Are golf lessons a scam?

[daddymack]

I notice golf instructers love to work with you off of the mats. I have taken a few lessons that way but when I get on the course I'm still a mess.

It seems to me that the mats are more forgiving and the lie is always the same. I guess I'm saying that if you take lesson you should find some place where you can hit of the grass, right?

Also, this is about my second full year of playing. This past weekend I finally threw a club in the lake. Do you guys know anyone who has just given up trying to play? and should some people like myself who is going crazy should just hang it up?

Sorry for the rant

[token_hottie]

I am taking a series of golf lessons right now and I could not be more pleased. If you had asked 2 weeks ago, I would have probably responded differently As the lessons progress, I find I am improving and my instructor is really helping my swing. Depending on where we meet for our lessons, I have hit on both grass and mats. It doesn't seem to affect the lesson that much.

Golf is like any other sport - you have to practice and make a commitment to betterment if you expect to see any results. It takes a lot of time and sacrifice (so I hear). Unfortunately I do not get out enough to really get all that good, but I enjoy the game nonetheless.

Good luck to you,
th

[Slingblade61]

The best line I ever heard (true story) was in a bar I worked at many years ago.

The bartenders father came in one day and the bartender, after the usual plesantries, finally says, "so Dad, how's your golf game?"

"well Gary, I'll tell you" says Dad, "it's alot like masturbation, it's disgusting to watch...........but I enjoy it."

I think that part of my point is to not get too serious. Don't pitch fits, throw clubs or blame the pro. I would find a place with grass though.

Take a break but never, ever give up.

[ThatCanadianGuy]

You always want to hit off the grass as much as possible. It's only a matter of time before your lie angles are changed and you start to hit every iron shot fat if you only practice off mats.


Never quit, and give up. Sometimes in order to get ahead you have to go back. That sounds quite stupid but guess what?..it's true. In 2000 Tiger was playing some good golf. Then he decides he’s not playing good enough. He changes his swing. He kinda starts to play poor golf. By poor I mean not winning a major in 2003. Vijay takes the #1 spot away from him in 2004. Then He began to smarten up, Winning the Buick in 2005 to break his “slump”. He then goes on to win the Masters, and the Open. During all of this all he would say about his swing changes would be “It’s coming”, or “I’m close”

The point of all of that is just because you don’t immediately see results, doesn’t mean you never will. Keep at it, practice, have confidence and enjoy yourself. Life is to complicated to worry about the 6 iron you just shanked into the drink on the par 3 to break your string of pars. It’s just a game. In a months time you probably won’t even remember that. But I bet you will remember when you start to play the golf your capable of playing.

You don’t even need to go to a pro to get advice and help with your golf swing/game. Find a guy that has a low handicap, and knows a little bit about the golf swing. Ask if he is willing to show you how he gets around a golf course, and give you a few pointers/drills/tips/things to work on.

This GAME is supposed to be fun, so enjoy your self. Being on a golf course sure beats the hell out of being on the other side of the grass.

Good luck, and have fun
Sincerely,
-ThatCanadianGuy

[ezra76]

I can't really comment on the lesson part but the grass part is highly overrated. Unless you are talking about 3in. rough I hit the same shots off a mat as I do off the fairway. Personally, I would like to be able to hit my wedges off asphalt (tight lies) . Once you are striking the ball first the surface under it should not matter all that much, the ball will be gone by the time the clubhead hits ground. Now learning to adjust for sidehill/downhill lies is a different matter.

[mont86]

I believe it helped me tremendously. I wouldn't hesitate to take more.
He pointed 3 faults out right away.
1 follow through.
2 spine angle
3 slow my backswing down.

[cypressperch]

who gave lessons for which the word "scam" would be justified. I knew one head pro at a golf course who charged about twice the amount the assistant pros charged. Both assistants were clearly better instructors. Assistant pros do not get paid that much, and these were truly thankful to be making the money. They were motivated to give their utmost to see you improve which would certainly promote their teaching business. I believe the head pro must have had connections at this course because he was seldom there. When I saw him give lessons and when I heard some of his students talk of their experiences, it was obvious that he had no enthusiasm. There was a really talented young golfer that switched from the head pro to the best of the two assistants. This caused a big problem that looked like was going to cost the assistant's job, but enough members who had had their games improved through the assistant's teaching came foward in various ways that nothing happened. The head pro was one heck of a golfer, but he lacked the ability and patience to be a good instructor. There is an old saying that "those who can, do; and those who can't, teach (or coach)." I sort of agree with that, and when the thing being "done" is teaching, teachers can and others can't even if they happen to be scratch and drive it 300 yards.

Sincerely, Cypressperch

[obagain]

Very rarely do you see a bad instructor. The only way they get business is word of mouth. If they give crappy lessons, they will not have any students pretty quick.
The worst guy I ever saw was in a small town and he basically sat in a chair drinking beer and kept saying, hit another one. Never gave one piece of advise. The guy getting the lesson was somad we had to restrain him.

[Hangfire]

Take lessons, play on grass, work a patch...

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by ezra76

I can't really comment on the lesson part but the grass part is highly overrated. Unless you are talking about 3in. rough I hit the same shots off a mat as I do off the fairway. Personally, I would like to be able to hit my wedges off asphalt (tight lies) . Once you are striking the ball first the surface under it should not matter all that much, the ball will be gone by the time the clubhead hits ground. Now learning to adjust for sidehill/downhill lies is a different matter.

If you make a correct, descending strike with an iron, then the result will probably be the same whether you hit off grass or a mat.

But a mat masks errors in your swing. If you hit slightly fat from a grassy lie, the club will dig into the ground before it hits the ball. Also, if the grass is thick, it will definitely affect the spin applied to the ball. If you hit fat on a mat then the club will tend to push down and under the ball slightly and produce a much better result. And the bristles of a mat will never interfere with the spin applied to the ball.

They say the goal is to "practice like you play". That means practicing off of grass as much as possible. I think instructors like to practice off mats for two reasons:

1. It increases the chance that a player will hit a decent shot, thus increasing the player's confidence.

2. It removes a variable from the swing equation.

Personally, I think you can learn a lot from your divots, although perhaps that is more for the advanced player, or at least not the beginning player.

[captglover]

I must admit my first experience with a lesson was really disappointing... I have come back to the game after 30 years, and after four months have a 12 handicap, about the same when I left... I think I can be better now because I have more patience, and am willing to "study" more. I have read a lot about the swing in the books of some of the best instructors out there, and understood what they were trying to do.

I took a lesson (which at $70 for 3/4 hour is hard for me to afford) and I came away confused. He was an assistant instructor, with some kind of PGA credentials. He observed one thing I didn't notice, which was positive, about keeping my right knee stable in my backswing. But then he told me I needed the clubhead to move straight down a slot parallel to my feet for about 24". Instead of the clubhead moving on an arc (when looking down from above) he wanted me to stay in line with my feet for a good 18" into my backswing. I think this would create a very upright swing. But then he also told me that I needed to get my hands back (into a flat plane) at the top of my swing.

That would change the swing plane from upright to flat within the backswing!

Now, I've seen a lot of golf swings on TV and in the books, and no one makes a swing like that... and from what I've read, no one says you should change planes in the middle of a swing.

So I feel I paid a lot of money for one tip. Needless to say I don't feel I got my money's worth and I won't be back again. I used to teach another kind of movement and know that to really create good body mechanics, you have to work with how that person moves, and adapt your lesson to that person. I have also had top notch one-on-one lessons in another sport and know what that feels like.

I would love to take lessons from someone who can see what my swing is and work with me on what I have rather than trying to apply cookie cutter solutions to me. But the question is how do you find that instructor without spending a lot of cash? I may just struggle ahead on my own for now...

[warbirdlover]

I had some problems and went to the pro for a lesson (he liked my swing when he first saw it) and I had started moving my head. He had me hitting beautiful shots in five minutes! Then he told me to take the bucket of balls and go try it on the grass. No difference. Still hit them nice. I don't think it matters if you've got your swing fixed. Grass or mat it's going to work.

Oh, and this lesson cost me nothing since it was so short. Even if it would have it would have only been $25/hr. This guy is the 3rd best pro at the Racine county tournament. The guy who won it shot all 65's so you can get an idea of the level these guys play at. My teacher, George "Bob" Capoun Jr., runs George Capoun's Golf Academy (and driving range) in Kenosha Wis and he's got about the prettiest swing you'll ever see outside the PGA.

I think the really good guys are more interested in helping people then getting rich at it and I steer clear of a high lesson fee unless I've read about the guy in some golf magazine. The good teachers keep it simple and don't try to snow you with junk.

[Sgt.Hulka]

Came back to the game after about a 15yr hiatus (since high school). I decided to seek a couple of lessons. Asked my friends who played, for their recommendations. Wanted to see a few. After 3-4 lessons, found a pro who really matched my style. I need to know why I'm doing something. He's more analytical, and is very enthusiastic about the game and teaching. He has helped me tremendously. I have been playing now , for about a year.

[ezra76]

I have read a million articles but got one simple tip and drill from the Callaway fitting guy that was gold. I changed my swing (still working on it) and have stayed in the 80's with a lot of consistency since. IMO the best thing to do is take a lesson or two and work on the game piece by piece. One of the best things I ever did was to play without a driver for nearly 2 months. I learned to hit my longer irons and a whole lot about course management.

[presbtain]

My experiences in the past have been similar to yours. The instructions given did not remarkably change my game and I thought about the fact that I paid for nothing.

There are numerous ideas. Many I do not understand. Others simply do not make sense as a results of my acquired knowledge.

I have researched the golf swing and have concluded it involves executing specific pattern of motion when executed I was able to consistently power the golf ball down the middle of the middle of the fairway.

Jim Clark, R.P.T.