What if lessons don't help?

....i'll add my 1.5 cents

A repeatable swing doesn't take that long to build. If you goal is to just whack the ball, then that's not that hard to do either. However, if you want to be a single-digit handicapper, then it takes a little while.

For me, to become a USGA single digit handicapper, took me 2 years. When I first registered my handicap, I was a 17. I wasn't horrible, but I wasn't great. I am a natural athlete who does grasp physical motions pretty quickly.

What I will say....my swing took about 4 dramatic changes that I can remember, the latest being a HIGHER left hip and impact along with a LOWER right shoulder. I was pretty flat and a bit outside-in with my path. This made it a bit steeper and gave me more room to attack from the inside. I feel I know a good bit about golf, BUT THIS recent change is something very fundamental to many other golfers, but was just off my radar. The simple things are sometimes the most overlooked.

I have shared this before, but this was my cousin's game plan for me to become a better golfer. He is a teaching pro in FL who plays in some mini-tour events....

1) The right equipment - Doesn't have to be perfect, but should fit your body. Also, new technology really does make the game "easier," but it won't play the game for you!
2) A lesson a month - Still doing it. Still loving it. I got lucky and got a great coach who works with my swing, he doesn't try to overhaul it.
3) All the "training media" necessary - Golf Magazine, Golf Digest and this site are my main sources. I like to try new things here and there, give them a fair chance, and if they help, great! If not, move on to something else.
4) A true effort on my part to get better at golf, being PRACTICE - Don't go to the range and just whack balls...take each ball, go through your routine, and execute the desired shot. This approach to practice is what will make you better. If you just bang balls out there without thinking, you are doomed.

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What's in my bag....
Cleveland VP 2 Blade Putter
Ping Tour Wedges, 54 & 60
TaylorMade rac LT2, 4i thru PW
Tour Edge Exotics Iron-Wood 21* 3i - Aldila NV 90 Stiff Shaft
Ping G5 18* 5 Wood - ProLaunch Blue 75 Stiff Shaft
Ping G5 15* 3 Wood - Aldila NV 75 Stiff Shaft
Cleveland HiBore XL 9.5* - Fujikura Fit-On Red Stiff Shaft

Those practice nets can be a bad thing. I will offer you this advice. Dont just go out and pound balls into the net. You cannot see your ball flight and could easily be ingraining a flawed swing into muscle memory. Set up a practice station. Ask your intstuctor how to set up your station. He will know best what you need to work on. Tips in magazines and videos are great but if you are paying someone to teach you then I would give him total control over your swing. Some tips might go against what he is doing with your swing. Good luck!

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"You've just one problem. You stand too close to the ball after you've hit it." -Sam Snead

"Golf tips are like aspirin. One may do you good, but if you swallow the whole bottle you will be lucky to survive." -Harvey Penick

"I hit two of my best balls today......I stepped on a rake ".

If you are playing well, practice.
If you are playing badly, keep playing or get a lesson.
Never practice when you are playing badly.

You seem determined to practice, practice, practice and expect to go out and have major improvements when you go out to the course. You need to start playing more regularly on a course and take your lumps. Course management, controlling your emotions, hitting a shot under pressure are things you need to learn also. Get past your embarassment for a bad shot or bad round. Golfers know what that is all about and think nothing of it.

Everthing you are doing, books, videos, lessons should get you to a point one day where you know how a golf swing should work and you can begin building a swing with that knowledge. Good luck and go out an play some courses. That is what it is all about.

Many good comments here.

With any swing alterations one needs to be committed to the process and realise things take time. Find the right coach and apply yourself and the results will come.

Another thing, I started playing better when I stopped worrying about how I looked to others. It's not how, it's how many.

Good hitting.

Thanks to everyone for their good comments. I am happy that this thread continues to grow with your suggestions. I am still trying to figure out my swing and have decided to focus on the fundamentals for a while and stop reading magazine golf tips because right now I have information overload. I still welcome posts in this forum, though, since I have more confidence in the real world experience here than in any magazine.

Ken

Golf is considered by many to be a sport of professionals. Many who play the game are actually supposed to be too busy to play it. However, the fact that they still play proves to you the fact that golf is something to be passionate about. In order to be good at golf, you need to practice. However, as said before, not many of those who play golf do have the time to practice. This is the reason why many people are looking into the use of golf training aids and soft Golf balls in their house or office.
http://www.officialgolftrainingaids.c...le-golf-swing/

With a 22 month old daughter and expecting another child in about 7 months, my time to go to the range has dropped quite a bit. However, I have made it a point to be able to hit balls at the range once per week, and play once per week. I don't go out drinking after work, I don't play in any other sports leagues, etc. I've balanced my time and made arrangements so that I can continue to play well. I expect to be a scratch/single digit handicap for the next 25 years (im 27). It takes commitment.

What I can say is be realistic about your goals. Golf is the only sport I know of where the expectations are SO high. Most people play once a week to once every 2 weeks. They don't hit balls, don't stretch, don't work on it at home. YET, they show up at the course, don't hit balls to warm up, hit like 10 putts, and want to break 90.

Set goals of what you want to acomplish (break 90, 80, 70), but have a gameplan of what its going to take to get there.

Regular play, lessons, stretching and strength training, understanding of all swing concepts (driving, scoring irons, long irons, fairway clubs, playing from the rough, sand shots, chipping, lobbing, and especially putting) are the key to breaking 80 consistently.

Also, focus on improving your weaknesses. If you drive the ball great, then only hit a couple drives at the range. But if you stink with your scoring irons, hit more of those. I see people all the time hit 50 drives, and they are all solid hits, but they can't hit a 9i to save their soul.

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What's in my bag....
Cleveland VP 2 Blade Putter
Ping Tour Wedges, 54 & 60
TaylorMade rac LT2, 4i thru PW
Tour Edge Exotics Iron-Wood 21* 3i - Aldila NV 90 Stiff Shaft
Ping G5 18* 5 Wood - ProLaunch Blue 75 Stiff Shaft
Ping G5 15* 3 Wood - Aldila NV 75 Stiff Shaft
Cleveland HiBore XL 9.5* - Fujikura Fit-On Red Stiff Shaft

Wow, this is a very OLD thread, not even sure the original poster is even still here...lol...but for the benefit of others and since this thing as resurfaced, as an instructor, I can tell you there are bad instructors out there. The first thing you need to check before you even think about taking a lesson are his/her credentials, if he doesn't have any, walk away. Here in the U.S. PGA is king, not sure about other countries, but I am sure they also have established guidelines for qualified instructors. Just because they work at a golf course doesn't mean anything.

Now back to the OP question, if I have a student that starts exhibiting complete break downs in fundamentals, or can't seem to master them, Myself as well as most good instructor, will start slowing things down, and drop back to half swings and really start back working on fundamentals... grip, stance, ball position, alignment, balance. Hey, if you can't master things with a half swing, half speed, and make solid contact, what in the world makes you think you can do it at full speed swinging a club 100+ mph..lol..hell I have had people doing chip shots until they could make solid contact with a closing club face thru impact. Work your way up, this also has the added benefit of forcing work on the short game the majority of the time. I still do this from time to time and I have been playing for over 40 years. Just my advice, tell the instructor you want to work on fundamentals, don't ask him/her to fix a problem, until you know your fundamentals are correct, most of the time that will fix your problem, what ever it is...

I can imagine it's difficult to improve by 'only' taking lessons. a coach telling you what to do ... it's always better to see for yourself than having it explained to you by others. I'm having my husband record my playing, then we're watching it on TV or computer to see what I'm doing right or wrong. good method that already taught me to play better tennis...