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Credible Teaching or not?


zola
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After many years of not playing golf as a teenager, I have taken it up again as I approach 30.

I have never had any lessons until recently. I took 3 with a local pro and got my grip sorted, hitting the ball pretty well. Made general improvements all over and he was a very good teacher.

I saw an online deal via groupon with another pro for a single lesson which I took last night, seemed a good deal and I thought why not. His teaching was very different. I hit a few shots and he seemed happy with what I could do generally. From there he went straight into teaching me the "Shape Shot", aiming right and curling it in so it finishes straight.

After smashing the ball to hard and bending it wildly, he told me to hit it at about 70% power and it started to work. Not every time by any stretch but sometimes it turned out nicely. The turning of the left wrist on the back swing felt strange and unnatural.

I asked him when I would play this type of shot, and he said every time off the tee box, and that "the straight shot is the hardest shot to hit".  I thought that was strange as it was so different to what the previous coach had taught.

He told me to hit a coupe of straight shots with my driver, which I did and hit arrow straight (I don't usually!), he laughed and said I caught him out.

I guess my question is should I only use this shape shot if I have objects in the way, or is it a good strategy. I am a novice, but I always assumed the guys who aimed to the right to bend in left were compensating for poor technique, I could be very wrong... ?

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@zola

He is correct that hitting shots absolutely straight is hard.  Most good players will play one shot shape most of the time, like a fade or a draw.  The real question I would ask the instructor is, "what is it about my swing that make the draw the more consistent shape?"

Finding a good instructor is hard. I got frustrated because none of the instructors I met could tell me 'why' I had to do the tips they were giving. I searched for a while until I took a clinic with Dave Wedzik and Erik Barzeski back in 2010.  They broke down the golf swing into the real key components that every good golf swing has.  I made a huge improvement that first year.  I have yet to find a good local instructor, so I went the on-line route with Evolvr at http://evolvr.thegolfevolution.com/.  This is a much lower cost lesson system.  I film my swing and send it in for analysis.  I point out what my issues and misses are. This has helped me a lot.  It is also a lot less expensive than most lessons.

If you want to find out what Evolvr is like, check out the Member Swings section of this forum.  You can post a video of your swing there and get some free tips. Some of the forum instructors and other players who have had the same issue can assist you.  If you want an example of an Evolvr lesson, let me know via a PM and I will send you a link to one of mine.

Best of luck.

Scott

Titleist, Edel, Scotty Cameron Putter, Snell - AimPoint - Evolvr - MirrorVision

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Cheap instruction can be extremely expensive. *not saying this instructor is wrong but the fact you are asking the question shows you don't trust him so you are wasting your time with him. A big part of learning is trusting the teacher.

Respectfully,

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If this is OT, I apologize but I thought it was related. In all of the time I've been following this forum (6 months) I've seen no mention of Goftec, which is surprising considering they seem to be the McDonald's of golf instruction (although they're certainly not cheap). Based on my limited experience with them (a few free lessons) I thought their basic principles were a little strange. I don't know if these concepts were just coming from my particular instructor or if he was following the company line but it seemed that the first three things that he wanted to emphasize were wide stance (wider than shoulder width even with irons), stand farther from the ball and bend over more (to the point where I felt like I had to reach for the ball to make contact) and a straight back wide takeaway that actually hurt my left pec muscle to hold. I think the biggest benefit that I got from those lessons was that the video analysis showed me how over-the-top my swing was and I guess to some degree widening my stance (although not as wide as he told me to) helped that, but I found the extreme take away and standing that far from the ball to be completely useless. Anyone else try Golftec?

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If this is OT, I apologize but I thought it was related. In all of the time I've been following this forum (6 months) I've seen no mention of Goftec, which is surprising considering they seem to be the McDonald's of golf instruction (although they're certainly not cheap). Based on my limited experience with them (a few free lessons) I thought their basic principles were a little strange. I don't know if these concepts were just coming from my particular instructor or if he was following the company line but it seemed that the first three things that he wanted to emphasize were wide stance (wider than shoulder width even with irons), stand farther from the ball and bend over more (to the point where I felt like I had to reach for the ball to make contact) and a straight back wide takeaway that actually hurt my left pec muscle to hold. I think the biggest benefit that I got from those lessons was that the video analysis showed me how over-the-top my swing was and I guess to some degree widening my stance (although not as wide as he told me to) helped that, but I found the extreme take away and standing that far from the ball to be completely useless. Anyone else try Golftec?

There are a few threads in the Instruction section regarding GolfTec.  I received a gift certificate for lessons there and I had my wife go.  She said they were OK at best.  The video part was the best thing about it, but you can do that with a camera at the range.

Scott

Titleist, Edel, Scotty Cameron Putter, Snell - AimPoint - Evolvr - MirrorVision

My Swing Thread

boogielicious - Adjective describing the perfect surf wave

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There are a few threads in the Instruction section regarding GolfTec.  I received a gift certificate for lessons there and I had my wife go.  She said they were OK at best.  The video part was the best thing about it, but you can do that with a camera at the range.

Thanks. I'll look for those threads.

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Anyone else try Golftec?

There have been a few members here that have had success with GolfTec over the years. Not sure if they're still active or not. I've never been interested in them. Can't afford their programs and I don't need them anyway :-P

Bill

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” - Confucius

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I am relatively new to this forum as well, but I think at least one of the moderators has a teaching background, maybe @isaacs if I recall. I have always found teacher recommendations from other teachers to be extremely helpful. It's okay to go through a few pros until you find the one you are most comfortable with. When you find the person you trust the most, you'll know it! P.S. I'm personally skeptical when someone has me work on shot shaping during lesson 1. Quite a few fundamentals to work on in this crazy game. Stick with it!

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If you can learn to hit that "shaped shot" on a consistent, controlled  basis, I'd stick with it. If you like that instructor, and you two are on the same page with your instruction, I'd stay with him. Quality instruction, when found, and is affordable, is a good thing for the beginner.

The toughest thing I think, for a novice looking to take lessons, is finding an instructor they can relate to, who can also relate to them as a student. Kind of like 30 hdcp who is being instructed by scratch playing instructor, who can teach from the 30 hdcp's view point.

When I started out in this game many years ago, I tried buying lessons. For me, it was a waste of time, and money. With that, I went my own way to understand what needed to be done in the golf swing. (My golf swing)  My daughters bought me a few practice sessions at Harmon's short game school which really helped a lot. It was there I figure out, that  for me,  the best way to learn the game was from the green backwards to the tee. Good putting led to good chipping, which led to good pitching, which led to good approach shots, which then led to consistency off the tee. I never looked back after that.

In My Bag:
A whole bunch of Tour Edge golf stuff...... :beer:

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I guess my question is should I only use this shape shot if I have objects in the way, or is it a good strategy. I am a novice, but I always assumed the guys who aimed to the right to bend in left were compensating for poor technique, I could be very wrong... ?

Right now as a novice golfer I think it's fine to play a "straight" shot. Heck, just go out there and have fun. If you're fading the ball on the range when you're warming up, then play the fade that day. As a novice you'll see more improvement working on pieces that'll allow you to hit the ball more solid than concerning yourself with "working" the ball.

You can stop reading my post or check out the next part ;-)

Long term/as you get better you should develop a pattern. Even the best players in the world don't hit it straight, they curve it about 5 yards so it may look straight to most golfers. A straight shot is hard to hit and it's unreliable. I don't know any golfers that have the ability to match the face and path up on every shot. Most of the time those two things don't match up and the ball curves.

Having a pattern gives you a "buffer" for how precise you have to be with your face/path relationship. If I play a push draw and I can return the face 1-3 degrees right of the target, my path can be 3-5 degrees right and I can play good golf because I'll be able to predict the direction and amount my ball is curving.

From this thread,

A Quick Word on Shaping the Ball

95% of the shots a pro plays (Tiger Woods may be one of a group of very small exceptions, and even he isn't as different as many think) are their stock shot. They don't curve much, but if a player is a drawer of the golf ball, 95% of their shots draw. It's the most reliable, dependable way to play - with a pattern.

Kenny Perry (a pronounced drawer) was playing at Doral a few years ago and someone asked him what he does with a pin on the right side of the green. He said he aimed at the flag and if his ball didn't draw, he got lucky, but otherwise he was content to have a 25-footer for birdie.

Then the person asked him what he did when the pin was on the left side of the green. "I make birdie" he said. :)

You'll get better, faster if you develop a pattern. Shaping the ball is over-rated - not even the pros do it all that often. Shaping the ball can get you out of trouble. It can be a good shot when the ball needs to be worked around an obstacle (reaching a par five in two, the tee shot on a dogleg, etc.). But if you've got a look at the flag, take the Kenny Perry approach: aim for your shot cone and play your pattern.

Mike McLoughlin

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I play a push draw and I can return the face 1-3 degrees right of the target, my path can be 3-5 degrees right and I can play good golf because I'll be able to predict the direction and amount my ball is curving.

Well, aren't you special... :-)

Colin P.

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I took two lessons at Golftec. I think franchise or not it comes down to the instructor.

Very good point.

Scott

Titleist, Edel, Scotty Cameron Putter, Snell - AimPoint - Evolvr - MirrorVision

My Swing Thread

boogielicious - Adjective describing the perfect surf wave

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Note: This thread is 3426 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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