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Recently I read an article listing 8 thoughts for beginning golfers. I disagreed with two of them. Let's talk about four practical ways to learn the golf swing. I will discuss them in descending order by cost.
First, and the only way recommended by my fellow writer, go to the pro. You will learn one method from the start and avoid developing bad habits that might take you years to correct. Let's add two things to this idea.
Commit yourself to staying with this path for at least several weeks, let's say two months. You should ask any pro what they consider a minimum useful time before even considering this path. You can now multiply the cost per lesson times the number of sessions to see the financial commitment. Next you can figure out the time commitment required of you and your schedule. If you don't make this commitment you will just be switching horses in the middle of a very large learning stream.
Add a swing aide like the Medicus hinged driver to your learning process. Swing aides allow you to practice at home without the space of a driving range and allow you to warm up properly before starting a round. While there are several good and useful swing aides, I like the Medicus because it gives the most feed back of any aide I have seen and is very portable.
Isn't it interesting how many of us skip the visit your pro path? What is the value of saying this is the only true path to enjoying this fine game?
Second, consider a video instruction series and a swing aide. Video is the next best thing to live instruction because it includes live motion and audio materials. Video even has the advantages that it can be replayed repeatedly, try that with a live instructor, and that you can choose different learning systems. Most pros only teach one way, their way.
I like the Stack and Tilt system sold by Medicus. This swing system is easier to learn than the classic swing and has been proven on tour by several professionals. Obviously the swing aide I prefer is still the Medicus driver. Several other good video series exist. Choose the one you feel best about and commit to following it only.
Third, find a good e-book and a swing aide. The most popular golf instruction e-book on Click Bank is the Simple Swing. The author is teaching a simplified swing which will be easier to learn for most beginners. While there are many other proven e-books available, why fight with success? The Medicus swing aide is even more important when using this learning path. You will have no other corrective feedback, except for your errant shots.
Fourth, buy the Simple Swing and skip the swing aide. This method is the cheapest and will require the most patience. Since you have no physical feedback to identify swing faults this learning path will require the longest time and undoubtedly has the greatest chance of failure. Honestly, how good are you at being your own coach especially in a sport you have never played before?
There is one more learning path which nobody should ever follow. Go play with your friends and ask them to tell you what they see. First have you really watched their games, do you really want to duplicate their results? Next who said they know how to teach? Doing and teaching are two different skills.
The second item I disagreed with is the subject for another article. If you are really interested, I inadvertently covered the subject in my last article and on my blog.
Golf is a great game that does take some commitment and time to learn. You must decide how much time, effort and money you are willing to put into this learning process. Now you can decide on a learning path. Once on that path, stay on it. You will gain nothing by changing repeatedly from one system, aide, toy, club, etc to another.
Walter Werner is the father of two adult daughters, an amateur golfer, an internet marketer, and a TQM Deming Master. He is attempting to share his own experiences as a beginning golfer so that you can improve your game more quickly. This is the seventh in a series of articles he has written for beginning golfers. You may see all of them at his blog.
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