Should I Take a Golf Lesson

By Dean Claggestt, Director of Golf

Your shot routine must be consistent

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The answer is yes

The game of golf is supposed to be challenging, fun, somewhat relaxing and an opportunity to spend time with family and friends. Sometimes though, we don’t play the way we think we should. Our round to round consistency isn’t very good and our enjoyment level sags.

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Now what

Many of us grew up around a golf course or we picked up the game through friends and family. The one thing we didn’t do is learn good fundamentals from a professional golf coach. We developed habits based on feel.
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I love golf and because of my professional experience, I know the game is more enjoyable when good or decent shots come from our swing. I also realize that poor swings and shots are a part of the game. My question to all golfers is – how do we improve?​

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Recommendations and observations

1. Do some research on different coaching programs and the available instructors
2. Discuss your goals and objectives with the golf instructor and create a plan
3. Create a personal model at the beginning of your program and watch your golf swing develop
4. Be open to learning something new or different
5. Habits or patterns of your body movement are difficult to change
6. Small steps in learning are really beneficial
7. Ask your coach questions and make sure you understand what your coach is asking you to accomplish
8. Ask for simple yet effective homework drills to learn new patterns of movement (your brain likes repetition and daily practice for 5 to 10 minutes over one long practice session each week)
9. During any coaching or training program your instructor should use video to record swing motion. What we feel and what we actually do are sometimes quite different and visual recordings are extremely beneficial
10. Keep the videos of your swing and create a personal library to review and learn from in the future
11. Be patient with yourself and enjoy the journey

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I know this to be true

Overall game improvement takes time and it requires patience, dedication and a great attitude. By creating a game plan and sticking to your practice routine your golf swing will develop and the satisfaction at the end will be worth the effort!!!