OT: Golf lessons- any value?

[Chin Diesel]

One other thing I would have a new golfer do as they start playing.....

Have them learn to hit a club 150 yards. Probably a 6 or 7 iron or a hybrid. Hit that off the tee and get the ball in play. Hit the second shot with same club. That gets you wihin 100 yards of the hole. Hit a chip up around green and two-putt. Take your 5 or maybe a 6 but learn about getting ball in play off the tee. Learn to hit your second shot towards the pin. Learn a partial shot. And then you putt.

Eventually get better and learn to hit 175 off the tee and 150-175 on second shot. That gives you a shorter chip/pitch towards the green. Probably much more enjoyable than topping tee shots 20 yards with a big driver or hooking or slicing in to deep rough, under trees, into hazards or OB. Learn how to get ball in play and progress towards the hole with every shot.

 

[NJHusky]

Sometimes being an athlete does matter.

Jayson Tatum took up golf with the NBA shut down. Swing speed is 118 MPH.

"In a video Boisvert posted to Instagram, he claimed that Tatum hit a “bunt driver” 315 yards. Boisvert said Tatum has already eclipsed the average swing speed of PGA tour players: about 114 MPH.

“He makes half swings at 118 MPH,” Boisvert said. “But with a wingspan and the physics of it, he’s got a very, very long lever to create speed for him. So it doesn’t even look like he’s swinging and he’s swinging 118 MPH. So he’s well ahead of (the PGA Tour average) without even really going at it.”

For reference, a swing speed of 118 MPH off the tee would have ranked 38th among PGA Tour players during 2019. When he opens up the throttle a little bit more, Tatum can swing his club at a velocity even some of the PGA’s longest hitters don’t touch. Boisvert said that when he asked Tatum to hit one a little harder, he swung the club 125 MPH. That’s faster than Bubba Watson ever swung his driver throughout the 2019 season, according to the PGA Tour’s website. Tatum, like so many other golfers, needs to harness his swing, develop better tempo and consistency, and iron out what can be an overly inside-out swing plane. Still, he can already smack the ball when he gets a hold of it."

Having great hand eye coordination and a long lever obviously helps but the key line IMO is "when he gets a hold of it". The guys on tour have that swing speed and hit the center of the driver almost every time.

 

[formerlurker]

Looked at the video. How does this help more than swinging a club?

The weight of the Orange ball at the end as well as the flexibility of the shaft force you to keep your hands in front of the club head to get that "whip" action at the bottom of your swing. Again, I used this to break myself from a lifetime of baseball muscle memory. At the time, I had no clue what a good golf swing felt like or how to duplicate it when I hit the ball well. This helped me a lot with that.

Still can't chip worth a damn!

 

[NJHusky]

The weight of the Orange ball at the end as well as the flexibility of the shaft force you to keep your hands in front of the club head to get that "whip" action at the bottom of your swing. Again, I used this to break myself from a lifetime of baseball muscle memory. At the time, I had no clue what a good golf swing felt like or how to duplicate it when I hit the ball well. This helped me a lot with that.

Still can't chip worth a damn!

Thx for the info.....I think hockey players have a much easier transition to a golf swing than baseball players.

 

[tentoes4rings]

Thx for the info.....I think hockey players have a much easier transition to a golf swing than baseball players.

Pitchers seem to adapt pretty easily, maybe because they don’t hit often. Smoltz for example is a phenomenal golfer.

 

[formerlurker]

Thx for the info.....I think hockey players have a much easier transition to a golf swing than baseball players.

I've got a buddy who played hockey his whole life and he picked the golf swing up almost immediately. It's ugly looking but he makes great contact and crushes the ball for a guy his size (maybe 5'8" 165lbs).

 

[uconnfan68]

I've got a buddy who played hockey his whole life and he picked the golf swing up almost immediately. It's ugly looking but he makes great contact and crushes the ball for a guy his size (maybe 5'8" 165lbs).

^^^ this... it's usually an ugly swing that goes pretty far. They are definitely competitors too.

 

[Conndog]

I am going to contact a local pro for lessons. I'll see if they do video of swing, it would be useful to see.
Goals are #1- improve consistency, which maybe involves getting swing fixed for its problems. Certainly will look at grip, stance, basic sequence, etc.
Goal #2- more distance/power if possible, not crucial but why not? I think I need to learn how to use leg power. I think my swing is primarily arms which is why I swing so hard but don't get results I think I should.

 

[uconnfan68]

I am going to contact a local pro for lessons. I'll see if they do video of swing, it would be useful to see.
Goals are #1- improve consistency, which maybe involves getting swing fixed for its problems. Certainly will look at grip, stance, basic sequence, etc.
Goal #2- more distance/power if possible, not crucial but why not? I think I need to learn how to use leg power. I think my swing is primarily arms which is why I swing so hard but don't get results I think I should.

Almost all use video now. Places that do club fitting will give you reams of info about the quality of your swing.
In my opinion, learning the basics (grip, stance, ball placement, and correct swing keys) from someone that can correct you during the lesson is critical. I read a book or two about the basics before I took lessons, but obviously the lessons helped more than the books. Good luck.

 

[NJHusky]

I am going to contact a local pro for lessons. I'll see if they do video of swing, it would be useful to see.
Goals are #1- improve consistency, which maybe involves getting swing fixed for its problems. Certainly will look at grip, stance, basic sequence, etc.
Goal #2- more distance/power if possible, not crucial but why not? I think I need to learn how to use leg power. I think my swing is primarily arms which is why I swing so hard but don't get results I think I should.

Smart move. It wasn't until my 3rd lesson that we started working on lower body at all. when you start using your legs you will notice a big difference. For me, it also minimized hitting behind the ball

 

[Caronimo]

Forget about hitting it far, play from appropriate tee box. Practice putting and chipping. Most people get destroyed around the green. Lessons are always good, as long as the instructor is competent.

I agree with this. I started out the year scoring 86 and 82 and now find myself 5-10 strokes worse. Driver and irons inconsistent but if you can chip and putt there is no way you can't play bogey golf or close to it.

 

[Chin Diesel]

So, yesterday I took my first lesson in 3-4 years.
Just haven't been able to hit driver off the tee with any consistency. High flares one hole, snap hooks the next. An occasional 100 yard topper.
Worst of it was I didn't know what parts of the swing were off- set up, grip, back swing, whatever.
So, did a 30 min lesson. Pro used the alignment sticks, gave me a target and had me address the ball. Said my stance was good, ball positioning good and grip was good.
After two swings, both of which were high faded flares, he stopped me and had me take the club back to the top of my back swing. He repositioned my wrists because I was overrating in my attempt to get club parallel to the ground. Had me unhinge and stop at about 1030-1100 position. I hit a few good drives and could definitely feel a difference in what I was doing on top of my swing (you can't see what your doing because it's behind your ear). That was good.
After a few more swings and still some inconsistency, he gave me some hints on clearing my hips to better allow my trail hand to release through the impact zone. Results got better again.
Final piece of advice was a bit more forward press on my lead arm at address.
Four pieces of advice in 30 minutes all of which I could see or feel differently than what I had been doing.

1. More forward press at address.
2. Don't overhinge wrist at top of backswing
3. Clear hips
4. Release trail arm through strike zone.

End result is about what I want- 245-260 yards and about a 1/3-1/2 fairway cut. With a bit more confidence I can get swing speed up a bit more and get to 260-270.

Going back this morning for a follow up to see how good the muscle memory was from yesterday.

All in all felt good. We didn't do any video, I'm not worried about launch angle, spin rate or other stuff.

 

[Greathusky]

So, yesterday I took my first lesson in 3-4 years.
Just haven't been able to hit driver off the tee with any consistency. High flares one hole, snap hooks the next. An occasional 100 yard topper.
Worst of it was I didn't know what parts of the swing were off- set up, grip, back swing, whatever.
So, did a 30 min lesson. Pro used the alignment sticks, gave me a target and had me address the ball. Said my stance was good, ball positioning good and grip was good.
After two swings, both of which were high faded flares, he stopped me and had me take the club back to the top of my back swing. He repositioned my wrists because I was overrating in my attempt to get club parallel to the ground. Had me unhinge and stop at about 1030-1100 position. I hit a few good drives and could definitely feel a difference in what I was doing on top of my swing (you can't see what your doing because it's behind your ear). That was good.
After a few more swings and still some inconsistency, he gave me some hints on clearing my hips to better allow my trail hand to release through the impact zone. Results got better again.
Final piece of advice was a bit more forward press on my lead arm at address.
Four pieces of advice in 30 minutes all of which I could see or feel differently than what I had been doing.

1. More forward press at address.
2. Don't overhinge wrist at top of backswing
3. Clear hips
4. Release trail arm through strike zone.

End result is about what I want- 245-260 yards and about a 1/3-1/2 fairway cut. With a bit more confidence I can get swing speed up a bit more and get to 260-270.

Going back this morning for a follow up to see how good the muscle memory was from yesterday.

All in all felt good. We didn't do any video, I'm not worried about launch angle, spin rate or other stuff.

I am looking to take some lessons next year after my shoulder surgery is done in November.

Who is the pro?

 

[Chin Diesel]

I am looking to take some lessons next year after my shoulder surgery is done in November.

Who is the pro?

I'm in far western panhandle of Florida. Not sure if you want to travel that far for a lesson. If you do, let me know.

 

[Chin Diesel]

So, yesterday I took my first lesson in 3-4 years.
Just haven't been able to hit driver off the tee with any consistency. High flares one hole, snap hooks the next. An occasional 100 yard topper.
Worst of it was I didn't know what parts of the swing were off- set up, grip, back swing, whatever.
So, did a 30 min lesson. Pro used the alignment sticks, gave me a target and had me address the ball. Said my stance was good, ball positioning good and grip was good.
After two swings, both of which were high faded flares, he stopped me and had me take the club back to the top of my back swing. He repositioned my wrists because I was overrating in my attempt to get club parallel to the ground. Had me unhinge and stop at about 1030-1100 position. I hit a few good drives and could definitely feel a difference in what I was doing on top of my swing (you can't see what your doing because it's behind your ear). That was good.
After a few more swings and still some inconsistency, he gave me some hints on clearing my hips to better allow my trail hand to release through the impact zone. Results got better again.
Final piece of advice was a bit more forward press on my lead arm at address.
Four pieces of advice in 30 minutes all of which I could see or feel differently than what I had been doing.

1. More forward press at address.
2. Don't overhinge wrist at top of backswing
3. Clear hips
4. Release trail arm through strike zone.

End result is about what I want- 245-260 yards and about a 1/3-1/2 fairway cut. With a bit more confidence I can get swing speed up a bit more and get to 260-270.

Going back this morning for a follow up to see how good the muscle memory was from yesterday.

All in all felt good. We didn't do any video, I'm not worried about launch angle, spin rate or other stuff.

So, had round 2 lesson Saturday morning. Wanted to see what I retained and also wanted to double down on getting muscle memory with new parts of swing. Lesson went well. Towards end we worked on my driving iron and some pitch shots.

Played in a mini tourney Saturday afternoon at local country club. A friend who is a member is moving so he hosted a going away tourney.
I consider myself a 12 handicapper and shot an 84. Happy for a few reasons. Went first 13 holes on shooting 4 or 5. Drives were okay. Wasn't getting distance I want but every ball was in play. Big difference. Still can feel back side lagging through swing zone. Once I get the back leg firing through impact zone I really think I'll like what I can do.

18th hole is a beauty of a Par 3 on backside of clubhouse overlooking a bay. Wind was coming off the bay and you can see the flap blowing right to left. Hit a great 8-iron about 155 to the center leaving a 20' birdie putt. Ran it by the edge and stayed pissed off enough to lip out par putt. 3 jack for a bogey.

 

[huskyrob1]

Hi, I'm a mediocre golfer at best despite playing for 30 years. Basically, all parts of my game suck- can't seem to hit two good shots in a row, and for me a bogey is a good score with some occasional pars.
If anyone has taken golf lessons, what was the most valuable tip or improvement to your game?
It kills me to swing so hard at the ball & even when I make clean contact, it never goes as far as I expect. How do the pros do it? They don't even swing hard.
By the way, I saw a YouTube video that made sense and I'm trying to do this- here is the link

Roll your wrists as you swing down toward the ball, this is especially important on drives, and keep your right elbow tucked in on your back swing.

 

[LIuconn]

Don’t take blind tips on a message board. See a pga pro

 

[Greathusky]

I'm in far western panhandle of Florida. Not sure if you want to travel that far for a lesson. If you do, let me know.

Yep a little bit too far from CT!