Live instructor vs Online instructor. Live Wins...

I was posting in the Club Ho's thread because I am one. I was thinking back over the last 2 1/2 years of playing this crazy game and came to the realization that I am also a Online Instruction Ho. I have tried them all. Tathata, Revolution Golf, Wisdom in Golf, Malaska , Jim Veneto and a few other short videos that were going to make me a better golfer in 20 minutes.

For a new golfer that does not understand swing mechanics and why certain things are done or happen, some of these truly help you understand those things. Revolution Golf was probably the most informative just for the sheer amount of content and number of instructors. Jim Venetos while a super nice guy who is very passionate about his swing also caused me the most embarrassment. It is so different than the conventional swing and at The Shootout in Aug of last year, I was so self conscious of the weirdness that I played horribly. I came home and went back to a conventional swing and started improving.

Fast forward to current lessons from my Club's Head Pro and almost immediate improvement. I have always faded aka sliced the ball and he wanted to correct that first. He got me more upright, hands much closer to my thighs and gave me one thought for backswing which was at the top, position hands midway through the bicep. After a couple fat shots I started actually hitting a draw and even a hook or two which I had never done in my life.

I kept thinking with the right online instruction that I can do it myself but now know that there is no substitute for having a real teacher give you one on one instruction. We have a plan that should be fun but more importantly make me a better golfer. I am so looking forward to working with him through the year to improve all aspects of my game.

Of course working with someone in-person is preferable to working with them online. Always. 100%.

One of the major pitfalls of online instruction, especially only through video is it's hard to know if you're executing correctly the concepts being taught. You may spend 6 months, see no improvement and go "this guy / system is crap" only to find out later you were never actually doing what they were teaching. You just thought you were, or you misunderstood what they were trying to teach. If someone is going to go the online route, I think it's important to at least have regular online lessons so the pro can attempt to make some assessment on whether you're executing the video material correctly. Still not as good as being in-person with that pro though.

When going to someone local, the question is, do you and that person mesh well, and are they teaching you the right things? There are bad pros in the world, so it's best to find someone in whom you have confidence, and not necessarily the pro that's the closest or cheapest. You also have to determine if their view of the golf swing meshes with yours. As an example, some people on here LOVE the very detailed and high-information approach of GolfTec. Others are quite certain that GolfTec wrecked their swing. Sometimes it can take going through multiple pros until you find the right person / approach.

Sounds like you may have found that right person. Good luck!

Agreed with Wade. I’ve had both and live is always better however I’ve had a couple live instructors that were more focused on checking their phone then helping me improve.
Finding the right instructor is the key. My guy quit Golftec this season but I managed to convince him to do private lessons with me. I’m even in the final stages of purchasing a net return and GC2 to keep building on my lesson success.

I agree on having the right instructor for you as well. I had taken lessons from a couple different local instructors before that had told me what I was doing wrong but could not relate to me how to fix it. This one did and I like his teaching style.

Through all my online training I learned the most about the swing from Revolution Golf but the one that helped my own swing the most was Mike Malaska.

I agree live wins, but there are some decent online ones. I've heard many people rave about Shanky golf. He plays JNPG sim On the online golf tour, and gives very reasonably priced lessons online. If you have cameras from behind, and side, he can be very thorough. Best thing about him, is you can play with him and others multiple times a week, and he can see how you progress. Especially if you stream the whole round on youtube. But a sim is required.
And we can't forget about Tadashi's tips come in handy for sure!
I'm thinking of having a lesson once a month from him during the winter. As for this summer, I'm taking a lesson once every three weeks at a local course.
And Tony, glad you are trying to improve, its a process that can be frustrating, but once a concept sinks in it is worth every practice moment when you get to see the results. Hope you all the success bud!

TonyB said:

the one that helped my own swing the most was Mike Malaska.

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I love watching his videos. His way of putting has changed my game.