Home Forum Links Directory Get your product reviewed Golf Shoes Pro Shop Arcade
Go Back   Shot Talk - Golf Forum > Golf Discussion > Shot Talk
Register Gallery FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
 
iTrader: (0)
#1 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 03:11 AM
charnockpro's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 647
charnockpro is on a distinguished road
Self taught or lessons and if so how many have you taken and who from?

Reading a few posts i was wondering who on here is self taught and who goes to see their local professional.

I have had about 12 lessons in my lifetime 6 from George Tomlinson the old ex assistant from Hesketh GC Southport and 6 from Adrian Fryer at Drivetime in Warrington.
__________________
golfpro233.blogspot.com visit my blog and tell me what you think
Reply With Quote
 
iTrader: (0)
#2 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 04:44 AM
Sandpiper3's Avatar
Golf Course Designer
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 4,897
Images: 2
Sandpiper3 is on a distinguished road
I've had probly 8-12 lessons in my lifetime, for the most part self taught. When I got down to a 5 I went for a few lessons with a local guy, then basically relearned the basics and went back off on my own.

Get tips and such from random ppl so often, but basically 95% self taught.
__________________
Driver: Titleist 905R 10.5* Grafalloy Proto NT-Comp
3 Wood: Taylormade r7 TP HFS 15* Matrix XCon-7
5 Wood: Taylormade r7 st TP 18* TT TX-90
2i-pw: Taylormade Rac TP Combos
54*,60*: Titleist Vokey Spin Milled
Putter: Scotty Cameron Pro Platinum Newport 2
Reply With Quote
 
iTrader: (0)
#3 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 06:57 AM
papperlapub's Avatar
Swedish Golfer
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 133
papperlapub is on a distinguished road
I started playing when i was 9, now i'm 26. I guess i've had between 50-120 lessons.

Don't know for sure though...
Reply With Quote
 
iTrader: (7)
#4 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 07:10 AM
Eracer's Avatar
RIP Bravo...
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 11,631
Images: 3
Eracer is on a distinguished road
I've had about 20 formal lessons. Most of what I've learned about the swing is through osmosis - books, magazines, The Golf Channel, watching tournaments, this place.
__________________
"I also got a lot of looks when I said the baby smelled like the inside of Home Depot."
- R35

HiBore XL 10.5º w/ProLaunch Red
Mizuno F50 4-wood w/OEM graphite
Baffler 3/R w/Nippon NS950Pro
Baffler 4/R w/Nippon NS950Pro
Baffler 5/R w/Nippon NS950Pro
MacGregor MT 5-PW w/Nippon NS950GH
Vokey SM 54-10 (bent to 52-08)
Vokey SM 58-12 (bent to 56-10)

Guerin-Rife 2-Bar Hybrid Blade
Reply With Quote
 
iTrader: (0)
#5 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 09:30 AM
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 385
BrandonM7 is on a distinguished road
2 lessons from the local pro (Brandon Oldham, Overlook Golf Links,) and I have 2 more to take. Everything else has been from books and such. I also got lots of "pointers" from the guy I started playing with, who can't let you take a swing without telling you something you did wrong. So I guess that probably cancels out the 2 lessons, leaving me with just book knowledge
Reply With Quote
 
iTrader: (0)
#6 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 09:47 AM
ualtim's Avatar
Orlando, FL
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,874
Images: 108
ualtim is on a distinguished road
Self taught. I went to a clinic at the local golf course last year just to check it out and probably got about 20 mins or so during the course of an hour of the assistant golf pro looking at my swing and making a few minor adjustments.

When I started to take golf seriously, I went to a range 3 to 4 times a week for a six week period and really built my swing. Since then, the only adjustments I have made are after readining the Penick books, Golf my Way by Nicklaus, and Hogan's 5 lessons. Short game wise, I learned a few tricks from Pelz's Short Game Bible.

The most important aspect of my game is a slow take away. Any time I speed up the take away something bad will happen. Sometimes it takes a range session or two to get myself back into the correct tempo, but even out on the course if I can just get myself to slow down the take away my ball stiking improves. The hard part is just recognizing that I have sped up the take away.
__________________
Crooked Cat + Crooked Driver = Crooked numbers on the card.

Taylor Made R5 TP 9.5*, Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board S83 Stiff aka "Rodney"
Wishon 949MC 16.5* 4W, Aerotech Steel Fiber SS75 Stiff
Bobby Jones H3-21*, H4-25*. Graphite Design JS-7 Stiff
Ping i10 5-PW, UW, SW, LW, Z-Z65 Stiff, WRX Custom TS Grind PW-LW .
Rife 2 Bar Black Mallet. 33" 150g TLP back weight.

-----------------------------------
John "Bravo" Bretz 1955-2008
-----------------------------------
Reply With Quote
 
iTrader: (0)
#7 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 10:24 AM
SiberianDVM's Avatar
not just for dinner
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 6,037
SiberianDVM is on a distinguished road
3 lessons from Alex McNeil, the former owner of the range I go to. He was also a former PGA tour player, worked for Hogan, and was a former college golf coach. He's retired now.

2 lessons from Micah Hicks, when he was at Jones Creek. I liked him and would have taken more lessons, but new owners came in, and he moved to Houndslake in Aiken, which is private. He played college golf for Furman.

I would like to take some more lessons, 1 every 3 months or so, but I can't find anyone I think knows WTF they are talking about, so I stick with my books, my videos, my Tour Tempo player, and rarely the video camera.
__________________
Cobra X Speed Pro S 10.5° Speeder
Tour Edge Exotics CB1 15° UST ProForce V2
Nickent 3DX Ironwood DC 17°,20° UST ProForce V2
Mizuno MX-11 4-PW, Bang 52°&60°, SKFiber
Never Compromise Voodoo
Maxfli Tour Fire

Low Tournament score: 79
Tournament Wins: 7
Current USGA Index: -7.4
Augusta, GA

Do you know the difference between a BMW and a porcupine? The porcupine has its' pricks on the outside.
Reply With Quote
 
iTrader: (0)
#8 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 10:24 AM
warbirdlover's Avatar
Ender of all threads
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 10,159
warbirdlover is on a distinguished road
I was "self taught" for the first 10 years (40 years playing total). I really bombed the ball (two fairways over ) and really sucked.

Then a former college (scratch) golfer "fixed" numerous flaws in my swing. (He was a salesman for a heat treat company we used and would take me out frequently on some of the finest courses around and must have felt compelled to help my game). It was humbling as my scores shot up before settling back down and going lower. Much of what he taught me is now called "stack and tilt" but that seems to work for my old body.

I then "tweaked" some of these tips over the years and a couple years ago started occassionally going to a very good local pro (one of the best golfers in Wisconsin) who hardly changed anything, only pointed out what I didn't consistently do that led to shanks etc. He said my basic swing was "sound". Very informative.

Then last fall I bought the "four magic moves" lesson package to try to get more distance and most that was in it was bulls**t. But it did get me more lag and some distance after I "tweaked" some of that info.

Then (finally) our old buddy "Razor" pointed out my "dancing feet". That was the final flaw to fix. I no longer have "Elvis legs" and I'm hitting the ball better then I ever have in my life. But I won't put up a video since I can't take any more criticism of my swing...

But I do know my swing VERY well after all of this and even though I can't make myself do it right all the time I know what the cause is on a bad shot.
__________________
What's In the Bag
Ping G10 10.5º w/ reg TFC 129D
Maltby KE4 3-wood 14º w/ stiff BB Solutions 130
Nickent 3DX DC Ironwood 20º & 23º w/ stiff NVS Hybrid
Ping S59 3-PW w/ stiff Nippon PRO 950GH
Titleist Vokey Spin Milled 56º wedge
Ping i-Series Anser 35"
Ogio Atlas Golf Bag
TaylorMade Tour Red ball

Location: southeastern Wisconsin
Low 18: 79 (four times)
Low 9: 36
Hdcp: 10.5
Aces: 1

Last edited by warbirdlover; 05-30-2008 at 10:35 AM..
Reply With Quote
 
iTrader: (0)
#9 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 12:50 PM
degen gambler
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 32
kelvinsense is on a distinguished road
I'm a new golfer, 18, and have been going to the range / putting green / chipping green for about two weeks or so.

I've also had two lessons with a great pro near me who is PGA certified, etc.

I'll have to say that reading Ben Hogan's five fundamentals helped me a lot with my stance, posture, grip, etc. Maybe this is why my coach hasn't gone through that as much as other little tweaks that he saw wrong on my swing. My second lesson was introductory to chipping and I've been practicing on the chipping green for a bit.

I'd say a mixture of both wouldn't be bad. During my first lesson he complimented me on good things that I was doing right, but noticed some things I did wrong that I never noticed / no book would have fixed. (my posture was too straight up, not a slanted back). I think there are things you can pick up well enough from books, reading, etc. and that a pro can help refine/tweak your swing. Plus my coach had some drills , practice tools that helped me get a feel for different things. (impact bags, swinging around a broom/a rope (so that you're swinging, not hitting). Good experiences with both so far.
__________________
under construction
Reply With Quote
 
iTrader: (0)
#10 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 01:00 PM
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,046
Images: 1
King Par is an unknown quantity at this point
I've taken two last year. I played for around 6-7 years and was self taught up until then.
Reply With Quote
 
iTrader: (2)
#11 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 02:11 PM
SilverUberXeno's Avatar
El Tigre Blanco
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,143
SilverUberXeno is on a distinguished road
Self-taught, and I read books. I'm very analytical and pretty aware of myself. I watch golf tournaments on TV to see what the guys are doing with their swings. I'll watch a swing vision 20 times.

Honestly, a ten year old could give me lessons, because this is really all I want...

"Am I doing whateverIamquestioningabout?"

5yrOld: "Yes/No."

"Okay."

I've read enough to know how to swing a golf club. The inconsistency comes when I make a bad shot but don't get to see what I did wrong.
__________________
W I T B ?
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
GEEK DCT : 9*
TEE Exotics CB1 15*
TM Rescue TP 19*
Wishon 555 C/M 4-PW
Wishon CX Micro 52, 56, 60*
Never Compromise: Milled #6

Bridgestone B330
Reply With Quote
 
iTrader: (0)
#12 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 02:28 PM
slickpitt's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 595
slickpitt is on a distinguished road
I took a lesson when I was 18(30 now) to get some basic fundamentals down. Like grab, stance, etc. Other than that my swing is self taught. I did take a lesson on short game, chipping and pitching last year... but I don't really count that as "swing".
__________________
Handicap: 11
Bag:
Driver - Cally FT-5 Tour w/Aldila VS Proto 80
Driver - Tour Burner 9.5
3 Wood - Cally FT w/Fuji E160
3 Hybrid - Cally FT 21* w/Fuji
4 Hybrid - Taylor Made Burner
Irons(5-P) - Titleist AP2
Wedge - Callaway X-Tour 50
Wedge - Vokey SM 54.10
Wedge - Vokey SM 58.08

Wedge - Nakashima 60*
Putter - Ping i-Series Piper H
Ping Bag

=
Reply With Quote
 
iTrader: (0)
#13 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 02:32 PM
DaGris's Avatar
Bears fan in Georgia
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 484
DaGris is on a distinguished road
never had a lesson. one of my buddies shots on the 70's, I just kinda listen to him alittle.
__________________
Just trying to get in the hole........

I have one "Hole in One"...and it was beautiful.

Breaking 90 is not a problem...but it seems like I'll never break 80
Reply With Quote
 
iTrader: (0)
#14 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 03:27 PM
goatster's Avatar
Honeywagon Hacker
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,079
goatster is on a distinguished road
never had any lessons was gonna take some last yr but bought a new truck instead.

have thought about going to the clinic our course has 2 times a month.not sure if its started yet.
__________________
TS Renagade 9* Black Avenger Stiff the FT-3 has been added to a friends bag so the decision is made for me.
TM R7TP 13* Diamana Red Board 73g
TM Mid Rescue 2 16*

TM Mid Rescue 3 19*
Callaway X-18 5-p
TM RAC Chrome 50*/6
TM RAC Black 54*
Nike Chromed Forged 58*
Odyssey White Hot Rossie
Reply With Quote
 
iTrader: (0)
#15 (permalink)  
Old 05-30-2008, 03:49 PM
dave.'s Avatar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 5,438
Images: 1
dave. is on a distinguished road
Self taught using Hogans Fundamentals (surprise surprise)

But I like lessons and have one a month, I've probably had about 30 in total
__________________
-------------------------------------
J33 Nippon 950GH
R510TP Speeder 757 S
Geek DCT 15*
Reid Lockhart 52, 56, 60
Rife Barbados
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:09 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.2.0 RC8
Copyright © 2004 -2008 shottalk.com