Golf Lessons Are A Good Investment

Golf lessons…are they a good investment?  That is a good question and I’m going to try and answer it an honest and non-partisan way, if that’s possible. In order to do so, I need to tell you a little about me. I own a large banquet and catering operation in Omaha, NE. This company supplies my family with a good living. I began studying golf for my kids because finding a golf instructor that was concerned about the education and not the “business of selling golf lessons” was hard to do. Furthermore, knowing how the brain retains information is a very important component to consider, which affects how long it really takes to learn golf to a certain level or to whatever your expectations are.

Before the catering business I owned 10 Fred Astaire dance studios, which means that I taught hundreds of teachers how to teach and students how to dance. People learning to dance is another example of a obtaining a social education. Just like golf students, dance students were all over the board of how good they wanted to be. Some wanted to dance just to be social, others wanted to use it for business, some to enjoy time with their spouse while others wanted to compete. All different levels of difficulty, expectations and specific goals.

Knowing your goal and how much time it realistically will take to reach that goal are very important. Let’s first look at a false expectation; to think you can take 1 golf lesson and in that lesson it will cure everything that ails you, is truly an unrealistic expectation. GOLF IS HARD. Let’s look at anything you learn, any sport, any social activity it takes time to get comfortable. I would estimate it would take at least 6 months at approximately twice a month along with daily practice for a person to be able to feel somewhat comfortable.  At this point a person would be able to address the game and feel in control enough to score, have fun and not feel embarrassed with terrible shots. This illustration allows you to understand that at the end of six months you have laid a good foundation for your golf game to grow and get better. The more you use it, the more you practice, the better you get. It’s worth repeating the adage practice makes perfect but the truth is, perfect practice makes perfect.

Finally, look at cost as the value you will receive for the price you pay. In any service you use hair salon, mechanic, heating and a/c, body shop or personal trainer, the cost of the services will vary but if you find somebody that you’re happy with and you really trust, that’s half the battle. When it comes to an academic education, a sport education, or a social education what you’re looking at is the ability to train someone to incorporate the function, the sport, or activity for a lifetime. You may spend thousands of dollars over a lifetime to play golf, or spend thousands of dollars for equipment to play golf (cool equipment or expensive balls won’t create a better swing),  I suggest spending a few hundred dollars to build a good foundation which makes the money you invest in yourself, well spent.

Choose an instructor carefully!