Getting Lessons:Man or Machine?

[NorthVanMike]

which route would you recommend if you were to take your first lessons? would you go to those high tech training offices where it's geared towards video analysis etc or would you go to a teaching pro at a range?

i'm sure both have their merits. as far as going to a teaching pro, my main concern would be are they any good, for one. sure i could ask around/research to see if any stand out, but it stills seems a bit like hit and miss to me.

any advice out there on this?

 

[Harry Longshanks]

which route would you recommend if you were to take your first lessons? would you go to those high tech training offices where it's geared towards video analysis etc or would you go to a teaching pro at a range?

i'm sure both have their merits. as far as going to a teaching pro, my main concern would be are they any good, for one. sure i could ask around/research to see if any stand out, but it stills seems a bit like hit and miss to me.

any advice out there on this?

To me, watching ball flight is everything. I asked around until I had some names, did some research, and then committed to 3 lessons. My pro gives me feedback on every swing, and isn't staring at a computer during the lesson. He is also able to explain the same concept in multiple ways (different people learn different ways, and sometimes one explanation may not sink in, but another does).

He does occasionally use a video camera and cSwing software to show me things, and I think that is invaluable. But I wouldn't want someone who relied of a computer as the primary form of analysis.

Couldn't be happier.

In the distant past, I did run up against less-than-great instructors. But that was many years ago (the first time I tried to learn to play in college) and I didn't have the resources or good sense to find a good pro. Instead, I just picked a close course and said "I want a lesson" without asking any questions.

I think recommendations are the best way to go. Golf Digest's "Best in Your State" is also a great resource, but I'm not sure if there is a Canadian corollary.

 

[DDBowdoin]

always a really tricky question... it can be hard finding a good teaching pro but at the same I avoid the techinical lessons because I feel that so much of the golf swing is feel and being focused on that feel. When you have a techinical lesson like that you start thinking about shaft angle, wrist cock, spin angle, etc etc etc rather than focusing on being natural, smooth, and free of thought.

 

[JB]

Very well said DD. I agree completely.

 

[TheNewBrad]

always a really tricky question... it can be hard finding a good teaching pro but at the same I avoid the techinical lessons because I feel that so much of the golf swing is feel and being focused on that feel. When you have a techinical lesson like that you start thinking about shaft angle, wrist cock, spin angle, etc etc etc rather than focusing on being natural, smooth, and free of thought.

Very well said DD. I agree completely.

Although you make good points, don't forget that even in the pros there are (1) feel players & (2) technical players. I saw a self confessed 'feel player' interviewed on TV recently & he admitted that feel players usually need more practice time to 'hone their feel'.

 

[NorthVanMike]

it sure would be nice to rely on mechanics, rather than timing and feel. timing and feel will eventually show up, but mechanics need to be learned. that's what i'm thinking.

i often heard it said that even a pro having a bad day still kicks ass because he has a trained proper mechanical swing.

 

[TheNewBrad]

Also don't forget, thinking about swing mechanics has no place on the golf course, only on the practice range. That applies to both technical players or feel players.

To quote Bob Rotella from "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect" - "You cannot hit a golf ball consistently well if you think about the mechanics of your swing as you play."

 

[ClairefromClare]

I vote for the live pro, and I've had both good ones and bad ones. I've had good and bad "top 50" pros and good and bad local public course pros. I suggest you ask around, and be prepared to go through a couple before you find the right one. My favorite pro works for the county system, is extraordinarily non-technical, and often just tweaks one little thing in the course of 30 or 60 minutes, but that one little thing makes a huge difference.

 

[Smallville]

I've taken lessons from two actual live pros. I think it's the way to go. (This is as opposed to the actual dead pros, in which case the other method would be my choice).