Go see a Pro.

You may have guessed that I started this thread with a tongue in cheek. I have noticed so many threads are interjected with the advice not to listen to help on here but see a Pro. Just wondered what the consencus was.
 
Socket, if it wasn't for the advice from yourself and others then I would believe what my various golf books tell me about aiming at the target when hitting a draw/fade ! I find your posts interesting and informative, but I see where you're coming from. Some people have asked for advice here just be to told to "see a pro". This is ok if it's something that needs to be seen from all angles to diagnose the problem, such as a swing fault, but when it's an abrupt response to a reasonable question then it will put people off posting. Then again, it's probably not very helpful if non-experts start suggesting all sorts of possible fixes without really knowing the cause of the problem.
 
Socket, if it wasn't for the advice from yourself and others then I would believe what my various golf books tell me about aiming at the target when hitting a draw/fade ! I find your posts interesting and informative, but I see where you're coming from. Some people have asked for advice here just be to told to "see a pro". This is ok if it's something that needs to be seen from all angles to diagnose the problem, such as a swing fault, but when it's an abrupt response to a reasonable question then it will put people off posting. Then again, it's probably not very helpful if non-experts start suggesting all sorts of possible fixes without really knowing the cause of the problem.

The problem is most folk dont even post a photo let alone a video so how folk are able to tell what the problem is is beyond me.
 
The thing I really do not understand about this new ball flight law regarding Fades/Draws etc and the Pro's explaining it wrong is that these are guys that break 70 on a regular basis and are explaining stuff incorrectly, how is it then that they can play said shots at willb and most of the time execute them to perfection? They cant be telling us how to play the shots one way and then doing totally the opposite when they want to play the shot. Confused:confused:
 
The problem is most folk dont even post a photo let alone a video so how folk are able to tell what the problem is is beyond me.

Some golfing faults are fairly easy to spot as they fall into the group of common problems that so many golfers suffer from. If the issue is unclear then more details are required.
 
The problem is most folk dont even post a photo let alone a video so how folk are able to tell what the problem is is beyond me.

worst case is someone who is slicing as there's so many ways to do it :)

They actually need to fix their clubface (it's too open) AND their path... it's a killer but 20mins on a practice ground and you can have them hitting CORRECT draw shots... in writing it takes about 50 posts and is awkward to say the least.

Of course you could have them lined up to the right of target and hitting pull-hooks whilst self destructing any chance of actually understanding the swing or diagnosing their own faults via ball flight :p
 
The thing I really do not understand about this new ball flight law regarding Fades/Draws etc and the Pro's explaining it wrong is that these are guys that break 70 on a regular basis and are explaining stuff incorrectly, how is it then that they can play said shots at willb and most of the time execute them to perfection? They cant be telling us how to play the shots one way and then doing totally the opposite when they want to play the shot. Confused:confused:

Because they dont do what they say they do. Remember many top players are not golf coaches and dont study the detail of golf physics, they rather do what their swing gurus tell them.

Many good players play very much by feel and can create good shots without realy knowing how or why.
 
Because they dont do what they say they do. Remember many top players are not golf coaches and dont study the detail of golf physics, they rather do what their swing gurus tell them.

Many good players play very much by feel and can create good shots without realy knowing how or why.

Not just on about the tour players though. PGA Club pro's as well. Mark crossfied on YouTube for example falls into this group. He explains hitting a fade the 'old way' and then proceeds to execute the shot. Surely as a PGA coach he sets up to hit the shot the same way as he tells his students? I have always been told align body,hips,shoulders left of target but aim club directly at target and swing along body line to hit a Fade and do opposite for a Draw. Sometimes when I hit them they come off perfect and others they don't but my swing is not reliable anyway.
 
You may have guessed that I started this thread with a tongue in cheek. I have noticed so many threads are interjected with the advice not to listen to help on here but see a Pro. Just wondered what the consencus was.

I’m one who normally says go see a pro. I’ve played golf now for around 35 plus years. I’m still gobsmacked by the guys who are quite willing to listen to their hacker mates before going to get a proper lesson. I see fundamental mistakes made time and again by golfers, but I don’t feel qualified to say otherwise.

I’m lucky that besides others I regularly play with a couple of former pros and over the years I’ve learned so much from these guys. So much so that they ask my advice when they go off the boil. However, when I started shanking mid season non of them would really help. Well, not strictly true, they advised me to go see Derek Small a pro who had some success as a player, but more importantly, Derek is a pro who can sniff out a fault and put it right without all the technical crap that can fill a players head.

Derek had me hitting the ball flush within a few shots and although it took a while to adjust it was then that I understood what my mates really meant. Its alright giving tips and hints on technique. Alignment and things like that are easily picked up by a quality golfer….by sight. They need to be there to actually see it.

I know guys who spend a small fortune on equipment and are quite happy to listen to me but they’ll not spend a few bob on some proper coaching. Unless I can see a glaringly obvious fault I will not give any advice. I know a guy who cuts the ball all the time, he cant stop or check the ball on the greens, it’s all run but he uses a pro v ball. As he was never going to sort his swing, set in his ways, I said he should change to a ball with less spin. He wouldn’t even think about it and I know for sure he would have hit the ball straighter, probably longer, possibly score better and get more enjoyment.

I don’t think we can equate a Motoring web site with golf technique. Golf is way more sophisticated.
 
Nice post tommo, it definitely pays to see a swing... even better if you can then record it and play it back to the student.. we don't have that luxury so we have to do the best we can.. which I happen to think a lot of good advice is given out here. Truth be told if everyone learned properly in the first place the ballflight laws would certainly help them figure their own faults.. especially what's happening at impact.

Out of interest... you can turn pro at 4 h/cap so would it matter if a guy passed the exams but you could technically play better than him? (BTW I'm pretending you're off 3 not 5)
 
The part where he shows the Draw the club is pointing in line to the target(cane on floor)but goes out to the right so the ball does not start where the club is aligned to which is the old method correct? Or I am I being a bit slow and missing something.
 
I have had a lot of lessons and they have halped me to hit the ball cleaner and further. When I am back on my course I can repeat the improvement for about a week playing every day.

Then for some reason (probably age or a dram) I completely forget and go back to the old problems. I feel books and DVD's are there every day to try to refresh what I should be doing. I still have lessons occasionally but the nearest teaching pro is 90 miles away.
 
How did you get to the standard where you know all your distances and to get your swing repeatble enough to do this. Not being funny just curious as I personally do not know of anyone with a handicap as low as yours that has not had loads of tuition and range time and that does as little practice as you do. I do between 2-4 hours a week practice and have a lesson every 4-6 weeks. So if you can give me some hints I might be able to save a fortune;)
He's a 5 isn't he? I know of plenty, myself included, but I have bitten the bullet this past year as 5 was my limit, and I kept bouncing back to 6, then down again. But for sure, my home club doesn't even have a pro, and there are 5 guys lower than me who have never had a lesson, two of them are or have been as low as 2.
 
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