Your experiences - learning to play golf

[huds1475]

Have been playing now for 2 1/2 years and don't seem to be improving any. Starting Handicap was 23, now back at 21.

Increasingly am beginning to think that the way I'm going about learning isn't exactly working. I'm with my 3rd teaching Pro, more for reasons of logistics than me being stroppy, but just don't seem to get maximum out of the lessons. General pattern goes like follows;

Have lesson, work on something specific, hit great shots.
Next comp, atrocious (usually overdoing what I've just learnt).
Couple of weeks practice and I've nearly got what I learned but now introduced loads of other issues.
Start to play OK.
Back for lesson, same over again.

Am having lessons every 2 to 3 weeks and have noticed, from the videos, that things I learnt / introduced to my swing 4 lessons ago have almost reverted back out of my swing. This makes me feel like I'm painting the Forth Bridge.

I manage a couple of hours practice a week which, plus a comp, is as much as I feel I can do without taking the P out of my family. Am working with really good coaches but something isn't working and lately have been wondering if I need to use some training aids to learn more by feel than swing thoughts/mechanics.

Am open to the possibility I might be rubbish but the purple patches that appear from time to time suggest it's in there.

Cut a long story short, am interested in other peoples experiences of learning to play golf, what worked well, what didn't for you and so on.

Any diagnostic posts only really welcome from proper coaches.

Thanks for your time :thup:

 

[Norrin Radd]

I would suggest that you are having your lessons too close together. Spread the time between lessons as you are trying to fit too much into too short a time.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Stop the lessons for a while to allow changes to settle in and find a playing groove

At times it can take months to allow changes to become natural and that's always going to be hard if there is a lot to do

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I would suggest that you are having your lessons too close together. Spread the time between lessons as you are trying to fit too much into too short a time.

I agree. I tend to try and get a couple of range sessions after a lesson to let it feed in and then go out and play some holes (usually on my own) without worrying about the score but ensuring I take what I've been working onto the course and trusting it. When it comes to a comp I can then just go out and swing.

Do you really think you are getting the most from your pro and is what he's showing you really sticking? Not a criticism but an observation. It has to be a two way street and if you aren't grasping what he's telling you, you have to tell him so he can adapt his methods. Do you get any drills to take away and work on or are you simply hitting balls to try and work on the changes?

 

[Pin-seeker]

Just try & enjoy your golf.
I play off 18 & can't see me getting much lower tbh.

 

[huds1475]

Do you really think you are getting the most from your pro and is what he's showing you really sticking? Not a criticism but an observation. It has to be a two way street and if you aren't grasping what he's telling you, you have to tell him so he can adapt his methods. Do you get any drills to take away and work on or are you simply hitting balls to try and work on the changes?

Thanks for the responses.

In reply to the above question... Yes. The guy I'm working with now is crystal clear. I totally get what he's doing and get both drills to work on and a video.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

How do you play in competitions compared to friendly / social games/
I suspect that you are more relaxed in the latter, and when you have a card in your hand, you tense up and it all goes to pot
or you just try and hit it too hard.

Chill. Relax. breathe, play 1 shot at a time, concentrate on tempo and rhythm , it will happen

 

[Hobbit]

Stop the lessons. You will certainly have been given the basics by now. Go and enjoy your golf, irrespective of the score. Go for a lesson late season, end of Sept, then work on that over the winter. Maybe fit a couple more in over the winter.

Big thing. get onto the practice ground/range and ingrain a swing.

As for me & lessons... I'm probably the wrong person to ask (feel free to ignore my suggestions). I had been playing nearly 20yrs, and was off 5, before my first lesson.

 

[Birchy]

Lessons cock up the swing for a bit until the changes settle in. It always happens when i have them but if you give it time you see the benefits.

Lessons on top of lessons on top of lessons = Consistent cock up of swing.

Just have a lesson or two then let these take effect for 6 months or so before tinkering anymore.

 

[Junior]

Trust me, your improving....and I'm not just saying that because you humped me 4 and 3 at Davyhulme.

Despite your comp scores not showing it, I think you have improved a lot this year.....at least a good few shots better than last year, if not more Keep in mind you moved to a far more testing course this season.

Stick with the lessons and the pro your with. My only thing with lessons is that I wouldn't take anything onto the course that didn't feel natural and engrained. Like most of us, your also too hard on yourself when your playing badly !!

 

[bluewolf]

Craigy boy, as much as it pains me to say it, stop chopping and changing your clubs. Stick with what's in the bag and spend a couple of hours each week working on putting and chipping. If you'd putted and chipped better we'd have won the Morecambe GC Open!!!

By the way, did I tell you I've bought a new putter?

 

[duncan mackie]

Trust me, your improving....and I'm not just saying that because you humped me 4 and 3 at Davyhulme.

Despite your comp scores not showing it, I think you have improved a lot this year.....at least a good few shots better than last year, if not more Keep in mind you moved to a far more testing course this season.

Stick with the lessons and the pro your with. My only thing with lessons is that I wouldn't take anything onto the course that didn't feel natural and engrained. Like most of us, your also too hard on yourself when your playing badly !!

This reads well

You certainly don't appear to have the right balance of lessons competition rounds and other course play (from what you've posted) but that's not always from choice for most of us!

My only concern is that I infer from your opening post that you have seen corrected faults creeping back in - rather than your pro picking them up; for the time line indicated I would expect him to pick such issues up before you could notice them (with the amount of play).

Your language also suggests that you are over analysing on the course - but at the intensity of learning and competing that's understandable.

Keep going would be my advice - but try to enjoy scoring rather than swing an analysis in your course time.

 

[Qwerty]

Trust me, your improving....and I'm not just saying that because you humped me 4 and 3 at Davyhulme.

Despite your comp scores not showing it, I think you have improved a lot this year.....at least a good few shots better than last year, if not more Keep in mind you moved to a far more testing course this season.

Stick with the lessons and the pro your with. My only thing with lessons is that I wouldn't take anything onto the course that didn't feel natural and engrained. Like most of us, your also too hard on yourself when your playing badly !!

This :thup:

Ive also been having a lesson every 3 weeks for the last few months and tbh I've gone backwards if anything.

Feel like I need to get back to playing with a clear head.

 

[Birchy]

This :thup:

Ive also been having a lesson every 3 weeks for the last few months and tbh I've gone backwards if anything.

Feel like I need to get back to playing with a clear head.

This is a big thing for you too Huds. You do seem very mechanical at times.

You have improved loads skill wise imo, you just need to learn how to keep your mind settled. Ive seen you playing really well then you hit a ropey shot then start over thinking it again.

Theres a few of us that have seen you play good golf so i dont buy this "im just crap" mentality either.

Another thing, putting in a good score on a medal is hard

 

[ScienceBoy]

Lesson every 6-8 weeks and hours practicing at home working on stance and grip.

Putting on the carpet working on finding the middle of the face helped too. Got me down from 17 to 12 in 18 months. After taking the game up.

Practice does not have to be on the course or range. Also just get grip, alignment and stance right first.

 

[Liverbirdie]

No.1 - Learn to love the game more than your handicap.

Your having too many lessons, too soon, IMHO.

I played for 10 years before having a handicap and loved the game. Hardly watched it on the telly, never had lessons or went to a driving range, had sets of irons for 6-7 years, never fitted for them. I didnt even know that you could get different flexes of shafts, never had them re-gripped either. I'd been playing for 13 years before getting my fist club handicap (13).

BUT I would play before work at 4.45 tee off, on a muni, with mates. Play 36 in one day at two courses. Ingrained a massive slice, by whacking it even harder.

I loved the game though, more than my ability. Breaking 100, 90,80 for the first time even though I had no handicap still made me burn with pride.

Dont get me wrong, you are going about improving as a golfer 10 times better than me. I did everything wrong to try to improve, but no matter, I loved the game.

You are doing lots of things right - joining a club,lessons, custom fittings, playing with better players, going on a golf forum, practising and probably much more.

However, you havent been playing long and it's a bl44dy hard game. You also play with lots of lads in the NW who are mid and single figure handicappers, and maybe you feel you should be better. You will be, given time, and learn to give yourself a break.

I could go on (I normally do).

Overall? Just have a lesson every 2-3 months. Maybe consider joining an easier course as Manchester is a tough track. Stop buying, swapping,trialling, messing about with new/used clubs.

Mainly - learn to love the game, as improvement is not a straight line, so there will be too much disappointment if you dont love being out there playing. Enjoy your time on the course and learn to banter. Having a laugh on the course is just as important as a swing change, new club, new thought process.:thup:

 

[davemc1]

Wow, we sound like the same person! I've given up the lessons, wasn't getting any better with them. I also love new shinies

but I don't know what the answer is, last few weeks something clicked. Everything rosey in the garden. Today I had the shanks with every iron. Piggin game...

 

[Odvan]

Have been playing now for 2 1/2 years and don't seem to be improving any. Starting Handicap was 23, now back at 21.

Increasingly am beginning to think that the way I'm going about learning isn't exactly working. I'm with my 3rd teaching Pro, more for reasons of logistics than me being stroppy, but just don't seem to get maximum out of the lessons. General pattern goes like follows;

Have lesson, work on something specific, hit great shots.
Next comp, atrocious (usually overdoing what I've just learnt).
Couple of weeks practice and I've nearly got what I learned but now introduced loads of other issues.
Start to play OK.
Back for lesson, same over again.

Am having lessons every 2 to 3 weeks and have noticed, from the videos, that things I learnt / introduced to my swing 4 lessons ago have almost reverted back out of my swing. This makes me feel like I'm painting the Forth Bridge.

I manage a couple of hours practice a week which, plus a comp, is as much as I feel I can do without taking the P out of my family. Am working with really good coaches but something isn't working and lately have been wondering if I need to use some training aids to learn more by feel than swing thoughts/mechanics.

Am open to the possibility I might be rubbish but the purple patches that appear from time to time suggest it's in there.

Cut a long story short, am interested in other peoples experiences of learning to play golf, what worked well, what didn't for you and so on.

Any diagnostic posts only really welcome from proper coaches.

Thanks for your time :thup:

Be patient and play with a freer mind. The scores will come.

 

[Liverbirdie]

Be patient and play with a freer mind. The scores will come.

Listen to this man - his mind is very free, and if he can get down to 12, anyone can.

 

[Imurg]

Learn how to play the game.
Range work and lessons are fine - the show you what to do
But being out on the course shows you how to do it.
Every lie is different, every shot has a consequence
Mistakes will be made but you have to think round them
And as LB said - Golf is hard.

The best practice I ever have is on the course - learning shots that will get the ball onto the green, as close as possible to the hole in as few swings as possible. You can't really learn that on the range