I'm Scared To Play A Round Of Golf Again After My Lesson

Main image of Jonny Leighfield hitting a drive on the first at South Cerney Golf Club and an inset image of The Box at The Kendleshire — (Image credit: Getty Images)

I recently had my first proper golf lesson in about 20 years with Golf Monthly Top 50 coach Tom Motley, and the absolute magician managed to cure my habitual slice with the click of his fingers.

The tweak is also something that my fellow slicers can practice in the comfort of their own home whenever they have a few minutes.

Since I met with Tom, I've been intermittently executing the drill around the house so that when I go down the driving range to practice, my new-look swing feels a little less alien.

And I have to say, in the couple of times I've been out to the range and gone through the new technique, the top-level results have been particularly confidence-inducing, especially with my driver.

Jonny Leighfield demonstrating a 5-minute at-home drill, in three stages, that has provided positive results in his swing rotation after his first golf lesson in 20 years

I now have a level of control which I didn't have before and the ball flight is much flatter - something I consider to be a very good thing when I was putting low-flying aircraft in danger previously.

However, I have unsurprisingly discovered something of an issue with all of these new feels and swing thoughts - sometimes I hit a horribly bad shot in a shape that I've never seen before.

It could be a disgusting duck hook left, a massive chunk or an arm-tingling thin. The point is, I don't always have a clue in which direction my golf ball is going to head. And that's now a real problem.

Prior to the aforementioned lesson, I knew my likely miss was short and right. I had reached the teens in terms of a handicap index and there was something akin to consistency floating around my golf game. Not excellent consistency, but a relatively tight area of ability that allowed me to enjoy playing.

Yet, I knew that if I was to progress any further in terms of my ability, I'd have to go for a lesson (or three) to iron out the kinks and that might lead to some regression in the short-term.

I'm not surprised by the fact I may have taken a couple of steps back for the time being, but I am a little perturbed by the fact I'm now sort of filled with dread every time I even think about going out for a round.

I know I'm going to have to play again at some point if I want to improve in the long run, but I'm scared to go out and face that fact that it's going to be a really tough slog at times and there could be some nasty surprises waiting around every corner. That doesn't sound very enjoyable to me, and that's basically why I play.

WHY I'M WORRIED

Probably the biggest reason for I'm concerned about playing a round again is how hard I feel I've worked to reach this point anyway.

When I joined Golf Monthly, my handicap index was around 28. But by playing a bit more regularly (and by steadily obtaining almost a new bag of clubs over time), my game improved and I was even able to boast a 15.5 handicap index at one stage. Heady days indeed. Not that I enjoyed them particularly.

Jonny Leighfield lines up a putt during the Golf Monthly Autumn/Winter Test Day at Effingham Golf Club

Then there is the reality that my scores are likely to rise a bit as well. I haven't been proud of breaking 100 for a long time, and I don't really want to return to those days if possible.

And then there's obviously the fear of straight-up failure. What if I can't execute this new swing out on the course? I'll have to go back to all of my old bad habits and accept that shooting in the 80s is a very good day for me.

Jonny Leighfield during the Golf Monthly Autumn/Winter Test Day at The Leatherhead Club in 2025

SO WHAT DO I DO ABOUT IT?

Ultimately, I'm going to have to accept that if I ever want to play a round of golf again, it might not all be sunshine and rainbows and I have to just get out there. Rip off the band-aid, so to speak.

At some point, maybe once the courses near me dry up somewhat (or even that it stops raining for just one day), I will venture back out and lower my expectations to such a degree it will be literally impossible for me to be disappointed.

That is, after all, the only way I will move past this little wobble. As famous author Mark Twain once wrote: "The secret of making progress is to get started." Wish me luck.

Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Joaquin Niemann. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and recently reached his Handicap goal of 18 for the first time.

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