I have a  programme on my website which I can use to help people searching for my material online.  The programme itself doesn’t do anything unless I use it correctly.  Learning golf is the same.  If you want to get better through coaching, you need to practice to reinforce the learning.

Without practice, within a couple of days you are likely to either forget what you have been told, or have forgotten what the correct movement feels like, or both.

One of the great rewards from coaching any golfer is sharing the enjoyment they get as they improve.  When a player hits a shot out of the middle of the club, they can see, hear and feel the quality.  I can too.  Just as hitting more of these types of shots is your objective as a player, helping you do that is my objective as a coach.

To get the greatest benefit from your coaching, follow these ideas.  They will help cement the benefits coming from your visit to your coach.

Before the lesson

• Determine your priorities for the lesson.
• What will be a good outcome for you from the lesson?
• Ensure your coach knows the answers to the first two points, even if you aren’t asked.
• Arrive early and warm-up.  No good having even a hint of lingering road rage … it will affect your swing!

During the lesson

• Ensure you understand why you are being asked to make the suggested improvement.  This provides motivation for you to persist and enjoy the benefits.
• Ask questions knowing you are going to be on your own after the lesson.
• Make sure you have specific drills and checkpoints to use in your practice.

After the lesson

• Write a summary as soon as possible.  Better still, ask your coach to review it to make sure you understand what to work on.
• Practice for another 30 minutes to keep your memory of the lesson fresh.
• Sit quietly, maybe with a tea or coffee and reflect on the lesson.  This is a great time to write your notes.

Between lessons

• Practice every day if possible.  This can include just swinging the club at home and watching your reflection to embed the key points.
• Hit balls only until you begin to lose your focus.  For some players this could be as few as 25 shots, for others as many as 100 or 200.
• Continue your practice even if you don’t think you have it exactly right.  Isn’t this the reason you are taking lessons and practicing in the first place?
• Schedule another lesson.  This provides incentive to practice so you can show off your improved swing.  Your coach will get a kick out of it as well as you.

Coaching will give you the best value for your improvement dollar, provided you follow up.  Without follow-up practice and coaching reviews you are wasting your money.

You might also enjoy reading these articles.

Learning Golf is like Learning a Language

Getting the Most from your Practice