Who do you consider to be the most influential golf coach???

[percy_layer]

Golf coaching has changed a huge amount in the last few decades. Not only the technical elements of hitting a golf ball but also practice methods, psychology, physical conditioning and nutrition have all been improved upon.

John Jacobs is credited with changing coaching to put the focus on watching the ball flight and work from there to improve the golfers performance. Coaching the golfer as opposed to coaching the swing has been the main approach for a good few years now.

David Leadbetter came to prominence in the early 80's when he worked with Nick Faldo. He has a reputation of being a mechanical coach but a lot of good golf coaches would say he was a positive influence on them. The best golf coach in this country in my opinion is Andrew Nicholson at The Wynyard, one of David Leadbetters top instructors.

It will be interesting to see how Sean Foley develops over the next few years.


Who would you consider to have positively influenced golf coaching in recent years???

 

[USER1999]

Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett.

 

[Smiffy]

Either Leadbetter or JustOneUK

 

[Toby_LeRhone]

For me it has to be Ben Hogan. I believe him to be at least as influential as any contemporary golf coach.

Hogan, Ben (1957); Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf (Simon & Schuster; London)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ben-Hogans-Five-Lessons-Fundamentals/dp/0743295285#noop

 

[drawboy]

Bob Torrance is still both very well respected and used by pro's of today. That speaks volumes for the mans abilities to teach golf. He has coached many of the European tour top players.

 

[JustOne]

Either Leadbetter or JustOneUK

#bless#


Another vote for Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett.

 

[Ethan]

Now that he is working with TW, Sean Foley is the flavour of the month. Also works with Justin Rose.

All time most influential is probably John Jacobs, who influenced many other bog name coaches, including Foley.

Leadbetter hasn't been an influential coach at the highest level in a decade or more.

 

[bobmac]

Who would you consider to have positively influenced golf coaching in recent years

Charlie, are you asking who has influenced the most coaches or players?
Hogan must be pretty high.
That's Ben, not Col. (that's for the oldies)

 

[Toby_LeRhone]

Who would you consider to have positively influenced golf coaching in recent years

Charlie, are you asking who has influenced the most coaches or players?
Hogan must be pretty high.
That's Ben, not Col. (that's for the oldies)

..or Hulk for that matter.

 

[percy_layer]

Who would you consider to have positively influenced golf coaching in recent years

Charlie, are you asking who has influenced the most coaches or players?
Hogan must be pretty high.
That's Ben, not Col. (that's for the oldies)

Coaches and players in general.

It's interesting to discover where the famous coaches got their inspiration from.
Plummer and Bennet got a lot of ideas from Mac O'Grady among others. Leadbetter got a lot of ideas from Jimmy Ballard. Jim McLean and his theories on 'one plane' and 'two plane' swings are influencing a lot of current golf coaches. The Golfing Machine has been in print since 1969 and is still referenced by countless top golf coaches to help with their work.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

At the moment it would have to be Foley.

 

[JustOne]

The Golfing Machine has been in print since 1969 and is still referenced by countless top golf coaches to help with their work.

Most golfers won't have heard of it, nor any of the other examples. Sean Foley has been big news so it's certainly possible he could take over the Leadbetter mantle if he wanted to. Tiger's swing is commented on more than any other and the guys on the end of the microphones seem to be fairly positive about it already.


I'd say the biggest influence is the internet and Youtube which are far more influential than any individual. Books are outdated, many/all were written based on FEEL rather than FACT and even the ball flight laws have been shown to be wrong. Slow motion now enables us to see what is actually going on in peoples swings.


For me Plumber and Bennett opened a new can of worms in such a way that it affected more golfers in 3 years than any other idea/theory/practice.


To me this one Youtube clip sums up Foley....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhY2sQlTRx0
...stack and tilt or not he should give credit to where it's due.

I do find it funny when people on the forum talk about Hogan's swing as a)most probably never saw it before Youtube b)NO ONE has been taught to swing that way in my lifetime. One plane swing? practically unheard of for the past 40 years or more.

 

[percy_layer]

The Golfing Machine has been in print since 1969 and is still referenced by countless top golf coaches to help with their work.

Most golfers won't have heard of it, nor any of the other examples. Sean Foley has been big news so it's certainly possible he could take over the Leadbetter mantle if he wanted to. Tiger's swing is commented on more than any other and the guys on the end of the microphones seem to be fairly positive about it already.


I'd say the biggest influence is the internet and Youtube which are far more influential than any individual. Books are outdated, many/all were written based on FEEL rather than FACT and even the ball flight laws have been shown to be wrong. Slow motion now enables us to see what is actually going on in peoples swings.


For me Plumber and Bennett opened a new can of worms in such a way that it affected more golfers in 3 years than any other idea/theory/practice.


To me this one Youtube clip sums up Foley....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhY2sQlTRx0
...stack and tilt or not he should give credit to where it's due.

I do find it funny when people on the forum talk about Hogan's swing as a)most probably never saw it before Youtube b)NO ONE has been taught to swing that way in my lifetime. One plane swing? practically unheard of for the past 40 years or more.

Technology has helped develop coaching a huge amount in recent years. Trackman has lead coaches to teach things that until recently would have been 'faults' in a players game. D-plane, leading coaches to get players to line up to the right slightly to hit a driver and slighly left when hitting an iron (for right handed golfers), because of the way the clubhead path and angle of descent through the ball combines at different parts of the swing.

That clip of Sean Foley is one of my favourite drills for full shots and chipping, although i don't agree with everything he says in the clip. I remember watching Leadbetter demonstrate the benefit of hitting shots while on the left leg in the 90's.

 

[SharkAttack]

To me this one Youtube clip sums up Foley....

Don't take this wrong, I don't personally like S&T but everyone to there own. I just think his drill is the same as Leadbetter/Faldo and for that matter every coach before Foley, stand with both feet together and hit shots. Lets face it standing on one foot and swinging gives you a swing with no weight transfer and from what he said before, keep it left and move farther left (How do you do that on one foot?)

Shark

 

[SharkAttack]

Whoops! Forgot to answer the question . Pete Cowen has got to be one of the most influential and sucessful coaches in european golf.

Shark

 

[JustOne]

Trackman has lead coaches to teach things that until recently would have been 'faults' in a players game.

Which (by default) means that what they were teaching WAS the actual fault

D-plane, leading coaches to get players to line up to the right slightly to hit a driver and slighly left when hitting an iron (for right handed golfers), because of the way the clubhead path and angle of descent through the ball combines at different parts of the swing.

I love this video on D-Plane...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uepMzddHpas
I like the guys energy and enthusiasm for it. It's like spatial awareness on acid!

It basically endorses to me the theory behind stack and tilt, if you hit down on the ball then the club will be open to the target and delofted, an inside-out swingpath (at point of impact) is required to draw the ball back in, if you swing through too straight then you're not going to get the spin and you've basically just blocked it. Not one person prior to the stack and tilt guys EVER said you need an open clubface to hit a draw. You'll often hear people saying precisely the opposite though, close the face to hit a draw, roll the wrists etc etc where in fact you don't do any of that, especially if you want to keep the club on the correct in-to-out path.

Whoops, mini rant over...

Check out the vid above if you've not already seen it

 

[Swinger]

Leslie Nielsen

 

[Smiffy]

Leadbetter hasn't been an influential coach at the highest level in a decade or more.

Sorry.
I didn't realise how recent "recent" had to be

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I personally prefer the teaching methods of Ty Webb.

 

[john0]

Well if nobody else is going to, I suppose I will...

My vote goes to bobmac






Now wheres my free mars bar?