Your thoughts on lessons from PGA pros

[ScienceBoy]

I feel really lucky to have had really great pros, each one has lead to some sort of success for me in my golf game. I have only moved on as situations have forced it, never through choice.

The biggest impact has been made by two however, Richard Adams at South Winchester, my first coach and a fantastic teacher. The other, Brian Mudge who is well known in coaching circles. Both are very skilled at the short game and this matches my strengths perfectly. I owe both a huge amount of thanks.

 

[Curls]

I can’t see how anyone would not benefit from a playing lesson. For example, Range work is fine but when you’re on a real tee in the open your alignment issues come to the fore. Now maybe a good player/friend could just as easily diagnose this but would they know where it stemmed from or how to actually fix it? Putting on the putting green is one thing but when you’ve just hit a good one in and really want to hole the birdie are you doing something different the pro could spot? It’s half way through the season, if you’re thinking of lessons but don’t want to reinvent the wheel I heartily suggest a 9 hole playing lesson with a good pro, you never know what gem they might uncover

 

[Wolf]

I think a good pro can literally be worth their weight in gold. A bad one will do nothing but torture your soul because if you have a bad experience it'll put you off trying it again with someone different.

I think fundy nailed it with his post, don't find someone that wants to rebuild your swing completely, unless that is what you want. I went through something similar recently and though rebuilding was the key, however having begun that process I found the pro wasn't really listening to my feedback and was more interested in me creating moves to give me more power which only added to my inconsistencies off the tee. In the end I went back to the one pro I'd had lessons off as a kid as he is often up here teaching the England Girls team. He's known my swing for so long and similar to what Jacko said in his post immediately identified I wasn't swinging my natural swung I had when younger. I was in fact looking to hit positions and effectively swinging by numbers.

We stripped it right back to basics and found that swing I had as a teenager, which has a really lazy rhythm and comes with a decent degree of accuracy.

I guess what I'm getting at here is I had someone I could trust and was willing to work with what I have and all its idiosyncratic ways, that wouldn't correct something just because it wasn't textbook. That for me is the kind of Pro that we should all seek. So in a way I got my rebuild but not the kind I thought I needed.

 

[inc0gnito]

Love the idea of a natural swing versus getting into picture positions.

I’ll book another lesson next week. I know everyone says find a good pro but it’s going to have to be trial and error.

Would go see jacko’s pro but it’s just a tad too far for anything regular.

 

[Dibby]

Love the idea of a natural swing versus getting into picture positions.

I’ll book another lesson next week. I know everyone says find a good pro but it’s going to have to be trial and error.

Would go see jacko’s pro but it’s just a tad too far for anything regular.

Where are you located, there is bound to be someone here who can recommend a pro near(ish) to you?

 

[Backache]

My main worry about trying to find a natural swing for someone in the relatively early stages of golf is that for me many improvements have felt very unnatural untill I have practiced them.
From my reading a lot of players who are troubled by being taught new positions are those who have had their swing for a long time and have got to a decent level with it already though it may be faltering a bit.

 

[inc0gnito]

Where are you located, there is bound to be someone here who can recommend a pro near(ish) to you?

Between Edinburgh and Glasgow. I have 3 lessons prebooked in Edinburgh (might be with any one of 4 pros at the facility).

Had 9 holes today. Tried to play more ‘naturally’, keeping in mind some general positioning, rather then focusing on reaching them. Played quite decent.

 

[Siolag]

Between Edinburgh and Glasgow. I have 3 lessons prebooked in Edinburgh (might be with any one of 4 pros at the facility).

Had 9 holes today. Tried to play more ‘naturally’, keeping in mind some general positioning, rather then focusing on reaching them. Played quite decent.

You probably aren't far from me, give me a PM if you ever fancy a round.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My main worry about trying to find a natural swing for someone in the relatively early stages of golf is that for me many improvements have felt very unnatural untill I have practiced them.
From my reading a lot of players who are troubled by being taught new positions are those who have had their swing for a long time and have got to a decent level with it already though it may be faltering a bit.

Look at the pros on tour and you'll see that many aren't picture perfect (Bubba etc) but it's how they deliver the club to the ball. A good pro will work with the restrictions you bring physically to take work you have and find the best way to deliver a club. My own swing is full of flaws but the guy I am working with is working on a few key areas without reinventing the wheel

 

[pendodave]

Look at the pros on tour and you'll see that many aren't picture perfect (Bubba etc) but it's how they deliver the club to the ball

I have to take issue with this. Comparing any am swing to a pro is just nonsense. The sad fact is that many am swings are so horrid that no amount of fiddling around the edges is ever going to produce significant improvements. Obviously not all are in this category, but I think that there is a little bit of denial going on. And if a pro keeps getting paid, it might be tough to break the news....

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I have to take issue with this. Comparing any am swing to a pro is just nonsense. The sad fact is that many am swings are so horrid that no amount of fiddling around the edges is ever going to produce significant improvements. Obviously not all are in this category, but I think that there is a little bit of denial going on. And if a pro keeps getting paid, it might be tough to break the news....

I take your point but surely it's about delivery and path. If an amateur can't control that in any shape or form then of course there will always be issues but sometimes through physical ailments, age etc its not possible to hit picture perfect positions and so a swing may look ugly but if you can deliver the club on a good path consistently you can get it round reasonably. A good PGA pro will discuss limitations and look at the swing and will work with what a player brings to find the best way to improve the factors that matter. Sometimes, "fiddling around the edges" is all that is needed to really produce dramatic changes. Swings don't have to be perfect, just repetitive and under control