Why oh why???

bobmac

bobmac

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In the last few months I have played with many golfers from near beginners to low teens h/caps.
Many of them had a basic fault in their game which was holding them back.
One lady was on the point of giving up all together.
Another guy started with 5 putts on the first green. Another couldn't stop hitting the ball to the right. etc etc etc.
I was able to help each one with a simple tip which changed their games for the better. (How is your putting now Anthony?)
So, my question is

'Why suffer with a part of your game that is ruining your score, spoiling your game and making you miserable when a simple lesson would often fix the problem?'.

I'm not saying that one tip will turn you into Tiger Woods, but a short game lesson for example would help so many people improve their scores, handicaps and their enjoyment of the game.
So next time you are thinking about spending £70-£80 on a new wedge, consider a £20 lesson instead. :D
 
Just what I was saying the other day to a guy who will not go to the pro anymore but listens to anyone else. Now this guy was playing crap, asking what am I doing. You know what he said….”the last time I went to the pro he made things worse”. He said this while teeing up a second ball. He wanted to know why I started laughing as well.

Bob help me with the odd hook eh. Shot 77 scratch in last Wednesdays medal with 4 double bogie sixes all from pull hooks……..yes I’ve seen the pro, it’s like the yips man. Am telling yeh.
 
Bob help me with the odd hook eh. Shot 77 scratch in last Wednesdays medal with 4 double bogie sixes all from pull hooks……..yes I’ve seen the pro, it’s like the yips man. Am telling yeh.
Click to expand...

Think BONFIRE NIGHT
Think CATHERINE WHEEL

SIMPLES :D
 
Sometimes the fault can't be quickly fixed by a lesson. I had 3 lessons with the same pro over a 6 month period. On each lesson he told me something different was wrong with my swing. By the 3rd lesson I had made minimal progress. He then finally diagnosed the problem, after I had given him £75 in lesson fees. Since then he has seen me many times on the range, but has never come over to see how I am doing. I get the impression that he just doesn't really care.

I am now very sceptical about lessons. Whilst I am sure that there are many good pro's out there, I also think there are a lot of guff ones, who give poor advice and don't really care about your progress. I have learned a great deal about the golf swing myself over the past year from video analysis etc, and the best advice I have recieved lately is from fellow amateurs (such as Justoneuk on here), not qualified pro's.

Do you feel there is qa variance in teh quality of teaching professionals nowadays?
 
It is the current mentality of golfers they think a lesson will need to be followed by practice and drills. They expect equipment to make them better not hard work I have been saying this for a long time.
 
Tommo, the pull hook among good players is often caused by the body not firing through the ball.
The player fears the hook, stops the body turning through the ball, the arms and hands catch up, flip passed you and hey presto....Pull hook.
Think of the sparks of the Catherine wheel. As long as the wheel keeps turning, the sparks will never catch up.
Turn your left side out of the way on the downswing and your clubhead will stay on line better. :)
 
It is the current mentality of golfers they think a lesson will need to be followed by practice and drills. They expect equipment to make them better not hard work I have been saying this for a long time.
Click to expand...


Unfortunately, not everyone has time to practice their game.
They are too busy working hard to earn enough money to buy more new clubs that will make them better players ;)
 
I've had going on 16 lessons since beginning the game two years ago this month and my game is slowly but surely getting there (now scoring mid 80s consistently). The lad i took the game up with has never had a lesson and isn't getting any better.

He'd like to think that it's because i've had lessons... i'd like to think it's natural ability :)

Funnily enough, it was playing in a pro am and getting one simple tip into my thick head that was the major turning point for me. That and some very good advice from Bobmac on this forum.

One more question though: will an electric trolley make me a better player? ;)
 
I'm sorry but I've had 8 lessons from 3 different pro's and they all exhibit the same tendency, namely you always feel as if what you have been told in the course of a lesson can be imparted to you within about 5-10 minutes.
I'm not knocking pro's as they have a job to do and I always tell new golfers like myself to get about 6-10 lessons and buy them in a block.
But The pro will try to stretch as many lessons out of you as possible.
The best lesson I ever had was one of those 15 minutes freebies at a golf show, He outlined two faults and game me drills for both of them.
I then went to a pro and bought 6 lessons at 120 quid he gave me no drills and left me with no swing whatsoever and again only pointed out 2 faults, and then expected me to book another 5-6 lessons off him.

Unless you're willing to spend £100 plus with a pro and stress that is all they're ever getting out of you, then they are a waste of time.
You're money is better off invested in getting a video camera and recording yourself and analysing your own swing.
 
I'm sorry but I've had 8 lessons from 3 different pro's and they all exhibit the same tendency, namely you always feel as if what you have been told in the course of a lesson can be imparted to you within about 5-10 minutes.
I'm not knocking pro's as they have a job to do and I always tell new golfers like myself to get about 6-10 lessons and buy them in a block.
But The pro will try to stretch as many lessons out of you as possible.
The best lesson I ever had was one of those 15 minutes freebies at a golf show, He outlined two faults and game me drills for both of them.
I then went to a pro and bought 6 lessons at 120 quid he gave me no drills and left me with no swing whatsoever and again only pointed out 2 faults, and then expected me to book another 5-6 lessons off him.

Unless you're willing to spend £100 plus with a pro and stress that is all they're ever getting out of you, then they are a waste of time.
You're money is better off invested in getting a video camera and recording yourself and analysing your own swing.
Click to expand...

I think this only highlights the importance of finding a good teacher
 
Unless you're willing to spend £100 plus with a pro and stress that is all they're ever getting out of you, then they are a waste of time.
You're money is better off invested in getting a video camera and recording yourself and analysing your own swing.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear you feel like that.
Filming and analysing your own swing is a great way to learn, if you know what you are looking for.
As far as only getting two changes to your swing during one lesson, isnt that enough to be thinking about during a swing that lasts 1 - 1 1/2 seconds?
I agree you should feel you have learned something during a lesson and you should be left with something to work on to improve.
When I teach, I
watch the swing and the ball flight
work out what is causing the bad shot
explain to the pupil what is causing the bad shot
work together with the pupil to work on a cure
Finish the lesson with at least one drill to help bed in the cure.

This way, the pupil understands what he/she was doing to cause the bad shot and what they need to do to stop it.
They then know what I have changed and most importantly, WHY.
 
If only lessons were £20!
Way more (60-80% more), and the only place locally that is cheaper (that I have used) doesn't have any short game facilities.

I'm looking for somewhere I can get to in a reasonable time, that has the facilities I need and that offers a package at a reasonable price for a winter tune up.
 
I've had 3 lessons since I started playing again and the parting advice given on the last one was "You're over-complicating things. Just swing the club and don't worry about the technicalities."

That would be fine if I thought there was nothing wrong with my swing, but I don't.

I don't know whether to just play and not worry too much, try to sort it out myself, or try somewhere else. :D
 
Region 3, there are only 3 major things to think about in golf..
Distance, direction and contact.
Decide what you need to improve.
Is your swing lacking power and therefor distance?
Is your game lacking accuracy
Is your game suffering due to poor contact with the ball.

If it's all 3, take up darts ;) Just kidding.

Decide what is bugging you the most and work on that specific problem.
Do you have one outstanding gripe with your game?
 
Sorry THJahar but I don't agree with your thought process here at all.

It's a two way responsibility. To get the most out of your lesson(s) you need to be communicating with your teacher. If you don't understand ask and ask again if you still don't see it.

I'm undergoing a series of lessons and am making progress. Last year we worked on my take-away and backswing. This year it's been an attempt to put that together with a better body turn through the ball (see Tommos post on duck hooks !) In each case it's been a clear two way communication. I tell the pro what I'm wanting to achieve, he tells me what he can do with what I've got "david, your never going to swing like Ernie Els" and we then work out what we can then do to get me playing better golf.

If I just turned up and swung the club and didn't say a word to him, it wouldn't have gotten me very far down the line of improvement.

I'm possibly fortunate in the I've known Neil the pro for around 15 years and he has done a fair bit of coaching for me over these years. He knows my game and I know what he can do, and I trust him. I just want to prove him wrong and be able to swing like Ernie :D

Stick with one pro, trust him and work it through together and you will see results.
 
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