Get a Lesson

[ezra76]

Don't procrastinate, just do it

I've been playing over 4years now and up until yesterday, no lessons. I got one, pro is changing a lot of things and it's working already. After just 200 range balls using the "new" swing I shot 86 with a bunch of bad shots. I chunked a GW and shanked a 9iron but also flagged a 6iron from 182. Misses are getting better already, shots are straighter and distances getting more consistant.

I am a reforming club ho. If you are thinking of spending more money on equipment and not breaking 90 every round and 80 every once in a while, think twice. I was the same way, stubborn about getting a lesson. No piece of equipment could ever equal what I felt today. When this "new" swing is on... I can fire at the stick with every club in the bag. I'll be playing the same stuff as I have now next spring. I'll be spending $7-800 on lessons this offseason instead.

Trust me, this game is so much better when you are hitting shots dead at your target time after time. I waited way too long to make the commitment,. Forget that new driver, irons that just came out or wedge you "must have", call a pro and schedule a lesson, you just may find the old clubs work OK when something resembling a golf swing is hitting them. Best decision I ever made, all I want to do is hit more balls and get this thing grooved now.

[nickshep7]

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=114886

 

Right there with you...

 

I could really use a new set of irons (i'm playing cobra oversized from 2002), but I decided to shell out $275 for 4 sessions with a PGA pro. For some reason, I feel like I'm going to get more out of these sessions than I would out of a set of MP-60's (but man I still want em). :russian_roulette:

[63Brummie]

Here here ezra76, I couldn't agree more.

To quote the great Lee Trevino "it aint the arrow, it's the Indian".

Stay committed and on the short grass and may all you putts be tap ins63Brummie :russian_roulette: .

[t8er]

I agree. I'm going to be selling a Cameron or two from my collection to pay for a trip down to Louisville to see Brian Manzella in the spring.

[Milo]

I might agree with you but, just to let the devil's advocate off the leash, and in case some people fancy the idea of self-help, I won't.

Apart from bashing balls around Cruden Bay for two months in the summer of '82 I started playing in December 2005 with a bet that I could teach myself to shoot low eighties within 12 months. I was pretty sure I could do it but also certain (at the time) that once the 12 months were up I would take some lessons.

As it turns out I have not had any lessons yet and am pretty sure I never will. When you are teaching yourself - and taking the process seriously - all you have is trial and error. Even if you copy swings you see on ESPN you still have to go out and put them to the test.

In the course of experimentation by hitting thousands upon thousands of balls I have come across every shot in the book, often by pure accident. I know how to hit all of them. I'm not saying my execution is always right but it's not that bad either.

As an exercise I played 9 holes today by alternating draws and fades for every single shot and went round in 1 over. Not only is teaching yourself immense fun it also works. Every week I see guys and girls tying themselves in knots trying to carry out the unnatural swing mechanics teachers have given them. Worse than the fact that they do not break 100, the whole process seems one of painful indoctrination rather than the pleasure of using their God-given coordination to make the ball go where we imagine it should.

If you don't fancy lessons; don't be pushed into it. Swing free and let it all hang out. Man.

[Konakid67]

I totally agree with you on lessons. I have been playing since I was 8, (took lessons for years)and am now 40 used to be scratch or under. I actually took 6 years off from playing as I got burned out. I recently started playing again this summer and hitting golf balls at the range I had a few rounds where I should have been under par. The point is once you find a sound swing that works for you, it just kind of sticks with you for the rest of of your golf playing days, you just start to fine tune what works and what feels right.

You make a good point about clubs and such as everyone is always looking for that magic club. I just recently went to a 460 driver, when I quite I was hitting a old Lynx (I think under 300cc) boom boom x stiff . I hit that club over 300 on a good drive, I even took out my old persimon driver with a x stiff graphite shafted driver and hit it 280 with roll. It is not always the clubs.

Kevin

[ezra76]

I might agree with you but, just to let the devil's advocate off the leash, and in case some people fancy the idea of self-help, I won't.

Apart from bashing balls around Cruden Bay for two months in the summer of '82 I started playing in December 2005 with a bet that I could teach myself to shoot low eighties within 12 months. I was pretty sure I could do it but also certain (at the time) that once the 12 months were up I would take some lessons.

As it turns out I have not had any lessons yet and am pretty sure I never will. When you are teaching yourself - and taking the process seriously - all you have is trial and error. Even if you copy swings you see on ESPN you still have to go out and put them to the test.

In the course of experimentation by hitting thousands upon thousands of balls I have come across every shot in the book, often by pure accident. I know how to hit all of them. I'm not saying my execution is always right but it's not that bad either.

As an exercise I played 9 holes today by alternating draws and fades for every single shot and went round in 1 over. Not only is teaching yourself immense fun it also works. Every week I see guys and girls tying themselves in knots trying to carry out the unnatural swing mechanics teachers have given them. Worse than the fact that they do not break 100, the whole process seems one of painful indoctrination rather than the pleasure of using their God-given coordination to make the ball go where we imagine it should.

If you don't fancy lessons; don't be pushed into it. Swing free and let it all hang out. Man.

 

I did the same thing. I am actually still a 9cap. Problem is I'm as likely to shoot 97 as 77. I'm now getting the face square at the top a lot more often and hitting it dead straight. It's a big difference when I don't have to worry about hitting a fade or draw, heck I teed off with a 5Wood on 3 holes I'd have thought I needed more distance yesterday. Piped all 3 dead up the middle in perfect position and parred all 3 holes. I was stuck with horrible inconsistency, blowing up and shooting high 40's on a side, coming back and breaking 40 on the back, not really knowing what I was doing right or wrong. At the range I'd be tweaking this or that, all these little adjustments and then trying to remember them when I played. Having someone tell you "this is what you need to do" , a concrete plan to work on, that helps me immensely.

[mcbush25]

I used to be one of these people who would change clubs if something wasn't going good with my game. Now I have finally gotten to the point in my game to where I know it isn't my clubs that are throwing my game off it is my swing. I am happy with my clubs, but now if I make a bad shot instead of getting frustrated with my clubs I get frustrated with my swing. I have accomplished alot mroe in the past few months by working on my swing instead of changing clubs.

[nyhacker]

I think the key is to find the RIGHT teacher, one who will work with what you have and not try to create a completely new swing that doesn't suite you. When I ws playing in competitions I went to a pro that was recommended to try and take my game to the next level and hopefully play in college. That guy screwed up my swing so badly that it took about a year to get the feel of my swing back. I naturally take a lond swing because my flexibility allows my shoulder to make a big turn. This guy tried to get me to swing with the 3/4 backswing Butch approach. It simply never worked as it destroyed my tempo and feel. I could not swing, I felt like a robot trying to get into the "correct" position at the top. I think if I had a teacher who didn't try to reinvent the wheel and just gave my some help to make MY swing better it would have been far superior.

[Konakid67]

I think the key is to find the RIGHT teacher, one who will work with what you have and not try to create a completely new swing that doesn't suite you. When I ws playing in competitions I went to a pro that was recommended to try and take my game to the next level and hopefully play in college. That guy screwed up my swing so badly that it took about a year to get the feel of my swing back. I naturally take a lond swing because my flexibility allows my shoulder to make a big turn. This guy tried to get me to swing with the 3/4 backswing Butch approach. It simply never worked as it destroyed my tempo and feel. I could not swing, I felt like a robot trying to get into the "correct" position at the top. I think if I had a teacher who didn't try to reinvent the wheel and just gave my some help to make MY swing better it would have been far superior.

Great point but I think your situation was a bit different then the guy that is self taught playing 4 years. You were were trying to fine tune your swing as you were trying to get the next level. As far as someone that has never had a lesson they are good just so you can get a better perspective of basic fundementals.

Kevin

[rosskoss]

You don't necessarily need a lesson.

 

You just need to be less of a club ho and practise correctly and diligently. (know the game and use a video camera to analyze your swing)