[gregmcal]

I work across the street from our biggest golf practice area (outdoor range (heated bays)), short game area, 9hole par 3. I am going to talk to the pros there over lunch. They have a 4 lesson plan with LM, video for $190

[CO2490pL]

That sounds like a pretty sweet deal. Hope it works out well for you. Let us know. Someone else in your area may find your opinion helpful as well.

[Zmniubqr]

I'm in a conundrum myself. I have been taking lessons from a guy who certainly knows what he's doing but he focuses mainly on video teaching. I think I could benefit from more of as "feel" based approach and there is another instructor at the same facility who is a former LPGA player who doesn't use video at all. I'm contemplating "cheating" on my current instructor and trying her out.

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[hrthwhr]

I'm in a conundrum myself. I have been taking lessons from a guy who certainly knows what he's doing but he focuses mainly on video teaching. I think I could benefit from more of as "feel" based approach and there is another instructor at the same facility who is a former LPGA player who doesn't use video at all. I'm contemplating "cheating" on my current instructor and trying her out.

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No harm in going elsewhere, it may be a little awkward at first to meet up with the "EX", but if you tell him where you're coming from it should pass. The money is staying at the facility regardless. And it's your money and time investment.

[Heaneisismich]

I have been doing the same thing lately...looking a coach for lessons. I looked at Golftec and several other places and although Golftec is top notch, I decided I would go with someone different. I will admit that pricing played a role in my decision. I realize that it cost money and time and that you have to think outside the box when looking at lessons and what you want to achieve. The gentleman that I chose in my area has been ranked internationally for fitting and being a swing coach. I wanted someone that was going to be closer to me than the 1 hr and 1/2 drive it would take to get to Golftec. So that played a factor in my decision. I don't know about anywhere that ranks these guys. I happened to be referred to my new coach by my cousin who is the assistant golf coach at USC. Good luck in your search!

[viiagrag]

I have taken lessons with two different instructors, both good. Some qualities that I think are very important are that the person needs to be a good listener, you need to get along and be able to communicate well with the person, the pro should focus on your goals in the lesson series, they should use modern technologies (e.g., video, launch monitors) and I would be wary of any pro that teaches one swing style or technique.

Your question about the number of lessons is a question for the teaching pro you select. I would very much expect the pro to assess your swing, the amount of time you have to work on your game and your goals and give you a road map which answer the question. Actually, if the pro could not do this I probably would not take lessons from them.

Re cost, I just finished a series of 8 or 9 that ran about $50 per. The price would have been higher if had I signed up for a smaller number of lessons. Prices vary by geographic region and location.

[xrumerang]

I would recommend Golftec myself, I recently took a series of 5 lessons there and it completely changed my game this year. I tried 4 different pros in the area I am in and none of them really showed me what my faults were and how to correct them, only one swing evaluation from Golftec and I started driving the ball better than ever. Their combination of indoor video and outdoor lessons was exactly what I needed to get started on a better path.

Every time I read something like this, it makes me question myself and if I did the right thing. I guess time will tell.....

[lisualsethelp]

I wish I had to choose. There's only one in my area. I've had lessons with him, however I think there's some guys on here that know more about the golf swing than he does. I want a coach that will take what I have and build on it. Not try and change everything to fit what he thinks the golf swing should be.

[yatrahnualenu]

I think the best way to choose an instructor is to have some help. A good referral from a golf partner that knows your personality is as good as you can get. You want to make sure you and your coach are on the same page and can get along.

[TeksPaisimi]

Every time I read something like this, it makes me question myself and if I did the right thing. I guess time will tell.....

I really am happy with my decision but a good coach is what you really need. I had tried those close to me and was not seeing the results I was looking for. Your coach might be great for you and that is quite a ways to go.

[KaterinaNJq]

I have come to the realization that in order to advance my game and start scoring where I want to I need coaching/lessons to tweak my swing and get it consistent. My good shots are really good, bad shots can be horribly bad. When looking for a coach/lesson giver what aspects should I be looking at. We do have a golftec in my area and I have had the tour there. What sort of prices are average for good instruction? How many lessons does it generally take to make this type of move? Are there any sites that rank/review instruction pros?

Digest does a top 100 teaching pro list I think.

For me it was about finding someone I felt had my best interest in mind and was open with me. Not someone who will sugar coat errors or give me false hope that I'm moving the right way. What I love about my golftec coach, when I screw up he doesn't just tell me why but we address the why. I had taken a bunch of lessons at other places, some good some bad, but nobody ever addressed the inside takeaway I had. That was the first thing golftec had me change, this is an example of the "why" I mentioned earlier. Why was I coming over the top? Because I was taking the club so far inside going back that I didn't have much option other than to go out to in coming back through. I wasn't given a bunch of drills to correct the secondary problem, instead we worked to correct the first problem which was causing the secondary problem.

I look at swing coaches like a car mechanic, I want the guy who looks a little closer and doesn't just jump at the first obvious problem.

Price can vary a lot, some around here are cheap as $50 an hour to much much more. My last package at golftec was around $350, just lessons with no practice time. Look around, try a few out, and see what type of teaching you best respond to.

[lmHVYs8e]

Oh and on cost: it can vary from $40 an hour to $250 an hour. I will say that I've had just as good instruction from a guy charging about $65 and hour, as I got from the head teaching pro at a VERY fancy private club - unfortunately, I didn't ask his rates ahead of time assuming he'd be in the normal $100-$150 head pro range, and found out after the lesson he charges $210 an hour. Ouch, what a mistake.

At most courses, you can get lower-cost lessons from the assistant pros, some of whom teach just as well or better than the head pro.

[cyslespitocop]

As people have probably discovered, I'm currently infatuated with the teachings of Shawn Clement (you can find him on YouTube). So much so, that when we were visiting Maine, I suggested a "13-hour side trip" over to Niagara Falls on the way home. The stated purpose was to see a great wonder I'd never seen before and let our kids see it too. However, my real excitement was that it put me two hours from Toronto, so I could drive up and take an in-person lesson with Shawn.

Why the excitement? Because he's done more for my golf swing than any instructor I've ever had in 35-plus years of golfing. His ideas just make sense to me. They're not new ideas, but the way he presents them is - at least to me. Am I a great player as a result? Not yet. However, my swing keeps getting more consistent with every passing day. I feel like I'm not that far from moving from a high-handicapper to a mid-handicapper if I can just avoid some dumb decisions on the course.

But, I'm in the same predicament as you. How do I find a local teacher that teaches the same things? Until Shawn establishes a "Shawn Clement Certified Teaching Professional" program, I have to just try various teachers until I find one I like and that agrees with the same concepts.

So, my advice would be to figure out what the concepts are that you want to learn, and then look for a pro that agrees with those concepts. I don't know if I can ever go back to a pro that teaches club manipulation for example: "take it back more inside...hinge your wrists more quickly....your face is 2 degrees open on impact...etc." I need one that focuses on gravity, momentum and the human anatomy in relation to the golf swing.

Just my long-winded thoughts on where I'm trying to go. Hopefully it helps you too.

[BurdenRobert]

Honestly for me it was easy as their were only two pros at our course and I only needed to pick one, I chose the younger of the two and after my first lesson I was happy with my decision.

If I was picking within the entire city I would certainly want to talk to every candidate if only for a little bit just to see what their thoughts and process was. Feeling out their way of doing things will help you decide what you are looking for and the best person to interact with.

[Hpdovoxm]

I just gave some lessons that I purchased to my son. I figured he could use them more than I could. He's already a single handicap at 16 years old, but he wants to qualify for a golf scholarship. I would just like to get better. Everyone's obviously covered the good personality fit, but it also goes to how much time do you have to devote to practicing what you learned on your lesson night? What is your budget? Maybe at your current handicap, getting together with a low handicapper will get you playing in the 80's pretty consistently. My son got to single handicap without lessons and trust me, I couldn't coach him. He went on youtube, probably on here, anywhere where there was a video of whatever skill he wanted to learn. Watched it studied it, set up a camera and did swings in our basement (no ball, just swinging the club) until he could emulate what he was seeing on the videos. He read the books, magazines and if he wasn't working on homework, he had a club in his hand. LOL. I doubt you are a 16 year old, so you probably can't devote the amount of time that he has to getting better. The first responder sounds like he was probably doing the same thing by watching his preferred instructor remotely via youtube or some other media means. Not trying to deter you from buying lessons, but this MAY be a good place to start. I think that for the most part, if you are wanting to be a single handicapper, paid, professional lessons are probably the way to go so then it comes back to how much can you spend, what kind of time can you commit to practicing between the lessons because that is truly where the improvements will come, not just going to lessons, and finding an instructor that you get a good vibe with between the two of you. Here in Kansas City there was a place called Robin Nigro's Golf Academy that had some really good packaged lessons that I purchased for me. They had everything that I was looking for. http://www.robinnigrogolf.com/ They had an outdoor range with heated booths for winter, indoor range for when the weather gets bad and several instructors that I was able to talk to at leisure and get comfortable with. Check out their site, maybe you'll have a similar place where you are for comparison. I've not taken lessons at Edwin Watts, but if you have one of them near you, I've been pretty impressed with those guys from what I've seen while in there doing some club fitting for my son as well.

All in all, lessons are very personal and what any of us may like and think is important may be a complete turn off for you. Good Luck and keep us updated with your progress!!

[pkxlugbsbv]

You've got some great responses in here. I echo what everyone's said about personality but taking it a step further you need to asses how you learn best. Video? Technical? Feel? Knowing that can help you ask the right questions before the lesson. I've used two different guys for lessons. The first had good points but only one way of saying things. The second uses video and I can ask what something means and he tries to explain In a different way. Good luck and enjoy the lessons.

[TZtrDuso]

I've actually had two instructors in this year. Both good and both different tacts on training. My first coach this year was very technical. A lot of video and he was very concerned about positions and things like that. He got my swing on plain and I'm making better contact than I ever had previously. The second is a friend, and a pro at my neighborhood course. He is much more of a feel coach. All of our lessons have been outdoors with no video. He has helped me groove my swing, and didn't try to rebuild it from the ground up. That's what the first guy did. Two very different styles but both very effective. I can tell you that I will be going to the original instructor in the offseason.

As to picking, I would ask around to get recommendations from folks you know that are successful golfers. After that, I would make sure to have at least a good phone conversation with them before committing to a lesson package. It absolutely needs to be someone who jives with your personality. Money is also a factor and if you ton't gel well with the coach, then it's not well spent. If you're looking for a place to start, GolfTec has an excellent reputation, though they are a bit pricey. And it's usually 100% indoors. I personally like to see the ball flight on the range, but that's often not an option. Especially in the colder months.

Lessons are hands down the best investment you will ever make in your golf game. Good luck!

[Mediconlinee]

I would recommend Golftec myself, I recently took a series of 5 lessons there and it completely changed my game this year. I tried 4 different pros in the area I am in and none of them really showed me what my faults were and how to correct them, only one swing evaluation from Golftec and I started driving the ball better than ever. Their combination of indoor video and outdoor lessons was exactly what I needed to get started on a better path.

[MikeGotTalentz]

I have come to the realization that in order to advance my game and start scoring where I want to I need coaching/lessons to tweak my swing and get it consistent. My good shots are really good, bad shots can be horribly bad. When looking for a coach/lesson giver what aspects should I be looking at. We do have a golftec in my area and I have had the tour there. What sort of prices are average for good instruction? How many lessons does it generally take to make this type of move? Are there any sites that rank/review instruction pros?

[mGUuZRyA]

Ask to see some results of their teaching, some film or some sort of reference to know they're not just there to clap and tell you good shot. If they get offended then you know they can't produce anything to prove that they can teach and move on to the next. Don't worry about the person being a PGA pro...just make sure they can teach.