Change of pro

HomerJSimpson

HomerJSimpson

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After a lot of deliberation I'm going for a lesson on Thursday with a guy from a local golf range instead of the guy I had been seeing. I've felt for a while that I'm not seeing the improvements I should. This new guy has been following my blog and on twitter and gave me a free 20 minute look over last Saturday and a simple tip that is working wonders.

I've no issue about changing pros and feel a change will be good. I'm not about to book a shed load of lessons as in general terms I'm relatively happy with where the game is and I'm considering this a 30 minute swing MOT and hopefull a fix for the main issue(s)

He comes recommended and seems to know his stuff. Have others made the change from pro to pro and did it help. I'm not interested in the "you have too many lessons/I don't believe in them/you over complicate it" posts I usually get bombarded with whenever I post about lessons but I'm genuinely interested as to whether a fresh pair of eyes and approach can make a difference
 
HomerJSimpson said:
After a lot of deliberation I'm going for a lesson on Thursday with a guy from a local golf range instead of the guy I had been seeing. I've felt for a while that I'm not seeing the improvements I should. This new guy has been following my blog and on twitter and gave me a free 20 minute look over last Saturday and a simple tip that is working wonders.

I've no issue about changing pros and feel a change will be good. I'm not about to book a shed load of lessons as in general terms I'm relatively happy with where the game is and I'm considering this a 30 minute swing MOT and hopefull a fix for the main issue(s)

He comes recommended and seems to know his stuff. Have others made the change from pro to pro and did it help. I'm not interested in the "you have too many lessons/I don't believe in them/you over complicate it" posts I usually get bombarded with whenever I post about lessons but I'm genuinely interested as to whether a fresh pair of eyes and approach can make a difference
Click to expand...

Homer, assuming this is the guy we spoke about yesterday then given what I saw yesterday then go for it. Not too many changes before Saturday though mate please
 
HomerJSimpson said:
After a lot of deliberation I'm going for a lesson on Thursday with a guy from a local golf range instead of the guy I had been seeing. I've felt for a while that I'm not seeing the improvements I should. This new guy has been following my blog and on twitter and gave me a free 20 minute look over last Saturday and a simple tip that is working wonders.

I've no issue about changing pros and feel a change will be good. I'm not about to book a shed load of lessons as in general terms I'm relatively happy with where the game is and I'm considering this a 30 minute swing MOT and hopefull a fix for the main issue(s)

He comes recommended and seems to know his stuff. Have others made the change from pro to pro and did it help. I'm not interested in the "you have too many lessons/I don't believe in them/you over complicate it" posts I usually get bombarded with whenever I post about lessons but I'm genuinely interested as to whether a fresh pair of eyes and approach can make a difference
Click to expand...

HawkeyeMS said:
Homer, assuming this is the guy we spoke about yesterday then given what I saw yesterday then go for it. Not too many changes before Saturday though mate please
Click to expand...

Yep its Rhys ap Iolo from the Downshire. You saw first hand yesterday that his simple pointer from that 20 minute freebie was starting to show real potential so booked a 30 minute slot. Not expecting him to re-invent the wheel in that time but I think he'll confirm what I've known deep down that the guy I've been seeing is taking two steps instead of one to get to the root issues and fixes and the way he's getting across what I've needed to work on in the last few months (since FoA) hasn't sunk in
 
I changed as I wasn't getting where I wanted to be and wasn't even sure I could get there. First lesson with Paul and I left totally confident I could be the player I wanted to be. In half an hour he filled me with complete belief, because he told me I could be that player, but also made some technical changes which were immediate.

So for me it's a mixture of technical and confidence boosting coaching and the change worked 100%.
 
From reading your posts on here and having the very occasional look through your blog who you get lessons from should be the last thing you worry about. If it makes you happy go for it. I changed my pro last year after moving house and the last one becoming seriously ill and it wrecked me for a year, so much so that I have just bought the stack and tilt book again (what my last pro was teaching) and going back to that.
 
I have been to 3 different guys now no reason for a change really but i think after a few lesson a lot of pros are just going over the same stuff and a fresh pair of eyes can see some thing different.
Mike
 
dont be scared to change homer, sometimes a different approach can be a good thing,

while my swing has had the same faults on and off for 3 years, one pro couldnt not work them out, yet another pro although he identified the same problems, he attacked it from a different angle and although not totally cured has me hitting the ball about as good as i have ever hit it, i think a real nice thing is to have a bond with your pro, someone who shows interest on your game, and gives the off free tweek before a medal is a bonus.

try the new guy for 2/3 lessons and see what he does different and if it makes a change
 
Definitely go for it mate.
I started off on our par 3 course and went for lessons with the pro at our golf centre. I had a reasonable swing from her with my irons but no real power or distance after a lesson a week for about 3 months, by which time I had started on the big course and was hitting driver with a huge slice that she seemed unable to change.

I like you felt that I wasn't getting all that i should have from a lesson.

Then another pro came and took on the shop at our place although the lady pro remains doing her lessons on the range. He gave my mate a lesson and helped him greatly within that single lesson and even came back to him one evening when i was there to just top up at no extra charge, that night he gave me 5 minutes free and like you it helped big time.

I then booked my own lesson and have become very good friends with him, and have never paid for a lesson since that first one, he actually does not teach anyone else at our place but me as he is also a pro at another larger club in ROI and has made me his pet project, he only comes up to our place the days that we play and does his other bits of work on the mornings before we play.

I can honestly say he has turned me into a golfer and has boosted my confidence and saved me a fortune not just on the free lessons but has given me some great deals on gear, but when I wanted to buy different drivers during the year for my own good he persuaded me not to.

Now he actually gets happier at my scores than I do and is as excited as I am to see what happens come the new season.

I like you have heard from others at my club that I over complicate things, never had a single lesson or you take too many, but come the new season I aim to really prove to all the doubters and nay sayers.

I hope to soon get a video up to show my swing from March 2011 to what it has become.

So I will be happy to wait and read how you get on with your new guy. And good luck.
 
Homer, maybe it is time you took a step back and evaluated exactly what it is you want from the game.
Do you want to play to a cat 1 level and worry about every swing and aspect or play to a realistic handicap where you can have a laugh with your fourball and not take it so seriously but still be competitive.
I have not met you but by your posts on here you come across as a fairly obsessive guy tied up in knots with theory and a penchance for constantly changing kit. Stick with one set of kit, do what the pro says and stick in there. Questioning coaches abilities says more about you than the pro himself.
Lessons are more than lip service, you need to practice it until it works, not until you get fed up and change.
My advice,feel free to completely ignore though.
 
brendy said:
Homer, maybe it is time you took a step back and evaluated exactly what it is you want from the game.
Do you want to play to a cat 1 level and worry about every swing and aspect or play to a realistic handicap where you can have a laugh with your fourball and not take it so seriously but still be competitive.
I have not met you but by your posts on here you come across as a fairly obsessive guy tied up in knots with theory and a penchance for constantly changing kit. Stick with one set of kit, do what the pro says and stick in there. Questioning coaches abilities says more about you than the pro himself.
Lessons are more than lip service, you need to practice it until it works, not until you get fed up and change.
My advice,feel free to completely ignore though.
Click to expand...

Top advice there Brendy, i change pro and have had 2 lessons just a different view on looking at things eg a video during every lesson then emailed to me so i could see it and a drill to work to keep it going,has it worked in a word yes but i've worked hard at hitting at over 1000 balls in the last month.
 
I have to say that just because a coach can help one person does not mean they can help every person. As i wrote from my own experience. My pro employs a guy to work for him at Scrabo and I had 1 single lesson with him to help cure my hook as my own coach was extremely busy. He spent an hour with me and made me very much worse.
My own pro came up to the club on a Sunday a day he never works just to give me a lesson, 3 balls I hit and he had me sorted within minutes. A 60 year old guy i play with (who gets lessons with the employee pro) watched and when my pro walked away he said to me you are very lucky, I would gladly pay double the money to get a lesson with him.

Not everyone can understand easily how someone else explains things, sometimes its the teacher and sometimes the pupil. Some coaches get technical which can work for people that understand that side of things while others like my coach give real life simplified examples of how and why something works.

I am an Electrician by trade and not being big headed an extremely good one, but I would struggle to train an apprentice because I lack the ability to put into words what I am explaining.
 
To add - for me you have to have total faith in your coach. So whilst chopping and changing too often will never work there is also a time to admit that the bond/faith isn't there and to move on to find it elsewhere.

I'm still new here and don't understand the caustic comments to a guy wanting to improve his golf game and trying to find the best way to do that...:confused:
 
Phil2511 said:
I am an Electrician by trade and not being big headed an extremely good one, but I would struggle to train an apprentice because I lack the ability to put into words what I am explaining.
Click to expand...

A length of 3 x 4mm pyro normally cures them ;)









(yes I am a spark as well)
 
Homer, I've been lucky with my pro since my 1st lesson so i can't really comment but from what you post on here and you're blog I think its more your fault and not the previous coaches you've worked with.

That said if you've found somebody you're comfortable with and trust then change.

Get back to basics,listen and believe in what you're being taught and I'm sure you'll see an improvement.

Please don't take this as a personal attack, its just my opinion.

Good luck sir.
 
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