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Instructors: What Do You Look For?

I want to see their interest level in me, whether they are listening to me or not. Are they personable and someone I can work with long term.

From there I want to see what changes they want to make, how they explain them and see if they have a long term plan for me.
 
My instructor must put my learning and growth ahead of his fee. He has to sincerely care about my progress.
 
I went through a few before finally finding my go to. I was looking for someone that wasn't interested in tearing everything apart and starting over. I don't learn well by telling or showing, I learn best by doing. I couldn't understand whatever position by simply showing me and watching someone else.

I go see Bert once I've had a couple of rounds or range sessions with the same issue and can't understand why. But then we play together usually once a month.
 
I've had one lesson and the PGA pro was great. I wanted a person who would let me keep my natural swing because it's an okay swing. Just wanted some tweaks and that's what she gave me. I'm too old to start from the beginning again!

So I would look for a pro who could take what I have and make it better rather than rework the whole thing.
 
I interview several to find the one the clicks with me and my personality and how I learn. I'm not wanting to breakdown my swing because I don't have the time to dedicate in order to make wholesale changes.

I need someone who can get me on track and one that will see me regularly to make sure I'm on track and old habits haven't kicked back in.
 
I am visual learner ... the most bang for the buck I have had, is a local guy that uses video and some instruction aids ... I can actually visualize what he his trying to get me to do.

One thing that is an added bonus, this guy lets you book and pay online ... I always hate that cash transaction at the end of the lesson ... always seemed awkward to me.
 
I have to like them and I have to be able to understand them. I know a good instructor who coaches a few good players and a few up and comers at the local club. We get along great but I have to strain to hear him in normal conversation. Heavy metal has been good to me but my hearing isn't that bad. He is just soft spoken and either has a mumble or speaks in a frequency where I have a deficit. Whatever it is, I worry it will make it harder to communicate.
What I'm looking for is an assessment with a gameplan that I can execute over the course of a season. So far, I have taken a Golf 101 class at the JC and a class in course management at the local training club. Both useful but neither addressing my swing. I am all about developing a long term teacher/coach student relationship.
 
I've never worked with an instructor before but I would look for someone I could get along with for sure. After that I would want someone that could explain my swing and what I need to do in a way that I understand, basically dumb it down for me so I can see how it will positively impact me.
 
Personality goes a long way. The ability to effectively communicate is obviously also very important. I really like that my instructor doesn't use "negative" talk. For example, he doesn't say "This is what you are doing wrong." Instead he says things like "Let's try changing that to this." He also has a very definitive plan for me. I'm not sure if it is actually personalized or not but it sure seems like it - which goes a long way in my book. I don't feel like I am just a cog moving along the assembly line of his students.
 
I sized up instructors from afar for about a year at my practice facility. Longevity, availability and likability. Plus he has access to latest technology. I think I picked right.
My inst gave me things to work on that are very doable for my old ass body and it seems to be working.
 
I've got a single criteria now - make it simple.

I went to GolfTec for 18 months and while I had extremely successful results my instructor and I started to chase the numbers and it became so confusing that I started to be more concerned with the right positions than swinging the freaking club.

My current instructor Bob Tays (2016 Gateway PGA instructor of the year - had to throw that plug in there ) keeps it very simple. On my first lesson, he watched me hit a few balls and the first thing he did was fix my grip. I had a strong right hand and a weak left hand and they were fighting each other. That made a major difference.

Anyway, he really focuses on making small changes and works with what my body can do and it's been so great as I always see improvements after we work together.



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