Lessons from a Golf Dome

[iacas]

So I'm at the golf dome today. I pull up a chair and wait for awhile because there's a girl with a nice behind hitting balls and every station is full. Fortunately for me, she's in college, so I avoid skeeving myself out.

But anyway, she's hitting 7-irons all of about 80 yards. Whatever. To her right, another girl is "striping" balls at a sign in the distance. 5-irons, probably, and they'd go about 160 or so. Not bad. But then the coach comes over, tells her something, and she starts hitting push cuts. Big ones too. 10 degrees higher in the air. Still hit with some authority, but push cuts and not very controlled. To my amazement the coach looks on with pride and says "now you're gettin' it!"

The coach then proceeds down to a boy on the left of the nice-caboosed one. This guy's hands are so close he's basically playing with himself at address. He shoves his hands and the club away like he's trying to feel up the caboose of the girl in the stall to his right, lifts, and then straightens up his whole body on the downswing because it's the only possible way he can hit the ball. The coach says "too much of this (indicating the straightening up move) and not enough of this (indicating a crouching move)." The kid takes a few more swings and, well, he hits bigger slices because that's all he can do since his hands can't get inside, but it "looks" better to the coach, so he compliments the guy and moves along.

I go to the top level. Nice caboose or not, I'm there to work. (FWIW, after about four full swings, I hit 95% of the rest of my shots working on my acquired motion stroke and maintaining a good pressure point and straight left arms with a right-hand flying wedge). My friend "Pete," the golf instructor shows up eventually.

A few stalls down some 15-year old girl (sophomore in HS) is hitting balls. Not enough straightening of the right leg, shoulder turn of about 60 degrees, bent left elbow to complete the backswing, no forward thrust... etc.

Her dad is giving her tips. At one point I text "Pete" when he takes a phone call "We should have this guy arrested for child abuse." Turns out the girl's been playing for a year and, despite some easily fixed things, she's doing "okay." She has some obvious power despite being a fairly small creature... and a lot of the fixes she could do she'd probably take to instantly.

"Pete" eventually talks to the guy and tells her "she's doing great, she should come in and take some lessons" and he thinks they will. We'll see on that.

And yeah, my story's gonna kinda peter out here, but it's rather sad once you know a bit about the golf swing to hear about how a lot of people go about teaching it. One pro, one well-intentioned father, and only about half a clue between them.

[Phil McGleno]

Yeah yeah, I hear you brutha. Or is it "brah"? Anyway...

Parents teaching their kids drives me nuts. They mean well, and some can't afford a coach or instructor, but the ones who can and meddle are not doing themselves or their kids any favors.

As for the other golf coach (downstairs?) coaching the college kids, well, yeah. I see it all the time too. Guys like that annoy me because some guy gives him $400 for a few lessons, never improves, and the guy vows never to take lessons again because they're a waste of money. I wish people would realize not every golf instructor is an imbecile, but too many are these days.

Take your headphones to the range. That way you can play Shakira music while watching the cute butts. Oh, and it drowns out having to listen to the advice of the dummies.

[ControlJunkie]

Unfortunately, that's pretty common. I think a good bit of it might come from some of the same bogus stuff that Michael Breed, Nick Faldo, and others say on TV (which you and others have pointed out). Some people see a few tips on TV and think they have a thorough understanding of the golf swing. What sucks is that you know people like this have good intentions but if you were to try to say something to help, they'd surely get offended.

[Fairway_CY]

I don't understand enough about the golf swing to actually get concerned over what I'm hearing. I DO, however, bring headphones and listen to my iPod. I've been approached by a few instructors when I'm at the range and they always tell me I've got a nice swing... "BUT..."

I just don't want to hear it. When I have the time to invest in golf and instruction, I'll seek it out. For now, what I'm doing is keeping me happy in the limited amount of time I play. I'd LOVE to be a single digit handicap... even sub-twenty would be awesome... but I don't get to play more than 15 times a season, so... for me to invest the time and money RIGHT NOW would almost be a waste, and when these instructors approach me... what they ask me to do is uncomfortable and really messes with what I HAVE learned to control, so I kindly tell them I'm not interested. They always seem put off, but... what can I do?

Regarding Michael Breed... I listen to him and try to use some of the easier things (posture, plane, etc) to my advantage... but a lot of what he says, even though it's dumbed down (kinda)... goes right over my head. I don't understand the whole 'wrist bowed at the top thing' because when he shows it... it just LOOKS goofy and like it can't POSSIBLY feel comfortable.

Either way... it's cool you can pick out these things in others swings. Wish I had a local buddy who knew enough about the swing to offer some 'free tips'... but, like I said... paying for it now is kinda stupid, IMO.

CY

[Shanks A Million]

I'm always amazed at the dime store advice I hear at the range, from people teaching others. I've heard some absolute knee knockers. I heard a dad telling his daughter how you can't straighten up the right leg during the backswing. She points out to him that I'm (she's pointing to me) doing it, and smashing ball after ball down range with a 3 iron. Her father gives her some crap about how my swing is not "proper" and proceeds to show her a "proper" swing (which looks like an old lady trying to chase a bird out of her kitchen with a broom.)

Yeah, Ok, I stay on my left side throughout most of the swing, but that doesn't make it wrong. I borrow that move from guys like Zach Johnson and some of the S & T boys. It's not as powerful, but it's more accurate, and power isn't a problem.

I hear people also giving the stupidest advice, and dishing it out one after the other, never letting the person have time to sink in to something. How can you ever learn if you can't ingrain something? I have a few friends who spot for each other (and these guys know what they're talking about), and when we ask eachother for advice, it's one thing to work on for the next few days, then come back for more.

Driving range advice, even from some pros, is poison. I'm lucky that the pro where I practice was a tour pro for some time, and his advice (while not always clear) is always proper. He never gives specific advice, always general rules. He tells me, "shorter swing, shorter swing. Focus on contact over swing speed." That advice saved me like 10 strokes. Another thing is, he watches you when you're out there. One day, I asked him if he had any tips, and he said, "No, you've been making good progress lately, and you've been coming out and putting together some good, focused practice. Your swing has changed over the past few days in a good way, you need to keep at what you're working on for a while and ingrain it, then we'll talk."

That's good advice. Sometimes no tip is better than a bad tip.