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Instructors: What Do You Look For?

Canadan

Canadan

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Albatross 2024 Club
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There are a lot of great PGA Professionals out there who can help. I usually encourage that activity, but I hear a lot of really crappy stories about swing breakdowns and over-corrects and etc... And at the end of each conversation, we usually realize that the position and the exchange of money are usually the biggest reasons why 'facts' are treated like gold.

So, when you're seeking out a lesson, what exactly are you looking for? Certifications? Tenure? Validation? An assessment with a gameplan? Just how much time are you committing to your search for an instructor, and are you getting what you want out of it in the end?

Do you usually commit to a lesson plan, or is it generally a quick fix and 'see you when I'm broken again'?
 
Someone I can get along with first of all.

Second ability to communicate the changes and concepts that they're trying to teach me.
 
Ive had some REALLY bad ones, and until last year cant say Ive had a good one. All of my instructors had pretty much come from word of mouth from someone I knew.

Scott was recommended to me by Misike and has done SO much for my game. For the first time I felt I was getting "my moneys worth". I get along with him really well and he does a gret job of working with the swing I have (within reason).

I signed up for a lesson plan (4 ) to see how things were before committing long term. Once I saw there was hope after all I signed up for a few more and couldnt be happier.

I plan on going back to Scott in 2017 as well to work on the swing once again, and then hopefully more time on short game, as we kind of ran out of time on that this year and I didnt get where I wanted to be in that respect.
 
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OITW said:
Someone I can get along with first of all.

Second ability to communicate the changes and concepts that they're trying to teach me.
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I love that. Getting someone who you can 'shoot the breeze' with while gaining knowledge makes it so much easier and more enjoyable.

You have someone locally like that?
 
I've only had one instructor, and chose him initially thanks to winning a free lesson at a charity auction. Once I met him and he worked with me a few times, it was clear that he was sincerely interested in my development, and not just another pay check.
 
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tomcat said:
I've only had one instructor, and chose him initially thanks to winning a free lesson at a charity auction. Once I met him and he worked with me a few times, it was clear that he was sincerely interested in my development, and not just another pay check.
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Very nice! How often do you work with him?
 
Some one who looks at your swing and makes the most of it and not someone who try's to make everyone the same!
 
Canadan said:
I love that. Getting someone who you can 'shoot the breeze' with while gaining knowledge makes it so much easier and more enjoyable.

You have someone locally like that?
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The fitter at my club is cool like that and knows what he's talking about but he is focusing on fittings so he recommended another pro at my club, so I'll need to reach out and see if we mesh, the fitter recommended him highly.
 
Someone that is good at explaining their thoughts and relating it to my thoughts or feelings in the swing. Someone willing to work within the physical constraints of my swing and just teach a one swing fits all
 
Someone who starts where I am and not someone who wants to break me down completely.

Someone who "One-Minute Manages" me by catching me "doing something approximately right."

Someone who can explain to me mechanically what (s)he is trying to accomplish.

Someone who can use multiple teaching approaches - tell me, show me, physically guide me through the part of the swing, etc.
 
of course being a 1.8 ghin you would look for instruction differently than i would. i have seen a pro when i needed fixin' and it was one of the pros at my club. it was so convenient and easy and pressure less. plus, he is always there to give a helping critique
 
I look for one that is near me. The closest one is 40 minutes away, so that's who I use. Thankfully, I do like him, and he's great for my short game.

~Rock
 
Their background - What have they done or how did they gain their experience. How have they worked with or are teaching currently and what have the results been.

How they communicate - I don't mind shooting the breeze, but I don't want to spend half a lesson listening to someone talk either. Especially if it's about anything other than the lesson.

Can they teach via multiple methods - I want to see what they are trying to explain, I want to be put in proper positions to get a feel for a move and/or position, I want to hear it explained and understand it.

Do they have access to technology - I think having access to Trackman or Flightscope helps your mind build a connection to feelings (right or wrong) quicker than just trying to dig things out of the dirt.
 
Canadan said:
Very nice! How often do you work with him?
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I initially did 6 lessons that were about every other week. Then went back for another single lesson about two-three months later. I can see going back for one or two lessons per quarter this upcoming year, just to continue to correct mistakes as I play more often.
 
I look for someone that will spend some time working with me, not just giving me drills to work on at home. The last instructor I had really spent time explaining what I was doing to cause the ball to react like it does. It really helped on the course when I would make a bad swing, I had a better idea what I did wrong and could try and correct it.
I don't have a lot of experience with lessons, I've only worked with 3 instructors with varying degrees of success. I usually find and instructor by word of mouth or reviews.
 
I look for chemistry first, I test them with a 30 minute lesson before buying one of those lesson packages. Communication is huge, some of the references and even jargon some instructors use confuses me. I like my instructor to be down to earth and keep it simple. Availability is nice as well, with my current instructor, I will see him at the range and he can do some tweaks while he is "walking by".
 
Approximately 2 years ago I began the search for a new instructor. When starting that search I made the following list as the what I was looking for and was fortunate enough to find someone who meet those qualifications

1) communication - if he can't effectively communicate what he is teaching than I am never going to learn what he is teaching
2) personality - I wanted someone that was laid back and that I felt like I could hang out with at the 19th hole and have a drink or two
3) open - Someone who is open to hearing what I have to say
4) player - Someone who had a playing background as I wanted to spend a lot time talking course management and how to handle tournament pressure
5) honest - I wanted someone who was going to be honest with me about my swing and goals.
6) plan - someone who would hear my goals and then put a plan in place to help me achieve those goals
7) technology - someone who embraced trackman and knew how to use it

I think the student plays just as big a role in getting better as the instructor. If the student isn't open to hearing what the instructor is saying. The best instructor in the world can not make that person better.
 
I absolutely love our PGA instructor at our muni. He's got his own ways about some things, but I cannot rave about him enough. I first started taking serious lessons from him about 3 1/2 years ago, and was first drawn to his friendliness and practical knowledge. He's past his "prime" so to speak with his game, but I believe he can still shoot his sub 70 age from time to time. One thing that impressed me about him is that he's not trying to give every student the same swing. All of us that take regularly from him have our own distinct swings that he somehow works with. He's taken me from a 24+ down to a 9, constantly trying to push me to get better.
 
Someone who knows how to teach the way I learn. 1a someone who isn't a d/$k. He needs to genuinely care about teaching. I find word of mouth is always the best way to get a good instructor.
 
I need a good personality, someone who's tolerant and patient, and someone that can hit the shot they're asking me to hit.

If you have those three, we'll get along just fine
 
I think I have butted heads with one student in my 20+ years of teaching. And I've noticed that people don't really look for the things they say. People want immediate returns and aren't willing to do the work to get it done. So they get a couple lessons blame it on the pro, fall back into old habits and find another pro. With some of the action pros see, it would be a miracle to fix some of these swings in two lessons.
 
Few criteria I have in order of importance:

1) someone that I want to spend 30-60 minutes with every 3-6 weeks.
2) someone that can recognize and relate the issues I need to work on
3) someone that can give me drills that I can do on my own so I don't need to see them every week

I really like the coach I am working with now, and if I like the 1st lesson I will buy a package as it usually gets me to come take lessons regularly until of waiting for the wheels to completely fall off before I come in.
 
I've taken lessons with a wide variety of teacher's styles. They all more or less work. So I look for communication, trust and someone that listens/cares about my goals.

I always buy a lesson plan because I have goals I'm working toward. During this period I have lessons every two or three weeks and practice in between. I usually get to a point where I reach a plateau for my skill level and we transition to a maintenance program where I come in when I get sideways.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I think I have butted heads with one student in my 20+ years of teaching. And I've noticed that people don't really look for the things they say. People want immediate returns and aren't willing to do the work to get it done. So they get a couple lessons blame it on the pro, fall back into old habits and find another pro. With some of the action pros see, it would be a miracle to fix some of these swings in two lessons.
Click to expand...

Supposedly there's this sign outside a pro shop somewhere:

Private Lessons with our PGA Professional

10 lessons - $500
1 lesson - $5,000

If you expect a miracle, you should expect to pay for it!
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I'm looking for someone who won't laugh at me when I tell them the posture they are putting me in is literally causing me severe pain.
 
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