When is a good time for lessons?

**Res Ipsa** · 10-07-2005

I'm a beginner and everyone tells me to take lessons right away. No not because I am the worst golfer they've ever seen, but because they say you should learn properly before bad habits form. The only insturction I've gotten is from print. I started w/ McCord's (sp?) Golf for Dummies. He gets into the basics so it gave me a strating point. Then a member here posted a website w/ swing instructions and practice drills that I have adhered to religously (www.golftoday.co.uk/proshop/tuition/). That was awesome and I noticed results quickly. My expeience so far is the driving range about 7 or 8 times, and tons of chipping and putting on the practice green. I hit my medium to short irons straight 80% of the time with a fade 10% and a slice 10%. Distances can be a inconsistant. 7 iron carries 140 half the time and 125-130 the other half (the pattern is similar for the rest of the irons). Long irons slice more and the distances vary more but I've improved each time I tried them. I've only attempted to hit woods once and they were all over, as I suspected they would be on a first attempt. I live next door to a public course so I can practice whenever. I really try hard to get the fundamentals down: Grip, stance, ball placement, etc... Every time I go to the range I go w/ specific goals in mind.

Enough blab my point is: Should I go for lessons ASAP or have fun and try to improve until I get me feet a little more wet?

Sorry for the rambling.

**neverman** · 10-07-2005

If I had it to do all over again...

I would get one lesson before I even swung a single time. In that lesson I would want nothing more than a firm grasp on GRIP, Alignment, Plane (a few loose swings to give me the idea of what a swing should feel like with a few checkpoints).

The grip is probably the single most important thing to get down correctly and even though it is well illustrated on sites and in books, it needs to be reinforced by a PGA professional that you've got it RIGHT. Be it an overlap or interlock... don't go baseball no matter what anyone anywhere tells you. It is NOT ok unless you're an incredibly gifted athlete.

Alignment involves target line, stance, what is square, the difference between the line the ball will see and what "you" see standing from the side of the true line, posture which is incredibly important.

Plane... basic swing mechanics, balance, rotation, where your hands, shoulders, arms, head, ball sac should all be during a swing. This could all be shown with the instructors hands on the club as your first swings will be painful to watch.

This could all be done in one hour maybe 45 mins, but I doubt it could be done well enough in a half hour to stick.

Being that you've already picked it up and been to the range a few times, I'd get your grip verified (change now if it's wrong or it will always bother you later to try and change to a correct grip). I'd get alignment verified with the rational explained for each part of the set-up. I'd have him make a few quick swing checks to make sure you're catching on, making sure that there are no gross errors.

That's what I'd do, Have fun with whatever you decide. BUT for sure get at least ONE lesson. I'd golf for at least a year before I invested in a series of lessons. During that series they'll go over the same things as well as short game, putting, shaping shots and whatever else you feel are weaknesses. You have to have a swing to make a series worthwhile IMO and to have a swing takes about a year, at least a repeatable one

**ironman** · 10-08-2005

now
lessons

**dorkman53** · 10-08-2005

Tuesdays are always best, especially between 2:30 and 3 PM........

**wei_c25** · 10-08-2005

Take the lessons now.

Recommend you find an instructor that shares your passion to improving your game, not some guy trying to make a side living. PGA of America certification is typcially a good sign.

You can usually take one lesson, or pay for a series of 5 or 6... I recommend you find someone and tell them you are interested in taking a series of lessons, but want to try and pay for one first.

See how you like the first lesson. If you aren't totally amazed by how muched you improved from what your learn in that one lesson, you should probably find someone else. Improvement should be very real and very rapid at your level... its not rocket science.

Otherwise you are just paying for someone to hang out with you on the range.

**ozone** · 10-08-2005

start the lessons now. I started with some group lesson last september to learn the basics. No sense in paying for a private lesson to learn the basics. In October I started a private lesson once a month over the winter and spring. This October my offical USGA index is 11.8. I knew that if I wanted to be ok at this sport I need lessons before I developed bad habits. This winter I am signing up for a winter lesson package that will hopefully help me even more. My biggest problem now is know how and what to practice,

**fred3** · 10-08-2005

Originally Posted by Res Ipsa

I'm a beginner and everyone tells me to take lessons right away. No not because I am the worst golfer they've ever seen, but because they say you should learn properly before bad habits form. The only insturction I've gotten is from print. I started w/ McCord's (sp?) Golf for Dummies. He gets into the basics so it gave me a strating point. Then a member here posted a website w/ swing instructions and practice drills that I have adhered to religously (www.golftoday.co.uk/proshop/tuition/). That was awesome and I noticed results quickly. My expeience so far is the driving range about 7 or 8 times, and tons of chipping and putting on the practice green. I hit my medium to short irons straight 80% of the time with a fade 10% and a slice 10%. Distances can be a inconsistant. 7 iron carries 140 half the time and 125-130 the other half (the pattern is similar for the rest of the irons). Long irons slice more and the distances vary more but I've improved each time I tried them. I've only attempted to hit woods once and they were all over, as I suspected they would be on a first attempt. I live next door to a public course so I can practice whenever. I really try hard to get the fundamentals down: Grip, stance, ball placement, etc... Every time I go to the range I go w/ specific goals in mind.

Enough blab my point is: Should I go for lessons ASAP or have fun and try to improve until I get me feet a little more wet?

Sorry for the rambling.

to go for lessons. The biggest challenge is finding a professional you 1) trust implicitly 2) you understand and can visualize what they teach you. You should be commended for all the practice and reading you're putting into your new game. What you might ask yourself is...if a touring professional who has hit thousands of balls on the range and course needs to see an instructor to figure out where they're going wrong what makes you, a beginner, think they can figure out where they're going wrong by spending lots of time on the range? The fact is that you can't and you may even be teaching yourself bad habits that'll be tough to break. Even your self attempt at learning the grip may be the opposite of what you need given your body type and physical abilities. So get thee to a professional and best of luck. It's the greatest game on earth.

**Res Ipsa** · 10-08-2005

Thanks for all the help. So it sounds like I need to do some searching for some good instruction. Some of what I've read and heard on this board makes me fearful of bad Pro's.

At the course I live next to, there is Nike Golf School (or something close to that) does anyone know of the overall quality of it? They want $200 for 6 hours of instruction, a round w/ a pro, and 5 greens fees thrown in. From the little I've seen of it it looks like groups of about 5 or 6 at a time. Sounded cheap to me but if the lessons stink whats the point.

Let me know if anyone has heard of it.

Benguk I know it has NIKE in the name so you think its great.

**dorkman53** · 10-09-2005

Originally Posted by Res Ipsa

Thanks for all the help. So it sounds like I need to do some searching for some good instruction. Some of what I've read and heard on this board makes me fearful of bad Pro's.

At the course I live next to, there is Nike Golf School (or something close to that) does anyone know of the overall quality of it? They want $200 for 6 hours of instruction, a round w/ a pro, and 5 greens fees thrown in. From the little I've seen of it it looks like groups of about 5 or 6 at a time. Sounded cheap to me but if the lessons stink whats the point.

Let me know if anyone has heard of it.

Benguk I know it has NIKE in the name so you think its great.

It might be a good deal if you have sales resistance. They may try pushing a lot of Nike equipment on the attendees.

**bethpage caddy** · 10-09-2005

Get the lessons now, 1v1, before you even touch a club.

**ironman** · 10-09-2005

Nike Learning Golf School group clases are good value. Take at least one then take some private or semi private indiv. lessons. Five of us took the "Front Nine" in August. We plan to take more.

**golfslo** · 10-09-2005

personally, I think it's better that you already did a little learning and practicing on your own prior to lessons... you haven't played long enough to turn your mistakes into bad habits yet, but have learned enough that you'll get more out of a lesson than if you'd started with no knowlege or experience. The Nike classes sound like a good next step (and are priced reasonably). After taking what you learn from those lessons out to the course for a while you can then consider some private lessons if you still want to improve. Regardless, lots of practice and a good mental attitude will take you further than lessons and good equipment IMHO... not to say lessons and equipment aren't important.