Advice for a junior

[Rob Weaver]

I don't know much about golf instruction having never taken any formal lessons.

My son is 14, he took up the sport 3 years ago and has received regular instruction from the beginning.  He has also put much work in on the range and course.  But he doesn't think he is progressing commensurately.  And I must agree as I see the same fundamental flaws in his swing that were present 2 years ago.

He really wants to get better and is willing to work hard to do so.  I am looking to help him put together a new game plan, but of course I don't know anything.  I thought maybe someone here might be able to guide me.

[sofingaw]

Without seeing his swing, or knowing anything about his swing flaws, I would suggest, in general:

1) Identify the primary problem first.

2) Focus SPECIFICALLY on that problem and do not quit until it's satisfactory.

3) Find the next biggest problem.

4) Repeat.

[awmgolfer]

The biggest thing that will help get you started is selecting goals. Your son should set short term and long term. Our season is short so my short term goals is per season but it can be 6th months or even a year. Also make sure they are realistic, not going from an 18 handicap to scratch in one season, be realistic. For example my short term goal is to get my handicap down to a 2. My longer term goals is reaching scratch and qualifying for the Maine Amateur Open. Then I sit down and look at my game and figure out what I need to do to reach those goals and then work my tail off to reach them. The key though is having those short term goals so you have those quicker milestones that you hit as you go.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by Rob Weaver

I don't know much about golf instruction having never taken any formal lessons.

My son is 14, he took up the sport 3 years ago and has received regular instruction from the beginning.  He has also put much work in on the range and course.  But he doesn't think he is progressing commensurately.  And I must agree as I see the same fundamental flaws in his swing that were present 2 years ago.

He really wants to get better and is willing to work hard to do so.  I am looking to help him put together a new game plan, but of course I don't know anything.  I thought maybe someone here might be able to guide me.

Add a goal to the swing and playing goals:  Learn the rules.

[Rob Weaver]

Originally Posted by sofingaw

Without seeing his swing, or knowing anything about his swing flaws, I would suggest, in general:

1) Identify the primary problem first.

2) Focus SPECIFICALLY on that problem and do not quit until it's satisfactory.

3) Find the next biggest problem.

4) Repeat.

I like this approach.  My next question is how to go making that change?  I was going to send him to a golf camp over spring break, but as much as those cost, I could get him a week of individualized instruction from a local teacher (not the one he is currently using).  Or is that too much instruction in too small a time interval?

[Rob Weaver]

Originally Posted by turtleback

Add a goal to the swing and playing goals:  Learn the rules.

Great catch.  I see this gap in many juniors.

[cipher]

Originally Posted by Rob Weaver

I like this approach.  My next question is how to go making that change?  I was going to send him to a golf camp over spring break, but as much as those cost, I could get him a week of individualized instruction from a local teacher (not the one he is currently using).  Or is that too much instruction in too small a time interval?

Yes, I think the instruction you are getting for him is not working all that well .  I took a couple lessons with an instructor in person but could not help feeeling inferior and struggled understanding what he was trying to tell me.  In the end I just ended up feeling inept.  Maybe try a different instructor, or a different method.  I don't really believe in high priced camps over personal instruction either.  Have you checked out evolvr, the on-line lessons through golf evolution.  The reason I feel that it worked for me in actually making swing changes, is you get a great visual of what you are doing, and what you need to do.  I think this kind of lessons would really click well with a younger person.  You can keep the video lessons as your own personal library of instruction.  If he has been taking lessons for the last two years and his swing faults look the same as it did before, something is not working.   Also evolvr is much cheaper than regular lessons.

[chriskzoo]

Well, the world needs ditch diggers, too.

[Mr. Desmond]

This may help:

http://thesandtrap.com/t/55426/introducing-five-simple-keys

[Wisguy]

I'm debating where to send my kid, too, but she's young enough and has only been playing for a year, so that I don't think we've maxed out the potential at the junior program where where we went last year.  The problem was that the instructor is a guy who loves golf, likes and gets along great with everyone (knew dozens of course regulars by name), likes kids, but did not show much interest at all in really teaching the kids in the program.  In the first few lessions, there were only two kids and he mentioned in an aside to me that the other kid had already had one or two previous sessions' worth of experience, and was hopeless.  Yes, her up-and-down stroke was as close to what one sees watching someone use a pickaxe to dig a hole as it resembled a golf swing.  All aspects of her game clearly required a lot of help, but he mostly left her to whacking balls 10 feet downrange.  The pro had given up on that kid and spent about 80% of his time instructing my daughter, when he wasn't smacking a few stylish pitches at the target flags with his wedge.  It benefitted my daughter, who does have some natural skills, but was not fair to the other kid and I could not help wondering what would happen with my daughter when the next Michelle Wie or Lexi Thompson came along in the course and he switched his attention to her instead.  Even though my daughter was one of his favorites when more kids enrolled in the second session, week after week she still had the same too-upright swing plane.  As kids often do, she stubbornly refused to take advice from dad and I had to ask the pro to work on that issue with her, something that a high handicapper with a sometimes vague knowledge of the golf swing like myself should not have had to do.

From my experience at least, it seems that a fair number of instructors and coaches out there who teach in junior sports programs don't actually enjoy teaching kids and do a half-assed job of it, at least at the beginning levels.  We had the same problem when I enrolled my daughter last year in tennis lessons at the local country club.  Both of the two assistant pros in charge of the youngest lessons seemed pretty bored with it and just ran the kids through a lot of the same drills week after week without actually doing any instruction on grip, strokes, footwork, etc... instead showing off their volleying skills trying to keep the kids' shots in play.  A five or six year old in his/her first weeks of lessons isn't going to appreciate the difference between a Western and a Continental grip, but they needed to be doing something more than just lobbing the large foam training balls to the kids.  I had to go up to the two pros before a lession and tell them that I noticed my daughter was missing most of her shots because she was standing too close to the ball and it was coming inside of her swing every time and ask them to work on that with her.  An NTRP 3.5 rated player shouldn't be telling a tennis pro how to do his job and I didn't want to seem like the Overbearing Sports Dad, but was I supposed to just do nothing as my daughter was swinging-and-missing time after time?  This year we enrolled her in the next level of lessons and I was really pleased to see that within the first five minutes, a different assistant pro called her up to the net, adjusted her grip, and gave her 30 seconds of actual instruction, resulting in a lot more shots going in and a big smile on my daughter's face - that's the kind of instruction I want my kid to receive in any sport.

Unfortunately, at another local course where I was thinking of enrolling her in golf lessons this spring, we had an issue with an instructor who seemed to like kids too much that knocked that program out of consideration.  We stopped by their booth at the annual pre-season golf expo and one of the assistants who does their junior program (she looked a bit like Laura Davies) was inappropriately friendly with my daughter, putting her arm around her and petting her head,which weirded both of us out and we left quickly.  Weeks later, when talking about golf for the upcoming season, my daughter suddenly said "Daddy, please don't make me have lessons with that creepy lady who kept touching me."  When I realized how disturbing that encounter had been for my daughter (even though it probably - I hope - was simply innocent friendliness),  I wrote to the head pro, described the incident, and suggested a reminder to the assistants that it is not appropriate to touch kids (outside of purely instructional adjustment of hands, arms, shoulders, etc...).  In the post-Jerry Sandusky world, I don't understand how anyone would think that anying more than a high-five is appropriate with a kid.

Rob, I'd say that if you have seen the same swing flaws over the course of two seasons, your son's instructor is not doing a good job and you should find someone else.  At a bare minimum, approach the instructor after a lesson, say "I've noticed that my kid has XYZ swing flaw - I'm wondering why you haven't addressed that in your lessons" and see what he/she says.  Maybe call up some local high school and college golf team coaches and ask them for a recommendation?

[dfreuter415]

Originally Posted by Wisguy

1) I'm debating where to send my kid, too, but she's young enough and has only been playing for a year, so that I don't think we've maxed out the potential at the junior program where where we went last year.... her up-and-down stroke was as close to what one sees watching someone use a pickaxe to dig a hole as it resembled a golf swing.  Even though my daughter was one of his favorites when more kids enrolled in the second session, week after week she still had the same too-upright swing plane.  As kids often do, she stubbornly refused to take advice from dad... From my experience at least, it seems that a fair number of instructors and coaches out there who teach in junior sports programs don't actually enjoy teaching kids and do a half-assed job of it, at least at the beginning levels.

2) Unfortunately, at another local course where I was thinking of enrolling her in golf lessons this spring, we had an issue with an instructor who seemed to like kids too much that knocked that program out of consideration.  Weeks later, when talking about golf for the upcoming season, my daughter suddenly said "Daddy, please don't make me have lessons with that creepy lady who kept touching me."

Wiseguy,

I would like to address your post in two sections.

1) I was a high school golf coach (now retired) and had a daughter who was a scholastic golfer, and I can tell you from experience many parents use junior golf programs for the younger children as a baby sitting service. I agree that most instructors are not the best, but in this setting, I feel that there goal is just to keep the children interested in the game and not to worry so much about mechanics. If you want your daughter to really make progress, I suggest you get her private lessons. That is what I did for my daughter. After going through group lessons, she wanted to learn more, so I had her take lessons with the assistant pros at a local club. This was cheaper than going to the head pro, and the lessons were top quality. I would then take her to the range and have her work on the points from her lesson. In the end, she lettered for 4 years on the high school varsity (2 years as number one on the team), and became a champion golfer in her section.

2)  I am glad that your daughter spoke up, and that you acted on it. I know that there are some "touchy-feely" instructors in the game, but if your daughter was feeling "creepy" the situation had to be addressed.

[dfreuter415]

Originally Posted by Rob Weaver

I don't know much about golf instruction having never taken any formal lessons.

My son is 14, he took up the sport 3 years ago and has received regular instruction from the beginning.  He has also put much work in on the range and course.  But he doesn't think he is progressing commensurately.  And I must agree as I see the same fundamental flaws in his swing that were present 2 years ago.

He really wants to get better and is willing to work hard to do so.  I am looking to help him put together a new game plan, but of course I don't know anything.  I thought maybe someone here might be able to guide me.

Rob,

I was a high school golf coach, but more to the point of your post, I was a high school band director (now retired), and taught private music lessons for more than 35 years.

While I like to think I was an excellent teacher, and have many students who won a number of musical honors, I am not naive enough to realize that there are several reasons when students need to change private instructors.

1) Sometimes a teacher and student (golf or music) just don't click. If a teacher no longer inspires their student to want to work and improve, it is time to change. It doesn't seem like this is the case here.

2) Sometimes a student outgrows a teacher.  In my 35 years of teaching I had a few students whose musical talent needed more nurturing than I could provide, so I sent them to local symphony musicians whose background and abilities could take my student to another level.

3) Finally, if you can see a flaw in your son's swing, then the instructor possibly lacks the necessary teaching skills to affect the necessary changes, and it is definitely time for a change, regardless of how much your son likes his teacher.