# Crossfield lesson



## Stuey01 (Dec 3, 2014)

Following on from my birthday present thread... Today is my birthday (yay me).  
I'm booked in for a 3hr "performance assessment" lesson with the man himself Mark  Crossfield, on 15th. I'll feedback how it goes.
Anyone here had a lesson with Crossfield?


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## CMAC (Dec 3, 2014)

Stuey01 said:



			Following on from my birthday present thread... Today is my birthday (yay me).  
I'm booked in for a 3hr "performance assessment" lesson with the man himself Mark  Crossfield, on 15th. I'll feedback how it goes.
Anyone here had a lesson with Crossfield?
		
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3 hrs- what does that entail and how much does he charge for a half day?


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## Stuey01 (Dec 3, 2014)

It's Â£170. Don't know what it entails really. All round assessment of my performance I guess...


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## big_eck (Dec 3, 2014)

Stuey01 said:



			It's Â£170. Don't know what it entails really. All round assessment of my performance I guess...
		
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sounds pretty good I'm considering a wee trip down south so was really thinking about doing the same hope it goes well!


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## richart (Dec 3, 2014)

Stuey01 said:



			Following on from my birthday present thread... Today is my birthday (yay me).  
I'm booked in for a 3hr "performance assessment" lesson with the man himself Mark  Crossfield, on 15th. I'll feedback how it goes.
Anyone here had a lesson with Crossfield?
		
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 Pokerjoke has. The lesson is on youtube. I am sure he will be along to tell you what he thought of it.


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## DaveyG (Dec 3, 2014)

Good luck mate, always thought it he was even in the wider Midlands I would be happy to drive past 20 odd pro's to use him.

Seems a decent bloke and wish I could play in a four ball with him Lockie and Rory... the rounds on Youtube I have seen hilarious


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## chrisd (Dec 3, 2014)

Richarts right that Pokerjoke had a video lesson which went on utube, he spoke very highly of Mark Crossfield


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## pokerjoke (Dec 4, 2014)

Yes I have had a lesson with Mr Crossfield.
I only had an hour with Mark however it was money very well spent.
The good news is he is nothing like he is on his course vlogs.
He is very professional and has all the gadgets so he can show you the results.
Imo he keeps it relatively simple and the gadgets just put pictures on what hes saying.
3 hours is a very long time so if I was you I would make a plan and write down the things
you want to work on.
Initially he will ask you what you want to work on however that might change after he sees you
hit some shots.
I thought I was struggling with the driver but results showed it was my irons into greens,so
go in with an open mind.
Have a great 3 hours and let us know how you get on,he might even video the lesson.


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## Stuey01 (Dec 4, 2014)

Thanks for the feedback pokerjoke.

3 hrs is a long time, but it was only Â£20 more than 2hrs so I thought why not. 

I'm going in with an open mind. I don't have a list of specifics particularly, I want him to tell me what I'm doing wrong!

A couple of things I will flag up to him, firstly I'm hitting a lot of thin shots, and barely taking a divot with irons. I suspect this means I'm coming in too shallow with these clubs, why I don't know.  Secondly, I struggle to get my driver spin down and I'd like to understand why.

I really want to understand my impact conditions and why I hit the ball (or mis hit!) like I do.  I'm hoping we can get into quite a bit of detail of this in the 3 hours to help me understand my game better.


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 4, 2014)

Sweet, enjoy it. I think from all the you tube people he seems the best coach, have a great day.


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## Qwerty (Dec 4, 2014)

Stuey01 said:



			3 hrs is a long time, but it was only Â£20 more than 2hrs so I thought why not.
		
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So he's charging Â£150 for 2 hours, Wow I wonder what he was charging before he discovered YouTube.

Good luck with it, I'm sure it'll be a good day.


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## pokerjoke (Dec 4, 2014)

Stuey01 said:



			Thanks for the feedback pokerjoke.

3 hrs is a long time, but it was only Â£20 more than 2hrs so I thought why not. 

I'm going in with an open mind. I don't have a list of specifics particularly, I want him to tell me what I'm doing wrong!

A couple of things I will flag up to him, firstly I'm hitting a lot of thin shots, and barely taking a divot with irons. I suspect this means I'm coming in too shallow with these clubs, why I don't know.  Secondly, I struggle to get my driver spin down and I'd like to understand why.

I really want to understand my impact conditions and why I hit the ball (or mis hit!) like I do.  I'm hoping we can get into quite a bit of detail of this in the 3 hours to help me understand my game better.
		
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No problem.
Definitely worth an extra Â£20 for the extra hour.
Im sure by the end you will understand and if you can take that forward it will be money
well spent.


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 4, 2014)

Qwerty said:



			So he's charging Â£150 for 2 hours, Wow I wonder what he was charging before he discovered YouTube.

Good luck with it, I'm sure it'll be a good day.
		
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You could argue that he has to make his money somehow and he has earned the right to do this from all the hard work he's done building up his internet presence.  Plus he does seem to have a lot of expensive kit he uses when some coaches are still struggling to use V1 Golf. And utilising the internet, looking at filmed swings etc etc it something that a lot of other coaches should be looking at to enhance their 'face to face' lessons. 

I think he's very clever as the filmed lessons he's now putting on there serve 2 purposes, 1 so people can get some tips if they suffer from the same issues (although I'd argue that that can be dangerous as everyone is different) and 2, they are basically an advert for his lessons so people can see how he does it and what results he gets. To me he seems to be very good at analysing issues and coming up with a solution, and not just trying to get golfers to hit all the 'text book' positions that some (but I admit not all) coaches seem to do. So fair play to the lad I say.


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## pendodave (Dec 4, 2014)

Hope the lesson goes well. I would be looking to do coffee and snacks for 10 mins every hour to allow for a recharge and consolidation of the work. 

Can't see an issue with the cost. His hourly rate has to cover salary, capex, pension, sickness and holidays (assuming he is self employed). For someone who is obviously pretty focused on getting results for his clients (plus being a minor celeb) that seems reasonable. 

Everyone wants stuff to be cheap, but for something to be cheap, someone has to be paid peanuts...


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## Qwerty (Dec 4, 2014)

Hacker Khan said:



			You could argue that he has to make his money somehow and he has earned the right to do this from all the hard work he's done building up his internet presence.  Plus he does seem to have a lot of expensive kit
		
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Ive no doubt that he works hard but Building an internet presence wouldn't quite cut it for me. 
I'd want to know his pedigree as an out and out Teaching pro/ coach, who's he's worked with & does he have a good reputation locally as a teaching pro. 

No doubt he's got a talent for making videos but I'd want to know if he's got a track record for lowering handicaps, is the up and coming talent in the area knocking on his door etc. 

He may be a great teaching pro, I don't know.. But having looked online Theres nothing to suggest he's built a reputation as one.


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## mcbroon (Dec 4, 2014)

pokerjoke said:



			No problem.
Definitely worth an extra Â£20 for the extra hour.
Im sure by the end you will understand and if you can take that forward it will be money
well spent.
		
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Tony, do you have a link to the YouTube video of your lesson? I'd like to see that.

Apologies if you've posted it before, I must have missed it.


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## garyinderry (Dec 4, 2014)

A year or two ago you could get a lesson from the worlds number one golfer's coach for less than Â£50.


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## Stuey01 (Dec 4, 2014)

I suppose it was fairly predictable that this would descend into a debate about the cost.
Personally I don't think it is that expensive really. Round here it's Â£35 for an hour with a decent but pretty average teaching pro, the top pro at the same place charges Â£70 an hour. For that you might get a bit of video analysis using an iPad, if you want to use their flightscope that'll cost you and extra Â£20 an hour. So 3 hours with a pro and a flightscope is looking like Â£165.  These guys don't teach using the launch monitor all the time so are they going to get the best out of it? Maybe, maybe not.  I'm sure a deal could be done for a 3hr block that would bring the cost down a bit, but you're still looking at well North of a hundred quid.

Is there a premium on crossfield's time for his "youtube celebrity" status, probably but to be honest I'm happy enough with that. I get loads of enjoyment out of his YouTube content and it hasn't cost me a bean. It's not like I'm going to be doing this every month, it's a birthday present and there wasn't anything else I want/need.


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## pbrown7582 (Dec 4, 2014)

the cost is competitive just looked at rick shiels and his charge is Â£66 a hour, you can get 3 hours (6x30mins and ball credit) for Â£185 at Trafford golf centre but not the main man at this price.


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 4, 2014)

garyinderry said:



			A year or two ago you could get a lesson from the worlds number one golfer's coach for less than Â£50.
		
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Really?  Who is that?


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 4, 2014)

Qwerty said:



			Ive no doubt that he works hard but Building an internet presence wouldn't quite cut it for me. 
I'd want to know his pedigree as an out and out Teaching pro/ coach, who's he's worked with & does he have a good reputation locally as a teaching pro. 

No doubt he's got a talent for making videos but I'd want to know if he's got a track record for lowering handicaps, is the up and coming talent in the area knocking on his door etc. 

He may be a great teaching pro, I don't know.. But having looked online Theres nothing to suggest he's built a reputation as one.
		
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Aren't the videos he does all the proof someone needs to make up their mind on if they think he's worth it or not?  Fair enough if people think he's talking rubbish after watching them.  But unlike just about every other coach he's putting his lessons online as well as his individual swing fixes which some others do.   And as such I would argue he's probably the most transparent coach to make an assessment on there is.


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## CMAC (Dec 4, 2014)

Hacker Khan said:



			Aren't the videos he does all the proof someone needs to make up their mind on if they think he's worth it or not?  Fair enough if people think he's talking rubbish after watching them.  But unlike just about every other coach he's putting his lessons online as well as his individual swing fixes which some others do.   And as such I would argue he's probably the most transparent coach to make an assessment on there is.
		
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agreed!

If I was local to him I would absolutely book a lesson- he communicates well and really knows his stuff, surround that with latest tech and real ball flight its a no brainer to me.


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## turkish (Dec 4, 2014)

I really like the way he questions the fundamentals... it's not that he says that they are wrong but that he has an open minded outlook on things; IE he knows the ABC ways of playing (he himself says he was taught textbook golf) but that there are essentially many way of playing. IE one of his recent videos showed him hitting target but doing it with some flawed fundamentals with grip and club path.

He doesn't do this to show they are a lot of rubbish but more to get you understanding what is actually happening and how to think with regards to changing swing and connection problems.


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## bluewolf (Dec 4, 2014)

Hacker Khan said:



			Really?  Who is that?
		
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I think Gaz is talking about Michael Bannon.. Ror's coach..

I reckon Tiger's new "consultant" would have been even cheaper a few years ago..


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## Smiffy (Dec 4, 2014)

Stuey01 said:



			3 hrs is a long time, but it was only Â£20 more than 2hrs so I thought why not.
		
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If I remember correctly, the last hour is spent picking up golf balls.


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## Qwerty (Dec 4, 2014)

Hacker Khan said:



			Aren't the videos he does all the proof someone needs to make up their mind on if they think he's worth it or not?
		
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 :rofl:Are you trying to tell me that the average golfer can deduce whether a teaching pro is good or not by watching him give lessons on YouTube?I've seen 6/7 pros over the last 15 years and I couldn't.

I could make my mind up whether I liked him and does he communicate well and sell himself well, But whether he's a good teaching pro.. I couldn't. You must have much more experience than me.


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 4, 2014)

Qwerty said:



			Are you trying to tell me that the average golfer can deduce whether a teaching pro is good or not by watching him give lessons on YouTube?I've seen 6/7 pros over the last 15 years and I couldn't.I could make my mind up whether I liked him and does he communicate well and sell himself well, But whether he's a good teaching pro.. I couldn't. You must have much more experience than me.
		
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From watching his live lessons videos then yes I have a pretty good idea if he would work for me or not and be a good coach for me.  Just as much as you would get from knowing his students have dropped their handicaps, as that could be down to many things, some of which could be good tuition, but also there are other factors such as the fact the students had the time to practice once they had been given new ideas, natural ability to start with etc etc.   And in Crossfields example then you'd kind of think that it would have come out by now and he would have been found out if he is not that good a coach. As being a good coach kind of what his whole business is built on.


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 4, 2014)

bluewolf said:



			I think Gaz is talking about Michael Bannon.. Ror's coach..

I reckon Tiger's new "consultant" would have been even cheaper a few years ago..
		
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Well I read that Pelz charges $20,000 a day, Haney is $15,000 a day and Leadbetter is $3500 for 3 hours.  So I suspect Bannon is missing out on a trick there.


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## User 105 (Dec 4, 2014)

Interesting. I think I might know what I want for Christmas off the other half now. I've got a few hours trek to where he's based but I'd be interested in a session with him.

I just really like his style of teaching. I've had a few coaches that were all about hitting specific positions and it's never really worked for me. More to do with me and the way I learn I suspect rather than them. I like that he gives you a thought or feeling that gets you to hit those positions and then can back the results up with the technology.

Also I'm a big geek so all those gadgets are right up my street


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 4, 2014)

Westy said:



			Interesting. I think I might know what I want for Christmas off the other half now. I've got a few hours trek to where he's based but I'd be interested in a session with him.

I just really like his style of teaching. *I've had a few coaches that were all about hitting specific positions and it's never really worked for me. More to do with me and the way I learn I suspect rather than them*. I like that he gives you a thought or feeling that gets you to hit those positions and then can back the results up with the technology.

Also I'm a big geek so all those gadgets are right up my street

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I'd argue it's also the competence of the coach.  I'm exactly like you in that I prefer thoughts and feelings to someone telling me my right arm should be straight, my club should be parallel to the ground at this time etc etc and then showing me a video of me not doing those things and basically telling me to do them.  As with the best will in the world I can use a V1 Golf app for a couple of quid and work a lot of that out myself. It's how you change it which makes all the difference between an average pro and an excellent one.


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## User 105 (Dec 4, 2014)

Hacker Khan said:



			I'd argue it's also the competence of the coach.  I'm exactly like you in that I prefer thoughts and feelings to someone telling me my right arm should be straight, my club should be parallel to the ground at this time etc etc and then showing me a video of me not doing those things and basically telling me to do them.  As with the best will in the world I can use a V1 Golf app for a couple of quid and work a lot of that out myself. It's how you change it which makes all the difference between an average pro and an excellent one.
		
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Yeah I kind of agree. Was being kind to my past coaches in case they read the forum as I still talk to most of them. :swing:


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## HomerJSimpson (Dec 4, 2014)

Would like the opportunity to have a lesson with Crossfield just to see what it was all about. Really enjoyed the video from our very own forum stalwart.


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## Scotty Cameron (Dec 4, 2014)

Parfield is OK, he must be since he uses Mizuno's 
good luck with your lesson, I actually wish it was me getting one, but it is way to far to travel.


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## NWJocko (Dec 4, 2014)

Hacker Khan said:



			h. As being a good coach kind of what his whole business is built on.
		
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Never seen his lesson vids, watched some club reviews.

I'd argue your point above, being an Internet "celebrity" is pretty much what his business is built on.

3 hours is some lesson, be interesting to see what is all covered.


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## pokerjoke (Dec 16, 2014)

Stuey01 said:



			Following on from my birthday present thread... Today is my birthday (yay me).  
I'm booked in for a 3hr "performance assessment" lesson with the man himself Mark  Crossfield, on 15th. I'll feedback how it goes.
Anyone here had a lesson with Crossfield?
		
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How did your lesson go?


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