Loosing It halfway through 18 holes?...horrible slice?

I think hitting 500 balls is one of the most absurd things I've ever heard. I mean no offence, it's about $10 CDN for a large bucket of balls so that's going to add up pretty quickly! I'm not sure how many balls are in a bucket but it can't be more than 75.

Wouldn't it be more efficient use of time to hire an instructor to review what you are doing and get advice in real-time?

I've done that a few times and it certainly takes the guesswork out of things. My instructor spots things that need to be fixed very quickly deliver the required medicine. I've found playing 9 holes is great way to get some pointers, especially for those peculiar situations you only encounter on the course.

that is pretty much my problem from what i have experienced ...so i may try that ...i am now using my practice swing for more intelligence then i used to...since i do it on my putts and chips i never thought of using it as a real sort of practicing the exact shot before you do it (dont ask why lol) thanks!

There is no substitute for practice. Even if you hire a teacher, you must still practice whatever he teaches you.

I got rid of everything I was taught because it got in the way of getting proper results. Eventually I adopted my very own technique. I wish I wasn't taught anything at all. That way, I'd have arrived at my own technique a little earlier and gotten the results I wanted a little faster.

I too thought it would be ridiculous to pay that much to practice. So I thought of a solution and found one. I asked the club where I played if they would accept 250$ for the whole season for unlimited range access. I argued that I would not pay more than 50$ if I had to pay 9$ per bucket. But I would pay 250$ if they let me practice all season long with as many balls as I wanted. It wouldn't cost them more since the ball picker gets paid the same no matter what. They accepted. More money for them, more practice for me. If money is your only quip, then ask for some kind of deal like that. Use the same argument, money is very attractive. If it will help to convince you, then ask yourself how much money you spend each year on buckets of balls?