Taking It to the Course

One of the best ways of gaining an advantage over the golf course is with an on course playing lesson with a PGA Professional.

Without doubt, course lessons provide the best opportunity for your pro to really see into the heart of your golf game. It’s the prime place to assess your entire golfing package to see how your skills of putting, chipping, driving, irons and bunker play shape up and how you manage these skills during realtime play. As a golf professional I often hear players say they cannot take their range game to the golf course. Well they certainly can and most probably do, they just don’t know how to manage it properly.

The most common issues I see on the course are the simple things such as alignment and set up, key elements that are too often taken for granted when practicing on the range. If you play for too long ignoring these fundamentals, they can quickly cause long lasting swing issues for months to come. Then there’s the short game, where there are always dubious faults in shot selection, visualization not forgetting general course strategy from the tee and fairway.

On course lessons are the perfect place for us to really size up your game and take stock of what’s really going on. Most traditional golf lessons take place on the range, with the pro watching pupil hit ball after ball which is great for working on technique, but better technique does not always mean better results on the course. It’s very easy to become overly interested in the nuances of the golf swing, constantly tinkering with your technique. What you must not forget is your number one priority as a competitor is to get the ball round the golf course in the lowest score possible.

Many players are happy to strike the ball well, it can certainly be a satisfying feeling even when it has not gone close to your target, but this is not going to improve your score or handicap! Striking nice shots with the wrong club is not the way to play golf. Reaching for the driver on every Par 4, or approaching every Par 5 with the same hit it hard and long mindset is not always the best strategy.

Often the pro’s job is merely to play devil’s advocate and restrain your ego from running the show. This second pair of well trained eyes can see your complete golfing picture and make subtle suggestions which may at times seem most obvious to you. A prime example being, when players readily get to 40 or 50 yards and reach for the sand wedge, every time playing the same high lofted shot when in fact a lower lofted shot would have been much easier. In situations like this I would demonstrate both shots, one flying high, the other low, both shots would finish within similar distances to the hole but what I hope the pupil could see is just how much easier the lower lofted shot was and how much more room for error it allowed.

Higher handicap players so often need reminding to take their punishment! High scores are so easily the result of a compounded mistake. If you hit into the trees don’t try to bite off anymore than you can sensibly chew, a pitch or chip out sideways is not admitting defeat it is usually the best option to attack the next shot. Always ask yourself, ‘what are my percentages here? How many times out of ten could I pull this shot off?’ If it’s below 50% then take your medicine and knockout sideways, remember the fairway will always provide the best opportunity for hitting the green.

There is no substitute for a good pro who can effectively communicate his knowledge and share their many years of playing experience.

Moving closer to the summit of your golfing potential, shooting lower scores and enjoying better golf ultimately comes with experience, which is why spending time with a PGA pro for an on course lesson can prove invaluable.

Why not give me a call today and let’s see if we can tee off tomorrow!