New Instructor

[iPutt]

So my instructor from last year no longer teaches in state so I have to find a new one. He was by far the best instructor that I've ever had and I improved leaps and bounds with him. I was pretty upset when I found out that he left but life goes on and the search began. The other day I scheduled a lesson with a new guy that works at the same range as my old instructor and the proshop workers recommended him. The only problem is that I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with some of the things he taught me today. I think it may be because I made such good strides with the last teacher and now I'm afraid to change any of that since some of the new tips go against the old. I guess they could be good tips, I just don't want to do anything detrimental to my progress. So my question is, what should I do in terms of a teacher? Should I stay with this new teacher and see where it takes me, or should I find a new one. The problem is that he works at my home range and I would be uncomfortable getting a different teacher at that range. I'm not saying he's bad, I just wasn't sure of some of the things he was telling me. Maybe I should focus on self teaching? Problem there is that I don't have a video camera and don't trust my own judgement. I just want to improve and feel like finding the right teacher is key. Thanks for any help.

[newtogolf]

Is your new instructor aware of the investment you made with the previous one?  Have you made him aware that some of the things he's telling you isn't consistent with what you worked on with the old one and you'd prefer not to start from scratch unless there's something really wrong with what your old instructor taught you?   He's not a mind reader so unless you speak up he's not going to know these concerns you have.

I was with one instructor all last year and thought I was making good progress.  After some conversations with friends that are also golfers I took their advice and tried a new instructor this year.  I found out that much of what my old instructor worked on with me were band-aids to a swing I'd likely never do well with.  I've since started from scratch (new grip, approach, backswing, downswing) with the new instructor and have been hitting the ball better than I ever was before.

If you approach the new instructor properly and discuss your concerns you shouldn't feel weird about trying out a different instructor at your home range if you both agree that's best.  You're the customer so make sure you're happy with how your lessons go.

[jshots]

Yeah I have never really felt like a single Instructor was the way to go, certainly there are some good ones but most of the ones i've had all had different ideas from each other. In high school I had my dad, my grandpa, my 3 golf coaches, and a local pro helping me with my swing. Every single one had different ideas. Because of that, I started to really try to learn on my own what the proper golf swing is supposed to be like and more importantly WHY each movement works. Once I started to understand better what was going on I still would have people look at my swing, but i'd take their advice with a grain of salt and work on it if it was something that I agree with or if they could prove to me WHY it would help my swing. Many instructors I had simply told me what to do, and not WHY that particular thing worked.

I came on here and posted video of my swing  just a few days ago and I was able to see WHY the responses were correct, and then start working on it and it has really helped and at the same time I've gained more knowledge of a proper swing.

[iPutt]

Newtogolf- I am definitely going to voice these concerns to him at the next lesson, today I was a little distracted I guess just getting a feel for him. You're completely right, if we're not on the same page then I don't know if I want to work with him.

jshots- I definitely do have a much better understanding of the swing now through both this forum and the last instructor. This is exactly why I was a little skeptical today, and I'm going to talk to him about it.

[iacas]

Instructors each having "different" ideas for what is essentially the same swing is, to me, a bad thing. It says to me that at least a few or maybe all of them are not great at prioritizing things. Rarely does one thing have "several ways of fixing it" and for those fixes to be so disparate that you'd call them "several different things" or anything like that.

To the OP, perhaps you've done the things your first instructor wanted so much you're now over-doing them and need to go the other direction a little bit. Just a thought. More likely is that your new instructor falls into the (sadly) majority of "guessers" out there.

I'm an instructor, and there's no way I can see anyone who comes to see me going online and posting these types of questions. A big part of my instruction is explaining why I feel something and being crystal clear with the student about the geometry, physics, and logic behind the changes I'll ask them to make. They need to become the experts of their own particular swing. It's not so much about "buying in" as it is about simply understanding, because if you understand something and it's factual and logical, then you've already "bought in."

I'd ask your new instructor to explain everything, and to be as precise as he can. If he gives you answers like "trust me, it'll work" but can't explain why , then I'd have doubts as to his abilities as an instructor.

[jshots]

Originally Posted by iacas

I'd ask your new instructor to explain everything, and to be as precise as he can. If he gives you answers like "trust me, it'll work" but can't explain why, then I'd have doubts as to his abilities as an instructor.

I feel like there are a lot of golf pros and instructors out there that can't explain why. I love eaves dropping on a range to someone getting lessons, whether it be from a pro or a persons husband they are more often than not just spouting bs.

[newtogolf]

In fairness to instructors, there are some things about a golf swing that are difficult for someone to comprehend if they are new to the sport.  After spending a year on this site, reading books and magazines and practicing my own golf swing I feel pretty comfortable with the components of a golf swing and how it "feels" to swing and make correct contact with a golf ball.  When I went for my first lesson, I wouldn't have understood ball flight laws, or the difference between a strong and weak grip.  My 1st instructor attempted to explain it to me, but much of it sounded like the teacher in Charlie Brown cartoons.  So from an instructor point of view it's not just knowing the answers, but also in some cases being able to explain it to someone that has limited knowledge about golf in general.

Originally Posted by jshots

I feel like there are a lot of golf pros and instructors out there that can't explain why. I love eaves dropping on a range to someone getting lessons, whether it be from a pro or a persons husband they are more often than not just spouting bs.