What It Costs

If you want to sign up for golf lessons, it helps to start by having a budget in mind and an idea of how much time you will devote to this endeavor, since lessons come in many formats and sizes. You can commit to personalized lessons over a period of time, or you can take a class that spans several months, or even participate in a destination golf school/vacation. The choice is yours.

Just remember that the more time and money you put into this sport, the more you can expect to get back out of it.

Individual Lessons

Private lessons are a great way to work on your game and improve all aspects of it over time. Depending on your capabilities and experience, during a private lesson you might work on your swing, perfect your putt and practice chipping under different conditions. Some instructors also video tape players and analyze their swings to help them improve their play. Private lessons can be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, and they can take place as often, or as infrequently, as you want. The price can span a wide range, depending on the qualifications and experience the teaching professional brings, as well as the setting where the lessons are held. Exclusive private courses will charge more for lessons than a municipal course that is less expensive and more accessible to the public.

For a private lesson with a golf professional, you can expect to pay anywhere from $25 for a half hour on up to $100 or more for an hour session.

Some facilities also offer discounts if you purchase a package of lessons (typically six or more) and pay for them up front. (For instance, you may get six lessons for the price of five if you pay for the total session in advance, or perhaps 10 to 20 percent off of the total.) Keep in mind, though, that there is often a time limit within which these lessons must all be used, so find out up front what conditions apply and make sure you can commit to the terms before you go this route.

It is also worth pointing out that some lessons may include the balls you use during the lessons, while other golf courses require participants to purchase a bucket of balls. This varies from place to place.

Group Lessons

Some teaching professionals also offer group lessons. The key to these is finding a group with other participants that are at a similar ability level as you are so you will get the most out of the time you spend together. You can take a group lesson with just one or two other people or can opt to be part of a larger group or five or six people. The more people you have in the group, the more time you can expect to be spent on more general information and the less time that will be focused on your specific needs and skills. That being said, though, it can still be a very valuable experience and is a less expensive way to go.

Group lessons generally cost less than personalized training, since several of you are contributing toward the cost of the instructor’s time.

Group lessons can be about two-thirds of the price of private sessions. For instance, for an instructor who charges $50 for a private lesson, you can expect to pay about $30 for a larger group session.