Just back from lesson - what a improvement

[fairmorn308]

I made the moved and tryewd a new coach today rather than my local coach who was district coach and all i can say is what a imrpovment

will list thing with old and new coachs and you can see the difference yourself


Old coach:

1) try keep left left more straighter on back swing
2) stronger left grip
3) closer stance
4)shoulder alignment

While i was doing these i was stuggling to even hit the ball well during the lesson and really struggled last few weeks trying to adapot the above. I was striking the ball well but was adapoting a push fade and i got to the stage i was playing for this off the tee and with my woods off tee and even my wedges were fading.

I was getting to the stage i didnt know what to do as seemed my local coach knew what he was doing tho but thought would try another opinion. He was even using video and showed me and looked like i was improving etc

New coach:

I only had a 30minute slot with him but was well worth it. Started off with a few shots to see where i could improve and the following was changed

1) grip was good as it was
2) widen stance
3) ball a wee bit back in stance
4) club more upright
5) hands forward at address a wee touch
6) transfer weight onto right foot
7) on follow through need to roll my hands over.

Oh my god what a difference it has made in such a short time. I was able to take proper divots which were straight at target. the ball flight was good and the shots were straight aswell. am well impressed and also it felt alot better aswell. gave me confidence to stand over the ball and able to attack the target.

Off to practice some this afternoon will update when i return

 

[TonyN]

Nice, I need to go practice this afternoon! Need a lesson in next few weeks or so myself. A fade has creeped into my swing and its getting bigger!

 

[Tommo21]

I take it No 6, transfer weight onto right foot, is during the back swing.

 

[fairmorn308]

yes thats correct, on my backswing i wasnt transfering the weight correctly. which was also causing a fualt at the top of my backswing

 

[theeaglehunter]

It's always good to find the right coach. I remember having one lesson with a pro and I straight away new it would be the last one, I don't know what it was I just didn't get on with his teaching style. The pro I see at the moment is first class.

 

[mikest]

what a great feeling it is when you have had a lesson and you have fixed a problem. lately I've been going down to the local muni course and seeing a mate of mine who is a pro there immediately after a game where I've noticed things creeping in to my game. He has sorted them there and then and it feels great, I think when we practice a specific things to improve our games other little problems can occur and without the advice of a good pro they can develop into big problems. thats why I always say to anyone, no matter what ability they are, to see a pro once a month at least once every couple of months.

 

[teetime72]

I agree with eaglehunter,if you`re not at ease with your coach it`s a waste if money.I changed teachers 3 times before I found one that I am happy with.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Ive changed this year from one who learnt at a Leadbetter Academy and so was very technical and all about being in set positions to what you might call a standard club pro.

Don't get me wrong, my coach of the last year or so got me hitting the ball fantastically and my handicap plummeted from 20 to 13 in five months including a brief dip in form during which I went up a stroke. However as he has moved 45 minutes away I was looking for someone more accessible and decided to give my club pro a go.

Opinion on him as a teacher is fairly well divided down the middle. Some like him and others don't and I was a tad worried. However he teaches in a more traditional way which works more with what a player has as opposed to trying to swing in a unified text book manner.

As a result when we have been working on making a fuller shoulder turn and moving the weight on the backswing it has been done via a series of video comparisons with tour players (against my mediocre efforts) but more importantly was done more by feel.

As a result I'm more able to feel what is a good swing for me. It may not be Els like in its beauty but it is functional and is something I am able to repeat fairly consistently.

As a result I have more confidence in my game. Lately I am having a relapse into reverse pivotting, not turning or shifting my weight and so have booked a 30 minute refresher for the weekend just to go back to getting the right feeling.

In conclusion whether you want to own a picture perfect swing or just make the most of what you have it is all about trust. Once you have a coach you have faith in it is important to stick with them to avoid too much conflicting advice

 

[TonyN]

I take it No 6, transfer weight onto right foot, is during the back swing.

I think people worry to much about this. If you set up with equal weight on both feet, and just do a proper body rotation, the weight transfere takes care of its self!

Once I got my head round this, it really worked a dream!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Tony

I agree with you but unfortunately it is the proper body rotation I'm struggling with. I'm not looking to transfer weight per se because as you rightly point out it takes care of itself if you swing correctly

 

[TonyN]

Do you ever practice rotation with out a club in your hand?

I do, when I am at work in the Control room and things are quiet, I stand in a mid iron stance, pick a spot on the floor and fully rotate keeping my head still.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I do practice in the mirror at home and to be fair when I'm swinging without a club it visually looks pretty good and compact. There is obviously a major flaw once I have a lump of metal in my mitts.

Ali my pro will see me right at the weekend. I think sadly it is a case of being too late to really eradicate my poor turn completely and like a lot of good tour players, it is something I will need to keep going back to with a coach every 4-6 weeks. Usually I wait until he is out on the practice ground hitting balls and have a brief chat and slide it into the conversation. He is normally happy to spend 5-10 minutes just checking me out

 

[Canfordhacker]

I do practice in the mirror at home

We have mirrors in the lifts at work, and I do find myself practising when I'm alone between floors...

 

[viscount17]

had the last in the (current) series with my new coach last night. he had me working the ball (another first), which was fun proving I could control it in a strongish cross wind and make it go upwind, downwind and straight.

I changed coaches simply because (1) the opportunity arose, (2) I believe in getting a second opinion and (3) it's my money.

Both coaches have been very good but different. With Martin I started from scratch. he is a very gentle guy, excellent at teaching the kids, which may be why I felt I needed the change (as ex-forces I was used to a bit more aggression from my instructors - I used it myself when I was instructing.) With Jason, I told him from the off to get tough if he need to, I wasn't going to run away.

 

[fairmorn308]

well guys i have been at the range this morning and within 24hours i was push fading the ball and didnt like the way the ball was shaping etc and now i am playing a nice wee draw which goes through the bag even the driver is alot better with a draw. I just need to get used to setting up with a wee dra due to am used to setting up left of the target for a long time. Havent played on course yet but will do 2mo with some friends and will report back