On a recent Shooting 90 poll, I asked the question “What’s the biggest thing stopping you from lessons with a PGA professional?”. As of writing this post, over 75% of the respondents answered “It’s too expensive for me”. Other choices included “I don’t have the time”, “I’m too embarrassed”, and “I don’t need lessons!”.
The expense of golf lessons being by far the most popular answer took me a bit by surprise. While I can make the argument for each answer not being a viable reason (excuse), I was expecting not having the time as the most popular response.
Golf is an expensive sport to begin with. Most likely you’ve already invested hundreds of dollars into a set of clubs. While a set of clubs can last you several years, what about your cost every time you golf a round of 18 holes? Add up green fees, replacing lost balls, and refreshments, and you talking at least $60, maybe more depending on where you live. I understand you can golf during twilight hours for $20, just drink water (which is best for you anyways), and bring your total cost to under $30, but the point I’m trying to make is that golf costs you a significant amount of money every time you play a round.
I will venture to say that most high handicap golfers play too much and practice too little, which is fine if you do not want to improve and are getting enough enjoyment from your curent game. The fact is golf is more enjoyable for a high handicap golfer after they improve their game, and you reading this post tells me you have a desire to improve.
What if instead of golfing one of your rounds per month, you take what you would have spent and invest in golf lessons? The average cost of one hour of lessons with a golf teaching professional in my area is $65. Most pros will also let you split the hour into two half hour sessions. For $65 per month, you could meet every two weeks with a golf coach. Think how more quickly your golf game could improve. A golf teaching professional could put you on the fast track to going from a high handicap to shooting 90.
While I’m a firm believer that one-on-one golf lessons from a teaching professional is the best form of instruction, there are even less expensive ways to get instruction from a pro. Many pro golf instructors advertise a lower rate for group instruction. Ask your local pro if they are willing to do lowered group rates if they do not state it. Form a group with your spouse or a couple of buddies. You still get time with a teaching professional but at a reduced rate. If you need to bring the cost down even further, you could attend one of several clinics that most teaching professionals put on during the season. I can attend golf clinics in my area for as little as $15.
Hopefully I have influenced the people who think lessons from a professional golf teacher are too expensive into taking another look. I believe the fastest route for a high handicap golf to improve their game and enjoy golf more is with the help of a golf professional.