5 Tips for Making the Most of Your Golf Lesson

Arrive at least 30 min. before the lesson. Arriving early allows you time to relax and warm up on the range before the lesson begins. Many people come for a lesson and before we can start I need to make sure that their muscles are loose so we can avoid an injuries. Wrist injuries occur often simply because we haven't warmed them up. The back muscles also need some reps. Be careful not to over-practice. Wiping yourself out early with two buckets of balls doesn't allow you to bring your best mojo to the session.

Make sure you have everything you need before your lesson. Its a good idea to bring a water bottle, hat and sunglasses or even a rain jacket if pending weather. Don't forget to bring your glove! If its your first lesson, call the pro shop if you need clubs to use. If you don't own golf shoes, try to find a shoe or sneaker with a flat bottom. Running shoes are the least desireable as they don't allow your feet to pivot correctly and they can throw too much weight on your toes. Often you can rent clubs or perhaps they might have some you can use as part of the lesson. I also recommend a notebook or something to log a few of the main points of your lesson. Describe in your own words what you've learned. Nothing helps learning like teaching, so feel free to teach yourself!

Define your goal(s) for the lesson. As a coach the first thing I want to know is what is your goal for this session. It's how I know if you're going to be happy when you leave. The more specific the better. Goals should be specific and realistic. This helps the coach formulate a plan of action for you.

Give Feedback. Ask questions. If you don't understand what the coach is saying keep asking questions. Don't be shy about interrupting or asking for further explanation. This is probably the most crucial part of the learning process: to make sure you can put what the coach is saying into your own words or feel. In order to do that you need to have a clear understanding of what exactly the coach is asking you to do. The more interaction you have the better the lesson will resonate.

After your lesson don't practice or play golf. If you feel like you want to hit a few more balls after the lesson, ok... just a few. However, I strongly recommend that if you've had a successful lesson where you understand the suggestions, and you've successfully implemented them for a few good shots then don't play or continue to practice. You will not create any muscle memory. In fact, without the coach you might easily fall back into your old habits, especially on the golf course where you will "go with what you know." Why? Studies have shown that your brain does function like a sponge.... it needs time to soak up the information. If you learn something it takes several hours before it becomes embedded into your mind for easy recall. If you then try to learn something new or move on without this time, your retention rate decreases significantly. Do you remember studying for a test by cramming all that information in the night before.. sure you can spit it out for tomorrows test but in a week all of that is gone. You and the coach need to chunk the information into a few small pieces of actions. This way your brain can contemplate it for a while and let it become permanent. Then go ahead and practice and then play. The golf course has a way of making you default to what you've done before. Why? It's there that you remember your shots the most, not on the range where they are less significant. So first learn, then practice then play. It's the best sequence for a lasting improvement.