What do you look for in a teaching pro?

[One Planer]

Simple question for most, but please read below before replying :thup:

No golf for me in the forseeable future as a combination of weather and, mainly, injury have put paid to that.

Following my thread, I've taken on board the sensible advice given but pretty much everyone and have a slight sabbatical from the game while I heal. I've decieded to book a battery of lessons once I'm fit and well and given the green light by the specialist.

My plan is simple, back to basics, completley, put my trust in the pro and what he has to say. Whatever changes he prescribes I will undertake.

Still there ?

What do you look for in a teaching pro?

Qualification(s)?
Understanding?
Attitude?
Highly recommended?
Cost?


The range I've joined has 4 teaching pros. One particular lad, although young, has quite a reputation.

Here's the rundown from Chris's (The teaching pro's) website:

Prior to turning Professional, I regularly played golf at amateur level for twelve years. For almost ten years of that period, I held a category 1 handicap - emphasising not only my ability to play the game to a high standard but also my capacity to stabilise such levels of performance.

Unlike most, I completed my training through the University of Birmingham, enabling me to study the game in far more detail than the more traditional approach. My degree included studying biomechanics, physiology, physiotherapy, psychology, sociology, coaching theory and equipment technology.

As an individual I continue to research the game of golf and any relevant associated theories. Consequently, enhancing my ability to provide customers with the very latest and advanced coaching and custom fitting methods. My aim is to combine all my knowledge and experience and relate it specifically to the golfers’ individual needs. Henceforth, enabling them to maximise personal performance and realise their full golfing potential and beyond!

I've spoken to him a few times and he is a really nice bloke.

His lesson rates are:

40 minute lesson £20.00
60 minute lesson £30.00
Course of 5 (40 minute lessons) £80.00
Course of 5 (60 minute lessons) £120.00
9 Hole playing lesson (2 hours)

Quite reasonable I think.

So over to you. Put yourself in my position. What would you look for in a teaching pro having never had a lesson before?

All opinions, as always, appreciated :thup:

 

[rob_golf1]

His prices are really good and competitive!

I think the way things are for people financially then cost has to be a major factor.

 

[chris661]

When I was looking at the chap I use now I asked around for opinions on him I already knew he was a provincial coach and close to the national setup but to hear from someone else (or a few folk) about his reputation was the main thing for me. Cost wouldnt be such an issue unless it was gettingninto silly prices same wirh qualifications as long as he is pga registered they are all much of a muchness that way I think.

But all that goes out the window if you dont get on with him, you might not be able to relate to him so the only real option is to go and have a chat maybe a lesson or two initially to see how you get on.

 

[AmandaJR]

If it's available then recommendation by others would be my top choice to select a coach. You can be highly qualified and a great golfer but that doesn't necessarily make a great teacher. I might look at their coaching CV - are they involved at County or England Amateur level coaching. Cost is a tricky one as the best usually command a price but those on the way up can be cheaper (for now)!

It's difficult as having faith (not blind faith though) in your coach is so important and that can only come by your own direct experience of them. I know with Paul that I was on the cusp of quitting the game yet after half an hour with him I was enthused, determined and most of all confident that I had a road to follow and a firm hand on the steering.

Any news on the scan results?

 

[Slab]

Must have own white trousers...



Seriously though, those prices look good, bit too heavy on the 'ologies' in the bio though (its golf not rocket surgery)

When choosing I don't like to see a teaching pro with lessons lasting less than 30 mins (just a tipster then)

Would rather get a lesson from a teaching pro who doesn't devote too much time to his own swing (a la' never buy a car from a mechanic...)

 

[One Planer]

Any news on the scan results?

Nothing yet Amanda, thanks for asking.

I'm back in a splint aqain just now as it went again last night playing with my son. If no letter on the door mat when the wifes finished giving little man his breakfast I'm calling them asking for an update.

 

[AmandaJR]

Nothing yet Amanda, thanks for asking.

I'm back in a splint aqain just now as it went again last night playing with my son. If no letter on the door mat when the wifes finished giving little man his breakfast I'm calling them asking for an update.

Yep do that as you need to know what you're dealing with. If it's impacting on normal life then it needs sorting and agree the clubs can sit wait a while. Good luck and let us know the outcome.

 

[One Planer]

Yep do that as you need to know what you're dealing with. If it's impacting on normal life then it needs sorting and agree the clubs can sit wait a while. Good luck and let us know the outcome.

Thanks Amanda.

I'm hoping it's somethng a bit of physio can fix, but I'm not holding my breath

 

[doc333]

Gareth going back to basics is a massive risk, because you need a pro who's able to look at your swing, make a couple of tweaks, and design a swing that suits your body. last year I seemed to have gone as far as i could (Self taught) but decided I needed that little bit extra so had a scout around. My bloke, who's not far from you was brilliant and made a hell of a difference to me, and people I know who have used him. He's a pro who also qualified on the body posture side of things (Skeletal gumf?) , to ensure that the swing he gives you or tweaks, is not going to do any damage to you long term, and gives strength to the odd muscle group. he spends around 5-minutes giving you tips for you to do in your spare time. His lessons are great and easy to understand and I finished up with a new grip, a different stance and a fuller swing. My balance and positioning came fairly quickly and I was hitting some great balls. I had a course of 7-lessons which finished up with a 9-hole playing lesson. Over the course I was taught some obvious things that you wouldn't even think about, and finished up with a brilliant short game, sand became easy, and bump and run shots are usually left close to the stick. Long irons are straighter and have a great trajectory, although I was hit and miss at first, as it was either a great strike or fat or thin - now much more bedded in, but he is of the mind that says, your bad shots can be better than your old good shots - and he was right in many cases. Confidence with every shot is half the battle, and he gave me that. The course management side was a revelation too, as that alone knocked shots off my card.

 

[CMAC]

Gareth going back to basics is a massive risk, .

Totally disagree, when things aren't going well most coaches advocate a back to basics process, its not difficult and the clues in the word basics

Only thing I can add Gareth is choose by how you communicate with the pro regardless of what his website says, over the years I've had lessons with pro's that were poor communicators or explained it so they understood but not me- or just had a "I'm just doing another mundane lesson' attitude
If your communicating well you will understand what he is teaching and you will reap big rewards.....

Heres an example of one I had 3 years ago (never forget it as I didnt go back)
"take it back inside, set the wrists then pull down and pull left"..... I felt like a lawyer cross examining a witness with the amount of questions I needed to ask to try and understand what exactly he wanted me to do in what sequence.

Hope this makes sense and you heal quickly and find someone you like and trust. Is Bob near you?

 

[pbrown7582]

Only thing I can add Gareth is choose by how you communicate with the pro regardless of what his website says, over the years I've had lessons with pro's that were poor communicators or explained it so they understood but not me- or just had a "I'm just doing another mundane lesson' attitude
If your communicating well you will understand what he is teaching you will reap big rewards.....

[/B]

this. :thup:

and recommendation there is no point having the cheapest nice coach if you learn nothing.
i would have 1 or 2 lesson too before taking the plunge with a batch of lessons. I think there is a fair chance youll get a good idea from your 1sy lesson whether you can make the changes you want together.

 

[One Planer]

Is Bob near you?

Lincolnshire I believe. That would be about a 2.1/2 hour drive

 

[short off the tee]

hi

if more club pros charged these kind of prices and gave you confidence in their teaching ability i think a lot more golfers would take up the offer/
here in fareham (hampshire) area the average cost of lessons is between £20-25 per 30 mins.


short off the tee

 

[Val]

Gareth, IMO what DV is saying is spot on, communication first and foremost is key. If the pro puts it in laymans terms and he doesn't need to to elaborate because you understand totally what he's saying then it's a good start.

Personally i'd hate to go to someone who is so heavily invloved in the technical side of the swing that it almost becomes an effort to hit the ball. For me someone who will look at how you swing and make small changes each time would be perfect, don't look for a quick fix more of a long term thing.

For what its worth i think the rates etc look pretty good and on the lower side but sometimes cheap isn't always bad whereas expensive isn't always good. You'll know within a lesson or 2 if he's for you.

Best of british buddy :thup:

 

[bobmac]

Lincolnshire I believe. That would be about a 2.1/2 hour drive

Shame

 

[drawboy]

I'd look at his record in getting pupils down to single figures. I'm playing off 11.6 so I would be looking at someone who could get the most out of what I have. I'm 50 and the chances off me pounding balls for hours per night is zero so he would have to see what I do and how he could save me those vital few shots per round.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

This is an interesting one. I was using a top teacher (Paul Harrison - N1Golf and his bio - Paul, 48, is a Director of Coaching for N1Golf – The largest tuition academy group in Europe. He is a PGA Advanced Professional in his specialist field of golf coaching with this qualification being awarded to fewer than 150 PGA Professionals within its membership of 7,500. Paul is Head of 1st Team Golf Coaching at the world renowned Harrow School and is responsible for the development programme of the 1st team squad. Paul’s philosophy is centred on the premise that someone’s future potential/ ability can be influenced with correct effort and commitment over time. This growth mindset challenges the student to keep learning, adjusting and to develop the belief that a small improvement each day will lead to a big improvement over time)

This was guy was very good and initially we made solid progress but in the last year, it began to plateau. The changes didn't feel right and I wasn't confident in what I was doing. You can see how thats going to work on the course. He wanted to make some big changes which I didn't quite buy into as I thought we were trying to reinvent the wheel from where we'd got to and in the end I stopped using him.

My new guy Rhys ap Iolo is just a club pro (bio - Rhys joined the Downshire in 2005, before this he has worked under European Tour player David Llewellyn and Hampshire County Coach Malcolm Scott. Rhys has recently qualified has a Plane Truth Instructor and has access to the largest collection of internet based drills ever compiled and with the personal player profile available and his knowledge Rhys will be able to help your golf swing reach it’s full potential.)

Chalk and cheese over the previous guy. Wanted to change a lot and go to a one plane swing (Plane Truth). He came to my attention from word of mouth from a few guys in our roll up. I think that is always a good thing in my mind. If others rate a pro chances are he's something about him. He watched me swing and put it on video and then we did nothing but discuss what I wanted and where I wanted to get, what was wrong and what needed fixing and in what order. I was scepticle but gave over my swing and trust to the guy to do what it took and had a fantastic season in terms of ball striking and much more consistent. If I could have chipped I would have been in contention a lot of the time. A win, a second, several third places and some good showings elsewhere and I am happy with how it went. This winter we really wanted to break the back of some bad habits. Its been hard and taken a lot of work but I am hitting it better again and really ready for the start of the season.

For me, it is about approach and how he is going to work with me. I need to trust him and understand what were trying to do (something I lost with the other guy). From there it is about recommendation rather than qualifications and cost is not that big a motive within reason.

I really wouldn't be going back to basics. I would ask for an assessment lesson where it gets everything on video from different angles, ideally with a monitor so you can see the numbers and clubhead to path etc. From there, the pro shold be able to see exactly what's wrong and like me, decide what order to tackle the issues in. It sounds as though the nucleus of the swing is actually in place and like an onion it's about stripping the layers away to get to something compact, efficient and repetitive

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Please do not think that the more you pay the better the coach.
In my time I knew a couple of 'expert' coaches who charged silly money.
They were proper chancers who used publicity to enhance their reputations.Their standard of coaching was just about passable but a long way from being top notch.
The went along the Harley Street surgeons route and of course you know the story that a fool and his money are soon parted [ladies notice the HIS]

I would look for someone local who has a good reputation then go and have a chat with them before you book any lessons. Ensure you feel confident in what they say.
When having lessons you must comunicate honestly, if you don't understand something, ask to have it explained again.
You also have to be careful that you are not being used as a cash cow.

The best coach I have known was coaching a young SGU star who once travelled 120 miles for a lesson that lasted about 10 minutes.
He was doing everything he was told to do from previous lessons and the coach did not wish to fill up his head with other stuff.
The guy went on to win 3 Vardon Trophies.