Don't Be Afraid to Try Lessons with a Golf Instructor

If you are hesitant to try lessons with a teaching professional, you are not alone. More than 32 million Americans who describe themselves as golfers have never tried lessons. This lack of enthusiasm toward instruction might stem from several sources.

You may think you can "fix it" yourself. You have mastered every other sport you've tried, and think that golf should be easy. You believe your own physical talent and intuition will be your guide. This happens to me all the time. For example, I'll be traveling and get lost. I'm too prideful to ask for directions, so I let my intuition be my guide. Then after 30 minutes of intuition, I finally pull over and ask for help. But only about 15-percent of the golfing population has ever pulled over and asked for directions.

Maybe you or a friend had a negative experience with an instructor. It could have been a personality conflict or some other problem. Golf instructors are like schoolteachers. And how many of your schoolteachers did you like? If it's more than two, you are very lucky. If you took a lesson in the past and didn't see immediate results, try a different instructor. Not all problems are easy to fix, but you should have a firm understanding of what you are doing wrong, why you are changing it, and what you need to do.

It is also possible that you just don't take the game serious enough. You might be perfectly happy with your game and just don't have the time to improve. Besides, golf is just a game. If you don't put in the time, you have no right to get upset, throw clubs, and embarrass yourself. Simply put, if you are confused or frustrated you are ready for instruction.

Private Lessons vs. Golf Schools
Let's say that I've managed to peak your curiosity about golf lessons. There are several ways to go about it. If you have a lot of time and would like to stretch out the learning process, take private lessons.

A typical series of private lessons works like this: You take one private lesson every two weeks. By the end of a series, you hope to have your swing down and be able to try it on the course. This could be two months later, or a shorter or longer period of time depending on your schedule and dedication to the process.

I'm not against private instruction. In fact, I teach hundreds of private lessons a year. It's just not the fastest way to learn the game. This is because what you usually get from a traditional golf lesson is a swing lesson. And a swing lesson can be great. It can be the difference between quitting the game and playing it forever. But after a few of these swing lessons we get trapped into thinking our swing is why we are not doing very well.

The reality is that the game is more than having a good golf swing. The game is assessing the lie, the wind and the terrain; it's selecting the right club, course management, pre-shot routine, trouble shots, rules, etiquette, scoring, and the camaraderie of others. These are all parts of the game not usually covered in a traditional golf lesson. For a full game evaluation, sign-up for a one-day golf school. Like many golf instructors, I offer them in two formats. A "New Golfer School" and a "One Day School."