Lessons

[Grunt]

Off to Homebush for a lesson. Plan is to work out where I am at and see what ca nbe fixed short term and what needs work long term. $60/ half hour. What does everyone else pay? The above lessons involve video analysis and access to web for 7 days after lesson.

[Jarro]

seems a bit expensive Grant, compared to some of the other prices around. I got a quote from the Gary Edwin scholl and they wanted $100/hour which i thought was pretty rich.

.. anyway, what does it matter ... if you get the results it'll be money well spent.

Good luck :)

[Jono]

$400 for series of 10 lessons with my club pro. He uses video too and I save it on my computer. Allows me to track my progress.

Great thing about series of lessons is that he actually remembers what we've been working on and we can both work towards long term improvement. And because he is the club pro, we play occasional rounds together and he gives me feedback ... sort of like free playing lesson. 8)

Good luck with the lesson, Grant.

[3oneday]

Putting lesson is it ????

:lol:

[Jarro]

Putting lesson is it ????

:lol:

maybe the 2 of you could get a discount if you went along together :p

[3oneday]

maybe the 2 of you could get a discount if you went along together :pget back to chipping ya flog....

[amanda]

Grant - Dennise Hutton at Barton Park - $48/half hr - video analysis if you need it - but no access to the web (though I'm not sure how that helps). She does respond to emails though.

Nice and close to the M5 too.

[AndyP]

Is this thread about chipping off the grass in the backyard?

[Grunt]

Well back from 1st lesson and it looks to have been pretty sucessful. I got the prices wrong. The price was 50/ Half hour. I Did not get the video and web thing. Hit about 60 balls I think, at the end of the lesson I was hitting 5 iron draws pretty regularly. Learnt something too, it does not matter how fast your swing is! He actually told me that when I slowed my swing down it made my faults worse. He then said hit is as hard as you feel comfortable with. Drill at the moment is to try and hit it right. It is resulting in great draws! :) He also told me that for the time being do not hit anything longer than a 5 iron with the drills. I start with a 7-8 iron and do not progress up wards until i have hit a solid draw with that club. He also said that I may have benn getting closer to getting my swing right myself but it would have produced bad results, I told him it had already.

[Andrew]

He also told me that for the time being do not hit anything longer than a 5 iron with the drills.

I think it is best if you don't hit anything longer than a 5 iron until Saturday 29th.

I mean, you want to be sure. ;)

[Jarro]

of course you only have Grants best interests at heart don't you Andrew ;)

[Fishman Dan]

Grant - who did you see? I had lessons from Darius there and was pleased with what came from it. He had me doing drills with the 5-iron too.

Darius has midweek rates for mid-day times (to 3pm i think?). If you manage to get there during his cheaper times you'll save money.

[Grunt]

Yeah Dan I was seeing Darius, thanks for the tip off. He did not mention any discounts other than the 6 for 250.

[Grunt]

Off for another lesson of sorts today, playing a round @ Macarthur Grange, with my best mate the Pro from Botany Golf Club. He has offered to video my swing for me so I will have one to put on here later today. Also it will be good to see if the changes I have made at last nights lesson stick for today's hit. Fingerrs Crossed

[Matt 3 Jab]

Best of luck grunt, hope all goes well. Hit those draws nice and day!

[Jono]

Good luck, Grant. 8)

[jaster]

Speed of the swing does matter, I have seen plenty of people who swing far too fast on the way back causing their tempo and timing to be way off. Take a look at the PGA tour and while you see a heap of different swings but you will see the tempo is pretty constant between them all. If anything it is slower than normal not faster. Hitting harder at impact does not mean swinging back faster at takeaway.

[Fishman Dan]

Don't get disillusioned if it doesn't all fall into place today Grant, you've got to let it settle it. Remember - if it feels all wrong, you're probably doing it right.

After seeing Darius i've got a couple of shot-types that mean i know what i'm doing wrong, so if you screw up a couple of shots stick with it. Just remember to relax and put into practice what you have been showed with the impact bag etc.

[Grunt]

Off for another lesson tonight, hopefully just a fine tune as the swing feels really good at the moment. Ball striking has never been so pure. After the lesson I will hit the range for a session to do what ever my pro teaches me tonight.

Got to get it right, Matchplay semi tomorrow @ Penrith.[-o<

[Grunt]

Last nights lesson went really well, last week was all about getting the body turn on the back swing right and last night we tied that with the correct amount of wrist action. I had been getting the wrist bit right on the backswing but on downswing they were not catching up fast enough so that on most occasions I had been hitting the ball with an open clubface.
I got it all together last night and was hitting the ball further and most of all Straighter. Darius told me that if I could get it all in the muscle memory my handicap will start to go back in the right direction :p
Booked another lesson for next week, will have to pay for a package soon though too good a deal to lose out on.
Is one lesson a week too much? I have heard people say one every 2 weeks is the right combo.

[miro]

Grant,

I don't think how often you have lessons is the most important thing -its actually how often you practice what you have been taught. If you are practicing a couple of times a week then a lesson every week or two is fine. If you don;t practice during the week then a lesson a month might be better.

[Toolish]

I normally stick to 3 weeks as a minimum between lessons. I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to the swing (not that you would know it looking at the result) so I like to make sure it is all ok and locked in before the next lesson.

That said it has been about 4 months since I had a lesson I think...overdue for sure!

[Jono]

Grant,

Did the pro use video during the last lesson?

IMO, use of the video is a must. There is really no excuse for not using it these days. Sure, some pros can spot things at full speed, but they can see much more when slowed down on video. Furthermore, they can show the student what he is doing and what he should be doing. The video files can be stored in a computer for comparison and monitoring progress.

Anyway, sounds like you are making great progress. If you feel that you are practising enough between lessons and feel you have fully digested what he has taught you, lesson once a week is OK, IMO. I'd probably opt for 2 to 3 weekly lessons though ...

[Grunt]

Well the lessons must be working, had a good game today and lost .4 off the handicap :)

[Jarro]

well done Grant

[McMw]

Drill at the moment is to try and hit it right.

does that mean hit it right (direction) or hit it right (properly)???

if it's the direction - that's a great tip for anyone!!! :smt002

[Grunt]

does that mean hit it right (direction) or hit it right (properly)???

if it's the direction - that's a great tip for anyone!!! :smt002

What I meant to say was to stop the out to in swing, to swing a little to the right of the target.

[Grunt]

Went for another lesson last night

Darius asked me where my game needed work this week in my opinion. I was honest and said that the improvments in my game lately had me still missing greens due to the ball going in a draw path or straight instead of the old gay fade/slice. So we worked on pitching, when I miss greens I most time don't get up & down so if I get that bit right the scores should really start to tumble.
Well we went out to the chipping area @ Homebush and started bt me hitting some for him. He noted that I was too flat with my swing, therefore I was getting the heel to strike the ground and close the clubface therefore either hitting skull like shots and as an effect of those shots I lost confidence in hitting the ground. That in tern made pitching real tough as the common fault there was skulled shots.
30 minutes later a new pitching swing was built and I was hitting it confidently all I need to work on now is the judgement on how hard to hit the shot to get the ball to go the right distance. Time will tell if I take this new swing out on the course or I forget it and play the old hackers game.

By the way I guess I should have done this earlier but I can see genuine improvment in my game since the lessons started and I think the weekly option is the right one for me.

[JustGolf]

Guys
Thought you might be interested. We run a 7 day live in Golf School for $995. ($895 for Ozgolf members) It includes pretty much everything. Perfect for the keen golfer. You can find out more here. http://www.justgolf.com.au/play_better_golf.php
Cheers

[3oneday]

Hey, a new sponsor, how cool 8)

;)

[terryand]

:smt039

[Fishman Dan]

Am i right if i read that you get to hone your skills on a full length, 9 hole golf course?

[Grunt]

What is wrong with a 9 hole course, if it was 3 hole and had one of each par wouldn't it be ok for lessons?

[Ducky]

Three hole golf courses are great. That way when you get thirsty half way through the round it's not far from the clubhouse.

[Grunt]

Well back on topic I have another lesson booked for tomorrow

[3oneday]

Well back on topic I have another lesson booked for tomorrowthat's nice....

However, I thought golf was not happening, or something was wrong that was preventing your enjoyment ?????

[Matt 3 Jab]

Maybe you have grunt confused with me lol

[JustGolf]

Guys
FYI, we have 2 x 9 hole courses. 1 is a Pitch and Putt or Par 3 course. the other is a full length (as in regular course) nine hole course with Par 3's 4's and 5's. the later is the better one of the 2 and is Excellent for practising your game. We also play a top quality 18 hole course each day. all this equals GOLF, GOLF and More Golf

[Grunt]

Lessons must have worked lost .8 in the past 2 days :p

[Toolish]

Nice work Grunt!!!

[AndyP]

Grunt, I wouldn't use the handicap drop as an indicator of whether the lessons are working or not yet.

The question is, are you hitting it better than you have been and do you think you will consistently be able to do so?

[Jarro]

I was trying to book a lesson yesterday, only to find out the guy who i really want to have lessons with is going on 5 weeks holidays :(

[3oneday]

I was trying to book a lesson yesterday, only to find out the guy who i really want to have lessons with is going on 5 weeks holidays :(destiny or fate, ie.... you're probably just destined to stay a crap golfer !!!

:lol:

[Iain]

I was trying to book a lesson yesterday, only to find out the guy who i really want to have lessons with is going on 5 weeks holidays :(

Who was it??

[Grunt]

Grunt, I wouldn't use the handicap drop as an indicator of whether the lessons are working or not yet.

The question is, are you hitting it better than you have been and do you think you will consistently be able to do so?

Hitting it better, more consistently and most of all playing smarter and the results have not shown that in recent rounds but the past 2 days it all has come together.

[terryand]

Playing smarter because you had a lesson :smt017

[Grunt]

Well hitting the ball better has me not trying to hit the cover off it to recover from the poor options in the past. The playing smarter is not because of the lessons, but more to do with the confidence that I have that I can get out of the bad positions with minimal damage to the scorecard. In the past the bad hole turned into 5 or 6 bad holes.
Well heres hoping it will continue today, off to play in the Bridgestone Battle @ Macarthurt Grange off the plates.

[terryand]

You can still play smart golf when you are hitting and swinging it crap.

Terry.

[Fishman Dan]

You can still play smart golf when you are hitting and swinging it crap.

Terry.

I find it helps to leave the clubs in the boot and head straight to the TAB.

[Courty]

You can still play smart golf when you are hitting and swinging it crap.

Terry.

You're spot on, Tez. It's probably the most important time to be playing smart.

[terryand]

You're spot on, Tez. It's probably the most important time to be playing smart.

Geez I gotta the way I hit it most of the time :oops:

Terry.

[Jarro]

Who was it??

Gary

[Iain]

Gary

Gary Edwin??

[Jarro]

Gary Edwin??

No.

Gary from the pro-shop at Nudgee G.C.

[Grunt]

Well off for another lesson, today am going to work on what is causing the hooks that seem to be common off the tee nowadays.
I think I am actually closing the clubface too early now, but I will leave that up to the Pro to work out and rectify for me.

[Grunt]

Yesterday's lesson went really well. Darius is happy he has got the hitting with a open club face out of my swing and is now working on getting the tilt out of the top of my backswing. It is causing me to drop the club and swing out to in still. Worked on some exercises that should help get it out of my swing. Funny thing was I could do it really well with no ball in front of me but once there was a ball there the old swing was back. Will have to get used to hitting it left instead of right for a little while ;)
See how I go today @ Ashlar, Darius told me that it could be very ugly, with the changes he made last night probably not settling in but not to fall back into the old swing.

[Toolish]

working on getting the tilt out of the top of my backswing.

Are you tilting to your left or right at the top?

[Grunt]

Are you tilting to your left or right at the top?
Upper Body is tilting back.

[Toolish]

Back, as in away from target...and he wants you to stop that? Says tilt away from target at the top is causing you to come over the top...I would have thought it would have helped come inside? I better get the thinking cap on!

[Grunt]

Sorry I got it all mixed up my hips go back so as to tilt my spine forward.

[Toolish]

Ahhh, that makes sense now!!

Did he give any drills or anything like that to get rid of it?

[Grunt]

Well the lessons are working well, not 100% sure but I think I am equal to my lowest handicap ever 19.4. Closest to losing the burglar tag of getting 2 shots on a hole :). Tomorrow will be the test, I don't want to only spend 1 day without a 2 in my handicap :)