Have you ever wondered whether John Rahm started his outstanding journey with golf lessons? Or whether Rory Mcllroy had a private teacher to show him the basics of the game?
Nowadays, there’s common speculation about golf lessons and whether they’re beneficial or even worth it. Some people even started asking about whether world-class players took golf lessons at the start of their journeys.
To put your mind at ease, I’ll answer the question in detail in this article. Here’s everything you need to know to decide whether to apply for golf lessons.
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Are Golf Lessons Worth It?
While it ultimately depends on your skill level and goals, the answer is yes; they’re worth it. Golf lessons will put you on the right track at the beginning of your journey. And whether you’re playing for fun or aiming for the stars, playing correctly and knowing your weaknesses is a must.
What Are the Pros of Taking Golf Lessons?
If you’re still unsure about your decision, here’s a list of the pros of taking golf lessons.
Understanding the Game
The first and most important positive point about taking golf lessons is that you’ll learn from professionals, so you’ll understand the basics of the game properly. As you already know, golf is a challenging game with many details to wrap your head around, so online videos and tutorials may not cut it.
For instance, you should learn how to swing right, how to hit the same spot on the ground most of the time, and how to control the curve of your ball. And that’s not it. You’ll also need to practice different postures and grips till you aim right. That may only be possible under professional supervision.
Identifying Your Swinging Mistakes
Working with a professional means that they’ll point out your mistakes, which is more beneficial than you think. If you often practice alone, you won’t be able to assess the quality of your swings, so you won’t improve.
Generally, swinging mistakes are among the most common in golf, and getting over them requires patience and practice. So having someone to guide you and tell you what exactly you need to fix will make you a better player faster.
Identifying Your Overall Weaknesses
Besides your swing, there are many moves in golf that you might get wrong at the beginning of your learning journey. For instance, you might not have the best posture, grip, ball flight, etc.
The first point professionals often focus on is your grip because it’s key to controlling the club and your swing. They’ll encourage you to try many grips till you find one that you’re comfortable with and that gives you a better swing.
Next, they’ll help you position the ball correctly according to your stance. One of the most common mistakes in golf is putting the ball in the wrong place. You won’t have to go through that hassle if you have a professional helping you.
Moreover, beginner golfers often struggle with their backswing and downswing. Again, your coach will come in handy here as they’ll point out your exact mistakes, directing you to the right way to do it.
Gaining Consistency in Playing
When you learn golf from multiple online sources and play with your friends, it’s probable that your level won’t be consistent. In other words, you’ll perform nicely on some days and poorly on others.
Taking golf lessons will help you overcome this issue as you’ll work with one professional throughout your journey. So they’ll help you develop a specific style of playing. Focusing on one style and improving it will make you an overall better player and help you gain consistency.
Knowing the Right Equipment to Use
Excelling at golf doesn’t only depend on practice. It also depends hugely on the equipment you’re using. To play properly, you should have a putter, sand wedge, pitching wedge, driver, irons, and more. Now, if you’re training on your own, you might miss a detail or two when it comes to the required equipment. More so, you might misuse or confuse the wedges.
However, you can say goodbye to this issue if you sign up for a professional golf lesson. Your coach will tell you exactly what equipment you’ll need and how to use it.
What Are the Cons of Taking Golf Lessons?
If I’m being honest, taking golf lessons isn’t an entirely positive deal. There are some cons you might face, and I’ll tell you all about them.
Time-Consuming
Since golf is a complicated game with many details, learning it will take you some time. And unlike online tutorials and friendly lessons, professional golf lessons focus on each detail, so they’re often time-consuming.
This might not be an issue for some people, as playing golf is relaxing and fun, even if you’re learning. However, for people who are only learning for fun with no intention to go professional, it might be an irritating point.
Costly
As we all know, golf is a luxurious game mainly meant for the elite. Unfortunately, this means that taking lessons to learn it will cost you a considerable amount of money.
While this isn’t much of an issue for professionals, it’s inconvenient for people playing for fun to pay huge amounts of money to learn golf.
Uncomfortable Changes
Another issue with golf lessons is that you’ll have to follow your coach’s advice. This means that you’ll need to get used to new grips, postures, and setups. Although they’re right and will help you become better at swinging, they might not be as comfortable as your old ones. You might also take some time to get used to them.
To Wrap Up
Whether you want to play golf for fun or want to become a professional, golf lessons at the beginning of your journey are a must. They’ll help you understand the basics of the game right, identify your mistakes, and become more consistent. Although they’re time-consuming and relatively costly, they’ll help put you on the right track.
