Golf lessons.... more screwed up now than ever!

[Mina]

Got back from my first real lesson today. The instructor took us thru the basics of grips, stances, how to feel balanced, how to address the ball, and swinging. I signed up with my mom for the women's class, so it was about 10 of us total. I started out hitting the ball fairly well, making good contact and getting most of my shots flying straight. Then the instructor came my way and started pushing and prodding me into a better stance and reworking my swing. Turns out I have the tendency to move my hips too much, causing my upper body to turn too much, resulting in my hands leading the clubface a lot and causing slicing or mis-hits. Now, I'm trying to keep a more steady body, but it is completely wrecking my ability to hit the ball!! For about 20 balls, I just kept topping them with a 7 iron, and that is usually a good club for me. Grr. I'm really messed up now!

[Asleep]

That's the way it's supposed to happen. Keep doing what the pro tells you to do and keep taking lessons. You'll end up with a better swing.

 

 

 

Either that or there's a big conspiracy by teaching pros where they keep you screwed up so you have to take lessons. :drinks:

[sergizmo]

It usually takes a little while (read; a few hundred balls) for a substantial change to take hold. No need to panic, it will improve.

 

As a side note, get a private lesson so the focus is 100% on you. Also, make sure you trust the pro. This is very important. If you don't think a certain pro will help your swing then he/she won't. Find another one if this is the case.

 

Good luck

[Placebo]

As a side note, get a private lesson so the focus is 100% on you. Also, make sure you trust the pro. This is very important. If you don't think a certain pro will help your swing then he/she won't. Find another one if this is the case.

This is the first thing I thought of as well. Great advice here.

 

My only other thought was if your anything like me, when the instructor started pointing out your flaws you started focusing on them. Usually what happens at that point for me is now that I am focusing on soemthing new I lose focus of something else. Usually I find this to be not keeping my head down. I get so focused on what was just pointed out to me that I forget the basic, "keep your head down" and proceed to top the next half dozen balls. This still happens to me to this day, it is an ongoing battle to keep reminding myself of the basics.

[Aimee]

I had a lesson the other day, as well...if you have a swing flaw, changing it takes quite a while to feel comfortable. Instructors can see all your "moving parts", often making changes to mechanics will throw one part off until it becomes ingrained as a "new swing". Don't get frustrated, it's supposed to get worse before it gets better, you are trying to "un-do" your bad habits which feel "natural" to you.

[Mina]

Personal lessons would be a good idea. I'll do that for my next step up after I finish these group sessions. I went out to the driving range with my parents this afternoon. There was a slight improvement. Less topped balls and more hits, but it still feels awkward. I know it will take me some time to gradually develop muscle memory and get better at it. I often see some folks with fairly odd looking swings, but they still manage to hit the ball well and get good shots. Like one guy a few stalls down had a swing where it looked like he chopped at the ball. He never took a full backswing, but his shots were very good. Go figure. Oh well, a few hundred more balls here and there and I'll eventually get the hang of it.

[themouth1]

It sounds like you are fairly new to golf. If that is the case, the instructor may be giving you more information than you need. I would get to an instructor that is used to teaching new players. They will work on the fundamentals and not get so technical. I prefer a teacher that gives me swing thoughts and feels as opposed to technical jargon. They will most likely work on grip, posture, stance and alignment first. Without these things being solid, it is almost impossible to play good golf. Good luck!!!

[sergizmo]

Personal lessons would be a good idea. I'll do that for my next step up after I finish these group sessions. I went out to the driving range with my parents this afternoon. There was a slight improvement. Less topped balls and more hits, but it still feels awkward. I know it will take me some time to gradually develop muscle memory and get better at it. I often see some folks with fairly odd looking swings, but they still manage to hit the ball well and get good shots. Like one guy a few stalls down had a swing where it looked like he chopped at the ball. He never took a full backswing, but his shots were very good. Go figure. Oh well, a few hundred more balls here and there and I'll eventually get the hang of it.

 

If you want to see some ugly swings that work well check out the Champions (senior) tour. In particular Allen Doyle who has a VERY short swing (both back and down), and Jim Thorpe who has the ugliest follow through in the universe.

 

The most important thing is what your swing looks like at impact.

[Rabidpenguin45]

An individual lesson really is the way to go. i have taken group ones, and they just move on down the line giving you a pointer here and there. I really havent gotten much out of group lessons. Except extra range time.

[Mina]

Yes, I am very much a novice to golf. My father got me started last summer. I didn't touch the clubs all winter and resumed swinging again in April.

 

I don't really mind the group lessons for now. In some evil sense, it makes me feel better about myself when I see the other students constantly whiff or mis-hit the ball But I agree that I would benefit more if a pro was constantly watching me. I have no plans to be a pro-level golfer, so I'm in no hurry to get "really good" asap. I like to watch other golfers, read informative books and magazines, and watch videos to try and teach myself and see if I can understand and apply those tips.

 

While my long game has suffered as a result of body position changes due to instruction, my short game as improved. My chipping and approach shots have gotten significantly more accurate and I top the ball a lot less (though I still top the ball often when driving or using a long iron). I also learned how to hit out of bunkers and rough more effectively. Putting still remains a dreaded part of the game, but I am learning how to read the green better. I feel that lessons can only give you so much, but experience accounts for so much more.

[Boba]

Two things I always try to remember:

 

1) if it feels comfortable, you are doing it wrong.

 

2) it takes at least 12 lessons before you are ready to turn pro.

 

Have patience & trust your pro. When you are used to swinging with bad mechanics from bad positions, swinging from good positions with good mechanics will feel very wierd & often wrong. Stick with it, it gets better with practice.

[Aimee]

Mina, you are making great progress. You will ultimately score better if you have a good short game. If you hit your approach shot onto the green and get close to the hole, you give yourself more opportunities to 1 or 2 putt. Putting, as you noted, is something that comes with time/practice. Continue with the group lessons, practice the rest of the summer. Try to find a driving range with heaters for the winter so you can keep working on your swing, you'll be amazed how quickly you'll improve if you keep working on it all year.

[Mina]

Thanks Aimee. I think I've come a long way since this spring. I remember the first time I ever played on a course. It was horrible. I had only been to the driving range a few times and my father decided the best way to learn was baptism by fire and so scheduled 9 holes for us. The only club I could hit decently with was a 7 iron and only if I teed it up, so I made my way thru 9 holes by playing best ball with my father and teeing it up on the fairways But I had fun and am still playing now.

 

A question about wedges: How much different does a degree in loft make? I browsed some wedges on-line and and in stores and found them varying from 50 to 60 degrees give or take. My current set-up consists of a driver (almost never use), 3 and 5 woods (mostly drive with the 3), irons 3 thru 9, a sand wedge, and putter. I can hit about 50-60 yards with the sand wedge on a good hit, and almost 90 yards with my 9 iron. I seem to have a gap between the two clubs that I try to fill by simply hitting the 9 a bit softer, but that usually results in my chunking the club into the turf or topping the ball.

[Asleep]

You need a pitching wedge PW to fill that gap. Try to find a matching PW to your current irons, or...

 

Your sand wedge should be around 56 degrees in loft and your 9-iron will be ~41 degrees in loft, so something 46-50 degrees will do (closer to 46 if possible.)

[Aimee]

You'll probably find a PW around 46 degrees will work for you. Many people advocate having all your wedges be the same style/brand, since they are all about "feel" and short shots, so it's easier to get some consistency. I think it's a good idea to find a PW which looks and feels similar to you as your SW. Usually when you buy a set of irons it includes the PW, so it usually matches the 9-iron more...but you'll know what feels "right" when you swing it.

Cleveland makes nice wedges and you can find reasonable prices by looking for them used. You just need a club which still has good, deep grooves in the face. If the grip is worn, that's no more than $8 or so to replace. The 588 series is the older model, plenty of them out there on Ebay and such, you can probably get one for $30.

[Mina]

Thanks for the advice. I visited the 2nd Swing shop and bought a used pitching wedge for $6! They had some other brand name wedges, but for $6, I couldn't pass it up, especially being in very good condition and all. I figure I'll spend more on clubs after I get more lessons. With all the chunking into the dirt and shanking I'm doing, I'll destroy my current club set in no time.

 

I am also looking into getting a new stand bag since my current one finally broke and the legs don't automatically retract anymore. I noticed there are these hugely massive bags called "staff bags". Also massive are the cart bags, and then the smaller stand bags. Do people actually walk around with those huge staff bags? They look big enough to fit me inside! Probably made for golf carts I assume. Anyways, I saw a nice Ogio bag I really liked at a Sports Authority. I think it is the Grom. Has a neat little ball and tee holder and all that.

[Aimee]

Staff bag is like carrying a suitcase, too big, too heavy, nobody carries them (except professional caddys). Cart bag is (as you said) intended to put on a pull/push cart or back of golf cart. You can carry them in a pinch, but the stand bags are designed better to carry, they are lighter and balanced differently, plus the double shoulder strap helps your shoulders and back. Ogio makes a nice bag.

[Mina]

I went and bought an Ogio Grom bag. Very nice bag with lotsa little pockets and hidaway spaces. Wasn't cheap, but I figure it should last me for years to come. Ogio also has this weird "Schling" system that replaces the usual backpack straps with some solid frame that fits over the shoulders. I didn't find it very comfy and it was quite expensive to boot - $250!

 

Today I spent some time at the local mini-golf putt-putt place. I figured it would benefit me to start learning how to putt seriously on a nice even surface so it wouldn't be as frustrating. Can't say if today's outing really helped, but I think I developed a better sense of judging distance and how much a given amout of power will propel the ball. I do have decent skill at putting the ball up the clown's tongue and into his mouth and getting a hole in one :help: not that it would help me in real putting.

[Simp]

Mina, you're gonna love that Ogio Grom. I bought the Ogio Flight with the Schling and it takes some getting used to but it's (IMO) way better than the straps that come on most bags. But even without the Schling, the Ogio bags are very nice bags. Simp

[jcjr34]

Mina, one thing you can do that has worked for me is practice putting at home on your carpet (assuming that you don't have all hardwood or super plush carpets at home) when you can't get out the the 'putt-put' place. Distance control is IMO the most crucial aspect in putting and you can pretty much practice this all year around.

Pick a point on your carpet away from the wall to hit to and put a ball 1', 3', 5' etc away from this point.. and try to hit the ball as close to that spot as you can without going too far over or under. Good luck!

[steph1964]

I started a year ago and used an old set of clubs until I knew I'd stick with it. In December I got new clubs. The only thing I've changed is my driver..the 14 degree club that came with my set wasn't doing it for me. I also recently found out my putter is WAY too long. I can't decide if I want to get it cut down or just get a new one.

 

Good luck and keep having fun. Stick with your lessons...private ones are best. I know I love playing and I even like practice. I am on my second set of 10 lessons and it makes such a huge difference. Today we worked on my shoulder turn and finish. Last time we worked on position and set-up. All those fundamentals are so good to revisit regularly.