Is this right.....?

[trickymicky69]

I went for my first lesson last night and had an "interview" with the pro first.

Sat me down for about half an hour and discussed good shots, misses, swing thoughts etc.

Then went onto the range and he diagnosed the following after watching me hit a few balls;

Takeaway too inside

Not enough weight transfer to right side on backswing

Good swing centre

Lack of follow through

Good grip

Not great posture

Good balance

Minor over the top swing

I then spent the next hour not hitting balls, just practicing my takeaway keeping the butt of the club in my groin area.

He says he will not see me again until I have this correct (bearing in mind I haven't got past waist high yet)

He says when I have done it at least 1000 times it will become automatic, then we can work on swing plane

I asked him why and he just said, "consistency"

Thoughts?

[carpediem4300]

bit excessive in my opinion,.....but he sounds like the sort of pro that actually wants to help your game and is willing to work with you over a period of time,...

Id rather that thant he sort of pro that chucks "band aids" at you, then see's you every other day chucking more bandaids at you

my pro has worked on my takeaway and grip for the last 3 lessons,.....over a space of around 5 weeks,......he video's my swing each time to point out what is wrong "this also helps me see that im not being taken for a ride by having the same lessons each time"

[trickymicky69]

thats what I think

I am not looking for a quick fix, just a repeatable swing

[carpediem4300]

stick with it,...even after 3 lessons, tons of range sessions my swing is still a little flat, and im flicking the club way inside my hands,....resulting in getting stuck at the top

i dont imagine 1000 times is required,...but if you like hime dont skip to much and really try to engrain it,....if you go for another lesson and say "that bits done" then he looks at your swing and sees it isnt even close, he will know your rushing and trying to skip through, then you run the risk of him losing interest in you as a pupil and just band aiding you

[iacas]

I'd run away fast, but maybe that's just me.

Never in my life have I given such a lesson or seen any good instructors give such a lesson.

Golfers want to hit golf balls. I'm all for drills, and exaggerated moves particularly as a practice move or in the pre-shot, but "practice your takeaway to here 1000 times" is poppycock.

[trickymicky69]

he followed up today with a video of my swing, a written diagnosis of what i need to improve on and a diary of what we will be doing from here on in

he also asked how many times i had practised the takeaway and I said like 100 times

he said thats fine and the 1000 was only to impress upon me the gravity of learning a proper takeaway

apparently next month I will be working on getting my club on plane at the top and hitting some balls if I can prove I have digested the information

I do trust this guy, he has one our county order of merit 8 times and has worked with some great players and coaches through the years

[carpediem4300]

agreed on the 1000 being way to much,

but i think the general ideal of his teaching method is there,....no band aids, no quick lessons that are repeated weekly just to get money out of him

i think the term 1000 was perhaps to emphasise how much hard work is required??

[2thetee]

Tricky My guess is that your swing is already "repeatable". Just not the kind of repeatable that you are lookiing for

I like the fact that your pro did the interview. I would be more impressed if he asked about your ball flight, what your swing and playing goals were, how much time you can spend practicing, how committed are you to making a swing change, how many lessons do you see yourself taking and how long a period you want to work on your swing, i.e 1 month 3 months 1 season etc. You should answer these questions yourself. Making swing changes can be a bumpy road -- full of failure and success. Are you committed to working through some of the rough spots?

I am not too impressed with a pro watching a few swings and making an instant analysis -- even though the analysis may be spot on. This is why -- its not the best learning tool for you. I would prefer that the pro video your swing from DTL and FO. Show you the video. Draw some lines on the video as to proper positions and so forth. 1. You can see what you actually look like and what you are really doing -- feel is not real. 2. The pro would be teaching you what to look for in the future when you video yourself. You will be able to tell what progress you are making.

Also after analyzing your swing the pro should show you the video of some pro that fits your profile and show you how your particlar flaws could be corrected to look like the video pro. This gives you a look back at your flaws and a look forward as to where you should be. It gives you a road map. It gives you some mileposts to know whether you are actually acomplishing something. It allows you to see whether you are making any measurable progress.

My preference for instruction is

1. Show me the new swing postion in ultra slow motion

2. Show me a drill or drills to practice the position

3. Tell me what I should see on the video, what I should feel and make me verbalize what it is that I have learned

4. Give me  a drill for 50% or 75% swing to incorporate the new position

5. Write down what happened at the lesson both for the instructor and for you -- otherwise neither one of you will know wheter you are making progress

You can practice the slow motion feel inside your house. Doing something correectly 1000 times will make you better. Doing something 500 time right and 500 times wrong will get you know where. Video some practice swings yourself and check your progress.

Also, you are on a great website. Read the Practice section and watch the videos. Lots of good stuff.

I would be more impressed if your instructor was working on

1. Steady head

2. Weight forward

3. Flat left wrist at impact

I know those items would remove the slice and improve your game. good luck!

[trickymicky69]

i did ask him about putting a pro's swing over mine

he says I should work with what i have and not try to make it fit someone else as in a book

[Harmonious]

What is important is how YOU feel after your lessons, not what some anonymous web posters think would be the best for you. If you see positive results, and feel comfortable with your pro and what he is teaching you, that's all you can ask for.

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by trickymicky69

i did ask him about putting a pro's swing over mine

he says I should work with what i have and not try to make it fit someone else as in a book

If YOU are comfortable with this approach, you could improve a lot. It is not the approach that I seek and recommend. I need to know where I am going.

I really like having a model for my swing. I think the number one thing that helped me transform my game and cut my handicap from an index of 18.0 in 2001 ( a personal best at the time) to my personal low last year of under 7.0, was having a clear model.

Having a model has allowed me to work toward the same goal year after year.

So why is my index 10.1 as of this post? If having a model is so great, why did your index go back up? While on a buddy trip to start this year, I played 11 rounds in six days and kicked out all my sub-80 rounds from last summer. Here in Chicago, fall and spring conditions tend to raise scores and no amount of work in the dome can keep your game sharp over the winter. BUT, having a clear model allows me to get back into form faster than I could have imagined in years past. Used to be that breaking 80 was big news. This year, my first round on my home course was 79. I give a lot of credit to having a consistent model.

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by rustyredcab

I really like having a model for my swing.

Having a model has allowed me to work toward the same goal year after year.

Is it Moe Norman, per your avatar?

[trickymicky69]

I do agree to a certain extent.

He asked loads of questions (me being me I asked why)

What are my goals for one month, one year, three years, ten years regarding golf (so he can see how long term I am looking)

How competitive am I (competitive people tend to practice harder apparently)

My worst miss (so he can see where I am losing most shots on the course)

My best part of my game (this was a strange one but he wanted to see if I understood that there has to be a best part to focus on the good when things aren't going so well, i.e big swing changes)

My worst part of my game (putting, chipping,full swing etc)

Do I play/practice on my own or with others (people that are wiling to practice on their own have less excuses for missing lessons)

How long have I been playing

Whats my most destructive swing thought (don't go right!)

I asked him a few questions like

How can I improve my distance (he said if I sort my accuracy of strike this will look after itself)

How do I incorporate my changes into my games (he said try not to, just go out and play, I guess he means dont get a cluttered head)

How often should I practice (he hit me back with a question, how good do I want to get)

So there it is

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by Harmonious

Is it Moe Norman, per your avatar?

Yes model is Moe Norman.