As we look at the new season, I’ve made a resolution to spend the equivalent of the price of a new set of clubs on golf lessons. While I have played well enough by reading and studying training videos, and with the occasional short lesson from a PGA friend of mine, I think I could be much better. I’m a 15 handicap most of the summer, but am convinced that I can get into the single digits (I’m led to this conclusion by some brilliant stretches of golf over the last couple of summers)

But here’s a question that has been vexing me: How do I choose a pro?

It is, I think, a bit like choosing a doctor. Only more complicated. If I were looking for a new physician, I would ask some friends, check certifications and consult with the Union’s medical insurance representative. I’d also make an initial consultation to see if I liked her (or him).

I could do some similar things while searching for a golf pro. But the golf swing is more complicated and varied than medicine. With all of the different “methods” out there, I think I’ve got to find someone whose swing philosophy matches my needs.

For my pro friend, for example, it’s all about the setup. He believes that if your grip, alignment and ball position are all good, you don’t need to worry about the actual swing. The pro at my club, on the other hand, teaches an “armsy” swing. There are one plane and two plane teachers; AJ Bonar disciples; X-Factor teachers ... the list is endless.  And I’m sure they’re all equally valid for different types of golfers.

What worries me is that I’ll go to a pro who will teach me his “method” but that the “method” won’t be the best one for me. Look at Tiger. He’s gone to both Harmon and Haney, and while both worked, Haney’s method looks to be the better choice.

So who do I go to?

I don’t really want to bother my friend (although he is a superb teacher), because he won’t take my money and what I have in mind is going to take some time. And I also don’t really want to use the pro at my club, because after taking a couple of lessons from him, I’ve decided that he’s just too nice. I want some serious criticism.

What I really need is a “general pro” like I have a “general physician.” If it’s anything other than a minor or routine ailment, my general physician takes a look at my overall condition, and then refers me to a couple of specialists. He tells me what the specialists are like, and I get to pick one.

A golf generalist would diagnose my overall condition and then send me to the appropriate teacher.

It’s a pretty tough conundrum. Does anyone have any thoughts?

Plane Truth For Golfers DVD Set

Grade: A
Teachers’ Comments: The book and DVD are musts for any golfer who struggles with the game.

Jim Hardy’s The Plane Truth For Golfers is perhaps the best golf instruction book I’ve ever read. And the new DVD is the perfect companion piece.

Hardy’s basic thesis is that there are there are two separate and distinct types of golf swings: the one plane, and the two plane swing. Both are equally valid and equally effective. The trouble comes, Hardy says, when elements of the one swing are mixed with the elements of the other.

It’s a terrific theory—and everyone that I know who has read the book says that they have benefited from it. Hardy himself says that he expects that if you are able to isolate the elements of just one swing, you will see an immediate improvement. You can read my entire review of the book here.

If I had one criticism of the book when it was first released, it was that some of the concepts were difficult for me to visualize. What it really needed, I wrote in my review, was a DVD. Apparently, someone was listening, because Hardy has now released a three disk set.

Luke Donald’s victory at the Honda Classic this last weekend was a victory for the everyman—the guy who can’t hit it 330 yards off the tee and reduce every par four to a drive and a wedge.

Ok, so he still averaged 290, but that was 64th out of 73 weekend players.

But where Donald won the tournament was in keeping the ball in play—like golf was meant to be played. He hit 70% of the fairways and greens. In the second round, he hit 13 of 14 fairways from the tee, while in the third round he was 15 for 18 in greens in regulation. Twenty five percent of his approach shots landed within 15 feet of the hole.

Now THAT’s how to win a golf tournament.

And there’s a lesson in this for us weekend hackers: keep the ball in the fairway and work on your short game. Both of those are things that your average golfer can do.

I recently got an email from a reader who wanted to know what a Nassau was, and whether he should let his buddies talk him into playing one.

The answer is 1) the Nassau is a type of bet and 2) it can be a lot of fun if you put some limits on the game

In fact, the the $2 Nassau is probably the most popular betting game in golf. It’s a two-sided bet: player against player, or team against team. Nassaus lend themselves to a variety of team play formats. Scramble, four ball and alternate shot matches are common. Teams also can decide to play with, or without handicaps.

The Nasssau gets its name from the Nassau Country Club on Long Island, where the format was invented in the early 1900s. The game also is known as “2-2-2”, and “Best Nines.”

UPDATE: I’ve added a review of the Plane Truth DVD

The Plane Truth for Golfers by Jim Hardy is the best instruction book I have ever read—bar none.

One of Golf Digest’s Top 50 Golf teachers, Hardy theorizes that there are two successful—but fundamentally different swing types: the one plane, and the two plane. The one plane is the swing of Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, while famous two-planers include Tom Watson and Hale Irwin.