Tee Thursday: Lessons not required, but a good idea

A recent pickleball experience led me to ponder more about golf, lessons and who needs them.

I’m a tennis player, you see, but so many of my friends (and yours) have been swept up in the pickleball frenzy that I just had to join in.

“You don’t need to know a thing to have fun at it. Just show up!” my friends counseled me. And so I did. But I found myself lacking. Sure, I could hit the ball over the next and get the general gist of that. But not understanding the basics just made it feel less fun to me.

And so, even after my friends said I was fine, I headed to a beginners pickleball clinic. Like magic, understanding the basics and intent made it immediately more fun. (Important to note here that “understanding” and “playing better” are two unique things.) But still, knowing what I should be trying to do just brought up the fun factor for me.

I feel the same way about golf. As an adult learner (and knowing my own sports coaching needs), I knew if I really want to become a competent and – perhaps more importantly – happy golfer, I was going to need guidance.

But does everyone need lessons? The pros say: It depends.

“It is by no means a requirement to take a lesson when you start playing golf,” said Dean Hajedemos, head golf professional at Crosswinds Golf Club (https://www.golfcrosswinds.com) in Plymouth (disclaimer: he’s the pro brave enough to be guiding my game). “There are plenty of golfers who have never taken a lesson who can move it around the golf course at a high level.”

But, he said, that’s rare.

“For the majority though, just going out and playing and hitting the range you’ll find golf is not an easy game, and it can be frustrating when you struggle to make contact or can’t see the ball fly towards your target and don’t know how to make that happen,” he said.

And that, he added, plays into what golf should really be about: having fun.

“We play golf to enjoy the game and everything that comes with it, so taking a lesson is, at worst, a one-time way to learn the fundamentals of the swing to make it easier to make contact and see the ball fly further and straighter.” Also known as: understanding what you’re doing so you can enjoy it more.

For me, an every-other-week lesson sandwiches lots of practice range and actual playing time, and it’s working. I’ve a long way to go, but I’m having so much fun as I reach the level of “knowing what I’m doing wrong.”

So, who should take lessons and how often? After all, the PGA and LPGA pros work with coaches nearly every day of the week, so there’s no shame in seeking guidance.

Andrew Gildea, director of the Champions Indoor Golf at the Pine Hills in Plymouth ((https://www.championsindoor.com)) breaks it down by player level.

Beginners, he tells me, should absolutely take a least a lesson or two, and the more the better.

“Starting the game with solid fundamentals (Grip, Posture, Alignment) will make your life SO much easier as you develop your game,” he said. “What many people don’t realize is that the setup is the greatest influence on HOW you swing the club.”

I get this. It was important for me to build a solid foundation, rather than just go out and try to patch a golf swing together.

He suggests a group of lessons close together to start and then the pattern I’m currently in: every two weeks with lots of practice and play between. In time, I’ll shift to less often.

But he adds: Even if you can only swing one lesson, do it for a good start.

Intermediates, he said, should hone in on specifics they want to work on and communicate that desire to a pro for a lesson or more.

And advanced players, who really don’t often need lessons, can benefit from that as well.

A good teaching pro, he added, guides you about more than your swing mechanics or bunker shots. Additionally, they help you set up a practice routine that shores up what you learn while with them.

“The best thing that a coach can do is teach you how to practice most effectively and efficiently for your game,” he said.

For me, lessons are the right choice. And I’m going to – in my relatively new golf life “expertise” – make a claim: A golf lesson could never hurt your game. I say make the investment in your game quality and let a great pro guide you to just that. Just like on the pickleball court, guidance from a true pro just makes things better.