What do you want from a lesson?

[percy_layer]

There is a good mix of people on the forum who have different views on taking lessons from a PGA pro. We've already had views about the quality of golf lessons received by some and what they thought of the pro, good and bad.

I would be interested to know what you want in a golf lesson. Remember it is your money being spent, so you can have an input into what you work on and how.

Do you want to learn a particular swing style?
Become a better striker of your irons?
Gain control of the shot shape?
Increase distance?
Hole more putts?
Improve your course management?
Choose the length of time of the lesson? (eg.half hour or hour)
Have more discussion in your lesson?
Have the pro explain why they are suggesting a change, or just accept what they are saying is right?
Pro available for free advice between lessons?

What would you like in your golf lesson that would make it more beneficial for you and your game?

 

[bobmac]

Yes

 

[Losttheplot]

I just want to be able to hit the ball to a desired point ahead in the simplest, easiest way possible.
As long as you hit the ball an average distance then gaining distance is irrelevant. (I think the pages in this months GM highlighted the need to be accurate over distance)

As long as there is progress and you feel comfortable with what the coach is coaching you to do then that's good enough for me.

Worth noting, if you have a lesson then you need to practise what they instructed you to do.
A lot of people expect a 30-60 minute lesson will make their game improve instantly without pracising.

 

[Driven2Distraction]

Do you want to learn a particular swing style? - nope, just one that works for me & my "athletic ability" (or lack)

Become a better striker of your irons? absolutely

Gain control of the shot shape? once I've mastered the last point!

Increase distance? not necessarily

Hole more putts? yes please!

Improve your course management? depends on stage of development

Choose the length of time of the lesson? yes

Have more discussion in your lesson? i think it's important for a lesson to be a 2 way exchange of info

Have the pro explain why they are suggesting a change, or just accept what they are saying is right? for me, I need to understand the "why" or I'll never learn

Pro available for free advice between lessons? on an informal "quick chat" type basis - i wouldn't expect a huge amount of a PGA pro's time for nothing

What would you like in your golf lesson that would make it more beneficial for you and your game? simple objectives & practice routines to take away & work on between sessions

 

[StrangelyBrown]

What would you like in your golf lesson that would make it more beneficial for you and your game?

1. Quick chat to assess what my problem is and to know what my expectations are. Also to discuss the amount of time I can practice as I assume that this may make a difference to the drill or exercise given.
2. Assesment of the basics (grip, posture, allignment)
3. Hit a few shots, let the pro see what I'm doing (wrong!)
4. Get a drill, or for the pro to demonstrate something for me to practice.
5. Hit a few under supervision
6. Make any further adjustments, or try another drill
7. Hit another few under supervision
8. Pro leaves me to it, I spend as much time as I like on the range practicing what i've been taught.
9. I pop into the pro shop on the way back up to the car to chat about how it went. When I see him about he'll normally ask how things are getting on.

I've got a block of 5 lessons to take, and I'll probably get more later in the year. What I really need is for the nights to get lighter so I can practice for a few hours after work.

 

[Tiger]

I like the way mine are structured at the moment. I warm up before the pro comes over. Then he watches me hit a few shots,we talk about how I am striking and what is causing me problems. He makes observations on my swing/strike/shot shape and proposes 1/2 amendments to adjust it. He explains why those amendments will help remove my problem. He gives me a drill or two. I do the drill. I work my way back up to a full swing and we see if I've made progress. I go away with homework and I practice before we meet again in 4/5 weeks time.

I mainly do my short game work on my own and use my pro to help with my full swing so I can be more accurate. In short I want:

Analysis
Explanation
Remedy
Practice Drill(s)
Encouragement

 

[chris661]

Depending on the stage you are at IMO I dont think you can beat a playing lesson, unless there is something I specifically want to do this is my preferred choice.

 

[GB72]

I do not want my swing taken apart. I want small improvements that I can practice for a couple of weeks and come back with. Ideally the changes will not destroy my game for months but some backward steps are inevitable. Bascically I want to identify a problem, be told what we are doing to correct it and why, be shown what to do to correct the problem and be given a drill that I can take away and practice to ingrain the change.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Do you want to learn a particular swing style? No just something that repeats and I can trust

Become a better striker of your irons? Yes and Ive almost achieved that with the work I did over the winter

Gain control of the shot shape? Accuaracy will come from the first point and I'd rather have one stock shot

Increase distance? No - improve accuracy YES

Hole more putts? Yes - I need a refresher and to do some work on my set up

Improve your course management? Yes

Choose the length of time of the lesson? (eg.half hour or hour) Hour for me everytime where possible. Enough time to discuss, demonstrate discuss, fix and understand

Have more discussion in your lesson? My pro is good at discussing why and how

Have the pro explain why they are suggesting a change, or just accept what they are saying is right? As above my pro will discuss why, the aim and the expected results if I do what he asks

Pro available for free advice between lessons? A nice to have and I'm lucky that I've built up a long term relationship with my pro so it is sort of a given. However can you really expect free advice?

 

[ScienceBoy]

I want to make the little white thing go in the dark place all the way over yonder

 

[sweatysock41]

Help to improve - sounds simple doesn't it.

Seriously though from a lesson I want to be given one thing at a time to concentrate on - I am in the middle of a course of 7 at the moment. At the end of the course of lessons I hope that my game will improve by putting into practice what I have been taught .

Lessons can only indicate to you a limited number of faults it is up to you to have the dedication to practice what you are taught to correct them.

 

[JT77]

I would usually get a lesson if I had a speciffic area I wanted to work on, or was having a problem. I have a swing that works for me, and am happy with it, but I had an issue with hooking last year, had a lesson and got it sorted.
I know the pro, so would usually have a chat first about what I want to have the lesson on.
My last lesson was on alignment, I found out I was well off target, which was affecting my swing, I had a chat before hand, told him what I thought, had lesson, he told me what he saw, I now can line up a lot better and am happy! simples!!

 

[GB72]

Thinking about it, and this has never been suggested to me by a pro, it would seem to make sense to play a few holes before a series of lessons. Why not get a feel of my overall game and where I need the most help straight away and to see the swing I use on the course not what I produce from a flat lie on the practice ground with no pressure. AFter all, the change that could bring immediate results may be something that he would not look at until later in a course of lessons or something thay may not appear when I am relaxed or hitting straight down a range.

 

[Oddsocks]

If I have something specific I'm struggling with then I want to work on that, but generally my pro always asks how my rounds were at the weekend, asks to see my stats and then will break it down to the areas that I struggled in

 

[feary]

A coach who is also a mate to his students.

 

[Swinger]

I have my own views on my golf swing that don't 'fit in' with any pros I have tried to have a lesson with.

I know I have a strong grip and I try to limit my hip turn as much as possible.

The only things I get off any pro who looks at my swing is regarding grip.

I would want someone to look past that and concentrate on making the things I have better. Not worry too much about my grip and look at other things in my swing like the plane and attack angles.

 

[MashieNiblick]

For me a good lesson involves a clear explanation of what I'm doing right, what I'm doing wrong, and what I need to do to put that right. That will inevitably involve some demonstration of what's happening and some drills to get the right action required to solve the problem. I also need to be told and shown enough to enable me to work on what we've covered when the pro isn't there and to feel confident that what I've changed will work.

I've been very lucky to have had a great teacher over the past 20 years who explains everything really clearly and always gets me hitting the ball really well by the time the lesson is over.

Got a couple booked in over the next 2 weeks to check things over and get me back on track after my lay off and I'm really looking forward to them.

 

[madandra]

Change out of a tenner ...

 

[Mark_G]

My lessons have been frustrating and rewarding, but for me it has been hard to understand my complete inability to understand what my body is doing, and also, to understand that hitting a golf ball is harder than it looks, and there is no instant fix.
What I would really like from my pro is to catch him for two minutes in between lessons to make sure I am still doing what he wants me to, that feedback would be great.

 

[USER1999]

I would like to split an hours lesson into 4 15 minute slots. I can't see what he can teach me in an hour, that he can't teach me in 15 minutes, without just repeating what has already been said. If it doesn't involve repetition, then it is too much info, and I won't remember any of it.

I don't have lessons.