Should you take golf lessons, or not? This is a topic of discussion that can get you as many answers as there are golfers out there right now playing the game!

When students first come to the Nancy Quarcelino School of Golf, they bring a lot of questions with them about instruction. Many of these questions come as a result of previous experiences or from golf buddies who think they have all the answers.

Here are some examples of the questions we get: 

• How long does it take for you to see improvement in your golf game after taking lessons?
• Will golf lessons mess my game up or help me immediately?
• Will you change everything about my golf swing when I take lessons?
• I heard that I will get worse before I get better after taking golf lessons, is that true?
• How often should I practice after my lesson before I come back to see you?
• Should I not play golf for a while after taking a lesson?

As you can see, you have many questions about how it affects your golf game.  This is really why many of you do not take lessons.  You feel that your game will suffer before you see any improvement.

Well, that is when we start asking you questions?

How often do you practice?  No, not play, but hit golf balls and practice?  If you rarely practice, then taking a golf lesson may not help your game right away.  A teacher must put this in perspective when giving the lesson and only change a few things.  But if we know you practice then we can set up a systematic approach to your lessons and help you with the foundations of a great golf swing.

How often do you play golf?  This question is then followed by: do you warm up before you go out to play?  If you are a slow starter and do not warm up then maybe getting to the golf course a few minutes earlier will help.

Have you taken golf lessons before?  We want to know what you are already thinking about when we start the lessons.

What is your goal, what do you hope to get from your lesson, and is there a specific time frame involved? Many say they just want to get better. What does that mean to you? You’ve got to be more specific. Better score? Better ball striking? Better short game skills? Are you preparing for a tournament or golf outing? 

Golf can be as technical or as simplistic as we want to make it be.  The instructor you choose should take all of the above into consideration and more. They are there to listen to you and to help guide you toward your goals. There is no one swing method or model which works for everyone. You are all different. It is up to us to help bring out the best golfer in you!