Benefits of a playing lesson
During my 18 seasons at Arroyo del Oso I was fortunate enough to give over 21,000 lessons, and I will tell you that the most rewarding lessons, for both me and my students, were those given on the course. I say that with conviction because the feedback I received after a playing lesson was always positive and it seemed less laboring a journey for my students.
A playing lesson is the equivalent of on the job training. I would advise anybody starting up a series of lessons to insist on at least one of those being a 9-hole or 4-hole playing lesson. Carving out a little extra time on the course with your trusted instructor will pay off far greater than another session pounding the 7-iron.
The reason you take a lesson or a series is to improve your game; the best way to find out if you are hitting it longer and straighter is to get on the course. I had a female student who could not reach the fairway off the first hole of the dam 9 at Arroyo, and she wanted more distance. So we worked on increasing her club-head speed through rotation of the body.
Before her third lesson I said, “Let’s go play a few holes today instead of hitting.” At first she was confused because she felt she wasn’t “trained enough” in the new movements. Her first shot didn’t clear, but the next three traveled 20 yardsplus past the rough into the fairway. She parred two of the four balls and bogeyed the other two and said, “Wow, I’ve never made better than double (bogey) on this hole.”
By getting on the course, I feel she had the confidence to slay the dragon. We were able to drop more balls, do the “on the job training,” and she was able to see she was improving. As the lesson progressed we worked on her chipping around the greens, and hit a few bunker shots, too. On the last hole we worked on some tricky putts, and even worked on how to use a hybrid as a putter from the fringe and fairway. These are things we would not have gotten to standing on the range.
The best “lessons” I received from my mentor, Ron Doan, were on the course. We were always able to reconstruct adverse shots I might face in upcoming tournaments. He would have me shape two or three different shots from the same spot with the same club, usually working on trajectories. The feedback I received as a player was much stronger because we were on the course.
So don’t be intimidated playing with the pro. Be observant as to what they are doing too, especially on the greens. Insist that the pro play the holes out. Use the opportunity to ask the “dumb” questions: How do I hit this shot or that shot? I honestly believe the best lessons are the ones on the course.