Grading instructors

grab6303

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Hello all,
I am curious to see what you guys look for in your golf instruction. I myself am extremely picky, picky to the point that my swing is mostly home built using books. The main book I used as a basis for my nit picking of instruction was Tiger's current instructor. I first read the book around 2001 and it really opened my eyes to how poor most instructors are for anyone beyond beginner level. It seems to me that most instruction is carbon copy from one student to the next. They all seem to start with grip no matter how long the pupil has been playing. Hitting a slice? Go super strong on the grip. A hook? Open up a little, fixed! I know there are great instructors to be had, it just seems most really have no interest in making the pupil better for the long term, short term fixes that lead right back to where one started are the norm. Interested to hear some instruction stories, successful or not and what you guys think of the state of instruction as a whole. Grab

To the THP resident instructor, you sir seem to have your stuff together and the fact that you provide free online instruction to all who join this site shows that your priorities are straight, you just want folks to hit good golf shots, cheers to you.
 
A few years ago I felt like I could improve my game by taking some lessons. Where I lived at the time there was one guy that came highly recommended. He is considered probably the top instructor in the state and is recognized nationally by most of the golf publications. So I booked a lesson to see what he could do for me. I had never met him before, and didn’t do any research other than knowing his reputation.

First time there he video tapes me hitting a few balls and we went in to look at it on the screen. He put me up side by side with a pro and showed me the difference and what I needed to do to fix my swing. We then went to work at his indoor net just working on the backswing. I don’t think I hit a ball other than the first few when he taped me. The next lesson we went to work on the complete swing so I could get a feel for what I needed to do. I went another 4-5 times until I had it figured out.

Looking back on the experience, it is amazing how good this guy is. He didn’t waste any of my time with things that didn’t need work. The first time he saw my swing he knew exactly what he needed to do to fix it. He went through all the basic fundamentals as if there was a checklist. Posture – good, grip – good, stance – good, alignment – needed a little work. This allowed us to just work on what needed to be fixed, my overall swing. He had every swing aid that was available, but we only used one (inside approach). He knew what gadget would work for different people. I would see him teaching other people and doing completely different things than what he did with me, because that is what worked the best for those people.

I was happy on those days when we went to the range and hit balls. He would just stand behind me and tell me when I swung the club properly. After a while I felt like I had it grooved when he didn’t say anything. One day it was raining so we went in to his putting mat. He had all these gadgets there to check the stroke and alignment and ball movement. After a few putts we moved on to something else, he said my putting was great (I have always putted well).

The thing is, he didn’t try and change anything that didn’t need to be changed. That is what I liked about him, he immediately had a game plan and we worked together to get it done. If I had the extra time and money that I did then (have since gotten married and had kids), I would still try and go once a month.
 
Hello all,
I am curious to see what you guys look for in your golf instruction. I myself am extremely picky, picky to the point that my swing is mostly home built using books. The main book I used as a basis for my nit picking of instruction was Tiger's current instructor. I first read the book around 2001 and it really opened my eyes to how poor most instructors are for anyone beyond beginner level. It seems to me that most instruction is carbon copy from one student to the next. They all seem to start with grip no matter how long the pupil has been playing. Hitting a slice? Go super strong on the grip. A hook? Open up a little, fixed! I know there are great instructors to be had, it just seems most really have no interest in making the pupil better for the long term, short term fixes that lead right back to where one started are the norm. Interested to hear some instruction stories, successful or not and what you guys think of the state of instruction as a whole. Grab

To the THP resident instructor, you sir seem to have your stuff together and the fact that you provide free online instruction to all who join this site shows that your priorities are straight, you just want folks to hit good golf shots, cheers to you.

Andy is a great coach. He does not just offer free stuff online too. If you are ever in the Tampa area, he offers the first lesson (1 hour lesson) free to all THP members.
 
First thing I look for is how long have they been giving golf instruction, in one place. I have seen too many different instructors come, and go at my home course. Imagine paying for a few weeks of instruction, and all of a sudden with no warning, your instructor is gone. Next, I would check their credentials. After that I would watch them give instruction to see how they interact with their student.

What's that old saying? "what is said, vs what is meant, vs what is heard, vs what is understood". Or, in other words, beware of communication errors.
 
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