Changing Pro - within the same club

[golfbluecustard]

Have a dilema.

Have been using the assistant pro for lessons and then with trial membership came a lesson with the head pro.

Had that lesson today and thought it went really well enough to want to switch.

My thought is just man up and tell the assistant but boy is it going to be awkward seeing him at the club, he also teaches at the junior academy so i'd see him there with my son.

Has any body else gone through this?

Advise needed.

GBC

 

[palindromicbob]

From what I know assistant pro tend to plan to move away from the club and become head somewhere else. Head's tend to stick around.

Man up tell him you are going to the head pro and if he asks for any reason then tell him that the heads teaching style suits you better and you feel you are getting more from him. If you have anything specific then tell him so he can choose to either ignore or learn from it.

 

[pbrown7582]

a tricky one but if you are up front and honest it should make the situation easier, maybe trying to booking your lessons whilst the junior academy is on to start so you have to go with the pro as the assistant is alreday busy?

 

[Foxholer]

From what I know assistant pro tend to plan to move away from the club and become head somewhere else. Head's tend to stick around.

Man up tell him you are going to the head pro and if he asks for any reason then tell him that the heads teaching style suits you better and you feel you are getting more from him. If you have anything specific then tell him so he can choose to either ignore or learn from it.

+1

There's no reason to avoid telling the Asst that you preferred the Head's lesson. Be honest and up-front. There's too much lying and b/s goes on just for the sake of 'diplomacy'. Any comment about why you preferred the Head can/should then be used as a 'learning exercise'.

 

[chrisd]

Some time back I asked my pro for an hour lesson which he refused to do stating " I do half hour lessons which last up to 40 mins, I dont do hour ones" so I said that I'd give it a miss then. Recently, after chatting with the assistant, he gave me an hour lesson on the course then a shorter one on just hitting irons. He changed something in my swing and 7 under par in the monthly medal on Wed has shown it has paid not to worry about the pro

 

[DaveM]

Well being a blunt Northerner. They would most likely get told. "Its my money I'll use who I like".

 

[Foxholer]

Some time back I asked my pro for an hour lesson which he refused to do stating " I do half hour lessons which last up to 40 mins, I dont do hour ones" so I said that I'd give it a miss then. Recently, after chatting with the assistant, he gave me an hour lesson on the course then a shorter one on just hitting irons. He changed something in my swing and 7 under par in the monthly medal on Wed has shown it has paid not to worry about the pro

I actually like the Pro's approach. Very often, the 1 or 2 things that are the things he wants to change can be sorted in 15-20 mins. As 1, 2 or maybe 3 changes are generally all that can be changed, will stick and won't create complications, the rest of the 'lesson' is merely grooving the change and padding. An hour on the course, though, is pretty much the minimum as most of the time is walking - with discussion.

 

[chrisd]

I actually like the Pro's approach. Very often, the 1 or 2 things that are the things he wants to change can be sorted in 15-20 mins. As 1, 2 or maybe 3 changes are generally all that can be changed, will stick and won't create complications, the rest of the 'lesson' is merely grooving the change and padding. An hour on the course, though, is pretty much the minimum as most of the time is walking - with discussion.

But he didnt know that I might want 20 minutes each on say, iron play, chipping then putting!

 

[Slab]

But he didnt know that I might want 20 minutes each on say, iron play, chipping then putting!

Cant imagine if learning to drive and telling the instructor that a 40 min lesson is no good as I want 20 mins each on reversing, parking & highway code

There must be reasons why he gives lessons the duration they are?

 

[chrisd]

Cant imagine if learning to drive and telling the instructor that a 40 min lesson is no good as I want 20 mins each on reversing, parking & highway code

There must be reasons why he gives lessons the duration they are?

I was emphasising that an hour on one subject might be unreasonable but on three separate parts of the game would be ok. If I am paying then I want a lesson on what I want.... if I was learning to drive I would accept that the instructor would do what would get me through the test but I know my golf and what I need to do to improve.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If you prefer the pro to the assistant tell him and give the reasons why. You might be doing him a favour especially if he is still doing the PGA course as he can learn to temper his teaching styles a bit to reach a wider audience.

 

[big_russ]

One of the assistants had been teaching my son at the junior group sessions but I then wanted him (son) to learn stack and tilt with the head pro as I do. Swapped over and have not had a single problem with the assistant and he always asks how the lad is getting on.
I am sure your assistant will have enough other clients that he wont have time to worry about you leaving him.

 

[Ian_S]

One of the assistants had been teaching my son at the junior group sessions but I then wanted him (son) to learn stack and tilt with the head pro as I do. Swapped over and have not had a single problem with the assistant and he always asks how the lad is getting on.
I am sure your assistant will have enough other clients that he wont have time to worry about you leaving him.

Ahh Penwortham, my Dad's old hacking ground. Didn't realise the reach of Stack n' Tilt had infected this far north

 

[User 105]

I changed between pros at my place. To be fair my first coach was the more senior but they are both top notch teaching pro's. The only reason for the change is that things became stagnated with the first pro and that's what I told him. Just said I felt like a change to shake things up.

He was fine with it, I still talk to him when he's on the range and there's no awkwardness.

Just be straight with him, explain why, if he's a good pro he'll be fine with it.