Getting Ready
Before taking a lesson you want to get a clear idea of what specifically you want to accomplish. Take a moment to be brutally honest. Ask yourself, "What do I want to achieve as a result of taking this lesson?" One way to determine this is by writing out your S.M.A.R.T. goal.
- Write it out Specifically: "In 8 weeks I want to have a 9.6 handicap."
- Write it out Measurably: "I will know that I have a 9.6 handicap based on my current GHIN scoring report."
- Write it out Achievable & Realistically: Know the difference between fantasy and realism. It is fantasy to set a goal of competing in the US Open this year if you are just learning to play golf, but it is not unrealistic to set a goal of improving your handicap index from a 15 to a 9.6 if you are committed to practicing your game-improvement plan.
- Write it out with a set Time frame: "I will lower my handicap to 9.6 in eight weeks from today." Someone once said, "Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines."
Knowing exactly what you want to accomplish is the first step to improving your game. Without a clear idea of what your goals are, it is unlikely that you will make much progress. Take the time to evaluate yourself and do not be afraid to set goals that will stretch you beyond your current comfort zone. Then create a plan with your instructor as to how you will go about achieving your goals.
"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle." - Vince Lombardi
"My greatest task as a coach is to help my players do the things they do not want to do, so that they will become what they want to become." - Tom Landry
Taking the Golf Lesson
To get the most out of your golf lesson you must not only have a specific goal, but you must apply the three basic laws of learning:
- The Law of the Learner: Come prepared to attend with interest!
- The Law of the Learning Process: Come prepared to work!
- The Law of Application: Come prepared to be changed!
The law of the learning process is thinking into one's understanding a new truth, or working into one's play a new skill. I will be completely honest with you: learning to be a good golfer is hard work! Butch Harmon, golf teacher and the author of "The Pro: Lessons about Golf and Life from My Father", Claude Harmon Sr., quoted his father about how hard golf is:
"Golf's hard," Dad would say, pointing a meaty finger at me as if he were about to reveal the secret of the Rosetta Stone. "Good golf is damn hard, and championship golf is something only a few will ever see. But that's how it should be. If it were easy, everybody would do it. And where's the fun in that?"
"You must work very hard to become a natural golfer." - Gary Player
A first-rate golf lesson is not just about information - it is about transformation! If you want your lesson to be profitable, you must be teachable and trust your instructor to help mold and shape you into the best golfer that he believes you can be.