Tim McDonald - Latest Comments on to hell with lessons

Kevin Dahl [Visitor] in response to: to hell with lessons

Kevin Dahl [Visitor] — Sun, 21 Nov 2004 06:02:50 +0000

Maybe lessons don't help, maybe they do. All I know is that I've gone from about a 30 handicapp (barely break 100) down to a 3.2 in the last 6 years. I've been taking lessons from one and only one teaching pro at Golfsmith, Doug Nelle, but then he has taught me more about golf than just the golf swing.

Jim McLellan [Visitor] in response to: to hell with lessons

Jim McLellan [Visitor] — Wed, 17 Nov 2004 20:52:49 +0000

Golf's Secret

Our game should be simple, understandable, easy, and a joy for a lifetime. In order to accomplish this goal we need to understand that the swing has got to be something that just happens, without conscious thought. Whenever we hit a good shot, invariably it is because we are not thinking.

The swing is not a bunch of parts. It is a full swing back and a full swing through. As with all great golfers the head stays reasonably still. The swing is smooth. The swing is grooved through practice. The swing is powerful with no display of effort.

You can't buy a golf swing. Most golfers believe that they could benefit if they could take lessons from the golf coach of a top tournament professional. Most golfers think that golf resorts, books, and lessons from PGA golf pros will help. Instead they only add to more frustration and confusion....and are a waste of money.

Countless numbers of golfers have read dozens of books, viewed scores of videos, taken more than one series of lessons and yet they still haven't found their swing.

If one could buy a golf swing, millionaires would have great swings. Those who have spent a great deal of money trying to "buy a swing" do no better than the rest of us.....or as well!

Can you fix your own slice, drive over 250 yards, break 80, and play with a decent amount of consistency? Is your swing low maintenance? Will it serve you well for a lifetime?

All that is needed for a great game is adhering to a few sound and proven principles and lots and lots of practice.

Sincerely,

Jim McLellan
McLellan School of Golf.
www.mcgolf.com

Curtis Jones [Visitor] in response to: to hell with lessons

Curtis Jones [Visitor] — Thu, 04 Nov 2004 20:17:49 +0000

Tim,
I agree with you 100%. I think you should find your answers the same way us golf pro's do. Good old fashioned hard work and hours and hours of practice. The late Ben Hogan was asked by someone how to fix a slice, and Hogan just pointed to the range and said" The answer is somewhere out there in the dirt..........go find it."

John Yacobellis [Visitor] in response to: to hell with lessons

John Yacobellis [Visitor] — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 02:30:28 +0000

Tim,

I am sure you haven't attained your present position by being stupid, so I must assume you have achieved your goal of eliciting a variety of comments by golf teachers from near and far by your irony concerning golf lessons. What's next? A letter from a teacher stating they will never read another article by a golf editor?

There is, of course, some truth to your story. Regardless of the objectives of the lesson, regardless of the student's disposition to learn, and regardless of the teacher's knowledge or ability to communicate, one fact stands out: the lesson changed the grip. And the grip is the first and most important cause of the golf swing because it has an effect on every other aspect, including alignment and set up as well as body positions and body movements.

Two persons would play the day after a major grip change: one bereft of reason and intelligence, and an egotist who believes his ability is so great as to overcome the effects of so drastic a change. Just the mere pressure of performing, of hitting fairways and greens, will make any golfer revert to old habits and vitiate the benefits of any lesson. Trying to play without practicing sufficiently to assimilate the new grip and its effects is sheer folly.

John Yacobellis

Michael Turnbull, PGA Professional [Visitor] in response to: to hell with lessons

Michael Turnbull, PGA Professional [Visitor] — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 00:51:42 +0000

I think you've hit the nail on the head, Tim...why can't we find more teachers who can guide us to learn from our own experience? If your own frame of reference is your own experience then you become much more capable of knowing when you are on or off track. The goal of lessons should be to increase the student's independence from the teacher, to help them find their own way. Teaching should not be the primary focus of the teacher...the goal should be learning. And if the goal is learning you can trust that experience will teach.
And who's in charge of the learning? The learner. The teacher is in charge of the learning environment. I'm guessing there wasn't much exploration, experimentation, adventure or trust during your lesson. And if the learning environment is not safe enough to explore or experiment, then the students will be too fearful to stretch or challenge themselves--they'll try too hard to do it "right" and block any feedback from their bodies, the club or the ball by overtightening...If the teacher doesn't trust the student to learn, why should the student trust themselves? Human beings are natural learners, it's built into their DNA. The teacher just has to guide them a bit and get out of the way. Learning to swing a golf club doesn't have to be hard; it should be as natural as learning to walk or throw a ball. It seems to me that we learn best when we learn by doing, instead of thinking about doing.
One more thing...I would change your headline to "Forget all you THINK you know; just grip it and rip it" If you have to try to remember tips or instructions while you play or practice--instead of focusing attention on the differences in feel of a swing that works and one that doesn't--then you really don't know. The body doesn't need more instructions on how to swing a golf club--it needs accurate, moment-by-moment feedback on what the clubhead is doing...and it needs relaxed concentration on the differences in each swing.

Keith Applegate [Visitor] in response to: to hell with lessons

Keith Applegate [Visitor] — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 21:47:49 +0000

I am a natural hack, but love to play just the same. I had become as good as I was going to by watching others and guessing what it would take to improve. Yes, I had a similar experience immediately following my first lesson. Worst round ever! But, I have improved since then and I have a better idea of how to correct mistakes on my own. Lessons are probably better for pros who need minor tweaks in their game or someone who has never swung a stick of any kind in their life, but they can benefit those of us who are somewhere in the middle.

Apples

Tom Miller [Visitor] in response to: to hell with lessons

Tom Miller [Visitor] — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 15:47:59 +0000

Tim,
I look forward to your forthcoming column on the golf swing. I expect it will be more insightful than your current musings. The nub of "to hell with lessons" is not that golf lessons are a waste of time but rather your admission and preference to continue to play with an improper grip. I would hazard to say that 1 out of 1000 aspiring golfers simply hold a golf club incorrectly, a habit that comes without having received formal golf instruction in the first place.
I expect that your instructor showed you how to hold a club correctly but more importantly explained to you why it is so important for you to adopt a proper grip. But like so many others, after your lesson you said "the hell with it" and reverted to your "incorrect" grip. But whether you choose to play with a proper grip or an improper grip, the key is to have fun playing the game.
I would strongly advise however,that should you be hitting bad shots you not resort to the remedies proffered by one of your colleagues on this site; they being, "to order a drink, swear, throw your club, abuse your partner or remain as a ticking time bomb". I am most certain that no golf instructor worth his/her salt would suggest such corrective measures!

Tom Miller

Jim Williams-PGA [Visitor] in response to: to hell with lessons

Jim Williams-PGA [Visitor] — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 06:41:34 +0000

Today I saw 39 players with 39 different swings on the first tee. Everyone has a different approach to a golf shot. Right after a golf lesson, your focus is on golf mechanics. You are thinking about how you are holding the club, where you are swinging it, and not focusing on the target. You have to understand that after a lesson, there will be a short time period where your game may get worse before it gets better. A good golf instructor will help you develop a routine approach, focus on the target, and to relax when you swing the golf club. He or she will give you practice drills to help improve your skills, but you have to practice. It won't happen overnight. Most bad shots come from bad or negative thoughts. Don't beat yourself up on the course. Get positive and you will see positive shots. Besides, what is the worst thing that will happen to you if you hit a bad shot? You get to hit it again. Its not like someone is going to slit your wrist for hitting a bad shot. Take the negativity out of you game-you will be amazed.