How a lesson should go?!

[TheSlicedLife]

Hello peoples,

Just wanted to ask how a lesson should go down and what you guys would take away from one?
I recently had my first lesson but came away from it confused and left wanting, lesson went
fine but felt more casual like a mate coaching you or giving tips.
I hit balls as per the norm, the swing was filmed and i got to watch it and boy was it
cringe worthy but there were flaws that even I as a noob and an avid
youtube problem solver could see but weren't discussed.

I'm not sure if the instructor just wanted to keep it simply and just wanted to identify one issue
and work on that before any other problems were to be addressed. The lesson was just revolved
around that 1 single issue, at the end I asked if it was due to posture, set up, take away etc etc but
the focus was just to resolve that single issue?
So I left thinking was that the only issue? Was the rest of the swing fundamentally ok?
So I'm not quite sure on lesson's anymore or if that is how they are suppose to go down?

Are instructors there to give you nibbles of the carrot that's dangling and it becomes your job to
address and resolve the issue by self assessment and self learning?

Cheers guys, rant over.

[highballin]

Did you discuss what your aspirations were and how much time you have to practice?

[Hatchman]

Sounds like there was lack of discussion before commencement of the lesson on what your expectation was and what sort a format the instructor would take.
For you to go away more confused is not good go for you and hardly good for the instructor in getting repeat business.

[TheNuclearOne]

Truly good instructors often pick one or two core issues which usually solve other things going on as well. You'll have to work out if he is real deal or a dud. Also an instructor can't really give you 7 or 8 things to work on, it's just too much and will drive you silly.

[oldracer]

What was the one issue he had you working on? And did he give you " homework"

[Progolfgear]

As asked by highballin, did you have a chat before doing anything to work out what you actually wanted to get out of the lesson(s)?

I was always an advocate for keeping it simple, someone who I knew I would see again I would rarely work on more than a single 'fix'. Of course I would always get the occasional person through who seemed to be after a one lesson miracle, I might give them a second thing to work on but explain why I am not trying to deal with 10 faults in one lesson.

Keep in mind, golf swings and golf coaches are all different, you could see 10 different coaches and each will have an opinion on what you should be working on first, all 10 could be different!

Just always remember, posture and alignment have a huge influence on what your swing actually does, so if you see a coach who is trying to sort either, it's probably best to sort it out!

[Johnny Canuck]

Truly good instructors often pick one or two core issues which usually solve other things going on as well. You'll have to work out if he is real deal or a dud. Also an instructor can't really give you 7 or 8 things to work on, it's just too much and will drive you silly.

This is spot on.

I've had a couple lessons in the past few years and a few weeks after it actually triggered that he got me to do one thing and it corrected something else.


It sounds like the OP has a lot of things that require fixing. You can only do a few at a time at most; you don't need an 8 point long checklist to go through before every swing.

I had a lesson when I was playing off 2. Even at that level, we covered one main thing and he told me that when I had that nailed, we'd work on the next thing.

[goughy]

Did you discuss what your aspirations were and how much time you have to practice?

I like this.

In the years past I've had lessons from 3 different pros. The first one was the most successful for me, and made a quick difference to my golf. He made some easy to replicate, very minor changes bit by bit, plus one I guess major change and some visual cues. I had a few lessons plus went to some weekly clinics of his..... then he moved to like Alice Springs.

The other two, one was ok, but the other tried to completely deconstruct and reconstruct my stroke. Was just way too much in one hit. You're paying a lot of money for this, if you're not happy with them just change. It is a little bit like a relationship, not every pairing will bare fruit.

[Kaniss]

I had a similar feeling after my first lesson. I got completely out of whack and played some of the worse games I've ever played. 3-4 lessons later and actually practicing the advice, I am playing the best Golf I have ever played. My first lesson was focusing on changing my grip and that was it nothing else. It was hard to adjust but now it's easy.

Just stick with it and give it a chance, you will not get some magical change that will make you play better after 1 lesson. Listen and take the advice on board and go practice it.

[olddogmike]

I had a similar feeling after my first lesson. I got completely out of whack and played some of the worse games I've ever played. 3-4 lessons later and actually practicing the advice, I am playing the best Golf I have ever played. My first lesson was focusing on changing my grip and that was it nothing else. It was hard to adjust but now it's easy.

Just stick with it and give it a chance, you will not get some magical change that will make you play better after 1 lesson. Listen and take the advice on board and go practice it.

Is your driver going good now?

[wizard_of_oz]

Hello peoples, Just wanted to ask how a lesson should go down and what you guys would take away from one?I recently had my first lesson but came away from it confused and left wanting, lesson went fine but felt more casual like a mate coaching you or giving tips.I hit balls as per the norm, the swing was filmed and i got to watch it and boy was it cringe worthy but there were flaws that even I as a noob and an avid youtube problem solver could see but weren't discussed.I'm not sure if the instructor just wanted to keep it simply and just wanted to identify one issueand work on that before any other problems were to be addressed. The lesson was just revolved around that 1 single issue, at the end I asked if it was due to posture, set up, take away etc etc but the focus was just to resolve that single issue? So I left thinking was that the only issue? Was the rest of the swing fundamentally ok?So I'm not quite sure on lesson's anymore or if that is how they are suppose to go down?Are instructors there to give you nibbles of the carrot that's dangling and it becomes your job to address and resolve the issue by self assessment and self learning? Cheers guys, rant over.

So what was the one issue he identified and what did he get you to do to fix it?

[TheSlicedLife]

Some very interesting reading guys thanks for all the replies and questions on the topic.
In regards to the question of what I wanted out of the lesson, what I aspired to and
how much practice I did it was just brief as people were also arriving for their lesson after mine
and I pretty much understood that he was under the pump.
The lesson was only 30 minutes and I fully understand that 1 lesson miracles don't exist
but I really wanted to know was that all the weaknesses I saw in my swing and things that
I need to work on were also seen and would be repeated back to me as an acknowledgement
that I'm no touring pro and we had much to fix and this is where we'll be starting.

No homework just the idea that once that was corrected as everyone else was stating it will also
help in other areas of the swing, as for posture and alignment these were not discussed. I took
a swing an issue was pointed out one that most probably need to be addressed first before others
and by the time i knew it my lesson was over and it was onto the next person.
Get them in bang'em out kinda like a supermarket feel. Who knows maybe I'm just being soft
and expected more passion for passing on the craft and the student guess I'll just have to
harden up.

Cheers guys I'll let you know if and when I go back for a second shot how it goes.

[Johnny Canuck]

Some very interesting reading guys thanks for all the replies and questions on the topic.
In regards to the question of what I wanted out of the lesson, what I aspired to and
how much practice I did it was just brief as people were also arriving for their lesson after mine
and I pretty much understood that he was under the pump.
The lesson was only 30 minutes and I fully understand that 1 lesson miracles don't exist
but I really wanted to know was that all the weaknesses I saw in my swing and things that
I need to work on were also seen and would be repeated back to me as an acknowledgement
that I'm no touring pro and we had much to fix and this is where we'll be starting.

No homework just the idea that once that was corrected as everyone else was stating it will also
help in other areas of the swing, as for posture and alignment these were not discussed. I took
a swing an issue was pointed out one that most probably need to be addressed first before others
and by the time i knew it my lesson was over and it was onto the next person.
Get them in bang'em out kinda like a supermarket feel. Who knows maybe I'm just being soft
and expected more passion for passing on the craft and the student guess I'll just have to
harden up.

Cheers guys I'll let you know if and when I go back for a second shot how it goes.

I always chat to my guy beforehand, just to make sure we are on the same page.

Your guy will fix the biggest things first and go from there.

Good luck.

[oldracer]

Half hour is a waste of time for the exact reasons you have mentioned.....unless it's a refresher to earlier lessons, sometimes a quick chat and a few swings will get you back on track

[PerryGroves]

Does anyone starting out or off 20 plus ever have a putting/chipping lesson?

Unless you are a gumby most people can make reasonable contact. I play occasionally with punters who are decent strikers but who have appalling short games and seem to wonder why they don't improve (myself included at a different level).

Case in point was my mate yesterday, he's off 20, got it off the tee better than the 3 single figure markers but misses 25 foot putts by 10 feet.

[Kaniss]

Is your driver going good now?

Getting there Mike, still spraying it here and there but slowly working it out. I just have to find time to practice it more. I'm building an outdoor cage in my new house now so I can practice anytime I want.

[mrbluu]

Does anyone starting out or off 20 plus ever have a putting/chipping lesson?

Unless you are a gumby most people can make reasonable contact. I play occasionally with punters who are decent strikers but who have appalling short games and seem to wonder why they don't improve (myself included at a different level).

Case in point was my mate yesterday, he's off 20, got it off the tee better than the 3 single figure markers but misses 25 foot putts by 10 feet.

Yep so much this ^

[wizard_of_oz]

Some very interesting reading guys thanks for all the replies and questions on the topic.
In regards to the question of what I wanted out of the lesson, what I aspired to and
how much practice I did it was just brief as people were also arriving for their lesson after mine
and I pretty much understood that he was under the pump.
The lesson was only 30 minutes and I fully understand that 1 lesson miracles don't exist
but I really wanted to know was that all the weaknesses I saw in my swing and things that
I need to work on were also seen and would be repeated back to me as an acknowledgement
that I'm no touring pro and we had much to fix and this is where we'll be starting.

No homework just the idea that once that was corrected as everyone else was stating it will also
help in other areas of the swing, as for posture and alignment these were not discussed. I took
a swing an issue was pointed out one that most probably need to be addressed first before others
and by the time i knew it my lesson was over and it was onto the next person.
Get them in bang'em out kinda like a supermarket feel. Who knows maybe I'm just being soft
and expected more passion for passing on the craft and the student guess I'll just have to
harden up.

Cheers guys I'll let you know if and when I go back for a second shot how it goes.

Tell him what you want out of the lesson the next time you go back. No one can read your mind about how you prefer a lesson to go, and your preference may be different from everyone else. In your mind, you think that a coach should point out ALL the weaknesses in your swing the first lesson. Another person might get that treatment and think to themselves "f%$k me. My swing is so crap, listen to all the flaws that I've got! May as well give up golf before I even try". To get a coach which is on the same page as you on the first try is not always that simple. I'd suggest doing blocks of an hour, every 2-3 weeks if you want to get anything out of your lessons.

[Feelzy]

Does anyone starting out or off 20 plus ever have a putting/chipping lesson?

Unless you are a gumby most people can make reasonable contact. I play occasionally with punters who are decent strikers but who have appalling short games and seem to wonder why they don't improve (myself included at a different level).

Case in point was my mate yesterday, he's off 20, got it off the tee better than the 3 single figure markers but misses 25 foot putts by 10 feet.

I haven't had any lessons yet. Suppose it shows as I still haven't broke 100 yet though reached 103 a month ago.

But my short game, I've picked up tips watching The Golf Fix and I'm able to implement basic things well and I'd say my weakness is more hitting the fairway consistently off the tee on top of second shots which currently are more my mid-game rather than short.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[TheSlicedLife]

Tell him what you want out of the lesson the next time you go back. No one can read your mind about how you prefer a lesson to go, and your preference may be different from everyone else. In your mind, you think that a coach should point out ALL the weaknesses in your swing the first lesson. Another person might get that treatment and think to themselves "f%$k me. My swing is so crap, listen to all the flaws that I've got! May as well give up golf before I even try". To get a coach which is on the same page as you on the first try is not always that simple. I'd suggest doing blocks of an hour, every 2-3 weeks if you want to get anything out of your lessons.

Thanks for the thought process Wizard, your totally right in say that for a beginner getting their initial
lesson it should not be so harsh as many would not be able to handle the criticism and I guess this is where
I should tell him what I'm wanting and communicate more instead of silently expecting my coach to be
a mind reader .
I'm also wondering about lesson time, is 30 minutes really not enough time to deliver a quality
lesson? Or to communicate whats been observed and what will now need to be worked on?
I mean I will be scheduling the next lesson for an hour the next visit as I want more time to
have things explained and have the time to communicate what I'm feeling with the changes being made
and focused on.

Also is it over kill to go back on a weekly basis?
Thanks guys again I appreciate all the feed back.

[Hatchman]

Thanks for the thought process Wizard, your totally right in say that for a beginner getting their initial
lesson it should not be so harsh as many would not be able to handle the criticism and I guess this is where
I should tell him what I'm wanting and communicate more instead of silently expecting my coach to be
a mind reader .
I'm also wondering about lesson time, is 30 minutes really not enough time to deliver a quality
lesson? Or to communicate whats been observed and what will now need to be worked on?
I mean I will be scheduling the next lesson for an hour the next visit as I want more time to
have things explained and have the time to communicate what I'm feeling with the changes being made
and focused on.

Also is it over kill to go back on a weekly basis?
Thanks guys again I appreciate all the feed back.

Yes, once a week is too frequent. Fortnightly at the most or once a month. You need time to work on the things your trying to change.
Any lesson is a waste of time if your not putting in the time in between.
30mins is a health check for a better swing, 1 hour is a lesson IMHO.

[oldracer]

Does anyone starting out or off 20 plus ever have a putting/chipping lesson?

Unless you are a gumby most people can make reasonable contact. I play occasionally with punters who are decent strikers but who have appalling short games and seem to wonder why they don't improve (myself included at a different level).

Case in point was my mate yesterday, he's off 20, got it off the tee better than the 3 single figure markers but misses 25 foot putts by 10 feet.

PG, I would think your mate is the exception, I have practised mt short game adnausiam to make up for my deficiencies off the tee and I would suspect most 20 markers cannot get a second shot off the tee 60% of the time, probably 70-80% actually. I really think first things first, get a swing to get you in play.

[TheSlicedLife]

Hi all, just to continue and keep you guys updated with how the lessons have been going
I can say that all the fears I had in the initial post was all for nothing. Its pretty much as
you guys were saying I was going back to quickly and not letting myself learn what was
being worked on at the lesson, so I've given it 2-3 weeks between lessons and so far everything
has been working out well.
Problems that we identified have been pointed out and been given drills to feel and aid with
correct movements, talking before the lesson to let the instructor know how the progress is going
and what new issues might be creeping into the swing.

Basically for the people who have never gotten a lesson and might be thinking of
getting instruction DO IT!
It's the best thing to help you improve just get over the fear and get away from self diagnosing
your issues from youtube and go and speak to a pro and just stick with it as nothing comes quickly
in this game of golf.
Cheers guys.

[shanksalot]

when I have a lesson I get a pencil and paper and WRITE IT DOWN.
The drills.
The Problem
The fix
and the feeling In my own words when I do the correct movement.
shove it in my bag for range and on course practice

[LarryLong]

Does anyone starting out or off 20 plus ever have a putting/chipping lesson?

Unless you are a gumby most people can make reasonable contact. I play occasionally with punters who are decent strikers but who have appalling short games and seem to wonder why they don't improve (myself included at a different level).

Case in point was my mate yesterday, he's off 20, got it off the tee better than the 3 single figure markers but misses 25 foot putts by 10 feet.

I might be your mate's evil twin. I play with plenty of blokes at my level swing-wise who can get near the green in regulation most times, myself included. The guys with good short games are off high singles, and the guys with crap short games, myself included, are over 15. If I ever had a lesson, which is highly unlikely, I would definitely choose short game over full swing. You can save so many shots by getting up and down regularly, as evidenced by the hoard of 150m bunter old blokes who still play off better handicaps than I do.