Andrew Penner brought up the playing lesson in his last article on this site. I have never taken a playing lesson and I'm wondering what to expect to pay for a lesson and how long do they last? Does the customer have enough time to take a second shot now and then to see if the instructors advice works on a hole? If the course is busy, I wouldn't think there would be much time for too much experimenting out there. Any of you other guys have any feedback on playing lessons? Any opinions on the value of them compared to a regular lesson at the range? Any thing I should know about before I sign up for one? Thanks in advance for your input guys. Later, Don.

Hi Don,
Thought I'd try and answer a few of your questions regarding playing lessons. First off, they vary dramatically in terms of price. I just got back from Phoenix and noticed that at one high-end resort the golf pros were charging $600 for an 18-hole lesson. In my opionin, there are only a precious few working pros out there who could ever live up to that price. Try asking around in your area and get a feeling on which pros are doing the best playing lessons. They'll be the ones you want to see. Playing lessons won't be done during busy times. 9-holes is a great start - or, get your feet wet by asking for just a 3-hole playing lesson. That way, if you like it, you can go back for more. Make sure the golf pro is a solid player himself. Also, keep in mind that the purpose of the playing lesson is to be better at managing your way around a golf course. Replaying shots is often not necessary, although, if there is room on the course, it's often perfectly acceptable to do so. Hope some of these things have helped. Feel free to ask anything else you wish about the topic. I'll be checking back here again shortly. Hope you enjoyed the article.
Regards,
Andrew

Thanks for your reply. Managing the course is really a matter of doing the smart thing for the time and place you find yourself. That's more an issue of using your brain and not letting your ego get in the way. If I was to take a playing lesson, it would be to see how my game stands up to that of my teaching pro on the course. I would never consider spending $600.00 for a playing lesson. I can think of better ways to spend my money. Thanks for your reply, Don.

Hi,

Bogart golf offers a 9 hole playing lesson for $150 (I hear they will go the whole 18 if you ask nice ;-)

I currently have a membership there, and I have taken a lesson in the studio. I am very impressed with them so far!

Cheers,
Todd