What direction would you go?

I've recently found myself in a bit of a predicament over learning the game of golf. A few of you know about the program I'm in at school and one of the perks of that program is free lessons. For my short game I see David Orr because I would be an idiot not to. for everything else, one of the guys is a very good instructor and he is a proponent of stack and tilt. The other dude is about to graduate and he is more about working with what you already have, to a certain degree.

I've never made divots and therefore wasn't compressing the ball very well. After the first day with S&T guy I was making such solid contact I couldn't believe it and I was taking nice divots. After day 2 the honeymoon phase came to an abrupt end. He teaches a move where you come inside quite a bit and my upper back just doesn't allow me to do that comfortably. His advice was to keep working on it but once I started doing that I could hardly hit a ball.

Guy 2 also wants to change things such as ball position and head tilt but he also wants me to learn how to hit different shots (draw, fade, punch, etc.) on command. I don't know how many of you can do this but it isn't easy. I had a lesson with him today and by the end of it I looked like I had never played golf in my life.

I thought it would be a good topic to see what you guys prefer and just for some general talk about instruction. Would you rather have someone work with what you have or teach you what some people think is a proven way to swing a club. Do you want to get on a Trackman and try to emulate tour players numbers? What do you guys prefer?

It sounds like you've got a tough decision to make, but I had the same issue with stack and tilt. For a couple weeks I was making good contact, but it was too easy to get into a reverse pivot and destroy anything that resembles a decent swing for me.

While I would love to be able to hit multiple shots on demand, I think it would be more beneficial for me to have a comfortable go to shot that eliminates one side of the course. I've never really cared about numbers except for the one that goes on the scorecard.

I took a putting lesson from David Orr and it really made a huge difference for me. I almost bought an Edel putter from him, but after doing the fitting, from 10ft I was only off 1/4" with the alignment on my SeeMore, and that 1/4" wasn't worth the price of an Edel for me. I need to get up there and take his Aimpoint clinics one of these days and learn how to read the greens.

Guy I'm working with right now takes what I have and tries to refine it. I have a lot of extra movement in my swing, so he said this to me one day: "I'm not trying to add anything to your swing, I'm trying to take away the things that you add to your swing for the wrong reasons."

I would say that if I was in your shoes, I would go with Guy #2. To learn how to hit different shots, you'll need to have an understanding of what the club is doing on all of those shots, and that will help you fix your swing in the future.

Bullitt5339 said:

It sounds like you've got a tough decision to make, but I had the same issue with stack and tilt. For a couple weeks I was making good contact, but it was too easy to get into a reverse pivot and destroy anything that resembles a decent swing for me.

While I would love to be able to hit multiple shots on demand, I think it would be more beneficial for me to have a comfortable go to shot that eliminates one side of the course. I've never really cared about numbers except for the one that goes on the scorecard.

I took a putting lesson from David Orr and it really made a huge difference for me. I almost bought an Edel putter from him, but after doing the fitting, from 10ft I was only off 1/4" with the alignment on my SeeMore, and that 1/4" wasn't worth the price of an Edel for me. I need to get up there and take his Aimpoint clinics one of these days and learn how to read the greens.

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I had a 10 minute lesson with him recently that completely changed my putting stroke. One little change and I'm putting the best I ever have.

arydolphin said:

Guy I'm working with right now takes what I have and tries to refine it. I have a lot of extra movement in my swing, so he said this to me one day: "I'm not trying to add anything to your swing, I'm trying to take away the things that you add to your swing for the wrong reasons."

I would say that if I was in your shoes, I would go with Guy #2. To learn how to hit different shots, you'll need to have an understanding of what the club is doing on all of those shots, and that will help you fix your swing in the future.

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This is what I was leaning towards but I'm still not sure. It does help a lot to have someone tell you why you are doing certain things. That way when you are mid round and start playing some terrible shots you have a better understanding as to why you are doing it which leads to a better understanding as to how you can fix it.

Id go with the S&T guy. Learning S&T then moving to a 'normal' swing is much easier and helps ballstriking immensely.

There is a lot of good in S&T. And even more good when you learn it then move into an othodox swing from it.

The problem I have with S&T is that not many people on the professional level use it. There are a couple, but some of the more notable folks that tried it have moved away from it. These are the guys that are looking for any possible advantage and have access to the best minds in the game.

I'd go with the second guy.

I would go with whatever makes you a better player. Both methods have pros and cons. Both require a strong commitment.

Keep in mind that S&T teachers and few are far between. If you start you'll need refreshers from time to time. The more traditional swing had more Resourses at its disposal.

What ever you choose, have fun with it and own it.

I am solidly in the camp that prefers people who take what you have and go with it. Remember the ad: Swing Your Swing. Instructors that teach one philosophy and try to make us all do the same thing just aren't for me. Our bodies are different, our skill levels are different, we absorb and understand things differently...just makes zero sense to pigeon hole us all into one approach. No thanks. As for the guy wanting you to learn to shape shots...that sounds like a real positive...he sees what you bring to the table and has a vision for where he can take you.

being good at golf requires one thing. a repeatable swing. if you naturally make a swing one way and are comfortable with it then you should work on making that swing every time and you will become a better golfer. I would agree that stack and tilt teachers are few and far between so a more traditional coach makes more sense.

The instructor I am working with is very much about taking what I have as a swing and tweaking it. No major changes, just how do I make what I have better. I tried going to an instructor that basically wanted to re-create my swing to look like his and I really struggled with it. Just wasn't for me.

My instructor, Jim - keeps a file on me and so that he knows exactly what we were working on, what my tendencies are. He has been great to work with and I am going to continue to work with him as long as he is teaching.

I am by no means a pro, but I agree with Tadashi. Good luck with your decision bro!

Tadashi70 said:

I would go with whatever makes you a better player. Both methods have pros and cons. Both require a strong commitment.

Keep in mind that S&T teachers and few are far between. If you start you'll need refreshers from time to time. The more traditional swing had more Resourses at its disposal.

What ever you choose, have fun with it and own it.

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