Drills -- Do they just not work for some people?

[Sykology]

I took my first golf lesson with a new instructor today. Well, this was my first golf lesson after a now-regrettable two year hiatus from golf. Anyway, he quickly noticed that my swing was too vertical and that my alignment was off. Rather than just showing me what to do, he had me stand awkwardly with my right foot extremely far back out of my normal stance and try to make a swing at the ball that would hopefully produce a hook. Unfortunately, this was just awkward for me and I didn't feel I was learning anything. I think he was just trying to get me to stay down through impact, as I have a tendency to sort of lift out of my shots, but I'm not sure.

I just don't think I am someone who can learn golf mechanics from these sort of drills that are so distinct from the actual golf swing. Am I just being unwilling to try a new way of practice? I mean, I admit that my swing is in dire need of change, but I don't want to blow money on lessons with this gentleman if he is just going to keep forcing me to do drills that don't really strike a note with me. Should I look for an instructor who is more willing to accept that I am a visual learner and just sort of teach me new things and then give me an opportunity to incorporate them into my swing under supervision?

So I guess the ultimate question is: Are drills that are fairly distinct from the normal golf swing effective for all golfers, or do some people just need to actively try to incorporate things into their swing? I'm 18 and just getting back to golf. I want to become a competitive golfer, and yeah, it would be my dream to make a living playing this game, but I am quite sure that is probably not in the cards. I just want to be as good as I can and I don't want to waste time with inefficient methods.

Thanks!

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Sykology

I took my first golf lesson with a new instructor today. Well, this was my first golf lesson after a now-regrettable two year hiatus from golf. Anyway, he quickly noticed that my swing was too vertical and that my alignment was off. Rather than just showing me what to do, he had me stand awkwardly with my right foot extremely far back out of my normal stance and try to make a swing at the ball that would hopefully produce a hook. Unfortunately, this was just awkward for me and I didn't feel I was learning anything. I think he was just trying to get me to stay down through impact, as I have a tendency to sort of lift out of my shots, but I'm not sure.

I just don't think I am someone who can learn golf mechanics from these sort of drills that are so distinct from the actual golf swing. Am I just being unwilling to try a new way of practice? I mean, I admit that my swing is in dire need of change, but I don't want to blow money on lessons with this gentleman if he is just going to keep forcing me to do drills that don't really strike a note with me. Should I look for an instructor who is more willing to accept that I am a visual learner and just sort of teach me new things and then give me an opportunity to incorporate them into my swing under supervision?

So I guess the ultimate question is: Are drills that are fairly distinct from the normal golf swing effective for all golfers, or do some people just need to actively try to incorporate things into their swing? I'm 18 and just getting back to golf. I want to become a competitive golfer, and yeah, it would be my dream to make a living playing this game, but I am quite sure that is probably not in the cards. I just want to be as good as I can and I don't want to waste time with inefficient methods.

I'm going to share my opinion. Take it however you'd prefer.

First, the whole idea of "dropping your right foot back" to hit a draw is lame. Doing so slows down the rate at which your hips and ultimately your shoulders rotate during the downswing, and should promote a more in-to-out path into the golf ball. The problem with this "drill" is that it doesn't really relate very well to turning it from a "drill" into a real golf swing where you don't just drop your right foot well back, but try to hit a draw from a normal stance.

It's a commonly used drill by, uhhhh, I'll say "less than spectacular" instructors because it generally works. But it doesn't bridge - you don't learn anything from it, really.

Virtually all of the drills I'll recommend to students are similar to hitting a golf ball. We might exaggerate the crap out of something - for example, I hit 50 balls on two or three occasions recently duck-hooking the driver 100 yards with a little half swing, exaggerating some elbow and wrist conditions. That's obviously not "how" I'll play, but the only difference was how exaggerated it was and the slower/shorter swing I was using to generate those "shots." I wasn't hitting the shots by closing the clubface 20 degrees or something else like that, I was still making a "regular golf motion" it was just exaggerated.

Your drill wasn't like that. Your instructor can "call" it a drill, but you weren't really likely to learn something from it. Maybe he wanted to slow down the rates at which your hips and shoulders turn - fine, if you want to do that, do a drill from a normal golf setup where you have the golfer not rotate their shoulders and hips, even if they do it to an extreme amount.

That wasn't a drill - it was cheating so the instructor could say "see, I taught you to hit a draw" before you have to pay him.

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by Sykology

he had me stand awkwardly with my right foot extremely far back out of my normal stance and try to make a swing at the ball that would hopefully produce a hook. Unfortunately, this was just awkward for me and I didn't feel I was learning anything. I think he was just trying to get me to stay down through impact, as I have a tendency to sort of lift out of my shots, but I'm not sure.

How were you hitting the ball prior to the drill and then afterwards? Was there any change?

I know you say you are not sure, but it seems weird you would think he was trying to get you to stay down by doing this drill when it was quite clearly a hook drill.

Like Erik, I'm not a fan of this drill. I admit to using it earlier on in my teaching career, but noticed it had the effect of making people swing the club too much to the inside and then lift their arms up. I much prefer to use something that will block an incorrect clubpath and provide immediate feedback to the student i.e. a range basket or if this is too off putting a small water bottle with just enough water in it so it doesn't get blown over.

[Adam Young]

Originally Posted by iacas

I'm going to share my opinion. Take it however you'd prefer.

First, the whole idea of "dropping your right foot back" to hit a draw is lame. Doing so slows down the rate at which your hips and ultimately your shoulders rotate during the downswing, and should promote a more in-to-out path into the golf ball. The problem with this "drill" is that it doesn't really relate very well to turning it from a "drill" into a real golf swing where you don't just drop your right foot well back, but try to hit a draw from a normal stance.

It's a commonly used drill by, uhhhh, I'll say "less than spectacular" instructors because it generally works. But it doesn't bridge - you don't learn anything from it, really.

Virtually all of the drills I'll recommend to students are similar to hitting a golf ball. We might exaggerate the crap out of something - for example, I hit 50 balls on two or three occasions recently duck-hooking the driver 100 yards with a little half swing, exaggerating some elbow and wrist conditions. That's obviously not "how" I'll play, but the only difference was how exaggerated it was and the slower/shorter swing I was using to generate those "shots." I wasn't hitting the shots by closing the clubface 20 degrees or something else like that, I was still making a "regular golf motion" it was just exaggerated.

Your drill wasn't like that. Your instructor can "call" it a drill, but you weren't really likely to learn something from it. Maybe he wanted to slow down the rates at which your hips and shoulders turn - fine, if you want to do that, do a drill from a normal golf setup where you have the golfer not rotate their shoulders and hips, even if they do it to an extreme amount.

That wasn't a drill - it was cheating so the instructor could say "see, I taught you to hit a draw" before you have to pay him.

I am a golf coach too, and i would generally agree with this statement. I think there can be some advantages to drills if someone is very feel oriented and can translate that feel, but I have often seen also what iacas describes.

Personally, and i'm always harping on about this to the point it is probably annoying now, it doesn't sound like he addressed what you are trying to do differently with the golf ball at impact. Usually in this case, although a drill may force a certain position initially, players tend to find a way of cheating the drill eventually and getting their old impact back. Also, if the concept of impact isn't addressed properly it probably won't translate to a normal swing.

I agree with Iacas that, if you are to do a drill it is probably better to do it in a sense that is similar to a normal golf swing, if not exaggerated. Although i'm sure there are some drills I probably use, I really can't think of any right now that are dissimilar to a normal golfing movement.

[Sykology]

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

I know you say you are not sure, but it seems weird you would think he was trying to get you to stay down by doing this drill when it was quite clearly a hook drill.

He had me taking half swings and kept telling me I was lifting up out of the shot and needed to fix that. He really seemed to be focused on me staying down through the shot more than the inevitable hook, which I never really accomplished, because my foot was way back.

I'm glad that I'm not off base with this and am making the right decision to try to find a new instructor. I won't deny that he fixed my set-up position, as I was standing too tall and wasn't bending enough at my waist. He also identified that my swing path was too vertical, which I pretty much already knew. It just doesn't feel right when I try to take the club back with a more horizontal component, and I just can't get used to it. Can anybody recommend a good video on swing plane? I really think this is the main thing preventing me from striking the ball solidly on a regular basis.

He also kept telling me I needed to keep my upper body behind the ball at impact. This surprised me because I thought getting in front of the ball created lag and a more penetrating ball flight. He responded that your weight and lower body need to be in front of the ball but your upper body needs to be behind the ball and tilted upward slightly. I did some research and this looks correct, I would just like confirmation before I practice the wrong thing.

Thanks!

[turbosdad]

Honestly if you dont feel comfortable with this guy, then get someone else.  It appears that he did not  convince you to believe in him, or explain enough that you agree with what you are doing.  I once had a good player tell me that he took lessons from several instructors and learned something from each of them.  My experience has been the same.

I will not do a drill unless I know what it is we are trying to achieve.  Some of us are that way.