Pros vs Joes—Learning from Both

You’re new to golf, you have a lot to learn. Your friends play golf. Some of them are good. Seems like a great chance to improve. Not so fas...

You’re new to golf, you have a lot to learn. Your friends play golf. Some of them are good. Seems like a great chance to improve. Not so fast.

Unless you have single-digit handicap friends that want to help with your swing, stick to structured resources. Things like the best golf school you can find or online resources will teach you the right way. After all, learning things once is hard enough, but unlearning, and then learning again is even harder.

For fun, let your friends guide you.

Being Ready

One of the most underappreciated parts of being a good golfer is taking a quick, calculated

approach to each shot. Unlike most things, this has nothing to do with skill.  This is actually something you can learn from anyone, good golfer, bad golfer, professional—anyone. Identifying who’s a good resource is easy.

You’re looking for people who have an idea of what they want to do before it’s their turn to hit. If you begin your pre-shot routine once it’s your turn, it’s too late. Find friends that know their distance and have a club in their hand ready to step up and hit. Ask them how they make their decision and copy it. As you improve, your approach might change, but speed will be the one thing constant. Nobody wants a 5-hour round. Nobody wants to play with the person making their round 5-hours. Don’t be that golfer.

Picking up bad habits

Yeah, your friends are great for learning about breakfast balls, foot wedges, and some other stuff. But for fast tracking improvement, not every learning opportunity is one worth taking. The second you try to play with others, this won’t always fly. Knowing how to play properly and with other people is a tough skill to pick up.

Some golfers enjoy the casual round and others call it cheating. Be aware that you will have to flip that switch based on the type of round it is. In all reality, knowing that a switch needs to be switched is what’s important.

Your good friend getting too technical

Having a skilled player as a friend is great. They can help you with small fixes as you play and teach you different tricks. But at the same time, they haven’t been a high handicapper in a while. A professional instructor will break things down simply.

A friend who plays to scratch will have to make a serious effort to help you in terms you can understand. If you have that, go with the free lessons until they run out.

Enjoying your time

The best golf school will teach you fundamentals, etiquette, proper dress. Casual golfers will

teach you to enjoy the game. If you’re a walker, experienced friends will teach you where to leave your bag to avoid excess walking, how not to lose clubs, and a hot dog at the turn is essential. The goal of golf is to not make the PGA tour, it’s to enjoy time outside and maybe throw in a couple pars. They say it only takes one good shot to get you to come back again, and that’s absolutely true.

Learn from your friends, learn from the pros. Just make sure you know what you’re learning. A swing tip from your worst friend is about as useful as learning about gimme’s from a pro. Find a balance of taking things seriously and not-too-seriously and you’ll have a great time shooting 90 or 100.