Change of pro

Just to add that I would not say that the other 2 pros were bad, just that they were not suitable coaches for me. I would actually go as far as to say coaching is a very 1 on 1 thing, if you don't get that bond and cant build up trust and confidence with your coach then you will never improve because you will always have that niggling doubt in the back of your head.

My own coach pro is great friends with Michael Bannon and was his assistant pro and was PGA Runner Up Assistant of the Year when he was training, and would regularly be at Michael's club as well, but at least once a year he travels to USA for a lesson with Butch Harmon. It really is a personal thing.
 
Phil you are a spark though, being a teaching pro means that you have to be able to coach/instruct so that argument isn't as valid.

I think some guys are losing sight of the fact we do it as a past time, If you had only had one lesson then yes oerhaps his style might not suit but this sounds like he has been used multiple times, so why only now is it his fault?
 
To improve you need to enjoy putting in the work. I agree with Phil 100% you need to work with someone that makes sense to you. I think it is also important to respect the guy your taking the lessons off.
So go and enjoy the lessons and the simplicity of a game we all make so difficult for ourselves.
 
chris661 said:
A length of 3 x 4mm pyro normally cures them ;)









(yes I am a spark as well)
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Hahahahaha

I still remember the day another spark and I were at a job and he said how would you do such and such.
I told him and he said "Thats not how I would do it." So i replied "How would you do it then?" He told me and my next reply was, "Thats what i just said to you 2 minutes ago." But it was how I said it that confused him LOL.
That was the first time I realised why all my apprentices were so bloody useless LMFAO. Their teacher was a moron HEHEHE
 
As someone who has just started taking lessons for the first time, I want to add that sometimes a change is necessary just for the sake of a change. Teaching relationships can become stale and a new viewpoint is invigorating. Homer, if you think change is required then go for it and enjoy it.
 
i can sympathise with homer

im thinking of changing pro
i really respect the guy
know of alot of players he's taught who have been mid handicaps, eventually turned them into pro's,
and are now are better players than he is!

however, i think there is bit of a communication thing between us, i leave a lesson with a few swing thoughts, work on them, but when i come back he can't understand what im trying to achieve, which is really frustrating me


i might try mark crossfield, the bloke who's on youtube alot, as i only live just down the road

i think you should change homer, what's the worst that can happen?...
 
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.
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stevek1969 said:
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.
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I know exactly what I want. I want to be as good as I can potentially be. For me that means working hard as I've never been naturally gifeted at golf and whatever successes I've achieved I've had to graft for. Funnily enough in the last two years following advice on here, playing with the likes of Pieman, Smiffy and Justone I've binned the swing thought on the course and trust whatever I've practiced to work on the day. As for tied in kots. again not strictly true. I've worked on the drills given to me and gone back for clarity when they haven't worked. The main issue has been my short game which I've not really tackled full on this year and is perhaps the one area that is mental with me now and not a technical issue.

Aren't we all obssessed by golf anyway. As for changing kit I've had my TM TP's for nearly 3 years before getting my R11's and my woods for a similar length of time. I did dabble with a few putters but have now stuck with two my Ping and my odyssey. The ping isn't behaving so I'm using the odyssey until the greens get really wet when it becomes hard to control the distance on longer putts.

Having been with my pro for three years and gone from 18-11 although back to 13 now I don't see that as chopping and changing and I've definitely not paid lip service to what he's said. You will know by now that I put the effort in on the range and by and large have seen results but feel I've stagnated during the last two I've had and not been able to implement the change and to a degree have lost confidence.

I respect your views but I'm afraid in this instance I have to disagree. I'm prepared to put the work in and look at video, hit 000's of balls and basically do what it takes. There is definitely a golfer capable of getting back to 11 in me and with a short game that nirvana of 9 may just be in touching distance. I want to give myself the best chance of being the best golfer I can and this for the moment is the best way I can see of doing it
 
Homer, go for the change if you think itll work, nut only if you you believe its worth it and you have the time to commit!
I miss being able to go to Ramside and see Mark Rayson, my game came on a lot with lessons from him, because I got what he was saying and had time to practice, I have had lessons with a couple pros here in northern Ireland, but dont have the same affinity with them.
It is often the player, but you have to have a relationship with your coach, and he has know how you learn to get the most from you!
Are you a kinesthetic learner, hands on, a visual learner, you like to see it, or something else, we all learn differently, and you need someone to unlock your capicity to learn to achieve the most! good luck :)
 
brendy said:
Phil you are a spark though, being a teaching pro means that you have to be able to coach/instruct so that argument isn't as valid.

I think some guys are losing sight of the fact we do it as a past time, If you had only had one lesson then yes oerhaps his style might not suit but this sounds like he has been used multiple times, so why only now is it his fault?
Click to expand...

I disagree Brendy. You still need to be able to teach. Whether it be the mechanics of a golf swing or how to wire a ring main, burglar alarm, fire alarm or whatever.

If there is any communication breakdown between teacher and pupil whether it be on either side then you cannot achieve 100%.

I can tell you now that my coach has tried to teach one of the young guys that works for him, but has been unsuccessful. Not because of his teaching methods but because the student is not the easiest pupil to teach to, having been a 5 hcap he has been taught by the lady pro at our place since he was 8 years old.
For him it is difficult to change what has been natural to him for such a long time. Whereas for me I was only starting out and had no engrained swing so it is easier for me to build up trust and confidence with him and allow the changes to be made.

Now don't get me wrong I am not stating that Homers current/now old coach is a bad one, It could be that Homer needs guided in an alternative way to achieve the goal.

My pro actually went down the route off building my confidence up first and gave me the ability to strike the ball every time, then he changed a bit at a time, slowly but surely to get me where I am now. He himself said that most coaches aim for fundamentally the same end result but they all use differing methods on the journey to get there.

Not everyone likes to travel the same journey, like myself I leave Belfast after work in the mornings and drive towards Bangor and down Rathgael Rd to get to the peninsula side of Newtownards, but most people would go down the Newtownards Rd itself. If that makes any sense LOL
 
JT77 said:
Are you a kinesthetic learner, hands on, a visual learner, you like to see it, or something else, we all learn differently, and you need someone to unlock your capicity to learn to achieve the most! good luck :)
Click to expand...

This makes perfect sense.

I am an excellent visual learner. And as they say seeing is believing.

My free 5 minute lesson was to get me to drop my hands at address rather than have them high.

My pro said I would have far more power his way and demonstrated why and this was how.

He grabbed the shaft of my club with his left hand and while i was holding the club the old way asked me to stop him moving my club from left to right. He outpowered my 2 hands with his left hand(weakest).

He then said now drop your hands and do it again, This time I moved his left hand from left to right.

Another was about getting my body through the ball rather than my arms.

At a 3/4 back swing he said pull me forward with the club, i tried with my arms and couldnt budge him at all. Then he said now try and move your body as if you are moving through the ball this time i pulled him forward.

Therefore in my head that made perfect sense, and thus the beginning of trust started.

BTW JT77 whereabouts in NI are you at?
 
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If you feel you need a change, then staying where you are will leave you wondering and not fully committing to what you are being taught.

Time to change methinks.
 
Good luck Homer. From what you've said about this new guy, you'd be a fool not to give him a go. As has already been said, some pros will work for some and not others. A few people tried to steer me away from giving our own club pro a go at working on my game, but I thought I'd try to support our local club pro and make a determined effort to work on his teachings. He took 7 shots off my game (in 5 lessons over about a nine month period).
I've gone back to a lot of my bad habits and will definately be practicing more over the winter and having 2 or 3 refresher lessons (using the same pro, Ali)
 
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