golfrewind.com

Due to a rather decent influx of cash thanks to the SoCal real estate market I'm going to have a little bit of mad money. New irons are at the top of my list so I have that taken care of. But I've read ads about golf schools before and I'm curious. Dave Owens wrote a book called "My Usual Game" which although dated is still a great read. In one chapter he writes about how much going to a Golf Digest school really helped his game. Granted, he was (still is?) a contributing editor for Golf Digest so his opinion may be biased.

However, Golf Digest has two schools near me, one in Palm Springs and another in Las Vegas. And the prices seem relatively fair. I was expecting $2500 and up but I can go to a three day session at either place for about $1200. It includes accomodations as well as instruction.

I'm leery of finding a local golf pro because when I gave up on the game two years ago before falling back in love with it two months ago I went through about 5 different pros. Some helped me for a while but my game would always fall apart again. I figure that if I go to school like that which Golf Digest offers that I won't have to worry about good instruction. Their reputation is on the line so it would seem they would have to have a good program.

Any opinions and experiences on the subject are much appreciated. Thanks.

My brother-in-law went to one a few years ago. His package was 5 days of instruction and 2 rounds of golf, I don't remember the price but again it was a few years back. When he left he was not a very good golfer to say the least, a very short backswing and a nasty slice. When he got back we went to the course, I really wanted to see if there was a big improvement in his game. His new swing was beautiful, a full backswing, nice tempo to a nice finish and was killing the ball with a nice draw. He showed me a video they did of him twice a day for the 5 days and you could see improvement each time they taped him. A guy we all played golf with went also with the same results. Both came back with great swings and a good game. They couldn't say enough about the instructors and how well they were treated.

Lamma,
If you went through five instructors and some of them helped you but your game started to fall apart after awhile, I think it was because you started falling back into your old habits, probably without even realizing it. It is such an easy thing to do. While I certainly would think that the Golf Digest school should be a very positive experience, I'm not so sure that you couldn't find a top notch instructor in your area to work with. $1200 would buy a lot of one on one sessions. I would, however, do some checking on the best rated pro's in your area. If you can, talk to some of their students and get some feedback. I also suggest that you take notes, whether you go to the school or get one on one with someone in your area. Keep these notes neatly written and keep them in a binder so that you can refer back to them. Sometimes that is all you need to do when you start having problems and can't figure out why. Whatever you decide to do, best of luck to you and work hard. Changes never come easy and your game will likely as not suffer some before it starts to get better. But if you really work on what they teach you, it will get better. Again, best of luck.
Jerry

Thinkin2, the first guy who ever gave me a lesson was some clown from a Nevada Bob's store who wasn't a certified instructor. I found that out after going in the day after a confusing lesson from him and told the guy behind the counter that I had taken a lesson from said clown. The guy behind the counter said "He's not qualified to teach kindergarten".

Then I found a really good instructor at a driving range and I took lessons from him for about three months. My game was improving and the guy could correct my swing flaws at the snap of a finger. Then one day I showed up to sign on for some more lessons but he was gone. No one in the pro shop knew where he went and I've never seen him again.

After that I ran into a "Natural Golf" instructor who helped improve my game somewhat but then he talked me into playing right handed and it was all downhill from there.

I then found a guy at a different range who was pretty good. I'd come down with a nasty case of the shanks which he cured in about three swings, but then like the other guy I liked, I showed up one day and he was gone. Again, the pro shop told me they didn't know where he'd gone off to.

And in between these four guys I found an old codger at a different range who could have been R. Lee Ermey's older brother. He was cranky, impatient, and sarcastic. I took one lesson from him and that was that.

So as you can see, I've struggled to find a decent instructor. From unqualified to grouchy to poor advising to disappearing.

I'll be honest and say that even though I've swung my clubs at thousands and thousands of balls, I still don't really have a serviceable understanding of the golf swing. I'm hoping that a good golf school can teach me the basics so that when things do go wrong I can identify what those things are. And if I can't identify it then I can go see a PGA certified pro who can point it out and correct me in a lesson or two.

Everyone you mentioned, except for the Nevada Bob's guy, you say you found on a range. Driving ranges are full of non qualified instructors. Go to your phonebook yellow pages and look for PGA certified intructors who are club pro's. It's just a thought. I'm sure the Golf Digest school would be good and lots of fun. Let us know what you do and give us a report afterwards to let us know what your experience was. Right now I'm reading a book by Manuel de la Torre, a PGA instructor Hall of Famer highly rated by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine. The book is "Understanding the Golf Swing". He teaches simplicity, just swing the club in a circle. He doesn't teach all of the technical "what the body parts need to do in what sequence" stuff that clutters your mind. This is not, by the way, like some of the things you see on the GC infomercials. This guy has credentials and isn't trying to sell anything other than a book and dvd by the same name. I think the book is about $29 and so is the dvd. I haven't seen the dvd but the book is very interesting reading, you might want to give it a look. Best of luck with your decision and improving your game.
Jerry