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Experience with teaching girlfriends how to golf?


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Don't do it! Pay for lessons for her yourself, if need be, but there are two things you NEVER try to teach your wife/girlfriend/significant other....... How to play golf, and how to drive a car. :~(

The only person that should be teaching anyone about the golf swing is a pro. A 10 HC'er should have zero say re: the golf swing, and that includes grip, posture, setup, etc. The 'right' grip for one player may not be right for another for a number of reasons....let a pro sort it out. Golf is the only game I've ever played where even rank beginners think they have intimate knowledge of the mechanics of the sport. It's obscenely ridiculous. If someone at that level wants to coach their wife/gf re: managing the golf course, that may be different (but I doubt it).

In The Bag: - Patience - Persistence - Perseverance - Platitudes

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Originally Posted by LovinItAll

The only person that should be teaching anyone about the golf swing is a pro. A 10 HC'er should have zero say re: the golf swing, and that includes grip, posture, setup, etc. The 'right' grip for one player may not be right for another for a number of reasons....let a pro sort it out.

Golf is the only game I've ever played where even rank beginners think they have intimate knowledge of the mechanics of the sport. It's obscenely ridiculous.

If someone at that level wants to coach their wife/gf re: managing the golf course, that may be different (but I doubt it).

That is absurd.  We're talking about showing someone the ropes, not coaching them to the LPGA tour.

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Dan

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Nothing funnier than seeing a complete hack trying to teach his wife or girlfriend how to play. Not saying your a hack at all, just have seen it so much. The guy is struggling to even play bogey golf, yet he feels he is Butch Harmon when teaching her

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Originally Posted by kw purp

Nothing funnier than seeing a complete hack trying to teach his wife or girlfriend how to play. Not saying your a hack at all, just have seen it so much. The guy is struggling to even play bogey golf, yet he feels he is Butch Harmon when teaching her

Do you really think you have to break 80 consistently to have the knowledge necessary to give your wife the most basic understanding of how to swing a golf club? We're not talking power accumulators and angles of attack.  We're talking about someone who has never swung a club, and is interested in trying it out.

Seriously, look at the five keys the evolvr guys use now.  You need to be a scratch golfer to tell your wife her head moves?  Obviously some of the other keys are more complicated.  But anyone with some knowledge of the golf swing can give advice like, how to hold a club, keep the left arm straight, don't move your head, etc.

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Dan

:tmade: R11s 10.5*, Adila RIP Phenom 60g Stiff
:ping: G20 3W
:callaway: Diablo 3H
:ping:
i20 4-U, KBS Tour Stiff
:vokey: Vokey SM4 54.14 
:vokey: Vokey :) 58.11

:scotty_cameron: Newport 2
:sunmountain: Four 5

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Originally Posted by LovinItAll

Golf is the only game I've ever played where even rank beginners think they have intimate knowledge of the mechanics of the sport. It's obscenely ridiculous.

This thread has some of the most ridiculous comments I've ever seen.  How did you first learn to play golf? I'm not asking how you got from a 16 to 5.  Was the first time you picked up a golf club in the presence of a pro?

I also assume that when you were 4 years old Whitey Ford came to your house to teach you how to throw a baseball, right?  You wouldn't want an hack like your father showing you.

All little league coaches are former professional baseball players too, right?

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Dan

:tmade: R11s 10.5*, Adila RIP Phenom 60g Stiff
:ping: G20 3W
:callaway: Diablo 3H
:ping:
i20 4-U, KBS Tour Stiff
:vokey: Vokey SM4 54.14 
:vokey: Vokey :) 58.11

:scotty_cameron: Newport 2
:sunmountain: Four 5

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Originally Posted by dsc123

That is absurd.  We're talking about showing someone the ropes, not coaching them to the LPGA tour.

I was kind of thinking the same thing lol. I get tired of reading the same things over and over sometimes. If somebody asks for advice on a set of clubs, the response is immediately "Go get fitted". If someone asks for advice on an aspect of the fundamentals of golf, or something generic that we can provide answers to, the immediate response is "Blasphemy! You need to see a pro!".

Your handicap doesn't determine your knowledge of the game, or its physics/fundamentals. This would be the equivalent of saying that somebody with a higher IQ is clearly more intelligent than another person. In most cases, that may be true - however the book smart individual will occasionally lack common sense and knowledge that can be applied to real, every day life.

In short, there is nothing wrong with offering advice to a beginner if you are comfortable doing so and they are comfortable receiving the help. You guys that are hooked on handicaps crack me up sometimes.

If a retired professional was a 14 handicap, you're telling me you would not let him offer you advice or instruction?

You can't look at a generic HC and think that you can size somebody up. I see people all too often that carry that stiff, ridiculous attitude bragging about their HC. Often times, they're playing courses that are barely breaking 6000 yards with average, at best, slopes and ratings with the easiest green stimps accommodating to the weekend hack.

Sometimes "golfers" in general need to drop the HC talk, like its some form of authority badge. That and the need to bring up the "If X is wrong, see a Pro" answer.

I would rather offer my wife some tips that brought me to a 10.2 HC rather than spend hundreds of dollars on instruction.

You should also consider that only, approximately, 5% of golfers will ever break 100 when following the rules and playing legitimate Golf.

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Hopefully what happened to me won't happen to you:

A few years ago my girlfriend (now wife) decided she wanted to learn to play.  I hadn't played in years but I still had some clubs laying around and so I decided it would be cool for her to learn and me to get back into it.  So . .we went and got her a set of clubs from Dick's and started going to the range.  Instantly, she was better than me.  For a few months she was really into it - she was hitting better than me at the range and making some good shots on the course.

Then I got bit by the golf bug - hard.  I have spent the last 3 years or so building an actual golf swing and getting to the point where, although I don't really keep score or a handicap, it's pretty fair for me to call myself a bogey golfer.

She has totally lost interest and never practices anymore.  However, she still asks me to play about 1-2 times per month . .so we go play 9 holes somewhere.  Because she never, ever practices she can barely hit the ball.  I mean - it's just as bad as the girl in "I Love You, Man" clip above.  She used to be able to drive 200 yards on a good one - now she averages about 25-50 yards and I haven't seen a good one from her in several rounds.

And then she gets frustrated and upset about being so bad and then tries to ask me what she's doing wrong.  To which I usually respond in a joking fashion  - ie  - stuff like - "Try to really funnel your anger and kill it more".   But the reality is if you never, ever practice than you can't expect to be very good.

Anyway . . . hopefully your girl will either stick with the game or give it up and you won't have to endure monthly torture sessions like I do.  I built a practice area in the garage for myself and always encourage her to use it but she never does and I'm in a spot now where there's nothing I can really say about it (wouldn't be worth it).  I just have to deal with it . .but we usually go out for dinner and drinks after so it's not all bad.

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Originally Posted by dsc123

This thread has some of the most ridiculous comments I've ever seen.  How did you first learn to play golf? I'm not asking how you got from a 16 to 5.  Was the first time you picked up a golf club in the presence of a pro?

I also assume that when you were 4 years old Whitey Ford came to your house to teach you how to throw a baseball, right?  You wouldn't want an hack like your father showing you.

All little league coaches are former professional baseball players too, right?

i read the last few things and i was with you. my wife isn't going pro and will probably drop it altogether when something else comes up, so why burn money on a pro?

as i said earlier, women learn a lot better than men do. some little drills that never really worked for me work out phenomenally for her. she was driving 150 max and had a nasty slice, so i got her to do a few drills with moving your feet around to get your weight forward, not get stuck back, rotate through, etc. and we went out to an executive course this past weekend where she proceeded to carry the 175 yard green with her driver and baby draw.

she has a nice easy swing, but you can hear the speed increase.

i've been to lessons, watched videos, read magazines, etc. but never have i had everything click together like she did.

 G25 Driver (10.5* Stiff Flex)

 G20 3 Wood (15* Stiff Flex)

 i15 3 Hybrid (20* Stiff Flex)

 i20 Hybrid (23* Stiff Flex)

 JPX 800 (5-AW)

 T11 54* (9* Bounce) and 58* (10* Bounce) w/DG Spinner Shafts

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Originally Posted by LovinItAll

The only person that should be teaching anyone about the golf swing is a pro. A 10 HC'er should have zero say re: the golf swing, and that includes grip, posture, setup, etc. The 'right' grip for one player may not be right for another for a number of reasons....let a pro sort it out.

Golf is the only game I've ever played where even rank beginners think they have intimate knowledge of the mechanics of the sport. It's obscenely ridiculous.

If someone at that level wants to coach their wife/gf re: managing the golf course, that may be different (but I doubt it).

This is absurd, wrong, ridiculous, misguided, silly, incongruous, erroneous, mistaken, stupid, and deserves to be flamed.

I guess my wife is now hitting it ~180 with a draw (sometimes) because I have no idea what I'm talking about? How about this, Lovinitall: my daughter is only about 6 months into it, and we are taking her to a pro because we want to accelerate her learning curve, and at the start of her first session she hit some balls for him, and he said 'Wow, who taught you how to swing?'. Of course she said 'my dad', and he then said I have been doing a great job with her. So there.

Finally, let me ask you this - if only pros should be allowed to give advice on anything, why the hell is this forum here? Stop posting immediately lest you prove yourself to be a self-contradicting hypocrite. buh bye.

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dak4n6

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Bro, I just want a girlfriend first. But, I suppose, I have thought about me taking "her" on the course. She's wearing a white miniskirt, maybe a cardigan, perhaps a visor, and then I inmpress her with my kickass golf skillzzz. Every duff she hits she laughs and then we converse about the round at the 19th hole. Sound pretty good to me!

"It's better to burn out than to fade away." -Kurt Cobain

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Please do not attempt to teach a female over the age of 18 to play golf.  You are opening a door that will lead to total destruction of your relationship with that female.  You have been warned!

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That is absurd.  We're talking about showing someone the ropes, not coaching them to the LPGA tour.

No, it's absurd to think a 15 HC is qualified to teach ANYONE how to swing a golf club. Everyone's a teacher........

In The Bag: - Patience - Persistence - Perseverance - Platitudes

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This is absurd, wrong, ridiculous, misguided, silly, incongruous, erroneous, mistaken, stupid, and deserves to be flamed. I guess my wife is now hitting it ~180 with a draw (sometimes) because I have no idea what I'm talking about? How about this, Lovinitall: my daughter is only about 6 months into it, and we are taking her to a pro because we want to accelerate her learning curve, and at the start of her first session she hit some balls for him, and he said 'Wow, who taught you how to swing?'. Of course she said 'my dad', and he then said I have been doing a great job with her. So there. :mad: Finally, let me ask you this - if only pros should be allowed to give advice on anything, why the hell is this forum here? Stop posting immediately lest you prove yourself to be a self-contradicting hypocrite. buh bye.

And my wife, who's a 7, tells people I taught her to play. I didn't, though. I DID teach her how to think her way around a golf course, but her swing? A few lessons from a REAL pro, and I was a 3 when she picked up the game. A man's gotta know his limitations. To all the 10+ HC'ers who think they can teach golf swing: You can't. If you could, you wouldn't be a 10+.

In The Bag: - Patience - Persistence - Perseverance - Platitudes

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Originally Posted by LovinItAll

And my wife, who's a 7, tells people I taught her to play. I didn't, though. I DID teach her how to think her way around a golf course, but her swing? A few lessons from a REAL pro, and I was a 3 when she picked up the game. A man's gotta know his limitations.

To all the 10+ HC'ers who think they can teach golf swing: You can't. If you could, you wouldn't be a 10+.

i've met plenty of "pro's" who can't teach a damn thing, but are good players. check out my handicap, it's proof that pro's aren't the end all be all of teaching. i've worked out more from watching youtube videos and having my wife watch and record my swing. she's not a pro, but she can tell me if i drop my wrist, come over the top, throw my weight back, etc. and that helps me a ton.

i had ~7 lessons with one pro. he had me do nothing but make hip only swings with a 7 iron. i did this every lesson, all lesson. i did it on a balance thing (like a lower back support turned upside down), sometimes with my eyes closed, for 30 minutes 7 times.  you know what that helped me with? hitting a 7 iron with my eyes closed on a balance board.

but since i'm not qualified i should have just kept doing it and not sought out others opinions and tips, right?

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 G20 3 Wood (15* Stiff Flex)

 i15 3 Hybrid (20* Stiff Flex)

 i20 Hybrid (23* Stiff Flex)

 JPX 800 (5-AW)

 T11 54* (9* Bounce) and 58* (10* Bounce) w/DG Spinner Shafts

 Tracy

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Originally Posted by LovinItAll

And my wife, who's a 7, tells people I taught her to play. I didn't, though. I DID teach her how to think her way around a golf course, but her swing? A few lessons from a REAL pro, and I was a 3 when she picked up the game. A man's gotta know his limitations.

To all the 10+ HC'ers who think they can teach golf swing: You can't. If you could, you wouldn't be a 10+.

The OP is referring to teaching his wife/girlfriend the game, not hoping that she becomes a scratch golfer or develops a fundamentally sound swing so that she can break 80 within 2 years.

If somebody asks for advice on a set of clubs, the response is immediately "Go get fitted". If someone asks for advice on an aspect of the fundamentals of golf, or something generic that we can provide answers to, the immediate response is "Blasphemy! You need to see a pro!".

Your handicap doesn't determine your knowledge of the game, or its physics/fundamentals. This would be the equivalent of saying that somebody with a higher IQ is clearly more intelligent than another person. In most cases, that may be true - however the book smart individual will occasionally lack common sense and knowledge that can be applied to real, every day life.

In short, there is nothing wrong with offering advice to a beginner if you are comfortable doing so and they are comfortable receiving the help. You guys that are hooked on handicaps crack me up sometimes.

If a retired professional was a 10 handicap, you're telling me you would not let him offer you advice or instruction? A High School Football Coach is not qualified to teach your child how to play football because he himself did not play professionally?

You can't look at a generic HC and think that you can size somebody up. I see people all too often that carry that stiff, ridiculous attitude bragging about their HC. Often times, they're playing courses that are barely breaking 6000 yards with average, at best, slopes and ratings with the easiest green stimps accommodating to the weekend hack.

Sometimes "golfers" in general need to drop the HC talk, like its some form of authority badge. That and the need to bring up the "If X is wrong, see a Pro" answer.

Your logic is terrible and ridden with more holes than lacey swiss cheese man.

You should also consider that only, approximately, 5% of golfers will ever break 100 when following the rules and playing legitimate Golf.

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i've met plenty of "pro's" who can't teach a damn thing, but are good players. check out my handicap, it's proof that pro's aren't the end all be all of teaching. i've worked out more from watching youtube videos and having my wife watch and record my swing. she's not a pro, but she can tell me if i drop my wrist, come over the top, throw my weight back, etc. and that helps me a ton. i had ~7 lessons with one pro. he had me do nothing but make hip only swings with a 7 iron. i did this every lesson, all lesson. i did it on a balance thing (like a lower back support turned upside down), sometimes with my eyes closed, for 30 minutes 7 times.  you know what that helped me with? hitting a 7 iron with my eyes closed on a balance board.  but since i'm not qualified i should have just kept doing it and not sought out others opinions and tips, right?

Just because you weren't selective enough choosing a pro doesn't mean eveyone will be. I really don't care what other people think about my opinion. It is what it is. No 10+ HC has any business teaching golf swing. Like I said, they wouldn't be 10+ if they knew enough to take a beginner and teach them the fundamentals correctly. Even a PGA apprentice has to pass the PAT that makes them play to better than a 10. Can a ten+ give another some constructive tips? Of course they can. We're talking about taking a rank beginner and getting them off to the correct start. That's better left to someone BETTER THAN A TEN HANDICAP! Hey, if all you want your wife/gf to be able to do is whack the ball around and have fun, sure...have a go at it. If you want her to be a good golfer, leave the teaching to someone else. I've seen a dozen guys with their wives on the course giving them advice. It's never pretty. Are they always wrong? No. Should their wives have leaned to play from them? HELL no.....

In The Bag: - Patience - Persistence - Perseverance - Platitudes

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Get her some lessons, they can even be group lessons for the both of you.  Don't give advice, and if you do usually do it as an answer to something she asks you.  No one like unsolicited advice, we don't do it to our male playing partners why is this different.  It's better if her teacher is not you.  I've also found that it's better if she likes the pro irregardless of the pro's qualifications.

Make sure it's fun and be patient.

Invest in her game, get her some clubs that work for her.  A fitting is probably not necessary at first, she most likely will pick clubs that are cute and well packaged.  It's a good way to start.  And that is all that is needed here, a fun start!  If she wants to spend more time on it later and get more serious, support it then.  For now I say keep it fun and hopefully she won't get frustrated and enjoy golf almost as much as you do.

My wife and I have a rule we set up a long time ago.  I only give advice when asked and the only unsolicited advice I'm allowed to give is in case she is aligned way to the right (common problem).  She's a good golfer and we have a lot of fun.  She doesn't play very often, but likes to take lessons and takes it seriously when we do.

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Originally Posted by LovinItAll

Just because you weren't selective enough choosing a pro doesn't mean eveyone will be.

I really don't care what other people think about my opinion. It is what it is. No 10+ HC has any business teaching golf swing. Like I said, they wouldn't be 10+ if they knew enough to take a beginner and teach them the fundamentals correctly.

Even a PGA apprentice has to pass the PAT that makes them play to better than a 10. Can a ten+ give another some constructive tips? Of course they can. We're talking about taking a rank beginner and getting them off to the correct start. That's better left to someone BETTER THAN A TEN HANDICAP!

Hey, if all you want your wife/gf to be able to do is whack the ball around and have fun, sure...have a go at it. If you want her to be a good golfer, leave the teaching to someone else. I've seen a dozen guys with their wives on the course giving them advice. It's never pretty. Are they always wrong? No. Should their wives have leaned to play from them? HELL no.....

you hold a PGA pro and low cappers in way too high of regard for their ability to teach and obviously miss the point of most of the people who have responded to this thread which is our wives/girlfriends/whomever want to play golf with us.

you are the only guy who's partner has taken it seriously enough to invest a good amount of time and money to further their golfing career. most of our wives are quite content with getting cute sticks with a matching bag and being able to get some holes in under double par or duff every single shot. you fire into this thread headfirst with the same old "get lessons or you will never ever be able to play!!!!!"

and what is this magical 10 handicap cutoff that you keep on getting worked up about? is an 11 no good? does a 12 capper lack the knowledge of someone 2 points lower?

and wanting your wife to be a good golfer says a lot more about you than your wife. most of us are content in letting our wives decide what they want to do when it comes to their hobbies.

i agree with what the guy above me keeps saying:

too often it is just parrotted "get fitted, see a pro"

i'm guessing you've never bought an electronic device without the consent of an "expert" in the field like a best buy employee who is trained with that device. you've also never fixed anything yourself because unless a master technician taught you how to do it, you're utterly incapable and should shovel as much money at someone who is "trained" as you possibly can.

 G25 Driver (10.5* Stiff Flex)

 G20 3 Wood (15* Stiff Flex)

 i15 3 Hybrid (20* Stiff Flex)

 i20 Hybrid (23* Stiff Flex)

 JPX 800 (5-AW)

 T11 54* (9* Bounce) and 58* (10* Bounce) w/DG Spinner Shafts

 Tracy

My ball is anything on sale

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Note: This thread is 3574 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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