What's frustrating about golf instruction

It's no wonder people have such a hard time learning golf. Over the past couple of years I've heard the following contradictory advice (from instructors, books and web sites):

-Point your left foot at an angle to the target to allow your hips to come through.
-Point your left foot straight ahead to allow your hips to come through.

-Point your left knee at the ball during the backswing.
-Point your left knee straight ahead for power.

-Cock your wrist early for power.
-Allow your wrists to cock late in the backswing naturally.

-Consciously shift your weight during the downswing.
-Don't worry about shifting your weight, it happens naturally.
-Don't shift your weight at all, keep everything centered!

-Keep your left heel planted during the backswing.
-Allow your left heel to come off the ground during the backswing.

-Keep your head down!
-Allow your head to come up so your shoulders can come through!

-Keep your left arm straight.
-Don't worry about keeping it straight, just take your thumbs "to the sky".

-Keep your upper arms tight against your chest.
-Allow your arms to hang in front of you naturally.

-Move the ball position based on club.
-One ball position for every shot for consistency.

I'm sure there are more, but you get the idea. The one thing I've learned is that there is no one correct method, that you have to find what works for you. If only I could find it myself...

At some point you have to stop tinkering and applying quick fixes gleaned from the occasional lesson and reading books and the internet. I think the best way forward for most people if they honestly and genuinely want to improve is to find an instructor they are comfortable with and feel they can trust and then do just that, trust them.

Let the instructor know that you want to improve, that you are willing to do it over time and that you are going to practice hard and talk to him/her and work out a way forward. Also be sure to let them know that you are willing to take weekly lessons at first and then monthly/bi-monthly as you progress. It may take a number of years before you get anywhere near your initial goal but when you do, you can reassess.

What you need are sound fundamentals and hard work, if you can get the sound fundamentals via competent instruction and doing the hard work then you will improve.

Failing this you are just kidding yourself and you had may as well resign yourself to hacking it about for the rest of your golfing life.

+1

Find an instructor you like and stick with him/her.

I agree, but the trick is finding a good instructor that works well with you. I've had several and haven't been happy with any of them. I'll keep at it, but $45-60/lesson is a pretty expensive tryout. (And the ones that I KNOW are good are more like $125/lesson.)

I could tell you how I do each of those things, but that would not help unless you learned to swing like I do. So, you might want to read "The Golf Swing and Its Master Key Explained" by Noel Thomas. If this works for you, you will improve very quickly.

The golf swing can be very frustrating as you are learning a complex skill. True you have to find what works best for you - however you must ensure your fundamentals (grip, stance, alignment) are correct and build from this solid foundation.

--John

There's a lot of conflicting information out there. As others said, find an instructor you like and stick with them.

Read Hardy's book on the one plane and two plane swing for help deciphering the tips you get. This will help you understand the swing (and tips) that works best for you.

Well, it's frustating for those who know the golf swing and have to deal with other instructors, particularly well known ones, that contradict themselves all of the time.

That being said, a lot of times a flaw in the golf swing can cause a golfer to make one of two or even three moves after that flaw. For instance, somebody who takes the club too far inside on the takeaway may wind up looping the club up over the top or they may do the opposite and come too far from the inside on the downswing.

Then you have players like Hogan who were too flat on the backswing, but countered it with sliding the hips way too much on the downswing. Of course, Hogan had incredible hand/eye coordinator and practiced until his hands were raw so he could repeat that move every time.

I think the best advice I could give is to find an instructor who is consistent and willing to explain (and more importantly) can explain away flaws in the golf swing. And always find somebody who will use video tape.





3JACK

[FONT=arial]I'm with you, and it concerns me most in how the sport of golf is presented to prospective new golfers.

Those of us who have been around the sport for some time know there are many different ways to arrive at the powerful impact position, but the uninitiated do not get a fair shake IMO. They are told, "Go see your local PGA Pro", but go to two different PGA Pros and you'll get two different ideals of the swing. I have had PGA Pros give me ablolutely rotten advice which actually prevented me from learning to swing. So we admonish newbies to carefully select a teaching pro. How can they know? "Find the method that works best for you" is another admonishment, which does not take into account it may take years or decades even for someone to find that method, not to mention all the bad habits they have developed in the meantime having to be overcome at some point. Learning the golf swing need not be this difficult. I think many of the more successful golfers today have a combination of talent and luck of circumstance in just happening to have had a good teacher early in the process. But if the opportunities are to be opened up for more, and if the golf industry wishes to grow so more recreational golfers stay with it, I believe a major paradigm shift within the PGA and the general golf teaching establishment is required. Actual standardization may never be possible, but I think we can do a better job than we do now. [/FONT]

Great post, and so true. The problem stems from the fact that most instructors fail to communicate (or perhaps even realize) that their tips are only effective in the context of the particular swing they teach. For instance, if you move the ball position and adjust the stance then you are now playing by an entirely different set of rules, and everything else will be affected. Elements of the swing that worked a particular way might need tweaking or all-out changing.

My personal view is that there is not necessarily one swing that works best for you, or at the very least it's a waste of time trying to find it. You're better off just picking one swing (with a proven history) from the outset and going with it. (If you stop thinking in terms of the limitations of your stature and level of athleticism, you begin to realize that you are capable of far more than you know.) Whether that's a book or an instructor, it's up to you, but take all advice that comes from the outside of that bubble with a grain of salt. And if you ever have to change instructors, make sure they are aware of what you have been learning, and make sure they are willing to go along with it. That said, golf has certain unseen skills that you are constantly learning regardless of the swing you use. You develop coordination that can apply to any swing. If I were forced to learn a brand new swing tomorrow, even if I was forced to reverse every habit I've formed, I guarantee you I would learn it far faster than I would have back at the beginning of my golfing days. In other words don't sweat change, but at the same time try extremely hard to identify the type of swing you want and then stick to it. Picking a person to mimic is, in my opinion, the best choice because you have hours of video footage to use as a comparison tool, and plenty of evidence that the swing works. Hogan is a popular choice, and for good reason: In addition to having a reasonable amount of swing footage available, his swing has been extensively documented in his book for reference. Then again, this is the advice of someone who is still an 8 handicap ;) It is dropping through.

With so many different builds and athletic ability out there as well as how any bit of advice is interpreted I am not the least bit suprised that on the surface the quick tips appear conflicting.

Have you noticed that many exceptional golfers learned their swing by watching others play. This point was even more emphasized when I recently read 'Golf Dads' by Curt Sampson.

The other key point to notice is that many exceptional golfers at one point in their life spent many days in a row beating buckets of balls with a fearless attitude with respect to change. Hit a ball, measure the result, modify something, hit the next ball, measure the result, ...

Many of us taking up the game later in life find it difficult to find the time to pursue this process so we turn to books and videos, we take advice out of context, we are afraid to experiment because we believe there is a right way. While there are tried and true core fundamentals and certain techniques that will help improve your swing, unfortunately they require a healthy attitude for experimentation and a dedication to practice.

Personally I find all the information useful, it tells me there are many ways to find a successful golf swing. By hearing conflicting tips I know that that position or move has been successful each way and I need to experiment in which one works for me.

As a begineer and a recently avid student of the game I expect that I will continue to learn, change and practice techniques related to golf continuesly constantly searching for that more consistant swing, more accurate shot and elusively lower score.

So instead of being fusterated about golf instruction, relax and enjoy the journey, make new friends and enjoy a day out in the sun and fearlessly try some new things when the old things aren't working.

My advice is to never read advice in golf magazines. And don't take advice from anyone on the internet.

After more than 300 hours of instruction I can assert that you can't buy a golf swing.

A golf swing must be earned, not learned.

Very apt. Consistent with those who suggests that you have to practice, practice, not just theory only.

Two questions...How do you get in contact w/this Bach guy and...What the heck is a fugue anyway?

I read all the tips with a grain of salt. You have to get to the point where you understand the golf swing. That way when you're on the swing and you start snap hooking, you know what you're doing wrong.

Of course, if you don't want to spend that much time on the range, then an instructor is your best bet.

I've listened to my own pro tell women on the course the exact opposite of that he's just said to me. Why? If a golfer is new, they need a few, simple bits of advice to remember. It IS possible to over-coach.

Example, to the woman with her feet in a V last night - he told her to point her toes forward, feet shoulder width apart. He comes to me, and I point my foot a bit out because I know that's what works for me, and he doesn't correct me, because he knows I know it works. Over coaching is just as unhelpful as not coaching, surprisingly. Josh has told me since day one to start my swing with a cock of the wrist. I asked my pro, he suggested the opposite - because honestly, my wrists are too flimsy and uncoordinated to think about that, so they stay with the arms until the 90 degree point. Two coaches, two pieces of advice. Which is right? Both. Will I move them one day if I hit a rut and it's suggested to me? Maybe. Anyway, you have to know what's right in the teacher's heart, they may mis-judge how novice or advanced you are and think they're helping. I'm not offended if someone thinks I'm fresh out of the gate. I consider it a challenge to show them what I really can do. I try to take one thing or two away from each lesson. That way, if you're given some advice you don't take, it doesn't feel like a complete waste of money. Golf instruction can be frustrating...because golf can be frustrating.

I think you are in the wrooooong place.