My experience with golf lessons

[Txmason123]

     I wanted to share my experience taking lessons at the Winstar Golf Academy in Thackerville, OK.  I was fortunate to get a set of 5 lessons at Winstar as a Christmas present.  So far, I have completed 3 lessons, and my experience has been fantastic.  Although I have considered lessons before, I was always reluctant to spend the money.  My thinking was, the more money I spent on lessons, the less I would have for green fees. (I may be a little frugal.) I hope this post is informative to any golfers out there considering taking lessons.

 

     A little about me.  I took up golf about 2 years ago.  I had a friend help me purchase used equipment to start.  I didn't take lessons right away.  I did a lot of reading and watched a lot of youtube.  After about a year, I started to break 100.  I have always been able to hit my driver fairly straight.  I could only hit it about 180 -200 yards, but I could hit quite a few fairways.  My iron play has always been hit or miss, mostly miss, with an assortment of both fat and thin shots.  My distance with irons was always on the short end.

 

     On my first lesson, my instructor, Elliott, asked about my game and what I hoped to accomplish.  I told him I wanted more consistency and distance with my irons.  The main thing we worked on that day, was for me to hinge my wrist early in my backswing.  I hit a lot of balls that day.  When we wrapped up the lesson, I asked how often I should come back.  He said it would depend on how much I practiced, but recommended about 3 weeks between lessons.  I really liked that he wanted me to get the most out of my lessons, and not just burn through these lessons fast, so I would purchase more.

 

     I made good progress with hinging my wrist during my swing, and scheduled my next lesson 3 weeks later.  This time he took me to the trackman studio (at least that's what I call it).  It is a big room with a bay door to hit balls out onto the range.  It has a trackman, cameras, monitors, and all the bells and whistles you see in some youtube videos like Rick Shiels.  For this lesson, we worked on changing my swing from an over the top, outside to inside swing path, to a more neutral or slightly inside to outside swing path.  This was definitely challenging for me.

 

     The trackman was a great tool, to understand what my swing was doing.  When I started practicing back home, my first few days were rough.  I went through a day or two of hitting  a lot of shanks.  My consistency seemed to be regressing.  But finally I started making progress.  I started making good contact with the ball.  The last time I played a round of golf, I hit 5 greens in regulation and 4 pars.  That is really good for me.  I love hitting the green on an approach shot!  There isn't much better than that.  My score wasn't any better than it had been, but I was making more good shots. 

 

     I will provide updates as I progress through the final lessons.  I have enjoyed them so much, that I will likely purchase more lessons after finishing these last two. 

 

[StrokerAce]

     I wanted to share my experience taking lessons at the Winstar Golf Academy in Thackerville, OK.  I was fortunate to get a set of 5 lessons at Winstar as a Christmas present.  So far, I have completed 3 lessons, and my experience has been fantastic.  Although I have considered lessons before, I was always reluctant to spend the money.  My thinking was, the more money I spent on lessons, the less I would have for green fees. (I may be a little frugal.) I hope this post is informative to any golfers out there considering taking lessons.

 

     A little about me.  I took up golf about 2 years ago.  I had a friend help me purchase used equipment to start.  I didn't take lessons right away.  I did a lot of reading and watched a lot of youtube.  After about a year, I started to break 100.  I have always been able to hit my driver fairly straight.  I could only hit it about 180 -200 yards, but I could hit quite a few fairways.  My iron play has always been hit or miss, mostly miss, with an assortment of both fat and thin shots.  My distance with irons was always on the short end.

 

     On my first lesson, my instructor, Elliott, asked about my game and what I hoped to accomplish.  I told him I wanted more consistency and distance with my irons.  The main thing we worked on that day, was for me to hinge my wrist early in my backswing.  I hit a lot of balls that day.  When we wrapped up the lesson, I asked how often I should come back.  He said it would depend on how much I practiced, but recommended about 3 weeks between lessons.  I really liked that he wanted me to get the most out of my lessons, and not just burn through these lessons fast, so I would purchase more.

 

     I made good progress with hinging my wrist during my swing, and scheduled my next lesson 3 weeks later.  This time he took me to the trackman studio (at least that's what I call it).  It is a big room with a bay door to hit balls out onto the range.  It has a trackman, cameras, monitors, and all the bells and whistles you see in some youtube videos like Rick Shiels.  For this lesson, we worked on changing my swing from an over the top, outside to inside swing path, to a more neutral or slightly inside to outside swing path.  This was definitely challenging for me.

 

     The trackman was a great tool, to understand what my swing was doing.  When I started practicing back home, my first few days were rough.  I went through a day or two of hitting  a lot of shanks.  My consistency seemed to be regressing.  But finally I started making progress.  I started making good contact with the ball.  The last time I played a round of golf, I hit 5 greens in regulation and 4 pars.  That is really good for me.  I love hitting the green on an approach shot!  There isn't much better than that.  My score wasn't any better than it had been, but I was making more good shots. 

 

     I will provide updates as I progress through the final lessons.  I have enjoyed them so much, that I will likely purchase more lessons after finishing these last two. 

 

Awesome write up!  Look forward to sharing your journey with you ... 

[PING Apologist #9]

     I wanted to share my experience taking lessons at the Winstar Golf Academy in Thackerville, OK.  I was fortunate to get a set of 5 lessons at Winstar as a Christmas present.  So far, I have completed 3 lessons, and my experience has been fantastic.  Although I have considered lessons before, I was always reluctant to spend the money.  My thinking was, the more money I spent on lessons, the less I would have for green fees. (I may be a little frugal.) I hope this post is informative to any golfers out there considering taking lessons.

 

     A little about me.  I took up golf about 2 years ago.  I had a friend help me purchase used equipment to start.  I didn't take lessons right away.  I did a lot of reading and watched a lot of youtube.  After about a year, I started to break 100.  I have always been able to hit my driver fairly straight.  I could only hit it about 180 -200 yards, but I could hit quite a few fairways.  My iron play has always been hit or miss, mostly miss, with an assortment of both fat and thin shots.  My distance with irons was always on the short end.

 

     On my first lesson, my instructor, Elliott, asked about my game and what I hoped to accomplish.  I told him I wanted more consistency and distance with my irons.  The main thing we worked on that day, was for me to hinge my wrist early in my backswing.  I hit a lot of balls that day.  When we wrapped up the lesson, I asked how often I should come back.  He said it would depend on how much I practiced, but recommended about 3 weeks between lessons.  I really liked that he wanted me to get the most out of my lessons, and not just burn through these lessons fast, so I would purchase more.

 

     I made good progress with hinging my wrist during my swing, and scheduled my next lesson 3 weeks later.  This time he took me to the trackman studio (at least that's what I call it).  It is a big room with a bay door to hit balls out onto the range.  It has a trackman, cameras, monitors, and all the bells and whistles you see in some youtube videos like Rick Shiels.  For this lesson, we worked on changing my swing from an over the top, outside to inside swing path, to a more neutral or slightly inside to outside swing path.  This was definitely challenging for me.

 

     The trackman was a great tool, to understand what my swing was doing.  When I started practicing back home, my first few days were rough.  I went through a day or two of hitting  a lot of shanks.  My consistency seemed to be regressing.  But finally I started making progress.  I started making good contact with the ball.  The last time I played a round of golf, I hit 5 greens in regulation and 4 pars.  That is really good for me.  I love hitting the green on an approach shot!  There isn't much better than that.  My score wasn't any better than it had been, but I was making more good shots. 

 

     I will provide updates as I progress through the final lessons.  I have enjoyed them so much, that I will likely purchase more lessons after finishing these last two. 

Good stuff! Looking forward to more! Keep it up out there!

[JohnSmalls]

     I wanted to share my experience taking lessons at the Winstar Golf Academy in Thackerville, OK.  I was fortunate to get a set of 5 lessons at Winstar as a Christmas present.  So far, I have completed 3 lessons, and my experience has been fantastic.  Although I have considered lessons before, I was always reluctant to spend the money.  My thinking was, the more money I spent on lessons, the less I would have for green fees. (I may be a little frugal.) I hope this post is informative to any golfers out there considering taking lessons.

 

     A little about me.  I took up golf about 2 years ago.  I had a friend help me purchase used equipment to start.  I didn't take lessons right away.  I did a lot of reading and watched a lot of youtube.  After about a year, I started to break 100.  I have always been able to hit my driver fairly straight.  I could only hit it about 180 -200 yards, but I could hit quite a few fairways.  My iron play has always been hit or miss, mostly miss, with an assortment of both fat and thin shots.  My distance with irons was always on the short end.

 

     On my first lesson, my instructor, Elliott, asked about my game and what I hoped to accomplish.  I told him I wanted more consistency and distance with my irons.  The main thing we worked on that day, was for me to hinge my wrist early in my backswing.  I hit a lot of balls that day.  When we wrapped up the lesson, I asked how often I should come back.  He said it would depend on how much I practiced, but recommended about 3 weeks between lessons.  I really liked that he wanted me to get the most out of my lessons, and not just burn through these lessons fast, so I would purchase more.

 

     I made good progress with hinging my wrist during my swing, and scheduled my next lesson 3 weeks later.  This time he took me to the trackman studio (at least that's what I call it).  It is a big room with a bay door to hit balls out onto the range.  It has a trackman, cameras, monitors, and all the bells and whistles you see in some youtube videos like Rick Shiels.  For this lesson, we worked on changing my swing from an over the top, outside to inside swing path, to a more neutral or slightly inside to outside swing path.  This was definitely challenging for me.

 

     The trackman was a great tool, to understand what my swing was doing.  When I started practicing back home, my first few days were rough.  I went through a day or two of hitting  a lot of shanks.  My consistency seemed to be regressing.  But finally I started making progress.  I started making good contact with the ball.  The last time I played a round of golf, I hit 5 greens in regulation and 4 pars.  That is really good for me.  I love hitting the green on an approach shot!  There isn't much better than that.  My score wasn't any better than it had been, but I was making more good shots. 

 

     I will provide updates as I progress through the final lessons.  I have enjoyed them so much, that I will likely purchase more lessons after finishing these last two. 

Awesome to see this!  I have had a lot of similar experiences.  Beginning with the reluctance to pay for lessons and then the inconsistency after beginning the swing change, to then the 'AHA" moment of more consistently hitting good shots versus lucky shots.  Keep up the good work, I hope the lessons continue to take your game in a great direction!

[russtopherb]

Glad to see you having fun and getting the most of out lessons. Changes take time to ingrain and thankfully you're still at the beginning of your golf journey. Please keep us updated on your progress!

 

 

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[bens197]

Great write-up. Always great to seek out measurable goals. Good luck going forward

 

 

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[perseveringgolfer]

key to lessons are listen to the coach, ask if you dont understand, ask again until you really understand, Do what he says even if it doesnt feel right, then practice what he told you and dont, repeat dont fall back into your old comfy swing. 

[Golfspy_CG2]

Great thread and recap.

 

Having just had my fitting today at TXG with ian and suffering form the same  OTT move as you and leaving the club face open at impact, we actually spent some time during  the fitting on working on that,  as with you I hit some ugly shots, but after maybe 20 or swings, I began coming from the inside and squaring club face, resulting in some draws and even hooks.. I've never been able  to hit a draw in my life.

 

The two things he showed me, I'll  continue to work on and combined with the new irons that resulted from the fitting, I'm excited about where my game might go.

 

Keep us posted on your success. 

[djahubes]

Great thread and recap.

 

Having just had my fitting today at TXG with ian and suffering form the same OTT move as you and leaving the club face open at impact, we actually spent some time during the fitting on working on that, as with you I hit some ugly shots, but after maybe 20 or swings, I began coming from the inside and squaring club face, resulting in some draws and even hooks.. I've never been able to hit a draw in my life.

 

The two things he showed me, I'll continue to work on and combined with the new irons that resulted from the fitting, I'm excited about where my game might go.

 

Keep us posted on your success.

Another set of irons? I thought I was bad!!

 

 

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[Golfspy_CG2]

Another set of irons? I thought I was bad!!

 

 

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Well you know how it is...ha   Check out the fitting, it will be up on their YouTube channel on Wed.   If my results don' help you, I' guarantee you'll feel better about your swing after seeing mine....ha

[djahubes]

Well you know how it is...ha Check out the fitting, it will be up on their YouTube channel on Wed. If my results don' help you, I' guarantee you'll feel better about your swing after seeing mine....ha

Will definitely be tuning in. I also plan on making an attempt to visit them when I get home to buffalo at the end of the summer. Assume it's well worth the trip.

 

 

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[Golfspy_CG2]

Will definitely be tuning in. I also plan on making an attempt to visit them when I get home to buffalo at the end of the summer. Assume it's well worth the trip.

 

 

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Absolutely worth it. Especially being that close.

 

 

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[HardcoreLooper]

Great to hear that the lessons are going well. Stick with it!

 

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[Txmason123]

     So I had my third lesson.  My instructor was pleased with my progress on having a mostly neutral swing path.  The lesson still centered on the swing path, especially after contact.  We also discussed angle of attack a little.  My contact seems to be pretty shallow.  That is one area that is hard for me to focus on.  It is difficult for me to judge aoa except when I hit an obvious fat or thin shot.

 

     Since the lesson, I have continued to practice on what I learned in the lesson.  The follow through of my club head is an aspect of my golf swing that is hard to work on.  I will start hitting balls, and forget about that part of my swing.  When I do remember, it stays in my head for a few swings, and then gone again.

 

     I went on vacation and got to play 4 different courses in a week.  I shot between 101-104 all days.  Those aren't very good scores for me.  They are about average or a little above average.  My handicap is currently 23.  I still have quite a few wasted shots (way fat, way thin, etc.)  When I did make good contact with my irons, the flight was pretty good.  Not very many greens in reg. but the shots landed closer to the green than normal.

 

Overall I am still progressing.  Wild offline shots are getting fewer and fewer.  I don't lose near as many golf balls this year as I did last year.

 

I have another lesson this week.  I look forward to it.  Bogey golf here I come!

[tony@CIC]

Nice write-up keep it going 

[golfinnut]

It's a long process believe me.  After 40+ years at this lovely game of ours, I still can't figure it out.  Nor will I ever.  That's the beauty of it.  Keep at it & eventually you will get a few "aha" moments that will keep bringing you back.  

[cksurfdude]

key to lessons are listen to the coach, ask if you dont understand, ask again until you really understand, Do what he says even if it doesnt feel right, then practice what he told you and dont, repeat dont fall back into your old comfy swing.

^^ what he said .. good stuff!! ^^

[cksurfdude]

Sounds like you've found an instructor you've "clicked" with - and that's one of the keys to making real progress.

 

You're also being smart by committing to practicing and working on the new things .. keep at it and don't worry/think at all about your scores but instead about control of your shots and directing them towards your targets .. you'll see those missed continue to narrow!

[L.I. Rich]

Sounds like the lessons are going well! I'm enjoying hearing about your progress - I've been there brother, and the journey is tough, but a pleasure we golfers share. Enjoy the ride.

[Golfspy_CG2]

Congrats on the progress. As someone who is going through swing changes currently, i cam relate to the mixed results. However i see enough good things happening to keep me on that road.

 

Stay with it. The scores will continue to drop.

 

 

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[Dilligaf]

Some of the keys to a great experience with lessons is making a connection with the Teaching professional. Building trust, and having someone that can convey his thoughts into actionable Items for you to generate physically. It sounds like you've got the trifecta. Good luck and enjoy the road to better golf.

 

 

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