You can have a bad pro lesson!

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Haven't had a lesson for a few years as the previous lessons were so good I still use and work on the techniques he instilled, however, moved house and area and went to a recommended pro.
I've no real swing problem just now just needing a service to stop the wild shots plus I wanted some good drills to work on..
Within 10 minutes he had me shanking 6 irons and not explaining why, lots of silences, I had to keep asking why he was telling me to move this way, turn this way, push against that etc etc no doubt it was technically excellent but as it didn't make sense to me I had no chance of implementing something I didn't understand, I understood what he was saying but not why that would work as it didn't make sense.

Back to the old coaches swing thoughts but a waste of £75

Moral is once you find a good pro who fits with you then stick with them.


Back to using my old coaches methods and a waste of £75 :(
 
Haven't had a lesson for a few years as the previous lessons were so good I still use and work on the techniques he instilled, however, moved house and area and went to a recommended pro.
I've no real swing problem just now just needing a service to stop the wild shots plus I wanted some good drills to work on..
Within 10 minutes he had me shanking 6 irons and not explaining why, lots of silences, I had to keep asking why he was telling me to move this way, turn this way, push against that etc etc no doubt it was technically excellent but as it didn't make sense to me I had no chance of implementing something I didn't understand, I understood what he was saying but not why that would work as it didn't make sense.

Back to the old coaches swing thoughts but a waste of £75

Moral is once you find a good pro who fits with you then stick with them.


Back to using my old coaches methods and a waste of £75 :(
Click to expand...

I see you've met Bobmac.
 
You can have a bad student too - not being personal, but just saying 2 sides to every story.

Also sometimes neither the student or the pro are bad, but just incompatible. One mans meat... and all that.

Were you clear about what you wanted to achieve?
It sounds a bit vague from your first post.
 
You can have a bad student too - not being personal, but just saying 2 sides to every story.

Also sometimes neither the student or the pro are bad, but just incompatible. One mans meat... and all that.

Were you clear about what you wanted to achieve?
It sounds a bit vague from your first post.
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Yep thought someone would take that view, which is valid but remember who the customer is, yes I was very clear, haven't detailed it all here but regardless of how clear or not the instruction was it was the communication of the lesson which wasn't up to par, in my very humble opinion.
 
Yep thought someone would take that view, which is valid but remember who the customer is, yes I was very clear, haven't detailed it all here but regardless of how clear or not the instruction was it was the communication of the lesson which wasn't up to par, in my very humble opinion.
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Like I said, nothing personal and the whole "One mans meat is another mans poison." thing..

Most likely neither you, nor the pro are bad, just incompatible. His teaching style obviously doesn't match your learning style.

Best thing is to try and figure why the styles didn't match, so you can more easily identify which teaching styles will suit you, and so make it easier to find a pro you get on with.
 
I think that you can get a bad lesson, compatability with each other could be a problem, or how he tries to communicate the info to you as well.
£75 for the lesson does seem a bit expensive for the lesson, although that wasn't the point of your post :)
 
i've had 3 pros in the last 4 years, one quickly dismissed as he had no interest in my game, not even making conversation during the lesson "do this".. then he would just switch of, total waste of money.

If you have a pro you can connect with and who is interested in your game he is worth his weight in gold. my current pro is good, get texts every sunday even to see how my game went, often if he has no lessons booked after me an hour lesson could run on to close to 2 hours (like last night's) if its pre medal and im on the range i often get a free lesson or tweek prior to teeing off. Sometimes i have questioned if what im doing is right for my game, but the wild games seem to be getting few and far between and my bad games are now normally still within buffer so he must be doing something right.
 
Lessons! Lessons! I’ve had lesson till they are coming out of my ears. I’ve been to 4 pros, only one pro had any impact on my game, all my lessons with him involved the state of art video analysis. I think lessons without proper video analysis are a waste of money. When I say proper I don’t mean camcorder or mobile phone

I play a minimum of twice a week, three if I can, I practice most days ( I’m expecting an invite to driving range managers daughter’s wedding). I read all the pro’s tips in the mag, watched Leadbetters videos and read Dr Rotella’s books (I can play basketball now, but not golf). I feel I know the principles of the golf swing quite well. Yet I still play off 26. It frustrates me playing alongside fellow club member who have never had a lesson, break all the orthodox principles of the golf swing, grip the club like they are holding an axe, chip and put with waggling wrists. Yet have much lower handicaps than I and always seem to beat me on gross scores.


Lessons? Don’t bother mate! Just close your eyes, say two Hail Mary’s and just whack the ball
 
It's like anything in life, there are good ones and bad ones.
A good pro should be able to adapt his or her teaching methods to suit the pupil.
Unfortunately, not everyone is a good listener and that's when the problems occur.
I agree, using video is a great help in some situations but in others, it's completely the wrong thing to do.

If you're not sure about what's happening in a lesson, stop the pro and ask.
 
I went to a new pro at the start of the year, had lesson on pitching, working on 50 yards and it. afterwards I felt that it had not helped at all, and was a waste, stuck with it, and around 4 weeks later, it clicked. made a big difference, just took a while to make sense. Have since been back to see him about working 100 yards and back, its working really well for me. He even put my driving right the other day, took him 10 mins, and made a huge difference.
Maybe what didnt make sense at your lesson, will make sense in a few weeks, if you perserveere it could pay dividends.
But, if you dont like the chap, find someone you do.
 
I play a minimum of twice a week, three if I can, I practice most days ( I’m expecting an invite to driving range managers daughter’s wedding). I read all the pro’s tips in the mag, watched Leadbetters videos and read Dr Rotella’s books (I can play basketball now, but not golf). I feel I know the principles of the golf swing quite well. Yet I still play off 26. It frustrates me playing alongside fellow club member who have never had a lesson, break all the orthodox principles of the golf swing, grip the club like they are holding an axe, chip and put with waggling wrists. Yet have much lower handicaps than I and always seem to beat me on gross scores.


Lessons? Don’t bother mate! Just close your eyes, say two Hail Mary’s and just whack the ball
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I know you're only joking with the last line there, but have you tried it? Judging by what you've said, I think you're majorly over-complicating everything. I had group masterclass the other weekend with Scott Dixon at Dalmahoy (S*%&e course, great pro) and by the end I had learned to feel the swing rather than trying to focus on all of the mechanics of it. Since then, I've had one truely terrible round as I overthought everything and one very good round as I got rid of the extra thoughts - we'll see how tonight's Stableford goes...

But overall, I think Scott's entirely right with his methods - we seriously overthink & overcomplicate this game and I think it holds a large number of us back.

RobC.
 
Just close your eyes, say two Hail Mary’s and just whack the ball
Click to expand...

I know you're only joking with the last line there, but have you tried it?
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My 2nd shot on the last at Blackmoor - I'd blocked my drive out over the trees on the right, I was playing a 7 iron to finish just short and left of the green as there was a blooming great tree in front of me. Sized it up, got into position, made a swing and.....hit 4 inches behind the ball, not touching it-a bit like a bunker shot and it went 3 yards.
Walked up to it and without thinking of anything took a stance and made a swing - the ball sailed over the tree and finished up almost exactly where the first one should have.

We think too much - Big John Daly has it right...
 
I can't help thinking that most people think a visit to the pro and 20 mins later, you'll be swinging it like Rory. It can be too easy to blame the pro on a 'bad' lesson when actually all that is required is patience and an understanding of what the pro is trying to do. If the pro sets out what he's going to do to correct your swing fault at the start of the lesson then you have to stick with it even if you start hitting around your ear for a while....days...weeks...etc.

If there is no mutual plan, then find someone else.

:D
 
Just close your eyes, say two Hail Mary’s and just whack the ball
Click to expand...

I know you're only joking with the last line there, but have you tried it?
Click to expand...

My 2nd shot on the last at Blackmoor - I'd blocked my drive out over the trees on the right, I was playing a 7 iron to finish just short and left of the green as there was a blooming great tree in front of me. Sized it up, got into position, made a swing and.....hit 4 inches behind the ball, not touching it-a bit like a bunker shot and it went 3 yards.
Walked up to it and without thinking of anything took a stance and made a swing - the ball sailed over the tree and finished up almost exactly where the first one should have.

We think too much - Big John Daly has it right...
Click to expand...

Ah yes, I forgot about that shot. Still makes me smile. It really did sum up your afternoon round.
 
I think it's disappointing for you Nikon. That's quite a rate for a lesson (I'm guessing someone supposedly v.good)...so I feel for you.
Sadly, one has to take the plunge with these things and hope for a good outcome.
I'm happy to stick with my £15 for 30-40 minutes with a pro working his way up the ladder. He helps me much more than the top level coach I used to go to. Price is not often any guarantee...I know that from my business. Luckily (for me) I seem to send people away happy, and they come back, whereas less able/suitable coaches seem to leave a trail of expensive failure. :D
Bad luck.
 
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