When to take a golf lesson

Dear golfer,

Sometimes you may need to have a golf lesson to improve an aspect of your golf game (swing). But you should only do this after;

• You have found your natural golf swing and played at least three rounds automatically. I would prefer that you gave it months rather than weeks.
• There is a recurring shot that is not improving. One or two bad shots doesn’t count. This is golf and you’ll always get poor shots from time to time. No matter how good your golf swing, you’ll always get shots you don’t like – so make sure you’re not making change for the sake of it.
• You are certain that the poor shot is costing you shots. If you play with a bit of a slice it is quite possible to factor it into your game plan and still score well. If you hit three horrible slice balls out of play but duff three chips in the same round I’d work on the chipping first!

When you do decide to make a change be sure to find a golf teacher (professional) that understands the learning process. This is more important than if they have a detailed understanding of golf swing mechanics.

Then all you need to do is;

• Work on one thing at a time. You can’t fix your grip, back swing, power and hit good shots all at once. This is a mistake that most golfers make when they try to improve their golf swing. So pick one thing and focus on that – resist the urge to fix everything.
• Always ensure you automate those changes. This is when you practice like you play.
• Practice in short sharp sessions. No need to spend hours working on your golf swing. It gets boring and you’ll be likely to get distracted.

I have found the above routine works well. It is critical that you understand the automatic principle – this process helps overcome many swing faults and allows you to be the best that you can be. It’s also much more fun than spending hours making swing changes. Automate first – make changes second.

Good golfing,

Cameron Strachan