A New Year, and a New Season
Owen McClain, PGA Teaching Professional
The Links at Moses Pointe/Colockum Ridge
A new year approaches, and while snow is falling today, I taught a lesson earlier this afternoon. For many, competitive golf season is coming quickly: a little more than eight weeks remain before March.
What will you do to improve your game this coming season? Only 8% of all golfers ever take a golf lesson. So, how do the other 92% of you learn? From a book? A friend who also has never had a golf lesson? Golf Digest? The Golf Channel? Simple observation might suggest that most don't really learn at all—yet are eager to share their wealth of golfing expertise with anyone willing to listen. Perhaps that is why people think golf is such a difficult game—it certainly is when you don't know what you are doing!
The reluctance to take a lesson or two, when literally thousands of dollars will be spent on clubs, balls, shoes, travel, green fees, etc., is an illogical reality, yet I've been guilty of the same thing. I did have 5-6 different lessons as a junior, and all three teachers knew what they were doing, but one was clearly better for me. My ability to learn required a teacher whose methodology I could relate to.
So, from a consumer point of view, I can relate to questioning whether the investment will pay off. At the same time, having the benefit of years of experience I can assure you that 98% of my students are quite pleased with the results. Being freed from years of mis-information from well meaning friends, and given a clear, sensible objective does a world of good.
If you would like to improve, what I would suggest for you is this: Plan to take 3-4 lessons, and schedule one with your local professional. If you're happy, great! If not, take another lesson from someone else. And so on. That way, you will give yourself a fair chance to find a golf instructor with a teaching style that works for you.