Lessons.... Help or...????

[Fourputt]

Probably a thread like this somewhere around, but I don't have time to look for it.

I've been having trouble with my swing most of the season, even though I've shot some good scores. There always seems to be some problem that I've had to overcome... one part of the long game was weak but my short game would allow me to score decently in spite of the problem. In the next to the last tournament 3 weeks ago I won my flight, even though I only hit 2 decent drivers all day long. Then in the most recent tournament just a week ago, I played like a total donkey. I came off the course after the Saturday round and went straight to the Pro's office and set up a lesson. Had the lesson last Friday, then played today for the first time since.

I hope the lesson was at least part of the reason for the difference. I feel like I belong on the course again. What we found during the lesson was that my ball position was way too far back, but it didn't feel like it because my alignment was all messed up too. Now I set up on the line I want, I have the ball back where it belongs, and I played the most consistent round in the last 2+ months. I never once felt like it was all about to unravel, and that is a good experience. We also worked on timing, and that is paying off too. I went out and shot a smooth 78 today, with good tee shots, crisp irons and fairway woods, and with my customary good short game, it was just fun.

The test will be if I can keep it up for the next round, which will probably be on an unfamiliar course in Idaho next Saturday, and then a week later in the Club Championship. At least I'm really looking forward to them now with much greater anticipation than I was a week ago.

One more thing to add. The pro I went to is the head pro on my home course. His teaching philosophy is that most players don't need a total overhaul of the swing. He looks for the main faults, gets you back into a good position in the impact area. For me it was ball position, alignment, and timing. For the next guy it might be grip, or take-away. But he really gets to the heart of the problem without needing $500 worth of lessons. For me, and for most experienced golfers, he is exactly the right sort of coach to make the little tweaks that get you headed back the right way.

[PA PLAYA]

I generally get a lesson each spring, just to have an educated set of eyes looking at things. A good teaching pro can pick up on things that your buddies cannot, and although his advice isn't free, it usually gets right to the heart of the issue and helps prevent the on-course tinkering and steering that inevitably occurs after a few bad holes.

And more times than not, it's the small things.... posture, grip, alignment, ball position, etc. The one thing that has helped me avoid the dreaded slump this season (thus far anyway) is that I'm really paying close attention to those things on the range, and I'll also do an occasional spot-check during the round.

It's good to hear that your confidence is back. The game is much more fun when you have an idea of what to expect, especially off the tee. For me, hitting a decent tee ball is relative to good scoring.

Good luck in your tourney!

[JPsuff]

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Like everything else in the business world, the quality of a service is directly related to the quality of the person offering the service. A good teaching pro can spot a problem, correct it and have you on your way just like a good mechanic can find the problem in an engine and repair or replace only that which is necessary.

But just like bad mechanics who ends up rebuilding an entire engine because they couldn't identify the ticking noise as a simple lifter adjustment, a bad teacher may wish to rebuild someone's entire swing because he can't spot a simple problem.

I think most teaching pro's are very good at what they do and most people I've spoken to have had good experiences overall. But every now and then I hear a horror story about some pro who decided that someone's poor grip required a swing rebuild and unfortunately THAT is the story that gets passed around the grapevine and ends up turning people away from taking a lesson.


A good pro, like a good mechanic, is hard to find but once found, can be a most valuable asset.


-JP

[RoyalWulff]

FourPutt,
What does he charge for a lesson?

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by RoyalWulff

FourPutt,
What does he charge for a lesson?

I think that a private lesson is $40 per half hour (I get a break as an employee). But if you catch him on a slow day, you can get a real bargain. I know guys who've ended up with an hour or more for the half hour price just because it keeps him out of the pro shop. He and I spent an hour and 20 minutes, but most of the time we were just shooting the bull. He got me straightened out in about 20 minutes. If you're interested I'll talk to him. I think he's off on Sunday and Monday so those days are out.


To any one else.. Wulff can tell you how bad my tee shots were. When we played together a couple of weeks ago at his course I was a basket case.