Lessons vs No Lessons

[TWar]

To me, it's no different than getting fit for your clubs. If you have the extra income that allows you to take lessons/get fit.... go for it! I would!

 

I've taken a couple of lessons from the part time pro at my home course. He is PGA certified, but he's a full time school teacher. He took me out on the course and worked with me on the things I wanted to improve... ball striking and putting. He helped me a lot. I'm still not very good at putting, and only a "decent" ball striker, but it was worth it. I wish I could afford to take more lessons, but it just isn't in the cards for me at this time.

Agreed. Circumstances are different and if you have the means, fitting and lessons will help. Even if lessons consist of 1-4x a year for a check up.

 

Do your research and get feedback on instructors. Good ones can be a huge impact on your game and well worth the money.

[rocketmutt]

I did 2 sets of junior lessons growing up, which definitely helped promote good swing habits. That and a lot of practice around the house. Fast forward 25 - 30 years and I had some lessons again with one of my local pros. I saw some inconsistencies in my game and overall just wasn't happy where I was. It was probably the best thing I have done for my game. Small changes at first but those have paid off huge. Started my lessons at a 18 - 19 handicap, now down to a 12.6. 1 year after my first session, and still trending down. Will go back if I have other issues or when I hit another plateau. Best time and money I ever spent. Enjoying the game much more now.

 

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[Shankster]

I just made my second training device. An impact bag.... makes the world of difference. And thanks to a MGS review of the DST and Mr. jlukes I will be getting one to work on impact position. Used the impact bag today for a few hundred swings, took my swing to the back yard and whammy. Pure. Effortless. Swing. Maybe there is something to those lessons. Even if you self teach.

 

Edit: I don't think I was flipping, but it puts the whole legs, torso, shoulders, arms thing in perspective.

 

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[BDubya23]

That's why his swing is so "unique."

 

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You learn something new every day.

[bullldog]

First lesson from my dad at age 8. (61 now)

 

Assume athletic position, like a shortstop

Address ball with a slight forward press

Low and slow backswing

 

MAIN SWING POINT NEXT...!

 

Keep weight on right instep and load up on backswing

Hit the back of the ball with the front of the club

 

So many years later I've taken a few lessons here and there with very limited results.

The only "new" thing to stick that has really helped to keep the face closed on the backswing.

That is probably the only thing that's actually helped.

Sounds like Hogan..

[gaussman1]

While browsing the thread about people not getting custom fitted, it got me thinking about how many people have had lessons. For those of you who have never had lessons, how long have you been playing and what is your typical score? Are you satisfied with it? Do you plan on getting lessons in the future?

 

I had lessons when I first took up golfing, I feel like it's a great place to start before too many bad habits get ingrained within your swing.

 

So, what's your story?

By the way, really good thread you've started

 

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[BDubya23]

By the way, really good thread you've started

 

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Thanks! I've just been curious because a few guys I play with have never had lessons. I think one reason being because we're from such a small town, we'd have to travel a little ways to find an instructor.

[GeekingGolf]

I didn't start out with lessons when I took up the game some 25 years ago. I just played with my dad and brother and it wasn't pretty. I only played occasionally until around 2002 when I moved to Hawaii. I did have some bad habit but I got lessons it was about 10 to 15 lessons over the course of a few years. I was lucky because the instructor wasn't technical he took what I had made a few adjustments and had me key in on a few swing thoughts and boom my scores began to go down. Before the lessons I had a very flat swing but the instructor got me where I needed to be and it has stuck ever since. My lowest score up until this year was a 78 in Jakarta with a caddie. If I could have a local caddie with me every round I would take that every time. During my Ping fitting I got some free help from a prominent coach from the Gulf Coast and wow what a difference. Another slight adjustment was made during a driver fitting with a Titleist/Callaway Rep local pro here where I live. It was just a slight grip change but it has allowed me to just swing the club and square the club face without any excess hand rotation. These two changes have induced the beautiful 5 yard draw that I can now count on. So I think the right instructor can help immensely. The beautiful thing about the golf swing is that no one is the same. A teacher should help you with your swing not try to teach you A robot swing. Before getting a teacher ask them straight up their philosophy.

 

 

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[geez2323]

I was stubborn for 15 years and was convinced I could just teach myself everything. Took my first set of lessons 3 months ago, 6 1 hour sessions. I dropped 6 strokes of my game and had a great understanding of what I was doing wrong and how to fix it. Spent who knows what on clubs through the years to see little improvement, $500 for the lessons was well worth it. Will definitely go back soon to get to that next level. I would recommend lessons to everyone from the 40 HCP to the scratch player.

 

 

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[BDubya23]

I was stubborn for 15 years and was convinced I could just teach myself everything. Took my first set of lessons 3 months ago, 6 1 hour sessions. I dropped 6 strokes of my game and had a great understanding of what I was doing wrong and how to fix it. Spent who knows what on clubs through the years to see little improvement, $500 for the lessons was well worth it. Will definitely go back soon to get to that next level. I would recommend lessons to everyone from the 40 HCP to the scratch player.

 

 

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You mentioned you shaved off six strokes after lessons. Was there any part of your game in particular that these strokes came from or was it just an all around game improver?

[TWar]

I just made my second training device. An impact bag.... makes the world of difference. And thanks to a MGS review of the DST and Mr. jlukes I will be getting one to work on impact position. Used the impact bag today for a few hundred swings, took my swing to the back yard and whammy. Pure. Effortless. Swing. Maybe there is something to those lessons. Even if you self teach.

 

Edit: I don't think I was flipping, but it puts the whole legs, torso, shoulders, arms thing in perspective.

 

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What and how did you make this so called impact bag? Is it more cost effective than something you could buy off the shelf?!

[BDubya23]

What and how did you make this so called impact bag? Is it more cost effective than something you could buy off the shelf?!

I've heard of people filling army sacks or such with carpet strips or old pillow or even those little balls you find in bean bag chairs. However, that seems like a lot of work considering an impact bag runs like $20-$30.

 

Idk if that's how he did it, just what I've read around the World Wide Web.

[yungkory]

I had lessons once when I was about 10. The greatest thing I was taught was how to chip and putt effectively. Having no formal coach or lessons prior to that (I started golf when I was about 4-5 years old) I had no chipping or putting technique. I was always complemented on my swing growing up, so I got lucky in that regard. Once I learned how to hit down on the ball instead of sweep it, my iron game really changed for the better.

[Shankster]

What and how did you make this so called impact bag? Is it more cost effective than something you could buy off the shelf?!

Stole a pillow case from the wife, filled it with towels till it was pretty stout. Just don't swing more than like 30% for your wrists sake. Please look up a drill before attempting. I worked up to around 75% swing which was way more powerful feeling than what I was doing.

 

Many things you can do with it. Fill it with paper to work the swing path...

 

So to answer. Yes, it was cost effective. It was free!

 

Here's the video that caught my eye. There are a ton.

 

https://youtu.be/dl3sh_00lXY

 

 

- Alan

[revkev]

This one is like the cheating thing in another thread - I'm stunned here by the number of guys who have had bad experiences from taking lessons.

 

I've had three teachers in the last twenty years. All have been older guys. All were class A pros. None tried to do anything drastic and all gave me small changes to bite off. My current guy uses video because it makes the process go quicker.

 

Of course you can't take a lesson, make a change and walk onto the course and expect miracles but if you practice what you're taught and the teacher is any good you will see improvement.

 

 

 

 

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[revkev]

If we all followed Arnie's rule. "Swing YOUR swing" and work on that. As long as there's no big issues. As long as your having fun. As soon as I started trying to "improve" my swing it became more like a job than something fun. But I still try to improve. It's human nature to want to be good at things.

 

As. As. As... geesh...

 

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I apologize up front but I have to comment on this and I mean no offense by the comment. There has never been a bigger supporter of the PGA Pro and taking lessons from him than Arnold Palmer. His Dad was a Pro who taught him the fundamentals necessary so that his natural ability could flourish.

 

That's what a good teacher does. He gives you the foundation to swing your swing.

 

 

 

 

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[Shankster]

I apologize up front but I have to comment on this and I mean no offense by the comment. There has never been a bigger supporter of the PGA Pro and taking lessons from him than Arnold Palmer. His Dad was a Pro who taught him the fundamentals necessary so that his natural ability could flourish.

 

That's what a good teacher does. He gives you the foundation to swing your swing.

 

 

 

 

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- Alan

[BDubya23]

Of course you can't take a lesson, make a change and walk onto the course and expect miracles but if you practice what you're taught and the teacher is any good you will see improvement.

 

 

 

 

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This is very important. I always read about people going to get lessons and then when they get back to the course, everything is off. Nothing feels right. Shots aren't great. The key is to do exactly as you said, practice.

[Shankster]

It's all good Rev. I meant swing your swing, take lessons if you want, but it's your swing, ain't no body going to take it from you.

 

Arnie said to emulate your favorite pro. I think he is mine, maybe Adam Scott's swing. But Arnie's actions for sure, the man was a true gentleman.

 

 

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[TSauer]

Reading these past few comments about practicing and taking lessons makes me think of the famous Tony Horton P90X quote I always heard..

 

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was your body.

 

Or in this case, your swing.

[geez2323]

You mentioned you shaved off six strokes after lessons. Was there any part of your game in particular that these strokes came from or was it just an all around game improver?

More consistent ball striking was a big part of it. Not losing the couple shots a round in the desert or OB. Also a huge part was the short game around the green pitching and chipping. Really worked on getting on my left side and getting through the ball 50 yards and in. That was a huge stroke saver being able to give myself a chance to 1 putt instead of missing the green or being 30 ft away or missing the green.

 

 

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[Canucklehead]

A deal I had with my parents when I first wanted to golf was if I bought my own set of clubs, they would buy me a lesson package to stop bad habits before they could really start.

 

So saved up some money and bought a starter set from Canadian Tire and over a couple weeks I would take a lesson and hit the range to practice at least once between lessons. Results were good however I was going through a growth spurt at the time and it's only been the last year I've really started to feel where my body is at. Got a few lessons with the local pro this year and very minor tweaks we've made but I had ingrained a few bad habits.

 

IMO Sometimes it's good to have a second set of eyes, and not just taking a video with your phone and self analyzing

 

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[Canucklehead]

I'm in the same boat as Rev. Just some horrible experiences to have for what you pay.

 

I'm pretty fortunate for the local pro's swing philosophy and how he goes about teaching. I can't remember what he majored and minored in at university but they were both to do with body mechanics. Very understanding and doesn't try to change your swing. For my first lesson with him we just worked on making a full hip turn back, turning the hands over on the backswing, and making a consistent weight shift when going forward. We would talk for a minute or two every 7-10 balls (or whenever he would notice something) I would hit and we would discuss what's happening and why. Definitely not a by the book kind of guy and I like how he doesn't just tell you what to tweak, but he explains why making the little change can make a big difference in the results and they showed immediately (when I could actually hit how I should've been doing)

 

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[PlaidJacket]

This one is like the cheating thing in another thread - I'm stunned here by the number of guys who have had bad experiences from taking lessons.

 

I've had three teachers in the last twenty years. All have been older guys. All were class A pros. None tried to do anything drastic and all gave me small changes to bite off. My current guy uses video because it makes the process go quicker.

 

Of course you can't take a lesson, make a change and walk onto the course and expect miracles but if you practice what you're taught and the teacher is any good you will see improvement.

 

 

 

 

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I'm also stunned by the number of guys that I know anyway; who don't take a lesson at least now and then but then complain about their game and their swing. Just yesterday a friend was asking me about my instructor. (for the 3rd or 4th time. He's wasted an entire year asking me about my instructor but taken no action.) I think most people want to improve but don't want to spend the money for some lessons and then also want their single lesson to cure their game. I know other guys at are scratch or very low hcp. players that don't take lessons. But they're just good anyway.

I've been taking lessons off and on now for about 2 years. Like Rev mentioned.... at each lesson especially early on I was given perhaps two small things to work on. I should also mention that at my very first lesson I told my instructor that I wasn't wanting to rebuild my entire swing. I just wanted to improve on what I have. And that's what we set out to do. And it's worked! Slow and steady was our method. But honestly I started seeing improvements from the first lesson.

 

I think just this season that I'm really starting to see the full payoff from all our work*. I can't explain it but perhaps everything has finally come together, "clicked" and without me thinking much about it. I haven't shot but a few rounds above 80 in about 2-3 months while mostly scoring in a 75-78 range. For me it's taken some time. For others maybe not so much. However, I wasn't looking for and overnight cure either. I'll probably get back out with my instructor in the next week or two for a little tune-up. I've really enjoyed it and it's paid off. I like playing a better game and I like my buddies complimenting me. It's gratifying and rewarding.

 

* I don't call it work really. I enjoy my lessons and I practice what I'm instructed when I can. But I don't grind at it. I play more than practice thats for sure. But while I've played I always tried to incorporate my lesson thoughts. Now my swing and any changes have become automatic and I've improved and gotten more consistent.

[Shankster]

...I've been doing it wrong all along. Go get your lessons. Wowzers.

 

 

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[revkev]

I agree with Plaid the lessons are fun as is the practice.

 

Ironically I went for this latest round of lessons because I was struggling with long clubs. Now I'm creaming them and shanking my wedges - seriously.

 

I'm not concerned - I don't have any reason to be on a course for a couple of weeks and I know that it means I'm still too far inside.

 

But it is funny

 

 

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[JDHolmes]

Ive been playing for 45 years, am a 12 now Up from a 8 last year. I signed up for a dozen lessons after selling a house. Took 4 and never went back to finish as the teacher wanted to change everything about my game and insisted i front load and wouldnt work with my style and desire.

 

Am i satisfied? Im never satisfied as theres always a shot or two i coukd improve on in the best of rounds.

 

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[Big money]

Ive been playing for 45 years, am a 12 now Up from a 8 last year. I signed up for a dozen lessons after selling a house. Took 4 and never went back to finish as the teacher wanted to change everything about my game and insisted i front load and wouldnt work with my style and desire.

Am i satisfied? Im never satisfied as theres always a shot or two i coukd improve on in the best of rounds.

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would it be to bold to ask for your money back?I often thought about that.Heck, If a mechanic does a bad job they will refund money if not happy at times.How could golf be any different?they are performing a service we pay for.If services aren't met than maybe a form of reimbursing compensation may be needed.Heck, you wouldn't be interested in taking lesson from pro who would stand behind their services.The rest of business world operates this way, why golf teaching is the exception!

[GolfJunkie302]

would it be to bold to ask for your money back?I often thought about that.Heck, If a mechanic does a bad job they will refund money if not happy at times.How could golf be any different?they are performing a service we pay for.If services aren't met than maybe a form of reimbursing compensation may be needed.Heck, you wouldn't be interested in taking lesson from pro who would stand behind their services.The rest of business world operates this way, why golf teaching is the exception!

I completely agree! It would definitely be bold, but trying and let me know how it goes!

 

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[PlaidJacket]

JD I hate to say it but you're not getting the money back. Unless the Pro promised if you only listen to him and practice twice you'll be scratch in 3 weeks. And it's written in a contract. Which it's not. Besides... you're the defective product not the pro. See what I mean?

If I were providing lessons I wouldn't give a refund as I'm not promising any specific results. Only advice and help.