The best teaching method in golf??

[rob_golf1]

Personally, I have found that I have learnt more from my own tests and research, rather than spending money on lessons!

I respect the fact that you pro's out there have to make a living, but I have two golfing buddies, who have both spent money on lessons, and all the top gear, yet they still say in their opinion that I am a better player than both of them, where I havent had one golf lesson in 3 years of playing!

What ways have you guys learnt things from the game of golf?

 

[G_Mulligan]

I don't think I would have shown as much improvement without a pro involved.

You may have far more natural talent than either of your friends but that does not mean you could not also show even more improvement or at a faster rate if you were to have a coach to guide you. Do your friends think they could be as good as you if they had not spent money on lessons and tried to dig their swings out at the range?

If you prefer to do it yourself however that is your choice and why an individual sport such as golf is so great.

 

[One Planer]

I've found listening to people who see me play can provide helpful information.

If I want to be more technically sound, I'll visit my pro. I would rather spend a little cash an an hour (.....or so) with my pro learning the correct way of doing something rather than waste hours and hundreds of balls at the range engraining the wrong thing.

 

[rob_golf1]

Personally, I put it down to having more brain cells than my golfing buddies, who from what I can gather try too emulate the pro's too often, and then find themselves, trying to play Seve-like recovery shots!

I think that because im more sensible with my play, and get more opportunities at birdies and pars than they do, then I come across a lot better!

 

[G_Mulligan]

Personally, I put it down to having more brain cells than my golfing buddies, who from what I can gather try too emulate the pro's too often, and then find themselves, trying to play Seve-like recovery shots!

I think that because im more sensible with my play, and get more opportunities at birdies and pars than they do, then I come across a lot better!

little confused now. So you don't have a better swing than your buddies but you have better course management and shot selection?

I honestly believe everyone would be better off with a couple of lessons a year to make sure the basic fundamentals are correct or to work on some short game techniques.

 

[rob_golf1]

I feel I have a better swing than them too, they just try hero shots too often!

Slightly off topic, I notice you have a Benross VX Proto fairway wood, whats your view on it?

 

[CMAC]

interesting post, and relevant in my thoughts this week as I was reading this months GM mag and seeing some of the teaching pro's offering advice which is contrary to other months thoughts and tips, possibly they are just for that one scenario but they can lead to lots of confusion if taken literally.

Personally I didnt get any lessons till I got down to 5 then started to hit a wall with my knowledge, plus you cant analyse your own swing without seeing it from many angles and with a trained eye.

Just like my cars servicing, I go along when my swing is starting to develop issues to get a service check and put me back online.
only had 2 this year but the last one showed me a small simple error that had crept in causing major issues.

So, a mixture of teaching PLUS practicing the correct method is proven to work.
The pro's have a 'lesson' almost daily but it's tweaking, affirming and grooving in in whats already a good swing.

 

[G_Mulligan]

I feel I have a better swing than them too, they just try hero shots too often!

Slightly off topic, I notice you have a Benross VX Proto fairway wood, whats your view on it?

Yeah the hero shot gets most people in trouble at some point and I am very much guilty of at least one or two of them each round.

Yeah the VX Proto is a cracking club for the money, sounds great off the face and has a good penetrating ball flight. I still have not quite gotten the hang of it off the deck like my old Cally BB but I am getting there and off the tee it is great.

 

[rob_golf1]

I feel I have a better swing than them too, they just try hero shots too often!

Slightly off topic, I notice you have a Benross VX Proto fairway wood, whats your view on it?

Yeah the hero shot gets most people in trouble at some point and I am very much guilty of at least one or two of them each round.

Yeah the VX Proto is a cracking club for the money, sounds great off the face and has a good penetrating ball flight. I still have not quite gotten the hang of it off the deck like my old Cally BB but I am getting there and off the tee it is great.

Ahh right cheers buddy, im in the market for one, after being impressed with a Benross putter and Wedge that I recently purhcased!

 

[pokerjoke]

There is no "best" teaching method.
It is down to the individual.
Age,flexibility,ambition,ability to take in information,ability to perform the shot the pro is trying to teach.
Every pro is different and will generally teach the shots he plays,or a professional on the tour plays.
I have only ever had 1 lesson that i payed for,and all he talked about was what Tiger does,what Nicholas or Trevino did,how could that ever be relavent to me.
Some people have lessons,some read books,watch DvDs or youtube clips.
Decide what is right for you.

 

[Slicer30]

Cant comment on what the best teaching method is, but I can tell you that I am yet to have a lesson.

Handicap is falling and I have broke 80 this year mostly from doin my own research and bringing my camcorder to the driving range. I did find that using one Pro's online tips produced a much more consistent swing as they were all interlinked. I started off looking at alot of different pro's and found there was alot of contradiction.

Found a pro in Exeter with a channel on youtube - Mark Crossfield - very good and helped me get the basics in everything right. He has 3-400 videos on there which I go to if I want to re-check something as its easy to forget.

Importantly for me - Limit myself to this research! When I am playing well I stay well clear as I tended to start tinkering and making things worse. Now I only go for sepcific problems.

I do spend a silly amount of time in front of our mirror in the living room, swinging away like a good un. Easily 10-15 times an evening, wife thinks I'm mad!

 

[Alex1975]

Mark Crossfield is awesome, I have his app too.

 

[Monty_Brown]

Personally, I have found that I have learnt more from my own tests and research, rather than spending money on lessons!

What sorts of tests and research have you been doing? sounds like you have a laboratory

I would suggest that you'll eventually hit a wall that stops you improving and that a pro will help then. I just hope he doesn't have unpick any ingrained faults at that point.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I guess it depends on the person. I think 99% of golfers who want to get to a decent level would benefit from lessons.

I could have played of 18 easily without lessons, I wouldn't have got to 10 without them.

What's your h'cap Rob?

 

[kid2]

Mark Crossfield is awesome, I have his app too.

I have to 2nd this...
The guy has a very good knack at getting his point across to you in a language that everyone understands....

His tips seem simple and very effective....Alot like you Bob.

 

[sweatysock41]

I could have played of 18 easily without lessons, I wouldn't have got to 10 without them.

Got to agree Hawkeye, I got down to 18 without lessons but found that I was going nowhere fast. Had a course of lessons over last winter and now down to 14 feeling that I can get down further without many more changes.

For the cost of less than a decent wedge I will have another course over the winter just to keep a check on things and ensure I continue to practice the correct things.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I find all this "I teach myself" and "I learnt from my own tests.." interesting but amusing. Why do the best players in the world still have lessons with coaches. Arguably they are the best at playing the game and know their own swing inside out but all choose to have someone else look at their game. If it is good enough for the world #1 to have a lesson it is definitely good enough for me

 

[Tiger]

My pro and the lessons I have had have helped me develop a pretty good swing. I can stand on the practice area in a lesson and hit ball after ball onto the green. My chipping isn't to shabby either and my putting is a thing of beauty...

...put me on a course with a card in my hand and things went to pot. My playing partners couldn't figure it out neither could my pro. In their estimation I swung like a low handicapper (and showed sparks of promise) but I scored like a hacker.

Last week after much trial and error I figured out my issues

1. A forward press causing a hook
2. Increased tempo caused by anxiety or pressure
3. Looking up to see the shot before I've even played it
4. Alignment off target

None of these issues reared their ugly head in a standard lesson. So this has taught me the incredible value of a playing lesson (I've never had one but wish I had a year ago) and the lines of responsibility. I am responsible for my golf and my improvement. My pro is not a mind reader. If I go to a Dr and say I'm ill (but dont demonstate or articulate any symptoms) he has significantly less chance of diagnosing my problem than if I go to him and provide a detailed case history and have all symptoms visible.

So in answer to your post I think lessons are essential to reach your full potential but a lot depends on the individual getting the lessons. I'm not ashamed to say that for two years I was an idiot but at least now the penny has dropped.

To dismiss tutelage because your mates think they can play a 230 yard recovery shot from thick wet rough, into the wind, with a 3 iron to a green masked by trees and surrounded by bunkers is a little simplistic.

That said each to their own

 

[Swinger]

Get a camera and video your swing then maybe.

If your going to teach yourself with 'tests and research' then you need to know your own swing inside out.

I do think you can teach yourself the game to a good level but you need to know how your swing works and without seeing it alot you never will. Even when this is the case it can be a good idea to get a second opinion.

Everyone swings it different and the best person to look after your swing is you in my view. You spend the most time around it, know how it feels and what it can produce. To know it properly you need to know how it works, where it breaks down and know how it looks. Being able to relate the feeling of doing something to what it actually looks like is a big thing in really understanding what it is you do.

I do think some people put too much emphasis on lessons from a pro. Spending ages changing things then ingraining them only to see somthing else go wrong and few improvements in scores.
But there is the other guy who thinks he knows it all and goes it alone against the world who will only get so far because he is unwilling to entertain any other ideas.

Bob Rotella said something about a sponge and something hard and being somewhere in the middle I think.

 

[Imurg]

Personally I dismiss lessons. Not because I don't think I will get better - almost certainly I would. No, I dismiss them because I'm a poor practicer.
If I spend money on a course of lessons, as has been said before, I have to beat many hundreds of balls to bed-in changes made to my swing/posture/grip etc etc.
I just don't practice enough to get anywhere near that amount. And for the most part it's not because I can't find the time, mainly it's because I get thoroughly bored if I'm on the range more than an hour a week. And that's simply not enough time to make any changes permanent.
I obviously have a decent amount of natural ability as I've never had a real lesson. I began playing, hacking around a 9-holer. After a while I decided to play seriously. I then spent a Winter on the range - not all the time, still only an hour a week - "preparing" to join the club (didn't want to let myself down by being a 28'er..!). Played my 3 cards and got a handicap of 15. Been as low as 8.1 and have shot some superb scores - all with no real lessons.
Don't think for 1 minute that I don't agree with lessons. For some they are a must, for others they are useful. Personally, I'll keep on doing my own thing because I'm not a ball-beater - I'd rather play.