What is wrong with lessons from a golf pro?

Have joined this thread late but what is wrong with getting lessons ?
Read the thread :D

you seem to come across in a lot of posts as a know it all,
Thanks :)

whats your handicap ?
28 and a bit

if your not scratch or lower you really cant slag other peoples games or swings ,
Why? :D

some people just go out to have a walk and fresh air.
Walkers? :cool:

Thanks again :p

Just as i thought the reply of a total knob.
 
and the answer is....

TIME.

Don't have time for both so they'd rather play than practice.

Ok, I agree with that, but would you find the time if it was (for example) cheaper?

Would you play more rounds of golf if green fees were cheaper?

I probably would actually. It's rare as it is to go play a different course without either playing with a member or having a 2for1 voucher.

I don't know how much I'd be prepared to pay for a lesson (not having had one ever). I know that I pay a mechanic £50/hour to fix my car... but it's fixed when I drive it home. I don't leave with it still broken so I figure that it's worth the money.
 
So taking lessons makes players better? lol

We know that you've never had a lesson and that you like to work it out for yourself. However given that you aren't off scratch does that mean you a) can't figure it out b) don't work hard enough or c) might actually benefit from a professional giving your swing a look
 
So taking lessons makes players better? lol

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I would say it does. even if you dont have a lot of time, it can make a difference.. It may be something simple in your set up that you cant see, or dont realise that a pro can tell you why you should/shouldnt do it etc,a set up change implimented without too much fuss, but doesnt take a lot of time. Alternatively, as you progress as a player yo may wish to learn different shots/techniques etc, so a few lessons can also help you develop variation in your game.
My opinion is based on self development, I had a few lessons to start and they were ok, got me going, then had some more after a few years, diff pro and I dropped 6 strokes, but I alos felt I could get better and I enjoyed it more, having a good teacher was a massive thing for me, as he was interested in my development too, not just taking my cash.
Then I had one 6 weeks back, after having some hooking probs, seen the pro, 45 min lesson, got it free too! But cured my hook off the tee, so I would say everyone should have one, if you like it great, if not then that is your preference, at least you tried and you know!!
If you do have a lesson, I would say you should get it with a pro you feel happy and comfortable with.
You should also tell them what you want help with, that way you will get most from it.
Dont go to the lesson with preconcieved solutions for the fault you want fixed, that is why your paying someone, let them tell you, then decide if you like the advice.

at the end of the day though it your choice...
 
So taking lessons makes players better? lol

Well yeah actually, if you take it seriously and do it the right way, lessons do make you better IMHO.

And there's the problem - most of us don't take it seriously and do it the right way. Which is hours of practice to bed in changes. That's the only way lessons will make a difference.
 
Here's my 2 bobs worth......
Pro's do have there uses but only if the player has a genuine ongoing problem that he cannot fix.....
As Imurg has said most of us havent the time or the commitment to really make use of what a golf pro is trying to teach,,,It takes weeks even months to sort this stuff out...Hell even the professionals struggle with it at times and there hitting balls everyday.
Lessons have a place in the sense that someone new to the game will have a better understanding of the fundementals of the game (Grip Stance Posture) but once these are learned there isnt a whole lot more that can be thought to someone that plays as a passtime once a week to get away from the struggles of life.
Iv never had a lesson and hopefully never will....I hit the ball quite well and a good distance and i do have my faults but thats what makes me unique.I might fat it some days thin it on others...And bomb it other days without a hitch...There isnt a pro in the world that can fix why your swing has gone a bit pete tong one day and fine the next.Sleepless nights physical work general tirdness...All these have a bearing on our game......

The next time you play and you dont play well maybe its just plain old fatigue thats causing all the swing issues and not the 20 fixes your trying to put in place that your golf pro has told you to do.
....Everybody has there own way of playing and no-one can teach that.
 
So taking lessons makes players better? lol

We know that you've never had a lesson and that you like to work it out for yourself. However given that you aren't off scratch does that mean you a) can't figure it out b) don't work hard enough or c) might actually benefit from a professional giving your swing a look

Are you saying then that all the time you spend on the lessons and practicing what you have learnt is working for you at the moment :D :D

Apparently not from what I have read recently :D
 
What is wrong with lessons from a golf pro?

Nothing. Golf has a unique appeal in that we can all play against each other pretty much whatever our standard and we can all enjoy the game even we are not naturally gifted at it. I know that a thousand golf lessons would not be able to overcome my lack of natural ability.

One of the things I enjoy is the constant battle to get a little better each season, to set myself a goal and to work on it week by week. If I am honest, I go to the pro for a check up and for a few simple tips to work on. But I have no natural talent and my handicap has been somewhere between 13 and 17 for nearly 20 years!

Mercifully, I don't go to the pro because I genuinely believe that I will get good - but I hope that I might get better. I think that this hope is a joy for most of us - and because of the handicap system, we know that a minor improvement may just be enough to give us the edge when we roll up on a Sunday morning.
 
Ah, this post is almost as good as the classic Custom Fit post of 2007.

Two very differently appointed camps, each with their own take on the question and each as intransigent as the other.

Great stuff :D
 
So taking lessons makes players better? lol

We know that you've never had a lesson and that you like to work it out for yourself. However given that you aren't off scratch does that mean you a) can't figure it out b) don't work hard enough or c) might actually benefit from a professional giving your swing a look

Are you saying then that all the time you spend on the lessons and practicing what you have learnt is working for you at the moment :D :D

Apparently not from what I have read recently :D

Indeed not which is why I'm planning a week off from golf and then reviewing what to do next but which will almost certainly involve a lesson and getting aprofessional view. I think I know the fault but don't know the cure. The lesson will therefore confirm whether my assumption is correct and provide me with a fix to move my game forward a little bit and hopefully allow me to at least enjoy my golf again
 
Second time at the range today after six months out.

It would appear I have forgotten how to swing!!!

I'll be seeking out a pro as soon as money will allow.
 
Second time at the range today after six months out.

It would appear I have forgotten how to swing!!!

I'll be seeking out a pro as soon as money will allow.




I wouldnt panic just yet Spoff. While your saving your few bob for the Pro get out on the course and visit your range a couple more times....Rome wasnt built in a day and if you've takin 6 months out it wont come back to you overnight......Keep your money in your pocket just a little bit longer and be patient.
If you were swinging ok before the layoff there isnt much wrong id say.....Maybe the parts are a little bit rusty yet. ;)
 
Apparently the right thing to do is get lessons from your pro at the local course...

If that is the case why are there so many hackers at my course, so many awful swings, and so few low h/cappers?

Is it because no one takes lessons? the lessons don't work? the lessons are too expensive?

I must be missing something..... :D

I am a 28 handicapper i can play to mid/low 20's at times and play twice a week. I have had about 9 lessons this year spread out with plenty of range time. However, whilst my swing is getting better the scores aren't. In fairness to my pro my putting has always been a two put with the odd three but lately i have had a lot of three put rounds, at least 8-10 shots lost which i suppose brings my average score a lot lower since lessons. Putting hasn't been covered in my lessons as on my course lessons it has always been a strength.

I have no real desire to play to a single figure handicap i just want to play to mid teens or just to a point where i feel comfortable to play with anyone without embarassing myself.
 
A putting lesson will be a real insight. I consider myself a reasonable putter now (average around 32 putts) but I had a putting lesson at the start of last season when I was averaging at least 36 per round. I was amazed how out my alignment at address was, how bad my grip was in terms of the hands being neutral and didn't notice I had a nice little figure of 8 loop in my swing on the longer ones.

For the cost of a lesson and a few hours on the practice green my putting remains the one real constant in my game. I've not put any work of note into it this season yet but will soon be doing so especially on the 3-6 footers.

In essence, a putting lesson will save you a good number of shots per round and will always help a poor ball striking round.
 
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