Heading to GolfTec in the morning......

[gfd66]

So I'm off to GolfTec in the morning for my evaluation. Anyone have experience with these guys? Happy or unhappy with your results? I'll be going indoors in Highland Park, IL.

[chaptowngolfteam]

I won a free swing evaluation once. They interview you to find out any flaws in your game, film your swing, analyze your swing, and fix your setup. From there, they will pressure you to buy into one of their plans. I wasn't really looking to purchase any lessons, just use my free swing eval so the latter was more annoying.

[gfd66]

Very happy with my results, dropped my score by alot just after the eval. Signed up for more!! A little pricey, but I feel that so far it's worth it.

[angelabby]

I have been there before. I would love to practice with a teaching pro.

[MPS67]

I had a dismal experience with Golftec back few years ago.

The teachers at my local branch analyzed my full swing through video feedback. Then they explained fixed positions sequentially from that at address (grip, stance, posture) all the way through to the finish, in small increments. They did not like to coach swing dynamics, just ideal positions and proper sequence. There was absolutely no talk of tempo, weight transfer dynamics, or anything like that - only positions . I remember being able to inconspicuously observe other golfers from behind plexiglass windows and seeing most of them continuously swing at full speed and high tension. I also recall hearing from the other members in the adjacent booths, the constant drum and loud thuds of their club heads hitting fat into the mats at full force.

The instructors only covered small bits of instruction at a time, and steered clear of discussing anything subsequent to the position of which I was learning. The 30 minute lessons were very structured and organized to cookie cutter methods, and probably contained about 5 minutes of good substance in them. After the brief lessons, they advised me spend two weeks at their practice bays and ingrain the one or two position items that were covered. I diligently practiced, however if I did not reach the ideal position within a small tolerance of acceptable, they did not let me advance. I then had to repeat the same lesson over again. It took me about a year and about 20 of my 30 lessons getting to the top of the back swing. Looking back from how I now swing, I know that my back swing was purely mechanical and performed incorrectly as I didn't take advantage of the club's momentum or any other dynamics. During this time, they advised me to practice the bits leading up to the "top" as well as the subsequent portion of the swing they didn't yet cover. A great way to ingrain a faulty swing mechanic!

All in all, Golftec has a specific teaching approach that isn't for everyone. I felt they were high pressure salesmen promising me results, slowly stringing me along, all while trying to convince me to sign up for another bloc of lessons. IMHO, they love to teach fixed positions . This would be all right, as long as they coupled the instruction with explanations of feels and motions instead of adhering to pure mechanical positions.

The one thing that did enjoy was the use of their training bays. Most of the time, I was able to sign up for a private half hour practice session after work. It was inside, so there wasn't the threat of foul weather. And the booth included helpful video analysis tools that were easy enough for me to use.

[MackJL06]

I had a similar experience with very different outcomes. I completely understand that these guys give sales pitches at the end of the FREE EVALS...they work on commission  so give them a break there...taking an hour out of their day to POSSIBLY have someone buy from them.

They do absolutely focus on positions in the golf swing. they will put a harness on you and check certain positions in your swing against those of a "TOUR average"...some find this helpful...some find this a load of BS...take it for what you will. The positions they put you in are there to ingrain proper mechanics into your swing.

I took a series of 15 lessons over 6 months in which we focused on the backswing 15/15 times. my setup needed adjusting at times, getting my hands to travel in the right direction, get rid of a flying elbow, stabilize the lower body...all the good stuff. all of this ended with "and then swing on down". I/ME/MYSELF was never able to get myself into a consistent backswing routine that my swing coach felt good enough with that we would move on to something else. I felt just fine with the fact that we never "moved on" because i wanted to really understand and get myself in as good a position as possible before going to something new.

im sure it varies from coach to coach too, but my coach was very willing to answers questions on "how does this work with x" , "what about rhythm?" "what about timing?". he loved me asking questions rather than me telling him what i KNOW about the golf swing... he usually answered with "youre going to hate me for a while and think i suck, but you will thank me in the spring"

totally agree with the practice sessions. i started the lessons in the late fall and live in Ohio...so having non golf weather for potentially 4 months was a nightmare...the in-bay practice sessions allowed me to focus on what i thought i needed to work on...draw lines on myself on the screen...hit a few balls, focus on positions...use the INDOOR PUTTING GREEN!!!! :)

time at golf tech is expensive...and if you are not willing to put in the work/time/effort and surrender to the fact that you dont know everything about the golf swing....well then lessons in general might not be for you. their teaching style clearly rubs some people the wrong way, but being from the Tech generation...i love using technology to help teach me something i love.

just my 2cents and dont mean any disrespect to previous poster!

Originally Posted by MPS67

I had a dismal experience with Golftec back few years ago.

The teachers at my local branch analyzed my full swing through video feedback. Then they explained fixed positions sequentially from that at address (grip, stance, posture) all the way through to the finish, in small increments. They did not like to coach swing dynamics, just ideal positions and proper sequence. There was absolutely no talk of tempo, weight transfer dynamics, or anything like that - only positions. I remember being able to inconspicuously observe other golfers from behind plexiglass windows and seeing most of them continuously swing at full speed and high tension. I also recall hearing from the other members in the adjacent booths, the constant drum and loud thuds of their club heads hitting fat into the mats at full force.

The instructors only covered small bits of instruction at a time, and steered clear of discussing anything subsequent to the position of which I was learning. The 30 minute lessons were very structured and organized to cookie cutter methods, and probably contained about 5 minutes of good substance in them. After the brief lessons, they advised me spend two weeks at their practice bays and ingrain the one or two position items that were covered. I diligently practiced, however if I did not reach the ideal position within a small tolerance of acceptable, they did not let me advance. I then had to repeat the same lesson over again. It took me about a year and about 20 of my 30 lessons getting to the top of the back swing. Looking back from how I now swing, I know that my back swing was purely mechanical and performed incorrectly as I didn't take advantage of the club's momentum or any other dynamics. During this time, they advised me to practice the bits leading up to the "top" as well as the subsequent portion of the swing they didn't yet cover. A great way to ingrain a faulty swing mechanic!

All in all, Golftec has a specific teaching approach that isn't for everyone. I felt they were high pressure salesmen promising me results, slowly stringing me along, all while trying to convince me to sign up for another bloc of lessons. IMHO, they love to teach fixed positions. This would be all right, as long as they coupled the instruction with explanations of feels and motions instead of adhering to pure mechanical positions.

The one thing that did enjoy was the use of their training bays. Most of the time, I was able to sign up for a private half hour practice session after work. It was inside, so there wasn't the threat of foul weather. And the booth included helpful video analysis tools that were easy enough for me to use.

[golf4ever]

I did the evaluation and then purchased 10 lessons about 2 years ago.

Pros: Good videos and electronic harness data feedback.  I could see I started slightly over the top on my downswing.  You can review the lesson videos on your home computer.  The data will show the face angle in degrees at impact and degree of shoulder and hip turn.

Cons:  I did not feel there was enough instruction on how to overcome the slight over-the-top-move.  The instruction was only with a 6I; no driver instruction.  I still had a slice with my driver.

My overall iron play improved, but my driver did not.  I think it was worth the money though.