NBA players have flocked to the golf course during their down time for ages. Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Steph Curry … the list of legends who enjoy the occasional round goes on, and Lebron James could be the next to join them. J.R. Smith, James’ former teammate and current member of the North Carolina A&T men’s golf team, discussed the possibility of the four-time MVP taking his talents to the golf course on Golf Channel’s Golf Today

“I would love to get him on the course,” Smith said. “For him, I think it would be amazing. Being in nature, being outdoors and being away from everybody, you get to throw your phone in the bag, have a drink, smoke a cigar, just enjoy the time. I think that would be such an amazing part of his life and give him time to himself, that peace of mind.”

Unlike some of the biggest stars in the world of sports, little video evidence of James’ swing existed —  until early October when footage of the 37-year-old at TopGolf surfaced on the internet. The swing needs … work, to put it lightly, and while longer clubs may help, Smith already has a potential coach in mind for James: 15-time major champion Tiger Woods.

“I don’t know if he [LeBron] has the fluidity, I’m just gonna say, to perfect that swing – or not perfect it, but to be one of those guys who can move it around early. I think it’s going take him a while, he’s going to have to get some lessons. I’m open to teaching him, but obviously I’m not the best either. He has access. I mean he and Tiger [Woods] are Nike [ambassadors], so they can figure that out.”

Woods has played golf with NBA superstars in the past, including Dwayne Wade, one of Lebron’s closest friends, and Jordan. With Woods confirming at the 2022 Hero World Challenge that his playing schedule will look much more relaxed moving forward due to his lengthy list of injuries, perhaps it will open a 6-foot-9 door to teaching. 

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I was coached by various teachers for the first fourteen years of my golfing journey. Each one helped shape my game. 

Some of them added incredible value to my game, while others dismantled my ability to swing a club. This post aims to help you decide if golf lessons are worth it.

Besides highlighting the advantages and downsides of coaching, I will explain what it did for my game. 

Introduction To Golf Lessons

I was luckier than most golfers because I was coached from an early age. Without thinking about it, my game progressed rapidly. It was only later that I understood the positive impact coaching had on my game.

Learning the fundamentals of golf gives you the best chance of becoming good at the sport. The best way to do this is to visit a good coach from the onset. A better understanding of posture and swing mechanics will help you strike the ball better. 

Otherwise, you will spend your days aimlessly chasing a dimpled ball around acres of land with no purpose.

My first coach focused on the importance of tempo in a swing. Instead of him setting me up with a driver and letting me bomb it, we spent a lot of time working on my short game to get used to the center of the clubface striking the ball.

If I had never had that guidance from day one, I don’t think I would have gotten to a low single figure as an early teen. Coaching helped me see the importance of timing versus generating an accelerated swing speed.

Are Golf Lessons Worth It?

Yes, golf lessons are worth it if you wish to improve faster than the average player. Without the various coaches who influenced my game, I doubt I would never have become a low handicapper in my early teens.

But, rather than take my word for it, let me explain how fourteen years of coaching worked out for me.

What Golf Lessons Do For Your Game

1. Improve Etiquette

Although etiquette has little to do with improving your golf game, it will help you survive on a golf course as a beginner. The protocols set out by golf courses are in place to make sure everyone respects one another, the golf course, and the game.

If you are unfamiliar with etiquette before venturing onto the course, you may annoy fellow golfers, and ruin their rounds. A golf coach provides this information, equipping you with the necessary knowledge for success at the Country Club.

2. Identify Weaknesses

Trained teaching golf professionals need to identify weaknesses in your setup, swing, and ball flight. 

Grip

The first port of call for coaches is your grip. As Golfweek explains, the incorrect grip makes it difficult to control the club through the swing.

Unfortunately, this was a stumbling block for me because every coach I went to tried to change my baseball grip for an interlock setup. That has always been an uncomfortable feeling for me and I would immediately revert to the baseball grip.

Now, full disclaimer, I believe the interlocking grip gives the average golfer better control over the club. However, I have used the baseball grip since I was four, and it is what I feel most comfortable with.

In my final year of high school, my school qualified for the World School Golf Challenge in New Zealand. The teacher in charge of golf suggested that the team visit one of the local PGA professionals for lessons in the build-up.

The first thing he did was change my grip, and with two months to go to a Major event, it wreaked havoc with my game. I got to the point that I had zero confidence in my ability, even though I was a 4-handicapper, I felt like a beginner. Needless to say, that relationship did not last long.

Great golf coaches will work around that to find solutions, as many of my coaches did. But not everyone agreed, which is why I had multiple instructors during my youth. 

Ball Position

Despite the complexities of a golf swing, many players get their shots wrong because of the incorrect ball position at address. A golf coach helps you understand when to position the ball in the center, forward, or back of your stance.

Thanks to the first coach I ever had, I quickly understood how to set up for a tee shot versus a fairway wood or a long iron and a wedge. These instructions have helped me strike the ball consistently throughout my amateur golf career.

Backswing

Another factor that coaching helped me understand was keeping your club on plane. Your downswing is where this is vital, but if you can start your backswing on plane, it is easier to get it back to that position before impact.

My years of experience have taught me to feel when I take my club away on the incorrect line. That means I can stop at that point and reset instead of continuing and striking a wayward shot.

Downswing

My experience with golf coaches also taught me how to keep your club on plane and when to know if it veers off target. It is beneficial to understand swing faults to address and correct them immediately.

If I slice or hook a shot, it doesn’t take long to identify the error and fix it for my next attempt.

Clubface At Impact

The angle of your clubface at impact determines the shape of your shot. If you can’t get the clubface square at impact you generate side spin. That can cause you to hook or slice your ball.

All the above features are determining factors in the position that the face ends up at contact. My coach taught me what steps to follow to get it square at impact. Plus, he explained what angle produces which shape.

For example, when your clubface remains open through impact, you typically generate left to right sidespin, resulting in a fade or slice shape. 

Working with an instructor helps you easily identify when you leave your clubface open or closed at impact. And, if you follow the above tips, you should be able to correct that.

Short Game

My first coach made me spend more time practicing chips and putts than anything else. Besides improving my skills around the green, it helped nail down the art of ball striking. I used to chip hundreds of balls every session, just trying to get the middle of the clubface to strike the ball.

As my ball striking improved, I began focusing on distance control. That led to more up and downs and fewer double bogeys. Plus, I learned how to read greens and judge the weight of a putt, thanks to my first golf coach. Even today, my chipping and putting is the best part of my golf game.

3. Correct Flaws

Once your golf instructor has determined your swing flaws, the next step is to correct them. If you watch YouTube videos, you should also know where you are going wrong. However, the videos do not provide the corrective action that a lesson with a private coach will.

Within a few minutes of visiting a qualified golf coach, you can be on your way to fixing the kinks in your game.

4. Learn Practice Drills

Once a coach has identified the weak areas of your swing, the next step is to assign practice drills to improve your ability. These drills help improve your skill level and increase your consistency on a golf course.

Without the guidance of golf professionals, it is challenging to know whether you are executing the drill correctly. You can spend hours practicing something. But if you are not doing it right, it is a waste of time.

Some coaches may encourage you to purchase training aids to enhance your practice experience. However, there are plenty of drills you can do, without acquiring additional accessories.

5. Match You with The Right Equipment

Besides the tips and guidance provided by golf coaches, they also determine whether you are using the correct equipment. If you never get coached, you may never know that your clubs are not suited to your game.

6. Gain Consistency

When you combine the above elements, it produces consistency in your golf game. That helps you improve your scores and leads to fewer bogey putts and more birdies. 

Why Some People Are Hesitant About Taking Golf Lessons

1. Price

The cost of golf lessons is what puts many average golfers off. Attending a few lessons may cut into your green fees budget, and it is understandable why you would forego coaching. However, golf is an expensive game, and if you invest in a set of golf clubs, you want to know how to use them as best as possible.

However, the money you spend on coaching will save you countless rounds of frustration. It prevents you from consistently making the same mistake.

2. Changes Can Be Uncomfortable

This downside applies to golfers who have played the game for some time and are comfortable with their current setup. 

A golf coach will change your setup, grip, and swing to help you maximize your performance. However, these changes can make you feel uncomfortable during your swing and make you relearn how to hit a golf ball.

The reality is that the changes do positively affect your game. But, they take time to get used to and can result in several poor gross scores before you get the hang of it.

3. Time Consuming

The final reason why many golfers never get coaching is that it is time-consuming. You need to set aside an hour or two a week for lessons, which is a big ask for busy individuals. 

Even as a school kid, I found it challenging to fit in two lessons a week, on top of league matches, practice rounds, and my education. 

One positive of the pandemic is that golf coaches have taken their lessons online, allowing you to practice remotely at any time.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

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Golf can be compared to a marathon. It is a learning process that requires a great deal of commitment and training to improve. Unless you are the next Scottie Scheffler, you will be eaten alive if you walk onto a golf course unprepared. This guide determines how many golf lessons you should take.

I will take you through my experience with coaching and why I suggest every amateur invest in a quality golf instructor. Plus, I explain how many lessons you should take, depending on your level.

Are Golf Lessons Worth It?

The short answer is yes, golf lessons are worth it. The top reason is that it helps you correct errors with your golf swing. Coaches are effectively golf doctors. They can identify your challenges instantly and enable you to improve your swing fundamentals.

As a result, you spend less time hacking around the links and more time improving your golf game.

In addition, golf lessons teach you to detect flaws in your backswing, downswing, and transition. This means you can fix the problem yourself during your round of golf. Naturally, takes years to build up this knowledge, but it is worth the time and effort. When you hit a bad golf shot, you will know where you went wrong, to not make the same mistake next time.

Even golf professionals have a coach. There is always something to improve in your game, even when one is a major winner. So, if professionals consistently work on their game, what does that mean for amateurs?

New golfers need all the private lessons they can afford. As tempting as it is to take advice from your 28 handicap buddy, I strongly suggest against it. Those kinds of players have developed numerous bad habits that you do not want to learn.

Golf lessons help you learn the correct approach to playing the game and guide you through treacherous terrain. It further enables you to identify your own weaknesses and make immediate corrections.

How Many Golf Lessons You Should Take as a Beginner

I am often asked how many lessons a beginner golfer should take, and there is no correct answer. However, I generally recommend starting with 10 and seeing from there. If you have the resources, I suggest hiring a golf coach once a week, consistently, to keep the momentum up and your handicap down.

I have seen authors recommend 3 to 5 lessons, but I disagree. In 3 to 5 lessons, you can teach a player how to grip a golf club, stance, ball position, alignment, posture, and swing plane. At that stage, a golfer has little idea about their distance capabilities club selection, nor have you gotten them into the intricacies of the short game.

The first lesson alone focuses on elementary factors, such as etiquette and alignment. Plus, a coach explains the functions of each golf club in the bag. After 10 lessons, you should have basic knowledge of how to strike the golf ball, where to aim, and your swing path.

Once your 10 introductory lessons are up, I suggest booking weekly golf instruction with your local pro. You still have a long way to go at this point and need to constantly improve your game. If you stop lessons, you lose the momentum and start to make unnecessary mistakes on the golf course.

Should a beginner golfer be on a budget, I suggest asking about group lessons. These are more affordable, but the coach obviously cannot pay as much attention to your struggles in this setting.

How Many Golf Lessons You Should Take When You’re an Intermediate Player

Intermediate golfers do not need to spend as much time addressing the fundamentals that a beginner needs. As an intermediate golfer who knows how to hit a golf ball, you have had some success around the golf course. However, you are not perfect and have a long way to go until you reach a scratch handicap.

At this level, you should still visit your coach once a week to address the weaknesses from your previous round.

This approach enables you to receive feedback and correct the challenges as you go instead of developing a bad habit and letting it cripple your game. Regularly checking in with the golf doc is the best way for amateur golfers to continuously improve and lower their strokes.

Whenever you are consistently hooking or slicing your golf shots, walk off the golf course and book a lesson with the pro.

How Many Golf Lessons You Should Take When You’re an Advanced Player

As an advanced player, it depends on your ambitions. If you are happy to knock around the golf course and have no desire to go pro, you don’t need lessons. I still recommend having one a week, but as an advanced player, you know what you are doing on the golf course.

However, if you have your sights set on a professional career, you need to work with your coach a minimum of 3 to 5 times per week.

The ambition of low handicappers is different from a beginner. Superior golfers need coaches to help them maximize their distance and optimize spin rates.

In my prime, when I played competitive junior golf, my coach did not have all this technology. But we made it work. Here was my schedule, which included 3 coaching sessions per week.

Set Goals

The first step to maximizing your golf lessons is to set yourself goals. Start with basic goals, such as getting the ball in the air 70% of the time or hitting 60% of your shots straight.

Then, look at the bigger picture. Do you want these lessons solely to prepare you for life on the golf course, or are you trying to break a particular score? Maybe you have a specific handicap target in mind that you would like to reach in a certain period.

For example, if you are a beginner and wish to be a 24 handicap in 12 months, make that your goal. Explain that to your instructor, and they will work out a roadmap to help you get there. Objectives give your training purpose and help you remain committed to the cause.

Find The Right Instructor

Do not sign up with the first instructor you find. Seek out the services of the ideal coach for your needs. Make sure you are compatible and that they are experienced, patient, and have the technology and gear to analyze your game.

My first coach was the most miserable human being to walk planet earth. I understand he held a grudge against the world for failing to make it on the Sunshine Tour. Although he gave me a few excellent pointers, the vibe was toxic, and the coach didn’t seem committed to his work.

Your coach does not need to be your best friend, but you need to be compatible as a team. Plus, they need to be patient and willing to take the time to provide detailed explanations about your weaknesses and solutions.

A bad instructor can put you off from the first golf lesson. This can derail your plans of playing golf as your hobby or make you hesitant of taking another class.

Video Analysis

Your instructor is trained to detect issues with your golf swing and correct them. However, sometimes it is difficult for amateurs to understand what mistake we are making and how we can solve it. The instructor’s jargon has a tendency to implode the minds of us amateurs.

That is why I always suggest employing video analysis. That way, you receive a visual representation of your mistakes, giving you a clearer picture of how to solve your predicament.

Your coach should have the gear to record a video, but I recommend you to use your phone. That allows you to repeatedly watch the video in your free time and helps you avoid mistakes on the golf course.

Mobile applications, such as Swing Profile Golf Analyzer, allow you to run your swing in slow motion and add layers to the video.

Launch Monitor Data

Using a launch monitor during your lessons is another to gain invaluable insight into your performance. The device detects information such as your club path through impact, clubhead, and ball speed. In addition, it determines your apex and spin rates.

This technology helps you and your coach identify weaknesses and possible hazards after each shot. Therefore, you can work on the solution during your next shot.

Furthermore, the launch monitor provides carry and total distances. This boosts a golfer’s ability to select the correct club. Plus, it improves your distance control.

A launch monitor eradicates any guesswork from your performance. It highlights the facts and allows you and your instructor to deeply analyze each shot and make improvements where necessary.

When you are searching for an instructor, see if they possess this equipment, which they should. However, you can always take your own device along if you are more comfortable with the numbers it registers.

Work On Your Short Game

I often see golf instructors giving lessons from the hitting bay. Usually, the student is taking a full swing and working on their mechanics. I am all for this and do not question a coach’s method. However, there is a tendency to stay away from the putting and chipping green, which I cannot figure out.

It is hard to master the chip shot or read the line of a putt. This is where most amateur golfers implode. Ask your coach to take time out to work on your putting and short shots. Get them to teach you how to read the green, and align your putter face.

You can strike the golf ball purely and hit the ball a country mile. However, if you cannot putt or chip, you stand little hope of success on the links. Take advantage of the practice time and become a master of the short game.

Practice

Look at your golf lessons like school. You have to do your homework to improve. There is no point paying for lessons and then not refining your skills. After every session, go away and work on what you learned. Do not be afraid to try what you learned in training on the golf course.

Not working on your game after a lesson undoes all the hard work put in with your coach. Ultimately, that is a waste of your money. Put the time and effort into mastering your training, and you will see results in the form of fewer strokes.

If you don’t have the luxury of a home golf simulator, you should make time to fit in one or two range sessions a week to work on everything from training.

Golf Simulator

I understand that not every amateur has the resources to acquire a golf simulator, but if you can, it will make a world of difference to your game. The technology itself will not boost your performance.

However, the platform it gives you to work on your game at any time is bound to improve your performance. Whether you are using the virtual driving range to loosen up or playing a round of golf, a simulator is a suitable option for enhancing your training regimen.

Fortunately, these days golf simulators are more affordable than previously. That makes them more accessible to the average golfer on a tight budget. There is the option to build your own golf simulator setup, or you could opt for an entry-level package like the OptiShot2 Golf In A Box.

Players blessed with a higher budget may consider the accurate system from FlightScope Mevo. Conversely, you can read about the 10 best golf simulators under $1000 if you seek more options.

Apply Training To The Golf Course

Where I see amateurs go wrong, is not transferring their training to the course. For example, golfers learn something in a lesson, but do not have the confidence to execute it in a casual round.

You will make mistakes, and it will not be pretty at first. However, you have to work on every area of your game to improve it. There is no point paying money to an instructor to guide you, only to never employ their teachings.

Golf is a marathon, it takes time to improve, and your game will suffer as you adapt new elements to it. The important part is to remain patient and continuously employ your training in actual situations on the links.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

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