Lessons, worth it?

[cnosil 24,339]

Has anyone tried any of the on-line lessons? Like meandmygolf or anything like that ??

I currently work with a putting coach where all our interactions have been online. This has been a great experience

 

Took an online swing lesson and it was ok. Much slower progress than in person as you get bits of things to work on. Would be hard if you are trying to make wholesale kind of changes. The nice thing about in person is that you get immediate feedback on what you are doing to make sure you are doing it correctly. Don't really want to be practicing something wrong.

 

With video capability on most every phone it is the way if the future and can be successful. Just depends on how the feedback loop works.

[Peanut05 299]

There's got to be a point where investing in lessons is either worth it ... or it's not - and I don't mean "worth it" in terms of value; I think any professional advice is valuable - I mean worth it as in you have the time and money to use what you're being taught.

 

So...how "much" do you think you need to play/practice in order to get the most out of your lessons?  

  practice - once a day, multiple times in a week?

  play - at least one 18 hole round a week if not more?

  is it important to be a member at a club so you have unlimited access to things?

 

Furthermore...how many lessons are needed (in your opinion - I realize this is VERY subjective) if you're like Plaid and have been playing for a while and aren't looking for a complete rebuild from the ground up but just some small changes here and there ?

 

One, three, five, seven?

 

Last part - it seems --relatively-- easy to find fitters..there are a number of "top" lists out there but what about finding instructors?  I don't want to pay someone 100.00 for an hour and not get anything out of it.  As you might surmise I've never had lessons so I don't even know what a reasonable rate is - 40/75/100 ?? I've seen some deals on Groupon but I am pretty hesitant to go there since it sounds like a pump and dump type of thing.

I'll say this about the lessons I had.  It was at a time in my life when I had a ton of free time, so I was spending 5-6 days a week at the golf course for about 2-3 hours minimum a day.  Most of those days were solely spent on the driving range/wedge range and chipping green.  My handicap dropped pretty quickly.  Most people don't have that kind of time, though, and I sure don't anymore.  Don't expect lessons to drop your handicap a significant amount in a short time.  It's going to be more of a gradual drop and it's going to require you believe in what is being taught and keep grinding with it. 

[revkev 25,136]

I suppose "is it worth it" is subjective. First.... I have taken a few lessons over the years. Yes, they were helpful, in so far as, I learned what I was doing wrong and what I needed to do to fix it.

 

The problem is.... finding the time to work on what you learned. When you are single (divorced) and you work 10 - 12 hours a day plus half days on Saturday, it leaves little time to do what needs done at home, let alone practice golf.

 

So.... is it worth it? Sure.... if you have the time. If not, just play and have fun.... and save your money. I'm sure that isn't what anyone wanted to hear/read, but I'm a straight shooter, if nothing else.

That's fine - there are lots of ways/reasons to play golf and an equal number of limitations that come with. If you don't have the time to practice what you're working on it's silly to take lessons.

 

I'm anxious to have some time to devote to my game again. I got lots of practice in during January but have only played once this month with very little practice.

 

 

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[Big money 1,953]

Lessons are almost vital for any amateur golfer or professional.Ive always worked my tail off on what I was told.The new guy I have is beyond great for me.Simple and doesn't expect me to get in positions or create speed like a tour pro.Heard him tell a student that his goal is to successfully implement 20% of what the lesson taught.That 20% of improved knowledge over time will allow some to break 90 for the first time.Or place decently in a local club event.This guy I see sees even the most minor fixes as a major accomplishment for us.Old ingrained habits are tough to fix

[StrokerAce 11,769]

Certainly makes me wonder how far you can go without lessons.

 

I imagine there are plenty of guys who are single digit who haven't had a formal lesson in their life.... perhaps they've had some guidance along the way but not a formal lesson.

 

Short story:

best friend from high school who I recently reacquainted with said that his brother took him out golfing about 15 years ago and he sucked. (he'd never played) his brother talked a bunch of smack to him so he spent the next 6 months at the range until he got it figured out on his own (he had little $) He turned himself into a scratch golfer that occasionally has rounds in the 60's and won some local tourneys.  He was a prison guard at the time and had a chance to play quite a bit.  He's still a single digit and is going to try and qualify for the US Open this year...  NO LESSONS 

We were best buds in high school and played hoops together night and day but never even thought about picking up a golf club.  I'm going out in April to play with him for a week to see if it's the real deal or not. 

 

I don't think it is vital for amateurs to have lessons.  I think they help, but as far as it being necessary I respectfully disagree.

[Canucklehead 1,634]

I second it isn't vital for amateurs.

 

Some just have the ability to diagnose and adjust on their own. Others need a kick in the butt every other week when bad habits come creeping back.

 

Everyone has a limit they can achieve without help, but for many of us, it isn't that high.

 

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[HardcoreLooper 5,533]

Certainly makes me wonder how far you can go without lessons.

 

I imagine there are plenty of guys who are single digit who haven't had a formal lesson in their life.... perhaps they've had some guidance along the way but not a formal lesson.

Two anecdotes to both support and refute your point at the same time.

 

1. My grandfather was a scratch golfer at his best and was still shooting his age until the week he died. He was a very good athlete; he'd been a semi-pro baseball player in his younger days. He'd never taken lessons, but he was very able to pick up things by watching and reading.

 

2. There was a guy in my high school who'd go out and play with us on the golf team once or twice a year (his only rounds all year) and shoot something ridiculous like an 82. Not only did he not take lessons, but he hardly ever set foot on a golf course. There was no getting him to join the golf team; he was an all-state baseball player.

 

Support - Two very good players noted above that didn't take lessons. It's definitely possible.

 

Refute - The good, self-taught players I've played with were phenomenal natural athletes. I certainly do not fall into that category.

 

Oh, and my grandfather paid for me to take lessons until I started working at a club and getting them for free. Even though he didn't take them, he knew the value of them.

[Peanut05 299]

You can definitely make it a long way without lessons (ex. Bubba Watson), but I would say that is definitely not the norm. I think you would have to have some kind of natural talent plus a ton of free time to work on your game.  I unfortunately didn't have much natural golf talent, so it took quite a few lessons for me to get where I wanted to be. 

[DPattGolf 1,733]

I highly suggest lessons for anyone who is really looking for improvement (and not just because I am considering turning Pro and would be on the teaching side). You need to find a someone who is able to communicate effectively to your learning style and can break down some more complex concepts in a way that is easy for you to understand. Once you find that person really commit to them and don't go looking around for another instructor until the message becomes stale.

 

The other big thing I would suggest to help drop your handicap is actively keep accurate stats for every round you play. I use an excel spreadsheet me and a buddy made during college to track these but find whatever works for you. Once I started doing this I went from a 5 to a scratch because I could see exactly what part of my game needed more focused practice and would be an item to bring up during my next lesson. Personally I track my stats so I see my averages from my last 20 9-hole rounds and have created a display were I can compare my stats in practice round to tournament rounds to see if there is any discrepancies. If there are I will try to come up with a way to add more pressure to that area into my practice and practice rounds to hopefully create tournament improvements.

 

I'm now adding Arccos to this to try to take it to the next level to work on improving my proximity throughout the bag in hopes of going from a scratch golfer to being in contention for State Opens with Professionals 

 

He told me t could take up to a year to get to my goal. Four phases.

1) a solid swing
2) a short game
3) putting
4) (applies to steps 1-3) the mental game

Crushing a bucket of balls at the range is great, but doesn't make you a “player”.
But to become a “player”, it helps to make solid full shots.

And, as Silver and Black says, you've got to have some time to work on it...

[cnosil 24,339]

The other big thing I would suggest to help drop your handicap is actively keep accurate stats for every round you play. I use an excel spreadsheet me and a buddy made during college to track these

The obvious follow up question is what stats do you track? Do you follow the strokes gained approach to look for areas to improve? Do you track misses based on where you are aiming? Or some other method?

[DPattGolf 1,733]

My current spreadsheet has Starting hole scoring average to par, final 3 holes scoring average to par, GIR %, Up/Down %, Real Up/Down % (ex. Up and down for bogey), Sand Save %, Real Sand Save % (Same as Real Up/Down), Driving Accuracy, Putts per Round, Putts per GIR, 3 putts per round, Sub par holes per round, Over par holes per round, Par 3 scoring average, Par 4 scoring average & Par 5 scoring average. I also have PGA Tour Averages for all stats I could find to use as goals to shoot for.

 

My plan is to use the proximity tracked by Arccos to add strokes gained into the spreadsheet. I don't currently track misses (Mostly because I haven't found a great way to incorporate it into my spreadsheet) but Arccos does track this for both fairways and greens so I will be looking into that to see if I have any trends with certain clubs or from certain distances once I am able to get out on the course now that I have all of my new clubs (Minus my SM7 50*)

The obvious follow up question is what stats do you track? Do you follow the strokes gained approach to look for areas to improve? Do you track misses based on where you are aiming? Or some other method?

[HardcoreLooper 5,533]

I'm now adding Arccos to this to try to take it to the next level to work on improving my proximity throughout the bag in hopes of going from a scratch golfer to being in contention for State Opens with Professionals

Keep us posted on your progress!

[DPattGolf 1,733]

Keep us posted on your progress!

Will do! First tournament (An amateur one) is in a month! 

[dang3rtown 967]

Lessons are the best investment one can make in their golf game. I just caution one thing; make sure you're taking lessons from the right person. Golf “pros” are a dime a dozen and there are plenty who don't know what they're talking about. Find a good pro, listen and put in some real practice and your game will get much better.

 

 

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