Golf advice. Lessons or no?

[closequarters]

About 15 years ago, I started playing about 30 rounds of golf a year. I did this for about 5 years. I was playing bogey golf on my best day and like 130 on the bad days. I had two very bad habits. I used a baseball bat grip (not even a 10 finger grip but an actual baseball bat grip with my thumbs wrapped around the club). I also stood very far away from the ball to where I would extend my arms 45 degrees at the ball.

My question is, now after a 10 year break, should I take lessons and try to correct my grip and stance before stepping back on the course? Or should I just go back to playing the way I was and try to correct myself as I go? I was thinking a 10 year break might be a good time to start over with a blank slate.

 

[bushman505]

About 15 years ago, I started playing about 30 rounds of golf a year. I did this for about 5 years. I was playing bogey golf on my best day and like 130 on the bad days. I had two very bad habits. I used a baseball bat grip (not even a 10 finger grip but an actual baseball bat grip with my thumbs wrapped around the club). I also stood very far away from the ball to where I would extend my arms 45 degrees at the ball.

My question is, now after a 10 year break, should I take lessons and try to correct my grip and stance before stepping back on the course? Or should I just go back to playing the way I was and try to correct myself as I go? I was thinking a 10 year break might be a good time to start over with a blank slate.

How serious do you want to be? If I were going to play again it would be strictly for shits and giggles and to get drunk and drive the golf cart around and try to smash golf balls.

I wouldn’t care about my score, it would just be about drinking and hanging out with my friends so I’d just hit the driving range for 30 minutes or so before my T time.

 

[marioh]

may as well take one since you've had such a long break. now is likely the best time to kill the bad habits you likely picked up over time. kill them before they creep back into your golf swing/setup.

 

[closequarters]

How serious do you want to be? If I were going to play again it would be strictly for shits and giggles and to get drunk and drive the golf cart around and try to smash golf balls.

I wouldn’t care about my score, it would just be about drinking and hanging out with my friends so I’d just hit the driving range for 30 minutes or so before my T time.

For the most part, just for fun with my friends. But I do care about my score and definitely want to be better than I was back then.

But when I used to play, I always felt like I was playing wrong and not only was there a ceiling on ability but it was a little embarrassing when I’d get paired up with strangers who were very good. I was decent but always felt like Happy Gilmore out there swinging his hockey stick.

I definitely want to correct my grip and form, just curious if I should start over like I would if I never played before.

 

[genecop]

Just swing away F the lessons, it’s not that serious....

 

[bushman505]

For the most part, just for fun with my friends. But I do care about my score and definitely want to be better than I was back then.

But when I used to play, I always felt like I was playing wrong and not only was there a ceiling on ability but it was a little embarrassing when I’d get paired up with strangers who were very good. I was decent but always felt like Happy Gilmore out there swinging his hockey stick.

I definitely want to correct my grip and form, just curious if I should start over like I would if I never played before.

You could probably book a few hours with a pro and get some of your bigger flaws corrected pretty quickly.

 

[closequarters]

may as well take one since you've had such a long break. now is likely the best time to kill the bad habits you likely picked up over time. kill them before they creep back into your golf swing/setup.

That’s what I’m thinking also. If I don’t correct my bad habits now, I probably never will.

A couple course near my house offer a beginners group class, which is really well priced at like 5 hour long lessons for $100 or I could get 1 on 1 lessons with a golf pro for about $80 an hour.

 

[ThinkGreen]

Lessons will definitely help.

 

[bushman505]

I have a set of pings. I fucking hate golf, inwo md at a country club a few summers while I was in college, I hit some of the houses with golf balls that had a ridiculous slice on them.

 

[marioh]

That’s what I’m thinking also. If I don’t correct my bad habits now, I probably never will.

A couple course near my house offer a beginners group class, which is really well priced at like 5 hour long lessons for $100 or I could get 1 on 1 lessons with a golf pro for about $80 an hour.

skip the starter class, go with the pro.
wouldn't think it'd take more than a couple of classes to get your grip and stance correct.
sounds like you've played enough where you can likely take it from there.

 

[closequarters]

Lessons will definitely help.

I think I probably will book some lessons with a pro. Fuck it. It can only help.

I think I’ll skip the beginner group courses. I don’t know if I have the patience for that.

 

[Swiftie]

Just watch the movie Caddyshack several times and you'll be fine.

 

[Fawlty]

I dunno, it's kind of neat to see somebody with garbage golf swing playing really well

 

[Orgasmo]

Unless you want to play competitively, stay away from lessons. Golf is already an expensive sport on its own.

 

[closequarters]

Unless you want to play competitively, stay away from lessons. Golf is already an expensive sport on its own.

My cousin just hit me up and said the same thing. He called me an unflattering word too.

 

[Te Huna Matata]

Even the best players get lessons regularly. I haven't had the time to do so myself recently but lessons will always help. I only play a handful of rounds a year now but I can still play respectably well at a ~13 handicap.

 

[Jon Stark]

Lessons hit from the whites and don't write down more than quad bogey on any hole unless money is involved.

 

[paratiddies]

If you want a more conventional swing then spring for a few lessons to get off on the right track, there’s definitely a ceiling if you’ve got a bad grip, set up, fundamentals, etc

If you want to build on what you had (“baseball” grip and standing far from the ball) look up a guy named Moe Norman on YouTube. Almost anyone whoever saw him hit a golf ball considers him the best ball striker that ever lived. He gripped it more in the palms where the shaft was in line with his forearms, stood farther from the ball than usual, and preset his swing by starting with the clubhead about a foot behind the ball. Some of the stories about how accurate he was are insane, but the guy was autustic and didn’t handle galleries/playing partners very well which prevented him from competing professionally - think Rainman but for golf. If you’re familiar with Bryson Dechambeau who’s on tour now then it’s a little bit like his golf swing/method

I started playing at 10 and was a college golfer/teaching pro for a while, it would be too big of a switch for me to make at this point but it’s a more repeatable way to swing the club

 

[RawHawg]

Hit the ball into the hole

 

[sloppypie]

If you want to play seriously and often then sure, lessons are great. Golf requires a lot of foundation and good fundamentals that are all easy to mess up.

If you play 2-3 times a year as a means to go get drunk on a golf course with friends, then save the money bc lessons are expensive.