How to Make Your First Golf Lesson Worthwhile – For the
Advanced Golfer
Congratulations to you. You are an advanced golfer. You are
among the 10% of the 30 million or so US golfers who are
able to break 90; break 80; perhaps even play in the 70's
most of the time. You have been playing golf for many years.
You have a consistent swing. You hold a single digit
handicap. But like most good golfers, you want to get even
better. And you may have achieved your lofty status without
ever to have taken a formal golf lesson from a Pro. Seeking
perfection and feeling that you can't improve any further on
your own, you decide to take a lesson. What should you
expect? Is there anything you could or should do before
meeting with your Pro?
Here are some thoughts for you to consider. You know your
game well. And if you decided to take that first lesson, you
no doubt know which aspect of your game you want to improve.
Keep that aspect in mind when you approach the Pro. Tell the
Pro exactly what and why you want to focus on that aspect.
Then let the Pro do her/his thing. You must have confidence
in the Pro or you will be wasting your time and money. You
may want to seriously consider choosing a Pro that utilizes
video as a teaching tool.
Remember that even Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson take
lessons. In their cases, they each used Butch Harmon. Tiger
finally went on his own because he felt he knew enough about
his swing to make his own corrections. He also utilized the
best video equipment available to help him with his self
swing analysis. If your Pro has and uses video, by all
means, avail yourself of this valuable tool. There is
nothing as useful as seeing yourself on the screen. Video
can be slowed down. It can be paused. It can be played
backwards. Video offers useful techniques that can highlight
the specific improvement or correction suggested by your
Pro. You will be able to gain a mental picture of yourself
executing the desired movement. Such a picture indeed is
worth a thousand words.
Now a word of caution. You must make certain that you focus
on the suggestion offered and that suggestion only. You know
how complex is the golf swing. It is easy to mess up a good
swing by overreacting to a suggestion for a minor change.
Practice the suggested change as often as possible until you
are able to execute it unconsciously. Ask the Pro if he is
aware of any training aid that reinforces his suggestion. If
so, use that training aid and use it frequently. If you can
revisit the video equipment, by all means do that also. Then
let the mental picture and your new muscle memory take over.
Trust your swing. It has already enabled you to achieve
elite status among many golfers. With continued dedication,
your improvement will follow shortly.
Congratulations again. Your lesson was worthwhile. You are
on your way to an even lower index.
Robert S. (Bob) Doyle is the founder and president of
Forever Better Golf Inc. a golf equipment and training aid
company dedicated to helping all golfers improve their
swings and lower their scores. Their flagship product is the
PRO-HEAD Trainer, a full swing training aid that helps
golfers maintain their spine angles and keep their heads
back and behind the ball through impact. To see the PRO-HEAD
Trainer in use and take the 60 second challenge, visit
http://www.foreverbettergolf.com/
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