Con Artist Swing Coaches???

[nevets88]

I took lessons at a high priced, you could say high visibility academy - I witnessed stuff like this:

• Pro was teaching an attractive woman and while doing video analysis, said what a nice figure she had and a couple of other unwelcome comments.
• During my lesson, pro says I'm a small guy - look how far I can drive it. Takes driver, hits it far. Does nothing for me.

[Lihu]

My first teacher was maybe a little bit of a con artist.  I mean . .not really .. but a little bit.  He could hit the ball awesome.  He was in his 60's and could drive it pretty close to 300 yards.  He could hit it well over 200 yards sitting in a chair.  He could hit it high, low, draw, fade, yada, yada.  And he would go on and on about what an awesome instructor he was.  I'm not gonna say he was a bad instructor all-around but I didn't learn anything in 8 lessons with him.  He just watched me hit balls and would make comments like "more around", "less hit" . .even though I really had no idea what he was saying.  When I asked him to explain, he would get out this golf instruction book, flip open to a specific page and say "the golf swing is *around* the body", etc, etc.  If I kept asking because I didn't understand  .. like I wanted him to explain what he meant by "don't hit the ball" . .he would just get annoyed.

So either he was a bad teacher . .or he was a being a bit of a con artist with me and pretty much phoning it in - because, now that I've had a decent instructor, I see there's a lot more too it than making cryptic comments and constantly referring to the same diagram about how the golf swing is a circle.

Although you and I agree on pretty much everything we discussed in the past, I have to say that this was probably just an incompatibility issue rather than an "attempt at a con". I can sense that both of you were getting a little bit frustrated in conveying an idea.

He sounds like he has said some relatively standard things, but did not convey them to you in an effective manner. So, he might have been able to teach someone else, and you probably could have learned better from someone else.

[AmazingWhacker]

Although you and I agree on pretty much everything we discussed in the past, I have to say that this was probably just an incompatibility issue rather than an "attempt at a con". I can sense that both of you were getting a little bit frustrated in conveying an idea.

He sounds like he has said some relatively standard things, but did not convey them to you in an effective manner. So, he might have been able to teach someone else, and you probably could have learned better from someone else.

Yes, that's true .. everything he said was standard . .it was his way of explaining it (or not) that was the issue.  The con part was that, looking back, I don't feel he really made that much of an effort.  His lessons weren't cheap.

His way of explaining impact/release was classic . .I wish I had it on video.  He would make a whipping motion with his arms and say "whoosh!" (kind of).  That was the only verbal explanation I ever got . . . ."whoosh!".   He'd say "you don't need this [exaggerated movements], you need this [whipping motion with arms] - Whoosh!.

[Missouri Swede]

That was the only verbal explanation I ever got . . . ."whoosh!".   He'd say "you don't need this [exaggerated movements], you need this [whipping motion with arms] - Whoosh!.

That's clearly wrong.  Everyone knows it's "POW!"

[Lihu]

Yes, that's true .. everything he said was standard . .it was his way of explaining it (or not) that was the issue.  The con part was that, looking back, I don't feel he really made that much of an effort.  His lessons weren't cheap.

His way of explaining impact/release was classic . .I wish I had it on video.  He would make a whipping motion with his arms and say "whoosh!" (kind of).  That was the only verbal explanation I ever got . . . ."whoosh!".   He'd say "you don't need this [exaggerated movements], you need this [whipping motion with arms] - Whoosh!.

I see.

That's clearly wrong.  Everyone knows it's "POW!"

It's "thwack, poof", but to each his own onomatopoeia.

[AmazingWhacker]

I see.

It's "thwack, poof", but to each his own onomatopoeia.

Yeah, what I need is thwack, poof.  What I got is thwick, argg!

[nevets88]

The way this is going Jim Carrey would be an Ace Instructor.

[whatwoodtigerdo]

Yes, that's true .. everything he said was standard . .it was his way of explaining it (or not) that was the issue.  The con part was that, looking back, I don't feel he really made that much of an effort.  His lessons weren't cheap.

His way of explaining impact/release was classic . .I wish I had it on video.  He would make a whipping motion with his arms and say "whoosh!" (kind of).  That was the only verbal explanation I ever got . . . ."whoosh!".   He'd say "you don't need this [exaggerated movements], you need this [whipping motion with arms] - Whoosh!.

Haha, this reminds me of my uncle in bowling. We are on a team together and he is a 195 average and I am working on it. So he tries to help me and the best I can explain it is he says "First you got to line it up like this and then you go zzzzzziiiiiiiipppppooowwwww bbbaaaammmmm!!!!!!!! Strike!!!!!!!" And all I can say is "That's not nearly as helpful as you think but you keep saying it."

[nevets88]

What is this? Adam West's Batman?

[Golfingdad]

Haha, this reminds me of my uncle in bowling. We are on a team together and he is a 195 average and I am working on it. So he tries to help me and the best I can explain it is he says "First you got to line it up like this and then you go zzzzzziiiiiiiipppppooowwwww bbbaaaammmmm!!!!!!!! Strike!!!!!!!" And all I can say is "That's not nearly as helpful as you think but you keep saying it."

That's like when you're playing pictionary and you draw something really easy and the people guessing keep guessing something totally off, but you're done drawing so you just keep pointing at the picture you drew that they already can't recognize.  The more they guess wrong, the harder and more emphatically you point, until you almost knock the board over.

"It was a cat, you dip***t!!!!"

[MS256]

That's clearly wrong.  Everyone knows it's "POW!"

Of course. Any instructor worth his salt knows "POW!" comes well before the much more technical terms "Whoosh" and "Swish".

Actually none of those terms should be used until the golfer has full command and understanding of all of the four letter words associated with golf.

[Lihu]

Yeah, what I need is thwack, poof.  What I got is thwick, argg!

Don't we all. . .