leftshot
Remember to smile
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2015
- Messages
- 7,565
- Reaction score
- 4,189
I've been on all sides of this equation. In my experience, most tips I've received have been based on what the person giving the tip has been working on. Sometimes they were relevant. Sometimes they were not. In my experience, most golfers don't have much of a grasp of how to make a golf ball do what they want...but many think they do.
As my game has progressed I get fewer and fewer tips. That's to be expected. The last tip I got was a year and over 80 rounds ago. A 16-handicap golfer said they thought I was standing too close to the ball when putting. That wasn't it, but I thanked them none-the-less.
I could give tips every time I go to the range. Walk down the bays with mats and you'll likely hear "scuff-click, scuff-click, scuff-click" on every swing on most bays. Most golfers will do this through a whole bucket of balls, then do the same the next time there, and the next, and the next. What is the sound I described? It's the sound of the club hitting the mat then the ball. You can get away with this somewhat on a flat mat on the range. On the course? Not so much.
I seldom give advice to random people. When I do, I am very careful about how I approach them. If I can, it usually starts with some small talk. Then I'll say something like, "I noticed something about your swing that might help you. Would you like to know what it is?" I always keep it simple.
If someone asks for help or a lesson and we're getting together specifically for that purpose, that's different.
Then there is the scenario of someone here on a forum like this asking for help. Most of us at least want to help each other and most interactions go well. But here are some of the scenarios that we can smile about.
The Impossible Task Request - "I am soooo inconsistent with my swing. Can someone share a tip that will make me consistent?
The Not Enough Information Request - "Things will be going great and then all of a sudden I make a swing and the ball goes OB left or into the woods. How can I stop this?"
The I Could Help if Only You Gave Me a Clue Request - "About 5 times a round I hit a duck hook and it's killing my round. Please help! I uploaded this video of my swing. This shot was straight down the middle."
The What I Really Want Is the Magic Pill - The request seems normal enough, but as posters ask questions to diagnose the problem and offer solutions the person asking for help seems to lose interest or complains that the proposed solutions are too hard, not reasonable, or they want something that takes less of a commitment.
As my game has progressed I get fewer and fewer tips. That's to be expected. The last tip I got was a year and over 80 rounds ago. A 16-handicap golfer said they thought I was standing too close to the ball when putting. That wasn't it, but I thanked them none-the-less.
I could give tips every time I go to the range. Walk down the bays with mats and you'll likely hear "scuff-click, scuff-click, scuff-click" on every swing on most bays. Most golfers will do this through a whole bucket of balls, then do the same the next time there, and the next, and the next. What is the sound I described? It's the sound of the club hitting the mat then the ball. You can get away with this somewhat on a flat mat on the range. On the course? Not so much.
I seldom give advice to random people. When I do, I am very careful about how I approach them. If I can, it usually starts with some small talk. Then I'll say something like, "I noticed something about your swing that might help you. Would you like to know what it is?" I always keep it simple.
If someone asks for help or a lesson and we're getting together specifically for that purpose, that's different.
Then there is the scenario of someone here on a forum like this asking for help. Most of us at least want to help each other and most interactions go well. But here are some of the scenarios that we can smile about.
The Impossible Task Request - "I am soooo inconsistent with my swing. Can someone share a tip that will make me consistent?
The Not Enough Information Request - "Things will be going great and then all of a sudden I make a swing and the ball goes OB left or into the woods. How can I stop this?"
The I Could Help if Only You Gave Me a Clue Request - "About 5 times a round I hit a duck hook and it's killing my round. Please help! I uploaded this video of my swing. This shot was straight down the middle."
The What I Really Want Is the Magic Pill - The request seems normal enough, but as posters ask questions to diagnose the problem and offer solutions the person asking for help seems to lose interest or complains that the proposed solutions are too hard, not reasonable, or they want something that takes less of a commitment.