davemc1
Journeyman Pro
Pop
The difference in teaching pro
- Thread starter davemc1
- Start date
davemc1
Journeyman Pro
Ignore above sorry, kindle acting up.
So in my limited golf in career I'm now on my 3rd coach. First one lasted just the one lesson, told me I had a shoulder dip which until I cured I may well not hit a golf ball ever again (demoralizing for a newbie)
Second, tried to turn me into an athlete posture wise, never really suited me and always ended in backache as well as the earache... he seemed to do everything out of a text book (feels like I'm having a go at him, when in reality we got on really well) the gc2 thing he had was amazing though. Main reason I moved on was finance.£33 per half hour and as its a 70 mile round trip, about a tenner in juice.
Third coach I started on Friday, told me to stand how I wanted, which was a good start. Lifted me a little more upright, which was fine, changed my grip which was not! And just got me to slow things down. When hit right the slice off the tee turned into a manageable fade. He Had a few toys, a club with no head, a wobbly shafted club among others. Basically had a bit of fun and tried to take the stress out. Hopefully I'm back on the right track, if this doesn't work I may just start to think its me......
Nah never
So in my limited golf in career I'm now on my 3rd coach. First one lasted just the one lesson, told me I had a shoulder dip which until I cured I may well not hit a golf ball ever again (demoralizing for a newbie)
Second, tried to turn me into an athlete posture wise, never really suited me and always ended in backache as well as the earache... he seemed to do everything out of a text book (feels like I'm having a go at him, when in reality we got on really well) the gc2 thing he had was amazing though. Main reason I moved on was finance.£33 per half hour and as its a 70 mile round trip, about a tenner in juice.
Third coach I started on Friday, told me to stand how I wanted, which was a good start. Lifted me a little more upright, which was fine, changed my grip which was not! And just got me to slow things down. When hit right the slice off the tee turned into a manageable fade. He Had a few toys, a club with no head, a wobbly shafted club among others. Basically had a bit of fun and tried to take the stress out. Hopefully I'm back on the right track, if this doesn't work I may just start to think its me......
Nah never
On my third coach. First one knackered his knees and had multiple ops. Went to a technical guy for two years and made some progress and then felt I stagnated. Current pro is local, recommended by word of mouth which is always good and has done wonders in the last two years. Finally seeing the benefits now
Vikingman
Head Pro
Dave, if you get to coach No4 check out Steve Holden at Netherley.
He's a great teaching pro and a top bloke to boot.
He's a great teaching pro and a top bloke to boot.
beggsy
Journeyman Pro
Would never pay for lessons in my life I play golf the way I want to play it my sing has got me from 18 my first hcp to 8 now so can't see the reasons people pay £x to a guy who may make you worse
HarryMonk
Challenge Tour Pro
Looking for my first teaching pro at present, I know someone at a local club and there teaching pro is one of the best in the area, so should I try him or stay with the home club and go with a pro from there?
HawkeyeMS
Ryder Cup Winner
I've had a few, the only one that worked was the one I saw last year who taught me a swing I was physically capable of performing and didn't get technical or try to compare me to Justin Rose. I don't "like" my swing, but I love the results and when things go wrong I have one thought which is guaranteed to put things right.
Foxholer
Blackballed
I've only had a few lessons and from a Pro who adjusts as opposed to rebuilds, but they were well worth it. No particular swing rebuild required, though the first round after sizeable change tended to be a bit mechanical. I got a couple of shots lower than you after lessons, so there's more to be gained than lost imo. Just make sure you don't use the ones that want to do things you physically can't!
Sweep
Journeyman Pro
Had no more than half a dozen lessons in 20 years, then after going backwards for 3 years resulting in an increase in handicap by 5 shots, mainly due to a grip that had slowly gone very strong without me noticing, I went overboard and had lessons every 2 or 3 weeks for 6 months. This actually did me no good at all and my golf didn't improve.
After a break I went to my current pro who made me sort my grip out before doing anything else, something my previous pro failed to do. This started me on the road to recovery. A couple of other lessons on stuff other than the grip which all resulted in a 5 shot drop in handicap last year. Very happy with my current pro, who only gives you one or at most two things to work on and doesn't try to change everything. Just as importantly, if something isn't quite working right he generally puts it right and doesn't have me going for lessons time after time.
Lessons are great, but I think golfers think of them as a cure all, which they are not. A pro can set you in the right direction, but you have to gain some knowledge of the golf swing, which the pro should help with and more importantly you must put into practice what you are taught and grove your own feel for the changes the pro advocates.
After a break I went to my current pro who made me sort my grip out before doing anything else, something my previous pro failed to do. This started me on the road to recovery. A couple of other lessons on stuff other than the grip which all resulted in a 5 shot drop in handicap last year. Very happy with my current pro, who only gives you one or at most two things to work on and doesn't try to change everything. Just as importantly, if something isn't quite working right he generally puts it right and doesn't have me going for lessons time after time.
Lessons are great, but I think golfers think of them as a cure all, which they are not. A pro can set you in the right direction, but you have to gain some knowledge of the golf swing, which the pro should help with and more importantly you must put into practice what you are taught and grove your own feel for the changes the pro advocates.
LinksTurf
Assistant Pro
I've been to 6 different coaches in the 20 years I've played golf. 2 have been great, and I moved on only because either he or I moved location, but the other 4 were totally useless. One of them had me almost unable to swing a club! As a teacher (not of golf) myself, I have come to the conclusion that all golf pros know how to play golf (obviously) but not all of them know how to teach it. Finding one that can accurately diagnose what you are doing wrong AND explain to you how to do it right in terms that you can understand is difficult. If you do find one, he's worth his weight in gold.
