What Makes a Good Golf Student?

[iacas]

A Twitter topic…

What do you think you can add to the list?

[billchao]

Be patient. Don’t expect to make drastic swing changes permanent overnight, and don’t expect to make multiple changes simultaneously. It’s easy to look at a video of your swing and pick out lots of differences from a tour pro, but they didn’t build their swings overnight, either.

[coachjimsc]

Edited March 9, 2022 by coachjimsc

[iacas]

34 minutes ago, billchao said:

Be patient. Don’t expect to make drastic swing changes permanent overnight, and don’t expect to make multiple changes simultaneously. It’s easy to look at a video of your swing and pick out lots of differences from a tour pro, but they didn’t build their swings overnight, either.

Added.

 

 

[Dornenglanz]

Don't confuse yourself by also reading some random hacker's swimg advice on TheSandTrap, or watching a bunch of YouTubers who say something different from what your own coach is saying.  They have never met you, have never seen your swing, and have no relationship with you.

[boogielicious]

Be willing to learn how to practice. Learn to film your practice and look for the changes the instructor has you trying. Be willing to just do slow drills if that’s what’s required. Don’t focus on ball flight during practice.

[nevets88]

This probably can be listed under ask good questions, but don't hold back if you have doubts about what the instructor is telling you. Sometimes you feel like you don't want to "rock the boat" and just nod along. Or maybe you don't want to challenge your instructor. It's better to get everything out in the open. The more the instructor gets a feel for you, the better he/she can teach you.

I also like to send a video, using proper angles, ahead of time, of recent swing, especially if it's someone I'm seeing for he first time.

I'd also ask if the pro would want to do some kind of let me text in a video once in a while and you steer me back on course if I'm veering package, in between live lessons.

Also be prepared to answer questions like how are you playing? General ball flight. The quicker you can answer these, more time can be spent on hands on teaching.

[cdh79]

"be realistic".. odds are you're not going to go break 80 when you've just started a month ago. Yes, some may learn faster than others, but it's not a sprint, it's (worse than) a marathon.

 

In regards to the "it feels weird" aspect: It's true in some cases it's just the change, but in other cases you may actually be doing something else incorrectly, if it really feels completely "weird". I've been in that situation and in my case after some lessons with the driver it just felt very unnatural and totally off. Initially I put this off as the "it's a change, of course it feels different", but this feeling didn't go away for quite a while. As part of later lessons we fixed an issue that I was leaning forward a bit too much and put my left shoulder down a bit in the back-swing (instead of rotating around the spine) , and once I adjusted this by standing a tiny bit more straight and had a better rotation, this "weird feeling" immediately went away. 

[Piz]

Good students accept that they are students.  

[iacas]

 

[TourSpoon]

Be clear in what you want to accomplish. Do you want a tune-up, swing overhaul, or just be able to go out and have a casual 9 holes or play in an upcoming scramble with the company?  

If you choose soup to nuts, be willing to work on physical limitations through diet, flexibility, strength training, etc. This golf thing may be more of a life thing and good health will make for better golf! 

 

[nevets88]

Also when you text your coach, keep things brief and simple, he/she probably has a few things to juggle. But not too brief that your message needs to be deciphered. It's probably more convenient to text during lunch hour or end of day instead of peak business hours.

[iacas]

9 hours ago, nevets88 said:

Also when you text your coach, keep things brief and simple, he/she probably has a few things to juggle. But not too brief that your message needs to be deciphered. It's probably more convenient to text during lunch hour or end of day instead of peak business hours.

Texting isn't something that you have to look at right away though. You can look later. If I get a text I want to read later, I just leave it unread. Or say "remind me of this message in four hours" or something.

[Big Lex]

Stick to the teacher's plan. Don't go off on tangents. You just delay your learning and waste your time and money. If you really think you have an idea or insight, run it by the teacher first before you act on it. This comes from a lifetime of learning different disciplines and a little teaching too. 

Another is to control your emotions when it doesn't go well. Because often it doesn't. What worked for some students might not be working for you. The teacher is trying. You have to be patient with them, too. Every new lesson you have to have an open mind. Something they tell you today might conflict - in your mind - with something you remember them telling you 4 months ago. That's fine...just shut up and stay in the moment and let them teach you. 

The first golf teacher I ever had said most people can learn more than they think, but they don't let themselves learn. You can think you're trying really hard and working at it, but if you're not following the teacher's plan, you're probably preventing progress, not hastening it. 

 

[Big Lex]

Oh one more I can't resist...came from a ballroom dance instructor (one of my other hobbies). When I found myself struggling to do something she wanted, I said something like "yeah, this is impossible for me because my flexibility in my left hip is really bad..." yadda yadda. She never allows this. She would say "do you want to spend your money explaining to me why you can't do something, or do you want me to show you how to do it?" The point was, she was a dance teacher, she's the pro, and is capable of judging very well what you can do and cannot do... she has dozens of students and is well acquainted with physical limitations, etc. She always wanted the focus of her students to be positive and to approach the lesson with expectation that you can and will succeed. I learned ballroom dance quicker and at a higher level than any other sport I ever tried, and it was directly attributable to this teacher.

Bottom line: Don't make excuses for yourself and don't say you can't do something. If you say you can't, then for sure you never will. 

 

[iacas]

23 minutes ago, Big Lex said:

That's fine...just shut up and stay in the moment and let them teach you. 

I'd push back on that. Ask them about it. Maybe:

• They are opposite or different, because you've changed.
• You're hearing it "incorrectly".
• He's saying it poorly and can clarify.
• Etc.

See #3 in my list.