I step back and start again, as the routine is about 10 seconds it rarely wastes time if I have to step out.

I always make sure I run through my routine on the range and the course before every shot. If your routine is too long for you to run through it before every shot on the range then it is TOO LONG!