Two lessons from different pros experience

[126849660]

Just back from my second lesson. Now had two lessons at different clubs obviously by different pros.
First club , practiced putting and chipping. Seemed to have the putting down quite good but was really quite poor at the chipping.
Second lesson at different club today. We just practiced chipping. Right away pro noticed I wasn’t turning and was lifting my left heel, basically my whole swing was very wrong. I’m guessing i was doing it the same way on my first lesson and pro didn’t correct me on it. So today pro had me turning correctly feet all right ect and i was hitting it so good the pro was convinced it wasn’t my first time playing. Even after taking it off the tee i was still hitting the ball extremely straight and where i was aiming for. Had 1 ball the whole lesson that shot off to the right and the pro explained exactly what i had done wrong.
Now cant wait to get more lessons and get ready to get myself onto a full course.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Just back from my second lesson. Now had two lessons at different clubs obviously by different pros.
First club , practiced putting and chipping. Seemed to have the putting down quite good but was really quite poor at the chipping.
Second lesson at different club today. We just practiced chipping. Right away pro noticed I wasn’t turning and was lifting my left heel, basically my whole swing was very wrong. I’m guessing i was doing it the same way on my first lesson and pro didn’t correct me on it. So today pro had me turning correctly feet all right ect and i was hitting it so good the pro was convinced it wasn’t my first time playing. Even after taking it off the tee i was still hitting the ball extremely straight and where i was aiming for. Had 1 ball the whole lesson that shot off to the right and the pro explained exactly what i had done wrong.
Now cant wait to get more lessons and get ready to get myself onto a full course.

Were you chipping off the tee?

Personally I wouldn't be having lessons with multiple pros. As you've found out they all have different methods of teaching. Far better to choose one and stick with them certainly initially until you have learned the basics including grip, stance, address, alignment and are getting to grips with the full swing. Further down the line when you've been playing on the course a while you can decide if you want/more lessons and in my opinion that would be the time to consider getting a fresh pair of eyes but if the pro you are using is working and he or she is teaching you in a way that resonates and you are making progress why change?

 

[ScienceBoy]

I’ve done the two pro thing, one for short game and one for the long game. I drew the line between them to ensure I didn’t get conflicting advice. One was a short game expert and I still use the advice today, the other was Ok but my current pro is better at swing stuff.

It’s OK to see two different pros if trying to decide who to take long term coaching from or to see a specialist and have the other work on general swing stuff.

I would avoid having two pros unknowingly working on the same parts of your game long term as this will probably get confusing.

 

[126849660]

My plan was to get a few lessons from two pros then decide who i click with better and stick to that one.
Now that i think about it my first chipping was maybe 20 yards from the target so then would you be swinging differently from vs 67/70 yards ?

 

[clubchamp98]

This is like having two girlfriends.
It can only end in disaster.
So pick one and good luck.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My plan was to get a few lessons from two pros then decide who i click with better and stick to that one.
Now that i think about it my first chipping was maybe 20 yards from the target so then would you be swinging differently from vs 67/70 yards ?

The swing for a chip and a pitch of that distance is totally different. This may help

 

[Foxholer]

...
Personally I wouldn't be having lessons with multiple pros. As you've found out they all have different methods of teaching. Far better to choose one and stick with them certainly initially until you have learned the basics including grip, stance, address, alignment and are getting to grips with the full swing....

Nothing wrong with 'auditioning' Pros, But once you find a 'preferred' one, sticking with one normally works best! You can (probably 'should) even agree a 'program' of instruction rather than simply rolling up and randomly have a lesson! Of course, there'll be occasional times where that program gets hijacked to fix specific issues - whether instigated by you or the coach.

 

[stefanovic]

Now cant wait to get more lessons and get ready to get myself onto a full course.

Golf lessons are a con.
One teacher summed it up when he told me that he doesn't bother giving lessons any more because nobody was taking notice.
There is no right and wrong. Get on the course and adjust your swing where necessary. You will probably find you'll beat the guy who has too many swing thoughts after lessons.
Beginners are likely to be more successful with just one swing thought. The tour pro's might have as many as 6.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

This is like having two girlfriends.
It can only end in disaster.
So pick one and good luck.

I dunno - at least having two girlfriends is good while it lasts.

 

[126849660]

The swing for a chip and a pitch of that distance is totally different. This may help

Thanks for that video. That explains a lot, first lesson was just a short chip so i would of been standing right just not very good at it lol

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Golf lessons are a con.
One teacher summed it up when he told me that he doesn't bother giving lessons any more because nobody was taking notice.
There is no right and wrong. Get on the course and adjust your swing where necessary. You will probably find you'll beat the guy who has too many swing thoughts after lessons.
Beginners are likely to be more successful with just one swing thought. The tour pro's might have as many as 6.

You need to find a better teacher.

 

[IanM]

Golf lessons are a con. One teacher summed it up when he told me that he doesn't bother giving lessons any more because nobody was taking notice.

Pupils taking no notice is them wasting their own money and time.... it doesn't make it a con.

Hand a total beginner a club and tell them to hit the ball.... mostly, they'll hit more air than golf ball!

 

[clubchamp98]

Golf lessons are a con.
One teacher summed it up when he told me that he doesn't bother giving lessons any more because nobody was taking notice.
There is no right and wrong. Get on the course and adjust your swing where necessary. You will probably find you'll beat the guy who has too many swing thoughts after lessons.
Beginners are likely to be more successful with just one swing thought. The tour pro's might have as many as 6.

Think that depends on the pupil.

 

[Jacko_G]

Golf lessons are a con.
One teacher summed it up when he told me that he doesn't bother giving lessons any more because nobody was taking notice.
There is no right and wrong. Get on the course and adjust your swing where necessary. You will probably find you'll beat the guy who has too many swing thoughts after lessons.
Beginners are likely to be more successful with just one swing thought. The tour pro's might have as many as 6.

Codswallop and comedy gold.

Keep up with the meds now.

 

[stefanovic]

Interesting alternative viewpoint. ?

Glad someone found my comment useful.
Anyone can become a teacher and you don't have to be a pro. Most instruction is contradiction. Pick up any copy of a golf mag to prove that one.
Best chance of improvement is learning the Vardon grip. Many tour pros have stated that it repays you most on the course, but stand on the first tee and watch how many players have this grip and only about 1 in 10 have anything like it. It means you improve your chances to get on the swing plane, but successful players have even used the handlebar grip.
The rest is mostly guesswork.
The only things I ever picked up from pro lessons were the importance of the grip and imagining the swing plane into the ball while keeping the head fairly stable.
Best quote from a Major winner: 'Golf is 90% inspiration and 10% perspiration.' In other words, too many swing thoughts are likely to destroy your round.

 

[IanM]

Who says a lesson will give you too many swing thoughts? It might, but it equally might not. I am not saying all lessons add value, because they won't. It depends on the skills of the coach, and the ability of the pupil to listen, understand and adopt the changes. Instruction "per se" can be a contradiction because people are all different and have different requirements.

I had a lesson once where the pro changed half a dozen things in 15 minutes and by the end I couldn't hit the ball............ I didn't go back.

Conversely, I've seen the same pro for 9 years.... I only have a lesson once every few months to "reboot" - if I had more time I'd have more.

Forget the quote from the Major Winner.... he can already hit good golf shots , whether that was Jim Furyk or Adam Scott!! Here's another one for you.... my mate's son is a young pro in Sussex. He went to a clinic given by Justin Rose... in the Q&A, someone asked "If you had an extra hour a day, what would you work on, long game, short game or putting??" "None of the above" was the reply... I'd head to the gym!

But most of us mortals on here don't have the technique of a Pro, so surely (effective) coaching to improve that must be of value?

 

[clubchamp98]

Who says a lesson will give you too many swing thoughts? It might, but it equally might not. I am not saying all lessons add value, because they won't. It depends on the skills of the coach, and the ability of the pupil to listen, understand and adopt the changes. Instruction "per se" can be a contradiction because people are all different and have different requirements.

I had a lesson once where the pro changed half a dozen things in 15 minutes and by the end I couldn't hit the ball............ I didn't go back.

Conversely, I've seen the same pro for 9 years.... I only have a lesson once every few months to "reboot" - if I had more time I'd have more.

Forget the quote from the Major Winner.... he can already hit good golf shots , whether that was Jim Furyk or Adam Scott!! Here's another one for you.... my mate's son is a young pro in Sussex. He went to a clinic given by Justin Rose... in the Q&A, someone asked "If you had an extra hour a day, what would you work on, long game, short game or putting??" "None of the above" was the reply... I'd head to the gym!

But most of us mortals on here don't have the technique of a Pro, so surely (effective) coaching to improve that must be of value?

Agree with this.
I had a lesson of a pro I have known for twenty years.
He told me one thing and everything else fell into place.
A good pro will see more or less straight away what’s wrong .
But most ams struggle to change their swing to eradicate the fault it takes time.

 

[Grant85]

Golf lessons are a con.
One teacher summed it up when he told me that he doesn't bother giving lessons any more because nobody was taking notice.
There is no right and wrong. Get on the course and adjust your swing where necessary. You will probably find you'll beat the guy who has too many swing thoughts after lessons.
Beginners are likely to be more successful with just one swing thought. The tour pro's might have as many as 6.

This is nonsense.

If you are in a position where you can self-diagnose what is wrong and adjust, then you are a very small breed of people. And even then you will have a job convincing yourself you have diagnosed correctly after a poor shot or two.

Pretty much all of the top players in the world have regular coaching apart from a few notables. Sure coaches are different and some will talk your language and others wont, but if you really engage with someone and give them a few weeks of following their instructions there is a very high chance of getting results.

Something I have long regretted, not getting lessons much sooner when I took up the game. Cost me a lot of frustrating years just assuming I would get better.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Golf lessons are a con.
One teacher summed it up when he told me that he doesn't bother giving lessons any more because nobody was taking notice.
There is no right and wrong. Get on the course and adjust your swing where necessary. You will probably find you'll beat the guy who has too many swing thoughts after lessons.
Beginners are likely to be more successful with just one swing thought. The tour pro's might have as many as 6.

Pure rubbish. People that have a lesson and then don't work on the drills or stick with the changes are simply wasting their cash. That is not the fault of the pro and doesn't nullify the effect lessons can have from beginners learning the basics to experienced players looking to fix a persistent fault or simply try and get better. Hardly a surprise that the top players in the world playing and working on their game every day still have tuition

Glad someone found my comment useful.
Anyone can become a teacher and you don't have to be a pro. Most instruction is contradiction. Pick up any copy of a golf mag to prove that one.
Best chance of improvement is learning the Vardon grip. Many tour pros have stated that it repays you most on the course, but stand on the first tee and watch how many players have this grip and only about 1 in 10 have anything like it. It means you improve your chances to get on the swing plane, but successful players have even used the handlebar grip.
The rest is mostly guesswork.
The only things I ever picked up from pro lessons were the importance of the grip and imagining the swing plane into the ball while keeping the head fairly stable.
Best quote from a Major winner: 'Golf is 90% inspiration and 10% perspiration.' In other words, too many swing thoughts are likely to destroy your round.

Yet more crap. I have been using the same guy for a number of years. He teaches in a very simple manner, has a very good reputation and portfolio of clients. He knows what I can and can't do in the swing and works with what I have to get the most from it. He may well address some basics like grip and especially posture which can lapse. He will give a couple of thoughts to takeaway and drills to work on. I then invest time hitting balls to make the changes feel natural so I can take them to the course and not stand there thinking about any technical thoughts. I also accept that after a lesson I am likely to have a period where the scores rise before the changes take full effect. Having gone from 14 to 12 this season (and one more shot under handicap away from 11). I am quite comfortable that his methods are working and I making progress. Put simply that'll do for me

 

[PJ87]

Golf lessons are a con.
One teacher summed it up when he told me that he doesn't bother giving lessons any more because nobody was taking notice.
There is no right and wrong. Get on the course and adjust your swing where necessary. You will probably find you'll beat the guy who has too many swing thoughts after lessons.
Beginners are likely to be more successful with just one swing thought. The tour pro's might have as many as 6.

Sounds like a terrible pro who couldn't teach

My first pro went to for 2 years we got on so well but too well. Never improved

Second one a year , improved but he moved away

Current pro Ive had 8 lessons in 2 years

My game has transformed ..my drives are past my mates.. I'm finding greens I'm 2 that I never dreamed of. Putting improved

Might go back for a chipping lesson but otherwise haven't seen him since December