lesson advice

[nmartyn]

hi all - my cousin's recently started playing the great game. he's been having lessons once a week for the past couple of weekends and i finally convinced him to join me for a round on saturday.

he's been doing reasonably well in the range but really struggled on the course. one of the first things i noticed was the speed of his swing, he was really trying to whack the ball into space. when i suggested slowing down to around 70% he said his instructor recommended to hit it as hard as he can when playing! as a result he was topping most shots and really didn't know what to do and became very dissilusioned with the whole thing.

i feel kind of guilty as i persuaded him to come for a round and now i've put mixed messages in his head. he has paid for 4 lessons upfront at the Belfry and i'm really concerned with what he's being taught.

 

[TonyN]

Does seem a tad strange, I remember hearing Tiger saying he never hits the ball as hard as he can, even when he wants to give it a bit more umph, he is only swinging at 95%

I think we all understand that rytem is more important.

Tell him to watch Ricards vidoe's on videojug. There is one that explains about relaxed muscles hitting further than tense ones. Surely if he's trying to kill the ball he will be tense. We've all been there at one time. My better golf started when i stopped try to knock the skin off the ball.

 

[nmartyn]

yeah thats the thing though, obviously he wants to follow his instructors advice, and i'm no expert. i've suggested trying a new instructor but he's concerned that having 'too many coaches' will ruin his progression. but i can't see him improving the way he is - his right forearm was in agony following the round on sat which i assume is a combination of trying to hit it too hard and gripping to tightly. all seems very odd to me!

 

[bobmac]

. he has paid for 4 lessons upfront at the Belfry and i'm really concerned with what he's being taught.

There are loads and loads of pros at the Belfry (over 20)and not all are Qualified PGA Pros, some are just trainees.
I would never teach someone to hit it that hard.
Why not ask him on your next lesson if he is fully qualified

 

[nmartyn]

he's with the head pro!! paying £70odd quid a lesson!

 

[nmartyn]

who's also told him he doesn't need to wear a glove

 

[bobmac]

Well, he should know what he's talking about.
Without seeing the golfswing, it would be unwise to pass comment but he must have his reasons for giving this advice

http://profile.ak.facebook.com/v224/1712/112/n709027433_7689.jpg

 

[forefortheday]

who's also told him he doesn't need to wear a glove

Check if the guy has a problem with getting up without vodka in him?

Seriously hit it as hard as you can??

Unless your cousin was tapping the ball then every piece of advice I have ever seen or been given is hit it at 80% not 100%

My pro always gets me attempting 7 irons to 100 yards to help with my tempo.

Have you spoke to the guy and raised your concerns I mean there may be a very good reason for this advice

 

[nmartyn]

yeah he sounds a bit of a geratric to me.
he has him using a different iron each lesson - basically pick and mix from a collection of demo's.
told him not to buy any gear yet.
all very odd

 

[viscount17]

Can you go along to his next lesson and 'observe'? It could be that your cousin is picking up the wrong messages.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I read in a magazine once, can't remember which, one pro suggesting that you hit the ball as hard as you can but without losing balance

I find that I hit the ball better if I give it a bit of a crack!

 

[Deleted member 1147]

he's with the head pro!! paying £70odd quid a lesson!

The head pro is Gary Allis, Peters son, and a Golf Monthly top 25 coach.

 

[nmartyn]

i know - which is why i'm not trying to interfere with what he's being taught, but clearly its very frustrating when i'm watching him try to hit the cover off the ball everytime and never striking it cleanly.

 

[HartleyHare]

I've been playing for under 2 years and I am by no means qualified to teach anyone anything on the golf course, but from my own experiences I play a hell of a lot better when I relax and concentrate on making a smooth swing through the ball and not trying to hit it as hard as I can.
9 times out of 10 now I'll pick a club longer than I think's needed and play a 3 quarter shot.
When I first started playing I was obsessed with trying to hit it as far as the guys I was playing with and so I tried to hit it harder, as a result I'd lose balance and normally top it and become increasingly frustrated (and so it snowballs).
Like I said I'm no expert but it just seems like common sense to me, relax and try to get a good clean contact on the ball.

 

[Imurg]

There used to be the Arnie school of thought - hit it hard, go find it, hit it hard again - but this sounds a bit strange.

I read in one mag recently that you should learn to hit the ball reasonably hard and work on accuracy after that. But trying to hit it hard when you can barely make a decent contact with the ball doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[RGuk]

I read in one mag recently that you should learn to hit the ball reasonably hard and work on accuracy after that.

I could agree with this. I put accuracy first all those years ago when I was playing/practicing many hours a week.
I found the easier the better, the slower and more rhythmic the more consistent.
I now swing at the speed of a tortoise on benzodiazepine...

is there a correlation?

 

[viscount17]

this 'theory' has also come out in the book I'm reviewing. The author seems to be claiming that while 'we' we're concentrating on straight first, America worked on power first. He claims that this has given them a thirty year edge.

 

[Teeshot]

In my limited experience it's best to concentrate on a smooth swing, and equally a clean strike.
It's no use being able to *** it a country mile if it goes in the wrong direction!
Plus, by keeping your backswing in particular a bit slower you won't lose balance and will thus avoid the dreaded "thin" or "top".
I should know- there is NOBODY worse than me for wanting to smash it, especially off the tee...
My newest game improvement is trying to hold a pose as I finish my swing- I want my swing to look good because then there's every chance it will have been a good shot.

 

[bobmac]

Teeshot, I call that the hollywood position. Imagine all the press taking pics of your finish. Hold the pose until the ball lands and smile even when you top it