USER1999
Grand Slam Winner
I am about to immerse myself into the world of golf lessons, for pretty much the first time in 30 years. This has been brought about by going back up to 10, and the feeling that in order to return to single digits, and stay there, I need to change something. I can no longer continue to hit it like a cream puff, miss every fairway, and nearly every green, and expect my short game to dig me out.
I have selected a coach, mainly on the basis of him working at a driving range I drive past on my way home. I appreciate that this is not the way a lot would choose, but having no experience of golf coaching to base a judgement on, it is as good as any in my view.
I had a one hour assessment last night, and will have my first lesson (one hour) next Monday.
Sat in the office, waiting, I read some of the notices he had pinned up. One was average swing speeds, ball speeds, heights, and carries for the PGA tour and the LPGA tours. I guess I belong on the LPGA tour, as their figures correspond very closely to mine.
Another was a chart stating the following:
Woods: 25%
Putting 45%
Short pitches 18%
Short / Mid irons 8%
Long irons 4%
Something like that anyway.
What club would I like to hit better? Long irons. Why? According to this, they might as well come out of the bag.
The assessment:
Sat in the office, the first half hour is a seemingly random set of questions, some golf related, some not. Quite a big sheaf of paperwork gets generated. The golf bits relate to how I see myself as a golfer, where I see myself going, and what attributes would I have if I were to get to my goal (solid single figures, say 7, in 6 months).
For instance, what does a 7 handicapper do better than a 10. Not just in terms of 'hits 5% more fairways, 10% more GIR', but in terms of how does he do this. What makes him a 7? What makes the 10 h/c 3 shots worse?
What are the strengths in my game, and what do I do differently to make these aspects of the game different to the weaker parts. What are the weaker parts, etc.
We did a bit on ball flight laws, just to check I had a clue as to what makes certain shots work. Not new to me, so we moved on.
Hitting balls:
I hit a few 6irons. Not brilliantly, but ok. Was asked what I was doing, and obvious answer is just hitting them. (a bit high, not enough draw for my liking).
I was then given a wedge, (58 or 54, not sure which), and told to hit a shot at a bucket, about 40 yards away, with the ball going no more than 12 foot off the ground. First shot shanked it big time, second was not too bad. I then had to explain what I had done, in terms of shot making to get the ball to do what it had done.
For any one who has not done this as an exercise, it is pretty uncomfortable, and not some thing I am used to having to explain. It is a bit like lying on the floor, and dictating written notes as to how you would give instructions to someone to stand up.
We then went back to the 6 iron, with the instructions to hit a 5 yard draw, over the right edge of a bunker, pitching 160 yards away. I had some small success with this. And again, had to explain what I was doing to get this shot.
Back in the office:
We discussed that a lot of my issues on the course were probably focus issues. That I have a definite focus for pitching, chipping, even for punching out from under trees. What I lack is the focus when I am faced with hitting an 8i into the middle of the green. The simple becomes too simple almost. I have shot 75 before, so there is no real need to change any thing technical, I just need to equip myself with the tools to allow myself to do it more eften.
What I am to do this weekend, is to play every shot with a focus in mind. So an aiming point, a shot shape, a height, and a landing area. I have to think about how I am going to achieve this before each shot. This will not be easy. I do not like thinking on the golf course.
The long term goal of this will be to stand over every shot, and instead of worrying about the outcome, or being totally blank, I will just see the shot I want to make. (this could even eliminate the pull hook on 18, as I am sure my body thinks I want to play this shot).
Technique:
His view on technique is that although I have a good feel for what the club (and myself) need to do to get the desired results, I am making it harder for myself by getting a few things wrong. He likened it to walking with my laces tied together. If he can find the right keys to release my swing, and make it more efficient, then I can add power and consistency without changing too much.
By working a lot on feel, focus, and awareness, then he will be able to introduce changes along the way, as they make sense, rather than foist them off on me as something I should do that makes no sense at all.
I am sure that technique will creep into the lessons, but it won't be an out and out do this, hands here, hips here type lesson.
He did video my swing, but we didn't bother looking at it. I have seen it before, and he wasn't that fussed.
This could be a long and awkward journey, and it starts on Monday.
I have selected a coach, mainly on the basis of him working at a driving range I drive past on my way home. I appreciate that this is not the way a lot would choose, but having no experience of golf coaching to base a judgement on, it is as good as any in my view.
I had a one hour assessment last night, and will have my first lesson (one hour) next Monday.
Sat in the office, waiting, I read some of the notices he had pinned up. One was average swing speeds, ball speeds, heights, and carries for the PGA tour and the LPGA tours. I guess I belong on the LPGA tour, as their figures correspond very closely to mine.
Another was a chart stating the following:
Woods: 25%
Putting 45%
Short pitches 18%
Short / Mid irons 8%
Long irons 4%
Something like that anyway.
What club would I like to hit better? Long irons. Why? According to this, they might as well come out of the bag.
The assessment:
Sat in the office, the first half hour is a seemingly random set of questions, some golf related, some not. Quite a big sheaf of paperwork gets generated. The golf bits relate to how I see myself as a golfer, where I see myself going, and what attributes would I have if I were to get to my goal (solid single figures, say 7, in 6 months).
For instance, what does a 7 handicapper do better than a 10. Not just in terms of 'hits 5% more fairways, 10% more GIR', but in terms of how does he do this. What makes him a 7? What makes the 10 h/c 3 shots worse?
What are the strengths in my game, and what do I do differently to make these aspects of the game different to the weaker parts. What are the weaker parts, etc.
We did a bit on ball flight laws, just to check I had a clue as to what makes certain shots work. Not new to me, so we moved on.
Hitting balls:
I hit a few 6irons. Not brilliantly, but ok. Was asked what I was doing, and obvious answer is just hitting them. (a bit high, not enough draw for my liking).
I was then given a wedge, (58 or 54, not sure which), and told to hit a shot at a bucket, about 40 yards away, with the ball going no more than 12 foot off the ground. First shot shanked it big time, second was not too bad. I then had to explain what I had done, in terms of shot making to get the ball to do what it had done.
For any one who has not done this as an exercise, it is pretty uncomfortable, and not some thing I am used to having to explain. It is a bit like lying on the floor, and dictating written notes as to how you would give instructions to someone to stand up.
We then went back to the 6 iron, with the instructions to hit a 5 yard draw, over the right edge of a bunker, pitching 160 yards away. I had some small success with this. And again, had to explain what I was doing to get this shot.
Back in the office:
We discussed that a lot of my issues on the course were probably focus issues. That I have a definite focus for pitching, chipping, even for punching out from under trees. What I lack is the focus when I am faced with hitting an 8i into the middle of the green. The simple becomes too simple almost. I have shot 75 before, so there is no real need to change any thing technical, I just need to equip myself with the tools to allow myself to do it more eften.
What I am to do this weekend, is to play every shot with a focus in mind. So an aiming point, a shot shape, a height, and a landing area. I have to think about how I am going to achieve this before each shot. This will not be easy. I do not like thinking on the golf course.
The long term goal of this will be to stand over every shot, and instead of worrying about the outcome, or being totally blank, I will just see the shot I want to make. (this could even eliminate the pull hook on 18, as I am sure my body thinks I want to play this shot).
Technique:
His view on technique is that although I have a good feel for what the club (and myself) need to do to get the desired results, I am making it harder for myself by getting a few things wrong. He likened it to walking with my laces tied together. If he can find the right keys to release my swing, and make it more efficient, then I can add power and consistency without changing too much.
By working a lot on feel, focus, and awareness, then he will be able to introduce changes along the way, as they make sense, rather than foist them off on me as something I should do that makes no sense at all.
I am sure that technique will creep into the lessons, but it won't be an out and out do this, hands here, hips here type lesson.
He did video my swing, but we didn't bother looking at it. I have seen it before, and he wasn't that fussed.
This could be a long and awkward journey, and it starts on Monday.
