When should you change teachers?

I am a 62-yo high-handicapper with some physical issues with my hips that have negatively impacted my swing.  I have been taking lessons off and on for about three years with a pretty well-respected teacher in my area.  (Coaches a college golf team, once made a Golf Digest list of instructors, etc.)  In full disclosure, I have not had more than a couple of lessons in the past year.  When I have had lessons, he has focused almost exclusively on my weight shift (or lack thereof)  -- starting the downswing with the lower body and finishing facing the target.  He hasn't had anything to say about setup, grip, tempo and not much to say about takeaway or back swing. My swing has gotten pretty sour over the last month or so and I need a lesson.  But I feel like I already know what he is going to say.  I kind of feel like his teaching hasn't really sunk in and led to real changes in muscle memory.  And maybe that's me, and I just need to put in more time at the practice tee and work harder at it.  When should one consider changing teachers, vs. just working harder to be a better student?

To answer your question, change when communication breaks down.

Grip and Address -- you can find that in these pages.

I'd focus on the 5 Simple Keys and see if you are making progress in that manner.

Muscle memory is simply your brain telling your body what to do -- once you are making the motion you want to make, keep on repeating it so the brain can turn off to an extent.

You can speed up the process by purchasing a kid's club and practicing movement inside the house without a ball.

I'd say you need to practice and go to lessons more consistently at first, and then taper off later. Go once per month for  a year and see where you are...

Well I can say that after seeing a few golf coaches over the years that they should be able to suggest a dozen different things to fix the same issue. If your coach keeps telling you the same thing over and over again make a switch. It's obviously not working for you and you need a different approach at the problem. My 2 cents!

Not necessarily.

If the coach says the same thing over and over again, it is probably the main priority piece, and the golfer has not fixed/changed it yet.

I know I have had lessons from guys who I left who knew their stuff, I just didn't get what they wanted. Frustrating for both of us, so its better to split. It doesn't sound like he is communicating with you the way you would like and that is as good a reason as any to make a change. Not a knock on him; you guys just don't click.

And don't just let them move on from the basics if that is what you are looking for. ASK them what they think of your grip and setup. You got no chance without that.

Change if you keep walking away from the lesson not sure what is you were just taught and not knowing what it is you are supposed to do.

Yeah, I agree with this ... especially the part I bolded.  Communication from both parties is the key.  Ask any and every question you have, and if you don't like or understand the answers you're getting then it's probably best to look elsewhere.

Or, its also possible that once he hears the questions, he's going to better understand you and your concerns and can tailor the lessons a bit more and you guys might be a perfect fit.

You misunderstood. The coach should be able to tell the student many different ways to make the same change.

I see.

I had thought you wanted the coach to have the student work on different things before he had fixed anything.

I taught private music lessons for more than 35 years. I also coached boys and girls golf for the high school team, both at the varsity and JV levels.

I have a very set opinion as to when one should consider changing teachers....

#1) Do you enjoy going to lessons, and are you continually challenged to improve your performance?

#2) At each lesson does the instructor listen to your concerns and address them with drills and other tips?

#3) Is the instructor easy to understand, a good communicator for your needs, and have different teaching styles that match the student's learning style?

#4) Do the skills learned at your lesson translate to the course and make you feel better about your golf game?

If the answer to #1, #2, #3, or #4 is "no," it may be time to move on to another teacher.

Just because an instructor has Golf Digest notice him or awards associated with him does not really mean anything in terms of how good a teacher he is. That said, he could be the best instructor known to man, but if you are not working to make the change he is recommending than no one can really help you. You need to put in the time to change. This means changing motor skills that you have learned and can take a great deal of work to make these changes. I like this video because it shows you that once a motor skill is learned to learn it differently is a big change. The other things I learned is that kids learn faster than us.

Point is, to make the changes he is suggesting is going to take you some time. You need to put in the work with video, slow motion, mirror work to make the changes.

So heres the thing I see in your post. How do you know if you like your coach or not given you have hardly seen him?

Dont you think three quarters of the problem here is that you aren't committing yourself to your lessons? What do you hope to achieve if you dont invest your own time and effort in to your learning plan?

Hope that doesn't sound too critical (because its not). Its just that if you are going to spend money on something then you should try to make the most of it but you can't do that if your lessons are spaced out haphazardly.

Regards

Mailman

Thanks for the feedback.  I will mull it over.  I do try to practice and work on what he's taught, maybe hitting the range 3 or 4 times a week when the weather's good.

That is a fair point.  I did see him more often when I first started going to him -- once a month for a while, and I always hit the range 3 or 4 times a week after a lesson to work on what I'd been taught.  And there was some improvement but not that much.  But I understand what you're saying.  You may be right.

Just like any other relationship, when you feel things arent working out, its time to move on.

Years ago, I worked with one for two lessons. He was a "feel" golfer, a good change of pace for me after too many unproductive "mechanical swing" years.

I liked him, but he didn't seem to like me. He was rather rude during lessons, and right before the second one he got on my case for "missing a lesson." Trouble was, he had given me a card the week before with the time and date of Lesson #2. That's when I showed up - but, I had left the card at home before the lesson.

Lesson #1 did me a lot of good on the short game - I used chip and run way too much, and he showed me how to make better use of my PW and SW.

After lesson #2, we went our separate ways.

Pushy,

How old is this golf pro you use? Not everyone appreciates the fact that older golfers may need swing adjustments to keep playing.

I'm 64 and have right hip trouble, and I simply can't do certain things that a 20-year-old with 110 MPH driver swing speed can do. Some golf pros regularly take persons with physical limitations and help them adjust their swings.

What you might do is get a Titleist Performance Institute swing analysis. TPI pairs a physical therapist or chiropractor with a golf pro. The med professional gives the golfer a motion analysis (about 30 masurements), and shares it with the golf pro. The pro can then suggest swing adjustments to help you overcome the ailments. Also, TPI will generate a package of workouts to help you overcome ailments.

If interested, see: http://www.mytpi.com/