Driving range vs on course lesson

Hi Chaps,

 I recently had a refresher lesson on the driving range and whilst on the day all looked good, I have actually got worse since. The pro changed my grip slightly and also my stance and I was so pleased with the results during the lesson but the rounds I have been playing since have not been great.

Was wondering whether it was worth paying the extra and having a lesson on the course rather than the driving range?

Drew, this is not an unusual experience for a few reasons. When on the driving range you are concentrating on the guidance of the pro and hitting the balls far more frequently than you do on a golf course.

A lesson from anyone is only a success when you feel what has been shown to you and you understand that this feeling is what produces the flight you are looking for.

Until you are able to absorb this feeling in the swing then progress is not possible.

I can have you hitting a ball down the range with a soft draw within ten minutes, but retaining the feeling for what I have told you will take a lot longer, why? because it is guaranteed you will revert back to what is natural to you without realising it.

Two different issues here Drew. 

Firstly, in answer to your question, yes it's better to have a lesson on the course rather than the range in my opinion.  There's no pressure on the range and if you hit a bad one it doesn't matter but on the course you pay the price of the bad one with your position for the next shot.  Also, you have a perfect and flat lie on the range, something that rarely happens on the course. 

Secondly, whenever you have a lesson and something gets changed, it takes a while to get it grooved in.  Expect your game to go downhill slightly before improving; one step backwards to go two forwards. 

I would also say that a playing lesson may show up a more fundamental flaw that should be addresses first and could have a igger positive influence on your game. 

There is no real correct answer to this question because you can benefit from both.

On the Range you can go through all the fundamentals of your Swing while on the Course you find out how you PLAY the Game.

A good Pro will advise you which is the best for the stage you are at.

I find the problem with a range with mats is that I can slap the balls all over the place because I use the bounce off the surface.  If I tried taking that to a course I'd just dig most of it up.  I only use the range for a bit of exercise, tending to bang off a hundred balls as fast as possible.  However, one of our local ranges has a proper grassed area (where Darren and I did his video) so I often go there and dig it up with impunity...

I would say hitting your golf balls from the grass would always be better than hitting them off a mat.  Some mats are very good but they are hard to find!

Concentrate on what you have learnt during your lesson and in a couple of weeks time you'll be doing it naturally.

Keep going and you will be rewarded.

Russ

I think both have their place, a range is the perfect place to ingrain a swing change but a playing lesson is  where a pro will see everything, putting, chipping and course management.

I had a grip change last year (too strong) and I can say it does you no favours at all for some weeks, I would say I was hitting really bad shots for a couple of months, and with lots of range work, before it got ingrained. It will take time.

I agree with most on here but especially with John (as it is my experience).

Within 10 minutes John had me hitting lovely shots down the range consistently. Several times since our first meet at the range I have no issues doing this (although he does need to re-tweak every meeting).

On the course, my scores actually got worse - a lot worse. I believe this was due to issues at home being on my mind but also because I was thinking too much about the swing on the course. I have since started improving again as things at home are better and I feel my swing has improved.

I must meet up with John again soon though!