During last week’s trip to PGA National Resort and Spa, we spent one morning checking out the different aspects of the property’s Learning Center. Yesterday I wrote about club fitting and the way it can work well when paired with golf lessons.
As part of the media trip, I had the chance to take a lesson at PGA National’s David Leadbetter Golf Academy, with professional Bob Hite. I’ll admit it, I’ve taken very few formal golf lessons in my life. It helps that I learned to the play the game under the eye of my golf pro uncle, but it was often “try this, try that” and other informal sessions on the course or driving range. I have always believed in the teachings of Harvey Penick whose “Little Red Book” is one of the most simplistic teaching manuals of all time. Penick taught through images and feelings, rather than science, swing planes and body angles. He would fix all those problems, but never clog the mind with overly technical thoughts. As an example, Penick was famous for lessons such as, “feel like you’re sweeping leaves off the sidewalk” and “just knock the tee out from under the ball.”
So when I found out I’d be getting my first true lesson, where a pro looks at your swing, makes some suggestions, and gets you working on some drills, I was admittedly apprehensive. The fact it was a couple hours before heading out to tackle PGA National’s The Champion – which hosts the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic – and I was afraid to pollute my mind with a million new thoughts.
But it was a pleasant surprise when I met Bob Hite. He wasn’t looking to overhaul my swing or contort my body into new positions, or redo my grip in a way I’d spend a month trying to get my game back. He was aware that I was in the middle of a golf trip and focused on something that could pay immediate dividends without much of an adjustment period.
In my case, Hite asked me to hit a few balls, then asked if there’s anything specific I was struggling with. Before I even spit out “pulls hooks, the occasional block and …” he completed my sentence, “and you probably hit it fat from time to time.” He was right on the money and had a solution. Through years of self-medicating to get a playable swing, I’d twisted myself all around. My feet were right of the target, my shoulders were left of it. In other words, I was backwards. He put me in the right position, told me it would feel odd at first (which it did) and gave me a drill to reinforce the right positions. By the time I’d banged about 50 balls, it was falling into place. It was simple, easy-to-implement and very beneficial advice. Just what a golfer in the middle of a trip needs.
The changes I made that day let me keep playing, and made quick improvements. The next morning, I posted my best nine-hole score of the week, an even-par 36. Nevermind that I finished up the round with a triple bogey on 17 (skulled one out of greenside bunker into the water) and a double on 18 (wanted to be a hero, punching a 4 iron through the trees on a short par 5) for an 81. But three birdies and lots of greens in regulation certainly indicated the ball was flying where I was aimed far more often.
While my lesson focused on alignment, most of those in my group also got easy-to-digest tips. One example was a slight grip tweak to get the club in a stronger position. Another revolved around balance, and a third involved a drill for starting the club back on a better plane. Nothing that wouldn’t easily translate to the first tee.
To cap it all off, today I got the video Hite took of my swing, complete with commentary and reminders of what I’m going to be working on in the future. We weren’t trying to reinvent my swing in 30 minutes, but it’s a step in the right direction. Think of it as a tune up, rather than an engine rebuild, and a really nice added bonus during a multi-day golf trip.
