Lessons off of grass or mats?

[MattF]

G'day boys and girls,

 

Well, I've finally made the decision that I HAVE to get some lessons.

 

I've narrowed down my choice to two instructors.

 

Here's the rub. One is based at a golf course and does everything by eye and you hit off grass.

 

The other is based at a golf training centre where they primarily use mats but also trackman hitting out onto the range.

 

Who would you choose and why?

 

 

 

 

 

[djahubes]

I would not base the decision off hitting surface. Go with whatever instructor you like more. Maybe take a lesson with each and decide from there. Hitting off grass is great, but consistency on range turf varies. More important to get fundamentals in the swing than interaction with the surface.

 

 

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[Kanoito]

I've done both and would have to vote for grass. Mats are way too forgiving and will mask some flaws you might recognize from hitting off grass.

Trackman is a nice bonus, but not of much use if the fundamentals are not right.

The above assuming both pro's are of equal quality.

[wbealsd]

If possible, I'd try to get in touch with some of their current & former students.

 

Both types of instruction would be beneficial, but I always feel like I have to adjust a bit when switching from hitting off mats to turf.

[MDGolfHacker]

As Djahubes said, see which instructor is a better fit for your learning style. Grass or mat won't matter if you don't like the person or can't understand his/her teaching philosophy.

 

MDGolfHacker

[Kor.A.Door]

I would prefer the guy that does it by eye, numbers are great but off grass with a trained eye watching is equally great, I like the idea of watching the flight of the ball, and finding something that gets it to do what you want. Hitting off mats can mask some issues, if you hit it fat it won't show up when you hit off mats

[mrsmith123]

G'day boys and girls,

 

Well, I've finally made the decision that I HAVE to get some lessons.

 

I've narrowed down my choice to two instructors.

 

Here's the rub. One is based at a golf course and does everything by eye and you hit off grass.

 

The other is based at a golf training centre where they primarily use mats but also trackman hitting out onto the range.

 

Who would you choose and why?

Matt, here are a couple things to consider:

 

1. Are your irons and wedges the correct length and lie? If you don't know, or if you've never had a fitting for that, then don't get any lessons until. If an instructor tries to help you and your gear isn't right then you're wasting your money.

2. This day in age, if you have an instructor who does lessons without a video camera then I wouldn't recommend them. Spend the money to get with a pro who has the ability to capture your action and then sit with you to discuss. If you can't actually look at yourself to see positions, then that doesn't do you any good.

3. DON'T EVER GET INSTRUCTION FOR IRONS OR WEDGES ON A MAT. The club doesn't impact the ball correctly and the ball will spin differently off a mat then off a true grass surface. Think about this, if you are trying to swing down through the ball, a mat doesn't allow you to actually do that. Your club bounces off the mat and the ball just rides up the face instead of compressing.

 

If you want to spend hard earned dollars on instruction. Find an established instructor (use the PGA locator online if needed) who uses video technology and real grass turf and you'll be Miles ahead of the other two options.

 

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[Mr_Theoo]

The training center. If they have video it's much easier to analyze your swing than with the naked eye. Them having a trackman will also be a plus because you can learn why a swing produces certain results from the numbers.

[TheWahoo]

My immediate response would be to suggest the training center because you noted that you could hit onto the range.   Accordingly, why could you not do both mat and grass.   That's what my instructor does.   He teaches in what I will call a garage type building with the garage door open.  In the building hitting on to the range, I hit off mats.  That is where he gathers the Trackman data so to speak.   At some point, we merely step outside and I hit off grass.  

 

But as others have noted, the instructor is the more important factor.   I would suggest not purchasing a package of lessons initially.  I would first just take one lesson to see if your personalities fit, I find that to be an important factor.  If you feel comfortable with the instructor after the initial lesson, then think about a package.

It is my experience that there are two types of instructor.   One is the instructor that will try to make you fit to their perception of the perfect golf swing.  The second is the instructor that helps make your swing so to speak.  I would avoid the former. 

 

 

[jaskanski]

It all depends on what you are trying to achieve and what aspect of the game you're working on.

For instance, if you're using a driver, it really doesn't matter which one you use simply because the driver does not interact with the turf (hopefully lol). The trackman feature would certainly help too.

 

But if you're trying out short game irons and in particular wedges, then you might find it more beneficial to practice on real turf and monitor ball flight with the naked eye. Each has it own benefits and it's own rewards, but if I had to pick one for any specific reason it would always be turf - simply because that is where you play actual golf. 

 

There is an old saying, that goes something like "practice like you play and play like you practice" - this would be the reasoning behind practicing on turf for instance. And of course, you can always use a tee peg.

 

Having said that, if you are simply trying to hone a set up routine and swing mechanics, then what you're hitting off has little importance  - you are basically trying to feel the swing rather than feel or see the ball.

 

My advice is based on pure logic. Go for the option that gives the best of both worlds. In my opinion, that is grass and the human eye. Trackman is very useful, but folks tend to get bogged down and over obsessed with numbers which can be misleading to what is really important. Also, once you have identified something to work on, you can take it to the practice range and hit off mats to your hearts content without the need to visit the pro.

[Jmikecpa]

As said already go with the guy that you feel more comfortable with. We have two great teachers at my club and if I had to pick one I would go with the asst. pro. I would choose him since his game more reflects mine and would tweak my swing as opposed to rebuild it. Not sure of the style of your choices but again go with your gut.

 

 

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[Shankster]

Prefer that sweet smell of fresh cut grass. The Pro here offers a discount if you use the simulator though. He likes to use the technology to track ball flight, etc. Then he'll take you to the real stuff for your next lesson.

 

 

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[MattF]

Thank you all so far. Just to add to the confusion, I've found another instructor...ah decisions. 

[Golfspy_CG2]

Lots of good info here. Another vote to go with the personality and method you are most comfortable with.

 

That said if all else is equal I go with with the video/trackma n.

 

While I understand what some are saying about matts being forgiving. In my mind they don't mask your miss. There is a definite duffernce in sound and feel when you hit the Matt before the ball.

 

Of course your miss won't look near as bad off the Matt. But you can absolutely tell if you made ball first contact or not.

 

Like Wahoo. My instructor uses both the indoor studio and the grass right outside it

 

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[808nation]

100% grass, but like my fellow spies said make sure you like your instructor.

[Peaksy68]

Most important is that you "get" what the pro is talking about, and that he "gets" what you want. Do you want gradual improvement while still playing? Or a complete overhaul and rebuild?  Some pros will lean towards one of those, which may not be what you are after.

 

My club pro is great with all levels. He works on "one thing" which generally seems to fix a few issues.

 

Another advantage of grass is the divot can tell you and your pro a lot about what's happening at impact, and can also be helpful with fitting. I know I swing differently (worse) with a lie board, while my daughter flushes it off a lie board.

[revkev]

It's got to be about the instructor.

 

Having written that video and numbers are huge teaching tools. It's hard to imagine getting the most value out of a lesson without video.

 

 

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