Definitely worth it
I recently had the pleasure of being a student of Scott Lee's for an 8 hour scheduled, 9.5 hour actual, session, and would like to pass on my thoughts and opinions. I'm sure much of this applies to all the SPF instructors, but having only ever interacted with Scott, I can only speak in that scope.
For perspective, I am not a league player, but if had to guess, would say I am either an APA 4 or 5 player. I average 4-6 balls per inning, and run out about a quarter of the time on a good day, if that helps gauge my skill level.
It was a great concern of mine that at the end of the lesson I would be left with the feeling that I did not get my money's worth. This was definitely NOT the case. When all was said and done, I felt very satisfied with my choice of Scott as an instructor.
I am an introverted person, and do not socialize well for the most part. This was another concern of mine, as I understand the importance of good rapport between instructor and student. Scott very quickly made me feel comfortable and at ease in his presence, and the anxiety disappeared quickly. He has an assertive, but not overbearing, way about him that very subtley guides your focus into the lesson and his teachings, providing a strong sense of teamwork, versus a definite distinction between student/teacher. I genuinely felt like we were working together, instead of a "just do as I say" feeling. He's also very positive and encouraging in a way I hadn't expected. I have a perfectionists mentality, and after performing a drill shot, made the comment "not bad". Scott immediately corrected me, pointing out that a large part of being a successful pool player is the mental game. He made it clear that when I make a successfull shot, I need to let myself recognize it, because it hugely affects my confidence. That may not mean much to some, but it did to me, and I was quite impressed by it. It showed a genuine concern for my overall development as a pool player, not just a shot maker.
Working in the IT field, I have a great appreciation for Scott's methods. He very clearly and concisely observes, records, analyzes, deciphers, and explains every step of the process in great detail. But in no way is he forceful or demanding with his teachings. He is very open and candid with the fact that every player is different, and needs to find what works for them. His perspective seemed to be more along the lines of "this is the simplest, least complicated way to do this, but not the only way. Feel free to take it how you want, either utilize the knowledge or discard it".
He provided great insight towards concepts that I had read about, and thought I understood, but clearly did not. Before contacting Scott, I spent easily two months reading pretty much every post on AZB and BD regarding stroke, stance, grip, aiming systems (or lack thereof), follow through, etc. But it is one thing to read about these concepts and formulate your own ideas, than it is to have someone who knows what they're talking about actually SHOW you what these concepts really mean and how they function. For example, and by no means is this the only one, but I have always struggled with draw shots. Either there would be little to no draw applied to the cueball, or I would have no actual cueball control, as I was just "smashing" it, in an attempt to "accelerate" through the cueball as the posts on AZB suggest. He showed me that accelerating through the cueball to obtain draw is not accomplished through a single action or effort, but through performing every step of the process correctly. Using Scott's teachings and methodology, I am now able to apply a considerable amount of draw, without exerting half the effort, while being consistently accurate with position. At least more so than I ever have been before, still alot of work to do.
A bit long winded, I know, but I feel it was justly deserved by Scott. Being the introverted perfectionist I am, I have the tendency to be an a**hole, and do not offer compliments lightly. But I feel quite proud and honored to have spent the time I did with Scott, and without a doubt will be scheduling a second session down the road.