Instruction
6 signs that golf lessons won’t help your game
So you’re thinking about taking golf lessons, but there are many things to consider before you do. Most importantly, will lessons actually help you get better at golf?
I’m a PGA Master Professional with more than 30 years of experience, and have coached many champion golfers of all levels. It’s a beautiful thing to watch a 20-handicapper finally learn how to hit a draw, or help someone win their club championship. I also can’t express how satisfying it is to coach golfers all the way to the professional ranks and see them succeed.
Related: A PGA Master Professional’s Guide to Taking Golf Lessons
Mixed in with that magic, however, has been the realization that some golfers may not be cut out for lessons for one reason or another. Here are 6 signs lessons may not be a good idea for you… at least right now.
If you’re a self-taught, accomplished player
If you’re someone who has eschewed the lesson route — you’ve “dug it out of the dirt,” as they say — and you have built a game and swing that is acceptable to you, I would think twice about taking a professional lesson. The idea of instruction is to get better, not to get a prettier swing. I never recommend that a golfer fix what isn’t broken, especially if he or she is self taught.
You’re playing well
Even if you have worked with an instructor in the past, it’s a good idea to stay away from the lesson tee if you’re shooting the best scores of your life and your handicap is dropping like a stone. The thought, “If I’m this good on my own, how good could I be with lessons?” can be a sure fire way to lose the roll you’re on. The smart teacher here says, “Keep doing what you’re doing.” Golf is an equation; the parts in the swing have to balance. When you’re playing well, your parts are in sync.
To please someone else
If you’re trying to learn golf for any reason other than you love it, and want badly to get better at it, lessons might not be for you. Spouses who take the game up simply to please their mate often make poor students… for both the teacher AND learner.
On the other hand, if that same person is fascinated with the idea of this wonderful game, they are an absolute joy to work with and often see great improvement. Fascination has so much to do with learning anything, as I see it.
You have a big event coming up
Unless you are shanking almost every shot you hit, DO NOT seek guidance before you play in an event where your results are important to you. Inevitably, you will be thinking too much and perform worse instead of better. Even a “tune up” can confuse you at times.
You are averse to change
There’s an old story about a 40-handicapper who went for a lesson. When he arrived home, his wife asked him how he did. He said: “I’m never going back; the pro tried to change my swing.”
You don’t have time or willingness to practice
Recently I had a gal who came to me shanking almost every shot she hit. Within 45 minutes, she was hitting all her shots on the face of the club. She returned two weeks later shanking again. I asked her how much she had practiced what we worked on. She said “none.”
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If none of the six things above apply to you, you can advantage of my online swing analysis program. Send your swing to my Facebook page or email me at dennisclarkgolf@gmail.com.
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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Mike
Dec 21, 2015 at 5:11 pm
Perhaps you should consider renaming this article “Six Types of Students I Don’t Want to Teach”.
Dennis clark
Dec 21, 2015 at 10:10 pm
Actually I don’t mind teaching them. In fact at $125 an hour I can be a great listener.
James G
Dec 11, 2015 at 9:09 am
I had lessons when I was younger from a terrific teaching pro. He didn’t try to teach one swing fits all and his philosophy was that at some point you have to become your own coach. When you reach that point, it is less about instruction and more about tweaking things within your swing. I was also taught short game is the most important aspect. 120 yards and in a player needs to be deadly accurate and control the distance very well. Everyone, no matter how good, will have off days with their swing but they make up for it with very very good short games. This is what I was taught way back when and how I still approach golf today.
pete the pro
Dec 6, 2015 at 8:04 am
Excellent article by Dennis. Yes, some golfers would do best by not taking lessons. Particularly those who are naturally talented and the most direct route is by maximising on that ability without the distractions that come with coaching. The history of golf is full of players who have reached the top without going near an instructor. Everyone has missed a vital point; there is a massive difference between pro’s! Some are excellent at teaching the game, whatever your ability. Some are shockingly bad. I know, I have worked with plenty of them. We measure results in two ways – 1. Is the golfer improving or has been concepts that are destined to offer improvement? 2. Is the player having fun? Not entertainment fun, necessarily, but enjoyment and and satisfaction because he/she understands what to do. It’s made logical, simple, even. The trick is to match yourself with the correct instructor – to find the best instructor for you, how you see the game played. The best are often not the most expensive. I run a golf shop so I am neutral, but I work at a facility where even chipping is instructed so poorly by one or two pro’s, there is a guarantee the golfer WILL hit the ground before the ball. Or thin it, or top it. A few cliches for the swing and you are suddenly a golf instructor, it seems. But the golfer still pays and knows no different. Sad, but true.
cgasucks
Dec 5, 2015 at 10:53 am
If one doesn’t want to take lessons he/she should at least record his own swing on video and really take a good long look at it. The camera doesn’t lie.
pete the pro
Dec 6, 2015 at 8:19 am
A fair point, but the golfer doesn’t know what to look for once the filming has taken place. A bit like asking the hospital to take an X-ray, then they put it into an envelope and take it home with you to analyse. It’s knowing where to look which is the skill. I my experience, looking at a swing visually is not golf instruction. You HAVE to see the flight of the ball otherwise you can only teach style.
Dennis Clark
Dec 7, 2015 at 5:33 pm
C,
Actually the camera CAN lie…for example true path cannot be seen on 2D video…But it is better than not seeing it all. The problem, as someone mentioned, is knowing what to look for VIS A VIS your individual action. IOW, what is compatible and what isn’t? Often the untrained eye sees a model and compares their swing to IT…. not knowing how impact factors into the picture. If someone looked at Jim Furyk without knowing it’s Jim, they might suggest massive changes…to a guy who has won 65 million playing golf! So self analysis can be risky. A lesson from an experienced professional will start you on your INDIVIDUAL path, really the only way. Thx for reading. DC
Alex
Dec 4, 2015 at 12:51 pm
IMHO, unless you come up with the few ones who learned to play as kids and never took lessons, self-taught golfers, especially if they took up the game as adults, play bad golf.
It’s true many people play bad and refuse to take lessons for a number of reasons. I play since I was 11 and was self-taught, but in my 20’s I took up lessons with my current coach. We’ve been together for 15 years, and I drop by to have my game checked twice a year. And if I’m in a slump, I go see him.
Dennis Clark
Dec 4, 2015 at 1:13 pm
agreed Alex; stay tuned for part II
Cliff
Dec 4, 2015 at 3:06 pm
When I was a teenager I thought golf was the stupidest game on the planet! Work gave me the opportunity to pay for free twice a year so I started when I was 25. First time out one guy was making fun of me because I was hitting 3w to a 180yrd par 3. Pissed me off!
I’m 37 now and shoot low-mid 70’s. Was a decent ball striker after 4-5 years but could putt worth a damn. Anyway, there aren’t many days where I don’t touch a club. You just have to want it bad enough to put the time and effort into it.
“Every day that I missed practicing takes me one day longer to be good.” – Ben Hogan
Dennis Clark
Dec 5, 2015 at 2:07 pm
Here a classic Jack Nicklaus quote: “The next natural golfer I meet will be the first; don’t be afraid to take a lesson; I’m not”
Cliff
Dec 4, 2015 at 3:07 pm
Self taught by the way 🙂
Cliff
Dec 4, 2015 at 3:10 pm
Forgot to mention…self taught 🙂
Double Mocha Man
Dec 5, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Cliff, were you self taught by any chance?
Dennis Clark
Dec 3, 2015 at 6:05 pm
A centipede was happy quite,
until a toad, in fun,
said “which leg comes after which”?
That worked his mind to such a pitch
he laid distracted in a ditch,
considering how to run.
Double Mocha Man
Dec 4, 2015 at 11:29 am
Good one! Sometimes my game lays in a ditch. I am known among friends for using 3 to 4 different swing keys per round. Selected from among my 157,638 swing keys I’ve used over the course of my golf career. And somehow I manage a 3.5 GHIN.
Dennis Clark
Dec 4, 2015 at 1:16 pm
Mocha, 🙂
Bob
Dec 3, 2015 at 11:19 am
All good points. I always like a lesson or two in the spring coming off a winter layoff. It always seems to help and is a lot cheaper than new clubs.
marinir seo
Dec 3, 2015 at 2:49 am
Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve visited this site before but after going through a few of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m certainly pleased I stumbled upon it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back regularly!|
Dennis Clark
Dec 3, 2015 at 6:01 pm
Well welcome. Or welcome back.
Shiny
Dec 3, 2015 at 1:39 am
But that shiny new set of very expensive clubs will sure to be of help!
Steve
Dec 3, 2015 at 2:24 am
Take advice from movie “Bridge on the River Kwai” “Be happy in your Work” “Be happy in your Game”, take lessons, buy new clubs, invest in Pro V ones…just keep moving……
Andy Saunders
Dec 2, 2015 at 9:55 pm
Can’t comment for others, but I am a full 4+ months into a major swing overhaul to get rid of early extension. Gym work specific to the proper move, practice, garage net now in winter. Was a 4 cap, was at 1.5 at my personal low. Struggled with hitting repeated good shots under real pressure. For the first 6 weeks, averaged 85. After 2 months, could start to feel my body change. Finished the year 74, 74, 74, 70, 75, 74, 74. Best streak of rounds in my life, and I have a goal of the change being done(as in automatic) of late May 2016. Goal is to make my provincial amateur tourney- who knows if I will, but I’ll give it a damn good try. Wouldn’t be doing this well if not for my PGA pro…but you have to fully commit!
Tyler
Dec 2, 2015 at 9:44 pm
I’ve been a semi-serious golfer for the past 7 years. I never took a lesson, but rather I took it upon myself to learn all that I could (videos, books, articles) about the swing and put in the time to “dig it out of the dirt”. I developed a good swing and I could play very well, albeit inconsistently. In the early stages I could record myself and diagnose my flaws fairly easily. However, about 1 year ago it got to the point where I knew I could be more consistent, but I couldn’t find anything wrong in my eye with my swing so I decided to go to a pro. I chose the best pro I could find, Corey Badger in Utah, knowing that you get what you pay for. The session was only 2 hours, but it was great to pick his brain and check my swing thoughts against his. He identified a few things with my swing that I wasn’t able to see with my untrained eye. The two that really stuck with me were getting my left arm straighter at address and keeping my shoulders from rotating too soon. I have been working on both of those things for almost one year and I’m just now feeling like they’re part of my swing and it has done wonders for my consistency. I think I’ll probably go to him about once per year. That seems like a good plan. I think people that meet too regularly for lessons end up fixing too many things. Moderation in all things I guess. Let me emphasize though how valuable a lesson with a good (read expensive) pro can be even for an hour or two every year.
JP K
Dec 3, 2015 at 3:39 am
I agree with you. BTW, what does “shoulders rotating too soon” actually mean?
Scott
Dec 2, 2015 at 8:20 pm
Being over sixty and still shy I have always leaned toward reading books verse lessons (which if not good for the game does make a nice hobby because there are hundreds to thousands of golf books to collect and about 2 out of every 100 will say something similar) Two years ago or so I said I would pick out a swing and just stick with it….went to Todd Graves “Moe Norman” type swing….read book, watched dvd’s worked a little on that swing it worked enough to shoot the same scores but mostly cut back on lost balls.. Then I took a live lesson from a guy that teaches this swing and with one lesson and only one little change my game improved very noticeably…I would say if your close maybe a good teacher can put you there….(like grabbing your downswing and showing you what hitting from the inside really is and feels like, 10 more yards on the irons maybe).
Jack
Dec 3, 2015 at 11:48 pm
It’s no doubt part of the game: looking good on the golf course. You also want a picture perfect swing no matter if the ball flies straight or not.
But honestly I just recently took a lesson, and if you find a good teacher, they’ll tell you what your main flaw is (if there is one) that you didn’t think you had. I had a problem with not really rotating my shoulder (rather more just moving my arms back with my left shoulder ending up not turning past my chin. It’s a easy fix and my swing just flows more smoothly.
DatSliceDoe
Dec 2, 2015 at 4:08 pm
Great points, a lot of truth here. You have to PUT IN PRACTICE to get anything out of this game. People who think they can pay to play are dead wrong.
Dennis Clark
Dec 2, 2015 at 3:44 pm
One thing to keep in mind: You DO NOT have to get worse before you get better; in fact if you hear that I might consider another instructor. So changes take a little more time, but you should feel better impact straight away.
JR
Dec 4, 2015 at 9:36 am
I could believe that if all I ever taught were elite athletes. 90% of students cannot make a wildly different change in motor patterns in a single lesson. If I am trying to learn something new, say, hand or wrist flexion through impact. I am probably going to play pretty bad for a couple weeks while I learn a new motor pattern and timing. Saying you should feel better impact straight away is pretty bold for most people.
Brodie Hock
Dec 2, 2015 at 2:31 pm
dang….that’s me…
birdeez
Dec 2, 2015 at 1:30 pm
often people are unwilling to get worse to get better. they won’t make a change that is uncomfortable. uncomfortable leads to some bad shots, but often once this change is ingrained you’re better off because of it. too many either expect instant results. if the change doesn’t feel a little uncomfortable you probably aren’t doing anything different.
Dennis Clark
Dec 2, 2015 at 2:08 pm
True, Bird..For those uncomfortable with change, I usually start by suggesting a “change”…of mind!
vjswing
Dec 2, 2015 at 1:30 pm
How many tour pros fall into the trap of #5? I’m thinking particularly of relative young players who have not been on the big stage very long. They’ve made the progression from amateur level (collegiate play) to professional, from the mini-tours to Web.com to the PGA Tour, perhaps have even won on tour, but suddenly feel they need instruction to “take it to the next level” and allow them to compete for a major championship.
Dennis Clark
Dec 2, 2015 at 2:06 pm
VJ, Sure Bubba just should never seek swing advise! He plays by feel alone, and ere it should be!
Double Mocha Man
Dec 2, 2015 at 12:44 pm
Kudos to you Dennis! It takes balls (Titleist?) to turn down a revenue stream when you know that person can’t improve. I am impressed.
Wondering about one more category. The non-athletic who take up golf. They’ve never thrown a baseball, tossed a football, or shot a free throw. They have no sense of fluidity, little athletic strength and the concept of physicality is foreign to them. I play with that guy on occasion… good guy, attorney, conversational, good company but it’s painful to watch him swing. 🙂
Dennis Clark
Dec 2, 2015 at 2:05 pm
Mocha, I think non-athletic types can still improve but rarely on their own. There is also the way some people internalize what they hear and see. Some more athletic people seem better at emulating those on TV…
other paul
Dec 2, 2015 at 7:51 pm
I have done athletic things my entire life (hockey, baseball, martial arts), and when I took up golf I just tried to look like a pro swinging. It was a good start. I went for a lesson and the pro taught me about grip, stance, alignment. Got down to shooting in the high 80s but it hurt my back. Started reading Kelvin Miyahiras articles and back pain is gone and scores are coming down fast. Can’t wait for spring, Vgolf is definitely less fun in Canada then real golf. I recommend lessons twice a year to tune up the swing (helps if your swing instructor knows about kelvins stuff to)
JT
Dec 2, 2015 at 12:20 pm
As always, great article. There should be a definition to the term “accomplished” used in #6. I would define it as an index below 5. People like me with high single digit or double digit indexes can definitely benefit from some golf instruction, be it, full swing mechanics or just course management.
TR1PTIK
Dec 2, 2015 at 12:38 pm
I think the term “accomplished” depends on the individual and their goals. If you’re a 15-handicap and are one of the better players in your circle of friends with no aspirations to get to single digits, you might feel like an accomplished player. Another golfer could shoot in the mid or low 70’s, but has never won a tournament so they feel like they need to get better.
Dennis Clark
Dec 2, 2015 at 2:03 pm
JT, if you define accomplished on a national average, breaking 90 might the answer. If you’re group is all single digits and you’re just beating the national average, it may seem as accomplished.
Keith
Dec 2, 2015 at 12:02 pm
This is a great article, I see a lot of what I deal with in two of the points made here. #6 is exactly where I stand, I am a weekend warrior in the sense of the most I play is 3 times a week averaging about 1.5 (if you count 9 holes) I have a good looking swing with lots of speed and power and have the ability to change it and feel my mistakes but am stuck in the high 80s low 90s, I know I have the ability to get low my best round was an 80 with 2 shots keeping me from a 78 but I just can’t keep it there which brings me to point #1 I’m a broke biochemistry student who works weekends that answers most of my problems lol
EdGk
Dec 2, 2015 at 12:12 pm
Not really. Playing up to 3 times a week with a 1.5x average is a decent amount of play and is enough to be lower than a 15-17 hdcp. You should be breaking 80 occasionally. I suggest taking 20 minutes after your round and practicing one thing. (Lag putting, the driver, short irons, etc)
Keith
Dec 2, 2015 at 11:54 pm
The driver is where it all starts and ends for me, days I drive it well I get a good round in but it I hit the driver poorly look out
JJVas
Dec 2, 2015 at 11:50 am
AMEN! I’m a big believer that most people are way better off with $400 worth of lessons than they are with the shiny new driver, but sometimes you have to know when to say when. There are also a lot of young players with beautiful swings that get totally frozen on the course when they hit two shots offline. A trusted eye is a wonderful thing, but you have to be able to fix yourself on the fly… especially under the gun.
Sean
Dec 2, 2015 at 11:04 am
For #6, what would you consider “accomplished”? I’m self-taught and currently around a 15 handicap. I’m happy with my swing but my overall game could use improvement. Part of the fun of golf to me is going out on the range and grinding. Fixing something that has been going wrong by experimentation. I enjoy the practice. I find I take more from figuring it out on my own than I do from being told how I should fix it. What they say is true, you learn more from your mistakes. I can also take pride in knowing everything I did was my own work. But after every fix there is that little voice asking “was that the right fix? was that a symptom, or the cause?” Any help would be appreciated on the matter. I tend to go back and forth, debating lessons or continuing to see on my own. I would love to get to single digits and my best round ever was an 80 so I’m right on the doorstep.
EdGk
Dec 2, 2015 at 12:06 pm
Rest assured that being a 15 hdcp is not what he is referring to as accomplished. If you golf 20-30 times a year, in my opinion to be an average golfer, you’d have to be closer to a 10 or 11. 15 is not a great result for a guy who practices. You are closer to being the guy in #2. I would stop and ask myself “if I went into a lesson would i actually listen”. If you decide yes and you want to get to single digits, I recommend shopping around for an instructor that makes a point to say that he prefers to work with the swing their client brings to the lesson. There are plenty of them that take this approach and will often say so in their mission statement.. However, with that being said, once I picked the instructor, if the says you have to change your grip if you ever want to improve, I’d be all-in without any push back because there are certain things that you can’t do and be a single digit handicap. I speak from experience. Find your guy but then be all-in. I doubt you will improve from 15 hdcp at this point learning on you own.
Jafar
Dec 2, 2015 at 1:37 pm
He can still improve it will just continue to take more time as opposed to an instructor who may or may not be able to find flaws in his swing.
To me, the one thing an instructor can’t teach as well is self awareness. That can only be taught through trial and error with oneself, in my opinion.
Dennis Clark
Dec 2, 2015 at 1:58 pm
Sean,
yes, you’re correct ‘accomplished” is a relative term, but one I chose to be as comprehensive as possible. Actually “content” might be more accurate. If you feel that a 15 is as good as you are going to get at golf, Id advise you keep doing what you’re doing. But in general, I’d say a 15 is not accomplished. If I had to quantify, maybe breaking 80 is a good definition. If you enjoy self discovery, keep at it, but you might consider some guidance…
Sean
Dec 2, 2015 at 2:30 pm
Thank you all for the great feedback.
If someone knowledgeable gave advice, I’d be all ears and commit. I think a lesson could help in that regard.
I think my issue so far isn’t that I’m unwilling to listen, it’s that the trial and error has just been fun for me so far but I did not realize how detrimental it was to my progress. I figured hard practice would always help but I guess if I’m not addressing any real issues, or the “right” issue, it isn’t as impactful as it could be.
I’d say I hit the range/putting green a couple times a week but only get out to the course maybe 10-20 times a year, which also could be my issue. Hitting off perfect lies and range conditions all the time may be hurting.
Great food for thought, thanks again everyone!
redneckrooster
Dec 2, 2015 at 11:01 am
Many start by playing with friends and think lessons are too expensive.
It would be nice to see some free clinics now and then to bring in those who might start playing if they only new some basics . I’m competitive and playing my brothers is what got me going, got to a 5 handicap and have been ill for about 18 months and my game has suffered. It’s like starting over , I need to make it simple and get a few lessons to get back in the groove because I feel I have lost the touch and feel of the game. There is a PGA qualified instructor near by and I’m going to get back into playing shape. This article has spawned me to get-r-done.
Tom
Dec 2, 2015 at 12:07 pm
Geterrr done my friend.
Dennis Clark
Dec 2, 2015 at 1:59 pm
good idea, might remind you of what you used to do when you were playing well.
pete the pro
Dec 6, 2015 at 8:40 am
It’s not fair and resonable that the golf instructor give his skills away for free. My dentist, doctor, taxi driver, etc. don’t seem to work for free. It rarely brings in new golfers – it brings in golfers who see an opportunity to save money. Free is a golf lesson on u-tube – it’s full of them. Good instruction need not be expensive – save money by getting a group of friends together for your own clinic. Be fair to the golf instructor too – he/she is often struggling to make a living.
Dennis clark
Dec 2, 2015 at 10:26 am
Glad it helped.
Philip
Dec 2, 2015 at 10:20 am
Great points – see them often around the course and within myself
#6 – I’m a self-taught, semi-accomplished player – but I often go for lessons when I get in a rut or am taking too long to grasp something. I am guilty of #5 often and especially #4 which cost me a very strong chance to win my division at my club championship this year, as well as damage my chances in prior years. I already made a decision earlier this week to slow things down and just start having fun next season and progress with changes very gradually. Points #4 and #2 do not apply to me and #1 is the opposite of my approach. So as long as I can keep #4 and #5 in check I should be good next season – I am going to print this article and look at it whenever I feel the need to tweak to keep things in perspective.