Conference 7.286::golf

    Where are you located?
    

    We live in Weston, near Waltham/Wayland/Lexington etc....
    

    I can't give you specifics, but I have a suggestion.  Find a teacher
    that resembles you.  That is if you are short, heavy set, physically
    strong, under 30, etc. find a pro who looks like you.  If you are tall,
    slender, small hands, look for that pro.  My reasoning developed when I
    went to a young pro (circa 25 years old), who was short and slender
    (5'9" -150#), while I was 45, 6'4", 250lbs and I realized that what he
    was having me do was not for me.  My left knee is a problem, I have a
    short left arm, my back has some problems.  I found a 6'2", 225lb, 58
    year old pro and in a few minutes we were making great progress.  
    
    When it came time for my wife to learn, I found a woman her age and
    general build(although not nearly as pretty or understanding or
    intelligent as my wife) and my wife's swing is fantastic.  Both had
    little upper body strength, very feminine hands and forearms, etc.  My
    wife was talking with a young male pro down in Hilton Head and he was
    trying to get her to swing like my son does and fortunately my wife
    said no and stayed with her swing.
    
    This may not have as much meaning if you are "Mr. Average" in all
    aspects, but it could be important for your daughter.
    
    

    I've been to a couple of different pros.  Their first instinct is to
    try to 'quick fix' things.  Keep that in mind when you start your
    lesson.  Do you want to build a sound swing or just correct a problem
    quick and easy?
    
    Also, videotaping, with the right pro, is very helpful for BOTH of you. 
    (Videotaping yourself is even better.)  I had trouble hitting a lot of
    'fat' shots.  One pro's observation was that I was hitting behind the
    ball, soooo he had me move the ball back in my stance.  Well, this
    resulted in mixed success.  Went to pro number 2 (older and wiser) and
    got videotaped.  He noticed that, occasionally, my head would start
    coming up too early resulting in dropping my right shoulder (I'm right
    handed) which caused me to swing lower, resulting in a fat shot.
    
    Have fun.

    I'd suggest checking out Stow Acres Golf School in Stow, Mass.
    They offer classes of varying lengths (2 days, 3 days, etc) for
    all levels.
    
    Not only do you get 6 hours of instruction per day, the price includes
    lunch, all the range balls you could ever want to hit, video swing
    analysis, club fitting (if you need clubs) and a complimentary round 
    of golf (9 holes) at the end of each day (North or South course).
    
    We took "refresher" lessons at the end of April this year - I can't 
    say enough good things about the instruction that I received.  I shaved
    10+ strokes off my game this year from implementing just the "basics"
    that were covered.
    
    Cost of lessons will depend on how many days you sign up for.  
    Before I took the lessons I thought that the cost seemed high, but
    after receiving 12 hours of instruction (2 day class) combined w/all
    the amenities it turned out to be a deal.

    Are you just starting out, or trying to brush up some fine points
    of your game?
    
    The reason I ask is that I too attended the Stow Acres 2-day school
    at the beginning of the golf season. I was (and I guess still am!)
    pretty much a beginner - having only taken a couple lessons and played
    a couple of times last year.  Anyway - I found the school to be too
    much to absorb in 2 days.  Not to knock the quality of the school or 
    the instructors - my instructor was patient, knowledgable, all that
    good stuff. But it's a lot of golf in 2 days. If you already have the
    fundamentals down, I'll bet you can get a lot more out of the 2-day
    school.
    
    A few weeks after the school, I began a series of private lessons and
    for me, this has really been the way to go. I've learned so much more
    and improved a lot from the private lessons. I was able to work on
    a couple of specific things at each lesson, then take a week or 2
    or whatever to practice those fundamentals before moving on.
    
    When you compare the 2-day school about $300, with a 6 lesson private
    series $150, I think the private lessons are a better value for a
    beginner. You can also do a small-group thing I think - if you are both
    at the same level and want to make your own group of 2.
    
    As far as the Stow Acres school, they have a great set-up there with
    special practice areas for the school. There are 8 or 10 different
    pros there so you are bound to find someone that you can work well
    with. I know several people who have taken lessons there also and
    seldom is heard a discouraging word so I really recommend the place.
    
    Louise 

    I've just finished a 6-lesson group series at Stow Acres, and I also
    highly recommend it.  I'm more or less a beginner, and I found the
    level just about right.  There is someone at Digital that has often
    tried to set up 5-person groups for these lessons; she helped me find a
    group on the night I wanted.  It cost (I think) $99 for 6 lessons.  In
    my group we all thought our instructor, Terry O'Hara, was great.  We
    videotaped our swings on the second night, and played 2 holes on the
    course on the last night.  Of course I need to play a bit more now to
    try to remember all those pointers, but I think Stow Acres is a very
    well-organized golf school.
    
    Last year some friends and I arranged some private lessons at Marlboro
    Country Club and were fairly disappointed.  The pros there just don't
    have the same experience with teaching beginners.  

    As someone who's played on and off since being a kid, I just finished
    my first useful series of lessons, also the group lessons at Stow.  I
    think that my average 9 hole score has dropped by 3-4 strokes as a
    result.  After more practice I expect to be consistently 4-5 strokes
    better than before.  The best golf $$ I have spent next.

                                Andy Ostrom