I really like your approach to teaching. I have seen three teachers and only the first one cared at all to listen to what I had to ask, but he is long gone and I have no idea where. The other two are just do as I say kind of guys, like "we're going to copy exactly what these guys are doing on this video I have here"
By far that'd be the most important aspect I would need before ever even considering going back to any teaching pro; the ability to express my opinion.
I went through 3 lessons trying to get through my teaching pro that i didn't care that he thought that my 6i was too low because the launch monitor said 16*. I hit my 6i higher than anyone I played with, and on top of that my 6i was 24* compared to the usual 30* but as retarded as it sounds that did not matter to him. We were going to get my LA up on that 6i.
Never happened! Swing went to crap and I just stopped showing up to his lessons.
I don't know a bout you but 135mph ballspeeds, 7yards offline, 205 yards carry / 2190 total, 5500rpm's of backspin and a total apex of 40 yards isn't that bad for a 6i.
To think I went for advice on partial wedges and controlling the blocks I could hit with my driver to go through a total over haul and slow mo. video. analysis.
This was posted on another thread and didnt want to hijack it and continue this discussion here - (this is still golf and hey the etiquette thing still applies right??)
I'm on the belief that the student is there willing to be taught. have i come across students that want to have me sit down and give ME a lesson? absolutly, all to often, but hey if thats what makes them feel good, i will gladly shut up and let the student go to town on me.
but for the most part the client is willing to learn and the problem is they are so confused on where to start that they dont know what the correct question to ask is.
fortunately i'm in a position where i dont give 1400 lessons anymore - i have my clientèle and give 3-5 lessons a month in person, a few via the web, and phone plus the weekend fly into town sessions. i can focus on getting a product out of them and keeping on top of they're needs. its a relationship i dont take lightly.
every potential client goes through an interview before we even get close to hitting balls. without this interview i am doing both of us a disservice. its like going into battle without a game plan or studying what your up against. i sit down and find out everything about the client. what they want to achieve in golf, what they've done in golf, what they're commitment level is, what their idea of the golf swing is, and what they would like to get out of a lesson with me etc. i gotta whole lotta questions i ask, and i keep asking questions until i have enough data to make a recommendation. if not, i ask more questions.
then i recommend a rough outline on what the course of action based on what ive gathered (fitness, golf, nutrition, clubs etc). then if everyone is on board, lets go have a discussion on the driving range on what you think a golf swing entails.
every lesson of mine start off with a friendly greeting and then (you already know this if you've read my book), "what specifically would you like to get out of today's session?" for beginners and in my book, the first lesson, the most basic of all lessons is the most important. understanding how to get the ball -
-up
-forward
-and straight where you want it to go.
if we can achieve that in the first session and understand why it is such, then you can make gains. without that basic understanding well were all screwed.
now better players still may need this but from the mini and pga tour players that ive worked with some still needed a refresher, others were looking for a way to do what it is they thought they could do.
one such case i remember was on the range at the 1999 westchester buick classic. struck up a conversation with brian henninger, he had missed the cut and was hitting balls next to david frost on the weirdest looking move to date i have EVER SEEN, and he was trying to figure this out and was in a world of confusion. we just started chit chatting, he was all frustrated. so im watching him hit balls and his ball flight are these disgusting what i call "pop" fades. not a spinny fade, but a low-spin high on the clubface pop fade with zero power. at the time i remember him getting in contention at augusta with ben crenshaw in 1995. i vividly recall the telecasters talking about all he hit was a awesome LONG powerful draw. I flat out asked him wtf happened? you didnt hit it like that at the masters. he explained to me he lost the way to hit a draw over the past few years. i asked what was he trying to do to get it back - and he said x,y,z.
so there it was, he revealed to me what he was trying to do, and it wasnt working. not until that point did i say anything about the golf swing. it would have been meaningless for me as an instructor to interject ANYTHING before he originated what his problem was. think about it - if i suggest something in his backswing when he is having a pivot issue now i'm doing 2 things-
1- not fixing HIS problem
2- and creating more stuff to think about on top of the problem - and can we all say compounding?! lol
so anyways, long story short, we keep in touch for a few weeks, he runs 9th a the next week - 3rd a few later, then wins a month or so later.
so your all dieing to know what i gave him, quite frankly it doesnt matter, it was what HE needed to get back to hitting a nice powerful long draw which he did and it was scary!!! stopped everyone on the range. Again its what he needed - not what you may need, or what I WANTED to give him. I applied the correct concept to the situation at hand, and it was very simple. He was blown away, took me to dinner that night and i told him, listen this is going to work, and your going to win very shortly or place high very shortly. he looked at me like i had 3 heads. i said watch youll see. just give credit where its due - he didnt and for some reason or another and hasnt done well since (my voodoo magic is strong lol). Its a shame cause he was very talented, a helluva athlete - (he was a world ranked junior tennis champion before he played golf), and could have won alot more out there.
so if your out there Brian, we can get you back out there bro.