by Steve Kashul
Golf lessons. Should we take them? How often? Who should we get a lesson from?
These are all great questions everyone who plays golf should be asking. My personal experience and suggestion is that everyone who plays, no matter your age, level or handicap, should get golf lessons.
Unlike most sports, the golf swing is the most difficult to watch yourself while doing. For years I had a horrible sway during my golf swing, believing that the golf swing is most like a baseball swing, which I played for years before taking up the sport of golf. Swaying during a golf swing is one of the worst things you can do because a good golf swing requires a solid shoulder and hip turn with a quiet lower body. If you sway, you take a lot of power away from your swing and also move off the ball, which usually leads to many off-center hits. The best golf teachers who have instructed me have first tried to get me to stop swaying and this alone has helped me develop a better golf swing with more power and control.
Golf lessons can get expensive, but can be very well worth the cost which begs the question as to how often should we get a lesson? This really depends on your skill level, how fast you wish to improve, as well as what you can afford. A typical golf lesson can run from around $30.00 for 30 minutes to upwards of $250.00 for an hour lesson from the best teachers. I like taking golf lessons about once every three to four weeks during the winter season when I’m not playing regularly and about once a month during the golf season.
It’s best to take lessons from trained PGA Golf Professionals. These gentlemen go through a complete training process in order to teach. I
am also a strong believer in the use of video technology while teaching a golf swing. Many teaching pros will take two or three different views of your swing with the video camera and some can even compare your swing on tape to a top PGA Touring Professional including Tiger Woods. You may never be able to swing exactly like Tiger but seeing your movement next to his can help a lot.
One other thought. Don’t be afraid or shy to ask your playing partner to watch your swing while on the range or even during the round. I find myself falling back into bad habits from time to time but can get back on track if I tell my playing partner to watch out for this or that.
Recent Comments