Why We Take a Golf Lesson

Jon Stanley
PGA Teaching Professional
John Jacobs Golf Schools & Academies
Phoenix, AZ

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Why do you take a golf lesson? Is it to become a better player? To straighten your ball flight? To hit the ball farther? Or maybe, just maybe, you want to be more consistent. The latter is what we, as golf instructors, hear constantly. Players want to depend on their golf swing to provide a constant golf shot. One they can count on time and time again. I agree with this. Golfers need the correct fundamentals to perform a repeatable swing. It would help them score better, play faster, and enjoy their time on the golf course much more. But, does the answer stop with learning a better swing?

Let us examine the equipment or “tools of the trade” with which we play. There are the drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, set of irons, wedges, and of course a putter. All golfers use a combination of these clubs to form a “set”. They use their set every time they play. With very little change, the set remains constant from day to day. All of you reading this article have formed your own set of clubs carried in your golf bag. What else is in your bag?

Golf balls–A Big Part of the Game. If you emptied your ball pocket, how many different brands of golf balls would you find? If the answer is more than one, then you have too many…not all golf balls are created to give the same results. Some of the latest television ads depict one brand of ball with different models to meet the needs of golfers with different swing speeds. Another has balls with different rates of spin. Some have soft covers, hard covers or larger cores. Use this ball for distance and that ball for accuracy. The list is almost endless and the message is simple: there is a ball to fit everyone…you just have to find the right one for you. Experiment, find the right ball, then use it. Play the same ball all the time. If you practice playing with whatever ball is on sale that day or whatever ball you found when you were searching for yours on the course, then the value of those lessons you got to improve your swing is diminished. Remember, same swing + same clubs + same ball = consistent golf. Let your local PGA Professional help find the best ball for your game.

Note: This is the ninth of a series of instructional columns that will be presented each month by a different John Jacobs’ Golf Schools and Academies’ Instructor.