InTheRough
Course Botanist
Someone who works well with me. Video is a must. If I can see it, I can correct it. Someone who won't wait for me to screw up and then use that as an excuse to remake my entire swing.
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature currently requires accessing the site using the built-in Safari browser.
Honestly, the only things in my current swing that work are the things my coach put there. But then again I'm basically new back to golf--I started out *terrible* and shooting a 150. It can only improve from there.Is there nothing in your current swing that works?
Yes, when asked what is my goal, I told him it was to play like emart.
Maybe someone else can say it better, but a big part of the 'work with your swing' thing is that there's not one way to swing a club. Think about tour players and how different their swings look. Their swings are all great just through impact though - that's more or less the only place it really matters. Getting in "correct" other positions can make that happen better, etc., but some (most) of are never going to have those beautiful positions because our bodies don't or can't move that way.Honestly, the only things in my current swing that work are the things my coach put there. But then again I'm basically new back to golf--I started out *terrible* and shooting a 150. It can only improve from there.
I get the "what works with my abilities" thing though for sure--I'm a fat guy and not very flexible. It's not like I'll ever have a Bubba backswing, so my coach is certainly working within those parameters. But really good ball contact is good ball contact, and there aren't too many different ways to get there. If you have a problem in your swing somewhere, guaranteed that (a) it's something you should fix, and (b) fixing it is going to be uncomfortable and weird until you take the time to get used to the change and groove it.
Right now I'm feeling that more than ever--I'm figuring out how to get my lower body activated in my swing. It turns out that's not just about hips--I'm having to mess with how far apart my feet are in my stance, what I'm doing with my legs in my backswing, my posture at address, and the posture I end up in at my follow-through. All of those things feel weird, but they're all necessary to get my hips doing what they're supposed to do, so my shoulders and arms can follow at the correct speed, and I can make ball-first contact with my hands in front of the club head instead of flipping. Every piece of a golf swing is connected, and I'm learning that frequently what I think needs to be tweaked isn't actually the thing that fixes the problem.
...I'm learning that frequently what I think needs to be tweaked isn't actually the thing that fixes the problem.
I tend to avoid people who compare your swing to a tour pros on video.
I always think it's interesting how many people say "work with the swing I've got".
I understand making minor changes, and if you've had a great swing in the past you may just need someone to point out the thing you're missing to get back there. But I know like for me, I never had a good swing. I don't want somebody to "fix" my natural swing, my natural swing sucks. I want to learn a good swing, even though it's all kinds of uncomfortable and I hit worse mid-change.
This! I had an instructor give me the weirdest look after I told him Tiger wouldn't be a good match to me for comparison, but I wouldn't mind Fred Funk.
Haven't had a lesson yet but did find the right guy. He gave one small instruction when on the range and I picked up 20yds! Swing like I mean it, haha. I always listened to all the guys the slice can be fixed by slowing down. Apparently I need to really swing at it and I get a nice draw.
Oh I'm fully aware of that, I'm a not terribly flexible fat guy. I'll never have a swing that looks like my coach (a 6'4" super skinny super flexible guy), much less any pro. However as I've gone through a year of lessons, I've realized that every time I tried doing something the "easy" way for my body, I was introducing a swing fault that I was compensating for somewhere else in my swing. The closer I get to a "proper" swing, the easier it is to hit the ball straight and far with good ball-first contact. I'm not talking about getting into exactly perfect positions either, but getting the fundamentals right. Good grip. Good setup. Good posture so you can rotate around your spine. Good takeaway at the right angle. Good tempo so you can control the club. Good swing plane. Good weight shift. That funky yoga bend you should be doing at impact. It all matters.Maybe someone else can say it better, but a big part of the 'work with your swing' thing is that there's not one way to swing a club. Think about tour players and how different their swings look. Their swings are all great just through impact though - that's more or less the only place it really matters. Getting in "correct" other positions can make that happen better, etc., but some (most) of are never going to have those beautiful positions because our bodies don't or can't move that way.
Nice oneSomeone who is friendly, can explain things in different ways so I can grasp the concept and reasoning for what we are changing, teaches me to understand my swing and where/why it breaks down
Someone who can/will get in my head and push me to work hard and do it right.
My instructor reaches out to me when he hasn't seen me in a couple weeks as he knows my work gets crazy and it causes me to slack off.
Update: The lesson went really well today. Better than I could have expected. We started out by getting to know each other. I talked about my short and long term goals, what I was looking for in an instructor. He talked about his background, teaching style ,etc. We talked about how this was a trial run, and if things went well we would start lessons at the end of winter or early spring. Then he just watched me hit balls for a while, continuing the conversation. He knows I have an event in two weeks, so he would not be making any major changes or adjustments. He did say that my grip was fine right now, and wouldn't need changed in the spring. And, his philosophy is to work with MY swing, not completely tear things down and impose a new swing style. There are some things he would change in posture, but not until spring. He did point out that my head was down, and had me keep my chin up, which was a small adjustment, but produced really solid contact. Some of the best consistent contact I've had in a while. He looked at a few other small things, just quick pointers here and there, which was all I was looking for. The time went really fast, and was over before I knew it. I was offered the chance to hit balls after on my own, and it was one of the better range sessions I've had lately.
The facility is also really nice. Heated bays in the winter. The personal lesson areas are equipped with video, trackman, etc, if needed. Over 100 grass tees. 3 short game practice areas. Three different short 9 hole courses (100 yards and it). Also, only 25 minutes from home.
The other main objective for me was to see how my swing would hold up with an instructor watching (and judging) every shot. One thing I was worried about was going into the fitting at Callaway and "losing" my swing, and then the fitter wouldn't be able to fit me with the most optimal setup. I've never been to a true fitting before, let alone one like I'll be getting. I'm not worried about that at all, not one bit, after today. The guy today was impressed (who wouldn't be) with the Granddaddy, and said I would be fine at the fitting. He was excited to see how it went, want I was fit into, and to begin working with me in the spring.
Thanks to all that had given previous advice of what they looked for in an instructor, it gave me some ideas and things to ask about that I normally wouldn't, and made for a really productive first meeting. Feeling really good about where MY game is right now (and also where it can go to next year). I'm excited for what's to come in two weeks, and will continue playing golf and working on making sure I'm the best I can be for my team and this event. No letting up on preparation until the flight out there.
I look for an instructor who does the following:
- can identify what is wrong and in what sequence the faults need to be fixed, so that the player improves with every lesson
- helps you find the feel for what they want you to do
- gives you a couple of drills and 'checks' that you can use so you are doing them properly
- explains how these changes will fit into your swing and what exaggerations you want to avoid
I tend to avoid people who compare your swing to a tour pros on video.