Maximise your next lesson with a PGA professional with these simple cues
Last year at Wembley Golf Course in Perth, I gave 2,280 individual lessons and 330 beginner and intermediate clinics that totalled 2,640 participants. I will tell you what I told each of those people to get the most out of your next lesson.
Attention over intention
You may arrive at a lesson with lots of intentions, but the reality is that you can only devote your full attention to one thing, and it’s important to understand the difference. At whatever stage you are in your golf, if you can focus your sole attention on one aspect of your game during the lesson, you will leave a better golfer.
Control you, then the club
Watch Rory McIlroy swing a golf club and most golfers will marvel at the combination of speed, power and balance. I can’t get you to swing like Rory McIlroy, but I can put you in a starting position that will give you the best chance of making your best swing. I might say the word ‘balance’ 20 times every lesson because without it, we can’t control what the club does on a consistent basis.
Care less, but don’t be careless
Anyone who swings a golf club has a chance of achieving one of two results; hitting it where they want the ball to go, or not. And if it doesn’t, it’s not the end of the world. The whole purpose of the swing you are about to do is to make the next one easier. Apply that mindset to your lesson and your rate of improvement will increase significantly.
Consistent actions, not consistent results
Nine out of 10 people who come to me for lessons want to improve their consistency. The issue I have with that is that most golfers don’t do enough things consistently within the golf swing to generate consistent results. Concentrate on being consistent in your setup and your thought process; the results will speak for themselves.
Leave with confidence
Most golfers think that once they leave a lesson, the magic stays behind. I stress to my students that whatever good shots they hit, whatever progress they make, is completely their doing. The bad shots? They’re on me. Whether I am standing beside them or not, they are now more capable of hitting better golf shots after the lesson than they were before. That should fill any golfer with confidence the next time they play.
• Andrew Thomas has been a PGA professional for the past 30 years. He teaches at Wembley Golf Course in Perth and offers individual and group lessons. To find your nearest PGA professional, visit pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro/
