Switching Instructors

After 7-8 months and probably 15 lessons, I have decided to move on from my instructor. Its frustrating for me as I have spent a lot of money and practice time with this guy as my Coach, but its just not working. I go in there and do the same thing every lesson. I dictate to him the lesson and not the other way around. There doesn't seem to be a plan in place at all. Its hard for my because I am a loyal person and wanted it to work with this guy but I cant wait any longer for it to turn around. I don't want to waste another golf season stuck in quick sand. This guy was focused on technology,etc on his lessons. I am switching to an older former PGA pro which I have heard is more hands on and not a complicated. I don't think one guy is more correct, I guess its a matter of style for each person.

Has anyone had experience switching instructors until find the right one for them?

If they can't answer those questions they're in trouble.

So find someone who knows how to teach. Someone can be a good player and not know how to teach. If you know other golfers talk to them. Uses video. I don't care if he just uses his cell phone or iPad. He can show you what you're doing. That really helped me. I can see progress from the beginning of the lesson through the end. My current instructor saves these, and he showed me past to current yesterday. Flightscope, Trackman, or a GC2 is nice.

The short answer is from me is yes.  The long answer is below.

In about the last 15 years I have worked with 5 different instructors.

The first time was a disaster and I think mostly because of me.  I had never had a lesson before and did not know what to expect from the lesson and what was expected of me.  I took one lesson and tried to golf, I ended up worse off than I was before but I didn't practice enough and I didn't go back for another lesson.

A few years later I signed up for a 10 lesson series with another pro with the expectation I was starting from scratch. So I was not disappointed when I didn't see results right away.  I stuck it out and practiced more and was definitely better off than I was before.

About 6 years ago I was struggling with my driver and I took a lesson from yet another pro and he helped me out right away.  A year later I went back to the same guy when I was having bad problems with my swing.  He watched me swing a few times and told me he didn't know what was wrong and refunded my money.  After that I basically quit golf 2 years.

Two years ago a friend invited me to play league and I figured I better take a lesson before playing.  So I took a lesson from a different pro in town and I saw the results immediately.  I took about 6 lessons from him over two years and I was rarely disappointed.

This season I took a lesson from the other pro at the same course with similar results. He got me back on track right away.

I guess my conclusion is don't be afraid to try another instructor until you find one that works for you.

I've switched several times among instructors in my area, and some of these guys taught touring Pros. Show you how little talent I have....

Haney types -- kind of going to a golf whisperer you can't hear

Hardy types - Swing left!

TGM - better

S&T; and 5SK - better understanding of swing.

(and 3 years with med issues and searching)

Present Instructor works for me (bio-mechanics and former mini-tour pro)

Find someone who can communicate rhyme and reason for you, who gives you feedback with a camera, and with whom you can talk. But you've got to surrender to them.

I decided early on, that I would basically learn as much about this game as I could by trial and error. I knew this would be some what a long journey, but I was in no hurry. I knew from the start that golf was a tough game to play well. My first few instructors I went to were not very good. One even relocated to Vegas from Jupiter, Florida where he was supposed to have been a big time swing coach to some PGA pros. His move was prompted by the different weather conditions he said. Humid vs dry. The one good instructor I did find was also a quality club fitter/maker. The best of both worlds.

Once I made the decision to go it on my own, I started to learn as much as I could, from various sources, about the golf swing. I did this home work before I even started working on my own swing. It worked out quite well for me, and  got me to playing with a mid single digit handicap. One of the best things of taking this route to good golf, was that I understood enough about the swing (my swing anyways) that when something went wrong, I had enough knowledge to help myself get out of that current problem, and back to playing decent golf again. I could even make on course repairs to salvage a round of golf.

I don't know much about the current styles of (modern?) golf instruction. What I have read/seen still has both good, and bad information in my opinion. Some is way too technical, while other styles of instruction are geared more for the novice, and better playing amateur. I also believe that some of the modern instruction is just a rehash of the older stuff, just explained differently, in more modern, more technical verbiage.  I have continued to stay with the older stuff I learned.  Mostly because it's simpler to understand. I am basically  a "swing, and know what the club head is doing" kind of player. The old stuff worked back then, and there is no reason it should not continue to work now. Overall, the scores at the amateur level have not changed that much over time. Of course that is not to say, that for the right student, matched with the right instructor, the modern instruction will work just as well.

I was removed from the game for a few years due to injuries I suffered in a car accident. When I was able to return to the game, I still had some knowledge, and my own note book on how to swing a golf club. After almost a year, I am back playing decent golf, and have shed several strokes off my average scores. It matters little what course I play, as I pretty much shoot the same scores now. I honestly believe what got me back to playing decent golf so quickly was a page in my note book about re-learning my game from the green back to the tee box.

My point is that it's not a bad thing to learn as much about one's golf swing, from any source, for any golfer wanting to get better. The PGA Pros rely on their swing gurus, because that's part of their golf game, or job if you will. They can afford the best of the best, and have all the time they need to spend with their instructors. Most armatures do not have the time and/or money for quality instruction, on a consistent basis. Consistent, quality instruction is what keeps a golfer playing well, if they are gong to use an instructor. This assuming they can even find a qualified instructor. There are a lot of charlatans out there. A golfer who has a good understanding of the golf swing, will be much better off than the golfer who takes hit, and miss instruction, every once in a while.