Golf Lessons – A FAQ For Beginners Learning Golf For the First Time
Golf lessons for beginners don’t come cheap. You need to squeeze as much as you can out of your golf trainer in the short time you spend with him. Here are some common tips, questions and answers which can help you wring the maximum benefit from your golf lessons.
1. How do I find the best golf trainers or golf lessons for beginners?
The best way is to ask for a recommendation from a friend whose opinion you trust. If you can’t do this, try asking at your local golf club or golf shop. Worst comes to worst, you can look in the Yellow Pages or buy a DVD course from Amazon (Remember to read the customer reviews before you buy).
2. How much does a golf lesson cost?
Rates run around $40-$50 an hour. Some locations are more expensive, e.g. Chicago pros charge around $100 an hour. This varies from pro to pro. If price really matters to you, you may be better off buying a DVD course or online course.
3. Should I get my clubs custom fitted before going for my golf lessons?
Opinions here are divided. My answer: If you don’t even know how to play golf, the answer is “No”. Custom fitting only benefits you once you develop a repeatable and consistent swing. However, pick up the phone and ask your golf trainer – if he has a different opinion then you should go with his advice.
Regardless, you should get your clubs re-gripped, especially if you are using hand-me-downs or second-hand clubs. Having the correct sized grips helps you to hold the club firmly. More than one player has found his persistent slice or hook mysteriously cured once he fixed his grip.
4. Do I need to tip my golf trainer?
That depends – how much did you get out of your golf lessons? One thing to remember is that most pros only take home 50% to 70% of what you pay them. The rest goes to the golf course or school. In a sense, they are very much like taxi drivers and waiters.
5. Should I get golf swing instructions A) from a pro; or B) from a certified golf instructor?
Theoretically, the certified golf instructor is trained to teach golf swing lessons, while the pro is someone who showed he knows how to play well. However, see the answer to question #1 – in practice, who cares whether your golf trainer is certified or not as long as he can teach you well!
6. I’m left-handed. Should I look for a left-handed instructor?
Not necessarily. Note that many left-handed golfers actually play right-handed. Courses are normally set up for right-handed play, and left-handed clubs are often more expensive.
7. How many golf lessons do I need?
That really depends on how quickly you learn. More importantly, if you have the choice, try to space out your lessons – once per month should give you enough time to practice on your own.
After you complete your beginner’s lessons, you should strongly consider scheduling follow-up lessons with your golf trainer. There are two main reasons for this:
Many week-end golfers tend to pick up bad golf habits over time. Their golf swing techniques slowly become develop mistakes and they play worse and worse. Follow-up lessons will help you to arrest the slide in your game. For those of you who actually manage to get a lot of practice in, you’ll find your skill hitting a plateau. Follow-up lessons will allow your golf instructor to teach you additional skills, for example how to hit a fade or draw, and how to control the spin of your ball. All of these will give you better accuracy in your swing.
The preceding frequently asked questions on golf lessons should help most beginners get more bang for the buck.