Are you one of the 80% of golfers who never break 100? Thats correct; according to statistics fewer than 1 in 5 amateur golfers ever break 100! If you fall into the category of weekend golfer who plays with the same group of players, who hits about the same score every week, with an occasional par or maybe even a birdie in your round, who loses a couple of bucks at bingo, bango, bongo or a $2.00 Nassau bet, you could likely benefit from some kind of golf training. Many golfers can improve their golf swing just by going to the driving range, many more just end up practicing the same flawed golf swing until they get really good at it. These are the golfers who really need some sort of golf training aid or program in order to improve their golfing skills. Golf; being a lifetime sport that is accessible to almost everyone is growing by leaps and bounds. People from all around the world are joining the sport partly due to the media attention paid to some of the super stars on the PGA, LPGA and other professional tours...stars like Michelle Wie, Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus. Of course not everyone can play like Michelle, Tiger or Jack. Most of us feel we are lucky to make par on a hole, let alone birdie or eagle. However we can learn a valuable lesson by paying attention to how these super stars and most other serious golfers prepare for competition. Some people think that these super stars already have all of the knowledge of the golf swing that they need. Far from it, evidenced by the large and growing cadre of golf coaches and swing guru's that ply their trade with pro golfers. Check the bio's of people like Rick Smith, Chuck Harmon, Dave Pelz, David Leadbetter and others too see who they are working with, you may be surprised to find the names of many of the super stars you are interested in, some of these golf coaches even travel the tour with the pro's. If golfers of this caliber need to take lessons, and make use of swing coaches, it just makes sense that average golfers could also need help. So what kind of instruction is available? Pick up any golf magazine or go to any of the golf superstores, go online, ask your golf course pro, you will be amazed at the variety or swing training aids, DVD or VHS lessons, books and other self help items you can find. The main question is do they work? Ask other golfers you know, they may have tried some of these items. Higher up the price scale are golf schools. There are more than 1000 golf schools listed online, in various golf magazines, they can be from half day to weeklong schools, and some include lodging and meals. They range in price from affordable to ridiculous. When searching for a golf school, check for what you can afford. Read the course syllabus to see what will be taught, look for smaller instructor to student ratios, and ask other golfers that may have gone what they gained. Finally do not overlook your local golf professional, these are golfers who have chosen to make golf course management and golf training their lifes work, many of them were amateur and/or college golf stars, some were or still are touring professionals. Ask around to find out who is really knowledgeable and good at giving instruction in your area. You will most likely find that one or two names come up more often than others. Schedule a lesson or a series of lessons. Most importantly whatever method of golf training you choose, practice what you learn; if it does not work as well as you had hoped, try again, leaning is a lifelong experience. If you take the time to learn how to play the game and really improve your golf swing, you can look forward to many years of a satisfying sport, rather than years of frustration. |
