WHETHER YOU’R A BEGINNER OR EXPERT, WE’LL HELP YOU DEVELOP YOUR GAME OR IMPROVE YOUR SWING.

·        Perhaps the biggest stumbling block people bring to a golf lesson is the same stumbling block they bring to the game itself – distorted expectations.  A “lesson”, as defined by your Webster’s unabridged, is “a portion which a pupil learns at one time.”  But many people come to a lesson expecting to learn quite a bit more.  They have a different definition in mind, one that might fit words like, “answer;” or “fix” or secret.”

·        I want my students to understand that participating in a golf lesson offers no guarantees, no cure-alls, and no prescription for birdies.  There is no perfect swing and, therefore, a golf swing is always a work in progress, keeping it headed in the right direction, fine turning a “portion” of the work that needs to be done.  It is not uncommon for a pupil to experience results that are worse before they are better, as he learns to apply the lesson learned.  The same might be said for refining technique on a musical instrument.

·        Over the years, I have found one of the most difficult problems people have in taking a lesson is retention.  They try to remember or apply every specific element introduced.  Again, they are asking too much of themselves.  What is more important is to absorb the information and capture at least one or two concepts you can apply immediately.  Keep in mind the average person taking a lesson will retain some 50 percent of the information over the first 48 hours.  Over 72 hours, 25 percent of the information is retained, which represents the piece of the puzzle that is in place the next time a person plays or practices.  However, as the 25 percent of our new “golf swing thought process,” is applied, the brain will release more pieces of the information in the form of “oh yes, I remember I should be doing this” or I should be feeling this.”

·        The success of a lesson is not entirely up to the instructor.  During the 35 years of teaching, I have come to believe that I can’t simply teach students how to play the game; I must show them how to teach themselves.  Remember, there is no factory model, no perfect swing.  And because there isn’t, the most important thing a PGA or LPGA Professional can do to become a better teacher is to never stop learning.  For my part, a big part of the educational process comes from the students, their needs, their feedback, their application.  The golf lesson is a workshop from which both the student and teacher can benefit.

·        While there are no magic wants – I lost mine in the Great Flood of ’93 – there compelling reasons to take a golf lesson.  A PGA or LPGA Professional can help you identify the components of your particular golf swing, understand the problems and give you the tools to improve.  Books and videos are great entertainment, but they can’t teach you how to play.  They can’t separate your swing from Ben Hogan’s swing; they can’t listen to your concerns or see how you respond.

·        According to statistics, five percent of the playing public has taken a lesson from a PGA or LPGA Professional.  They don’t know all the answers, they don’t have perfect swings, but they know a lot more about “the portions” of their golf swing than the other 95 percent.  And chances are, they play better golf.

·        If you have any questions regarding this issue’s lesson or would like to see a particular topic discussed, you can email Dale Boggs at: golfport4lessons@aol.com  or simply mail inquiries to: