How to proceed?

[iacas]

5 minutes ago, SavvySwede said:

I don't agree with this idea at all. There are lot of "band-aid" fixes out there that may yield positives results at first but end up hurting the golfer long term. A beginner also won't know if they are properly implementing what they learned without already having an understanding of the fundamentals and be able to analyze themselves on video. 

I second this.

[inthehole]

I have been unsuccessful at getting co-workers to stick with golf.    What I found is that you have to have a somewhat athletic nature to be able to hit a golf ball.   I've run across a few people that wanted to play golf that just don't have the basic hand eye coordination & they lose interest fast.    There are others that don't have the attention span or desire to put the time in that's needed in the beginning.    Others simply don't have the time to devote to it.    I've found the ones who pick it up are the ones who tend to OCD out on things ... if they really like the challenge of it, they'll practice without being reminded to do so.    Golf is hard & lends itself to semi-athletic people who tend to dive into things with both feet.    Of course, internet resources make it exponentially easier to learn the golf swing than in years past.

 

Having said that, can't overload a beginner with too much ... I would start with a basic grip; keep left arm straight which will inherently limit the backswing (which is a good thing - I see too many beginners naturally go past parallel like John Daly); head centered throughout swing (no swaying); keep head down and really REALLY stare down the ball (total focus on the ball); swing with a SMOOTH tempo (don't try to kill it - tell them golf is all about hitting the sweet spot, not swinging hard); and lastly set up (everything but driver) with hards slightly forward to establish clubhead lag.

[LagShaft]

Lots of little games you can play before going to the course or the range. My friends and I used to lay a garden hose out in the shape of a green in a field by the lake and see who could hit it the most.  Or chip back and forth to each other in the back yard when we were just trying to get better at making solid contact.  

[9wood]

20 hours ago, SavvySwede said:

. A beginner also won't know if they are properly implementing what they learned without already having an understanding of the fundamentals and be able to analyze themselves on video. 

Step 1  A beginner watches a video which shows him how to correct a problem he's experiencing in his stroke.

Step 2 The beginner then tries out what he learned from watching the video.

Step 3 The beginner notices improvements in his stroke or swing because of the better results it produced

Conclusion - The video therefore was helpful to the beginning golfer

[Rainmaker]

The 99 dollar "get golf ready" thing would be cool.  If even that is too much, check out what your local school district offers to adults.  Ours offers a bunch of "classes" that you can take free or cheap.  2 years ago, my wife and I took the "Intro to Golf" class.  I don't remember how much it was, but it was really cheap. 

We met one night a week for 6 weeks at a local course.  Each class started with a group talk and/or demo and then he would work with us individually on the range.  On our last class, we played 3 holes as a group. 

Then, on top of all that, we got a one month membership in their "players club" which gives you discounted greens fees. 

And the instructor was great - I took private lessons with him for a while after that and still do from time to time. 

[SavvySwede]

2 hours ago, 9wood said:

Step 1  A beginner watches a video which shows him how to correct a problem he's experiencing in his stroke.

Beginner's are rarely able to identify or understand their swing issues.

2 hours ago, 9wood said:

Step 2 The beginner then tries out what he learned from watching the video.

Have you seen some of the tips out there in Golf Digest, Youtube, etc? Many are feel based (feel ain't real) and the beginner isn't going to be able to know if they are doing it right.

2 hours ago, 9wood said:

Step 3 The beginner notices improvements in his stroke or swing because of the better results it produced

A beginner always experiences some level of improvement simply by hitting balls and getting used to the club in their hands. No way to tell what causes what at that level, especially when one is borrowing information from multiple sources which are not necessarily compatible.

Conclusion: Beginners who try to go it alone tend to struggle/ingrain bad habits for good reason

[Rip62]

I would take him to the range a few times and show him what you can. Make sure to let him know about any struggles you had when you first started to let him know that struggling is normal. When you finally go to the course just play 9. Make sure it's not the hardest course and pick a less crowded time of day to play. Just go out and have a good time.

[Pretzel]

Unfortunately, after a few attempts, it became apparent that this friend was not very interested in picking up golf. They said they'd like to try again next summer, but it seems unlikely to me that they will continue.

[inthehole]

9 hours ago, Pretzel said:

Unfortunately, after a few attempts, it became apparent that this friend was not very interested in picking up golf. They said they'd like to try again next summer, but it seems unlikely to me that they will continue.

Unfortunately, that's been my experience far more often than not.   

[vangator]

11 hours ago, Pretzel said:

Unfortunately, after a few attempts, it became apparent that this friend was not very interested in picking up golf. They said they'd like to try again next summer, but it seems unlikely to me that they will continue.

Problem solved.

I would think with a 1 handicap, you'd be perfectly fine getting someone ready to play.

When my son-in-law graduates form med school, he wants to take up the game.  I'll be helping him out.  Another son-in-law, after one year, consistently plays bogey golf and breaks into the 80's now and then.

I start at the range and do some putting and chipping.  See that they have a decent grip.  Always have to get that right thumb off the center of the shaft.  I always start out by showing them that you don't have to swing out of your shoes to hit shots with decent distance.

Keeping the head still is crucial.  Start out with slow swings and then speed them up a little.  I've also found that having someone make slow swings with just the left arm helps them get the sensation of weight transfer, keeping the arm straight etc.

Since it's Christmas, and you have lots of extra cash, maybe you could spring for lessons as a Christmas gift.  I would suggest a small group lesson at first.  The smaller the better, since the instructors tend to pay the most attention to the worst golfers.  If your friend is one of the worst golfers, maybe that would be good.

[iacas]

15 hours ago, SavvySwede said:

Beginner's are rarely able to identify or understand their swing issues.

Have you seen some of the tips out there in Golf Digest, Youtube, etc? Many are feel based (feel ain't real) and the beginner isn't going to be able to know if they are doing it right.

A beginner always experiences some level of improvement simply by hitting balls and getting used to the club in their hands. No way to tell what causes what at that level, especially when one is borrowing information from multiple sources which are not necessarily compatible.

Conclusion: Beginners who try to go it alone tend to struggle/ingrain bad habits for good reason

@9wood, I agree with @SavvySwede in this case.

[9wood]

21 hours ago, SavvySwede said:

Have you seen some of the tips out there in Golf Digest, Youtube, etc? Many are feel based (feel ain't real) and the beginner isn't going to be able to know if they are doing it right.

 

In my own personal experience there are a lot of decent instructional videos available on the internet. I personally KNOW they can be helpful to anyone willing to test out the theories presented in these videos. The person who tries the tips learned in these videos CANNOT HELP BUT KNOW by hitting some balls whether or not the videos personally helped him and whether or not he noticed improvements when following the tips shown in the videos. I personally know that videos were helpful to myself. It was through a video that I learned how to eliminate my slice. It was also through a video that I learned to become more proficient in my chipping game, to the point where I now chip in or darn near chip in quite a few balls into the cup from off the green. If videos were able to help me by following the tips they CAN help anyone.

[SavvySwede]

2 hours ago, 9wood said:

In my own personal experience there are a lot of decent instructional videos available on the internet. I personally KNOW they can be helpful to anyone willing to test out the theories presented in these videos. The person who tries the tips learned in these videos CANNOT HELP BUT KNOW by hitting some balls whether or not the videos personally helped him and whether or not he noticed improvements when following the tips shown in the videos. I personally know that videos were helpful to myself. It was through a video that I learned how to eliminate my slice. It was also through a video that I learned to become more proficient in my chipping game, to the point where I now chip in or darn near chip in quite a few balls into the cup from off the green. If videos were able to help me by following the tips they CAN help anyone.

Judging by the number of struggling golfers out there I don't think your personal experience applies to most people. You found something out there that clicked for you, I'd consider you one of of lucky ones

[iacas]

4 hours ago, 9wood said:

In my own personal experience there are a lot of decent instructional videos available on the internet. I personally KNOW they can be helpful to anyone willing to test out the theories presented in these videos. The person who tries the tips learned in these videos CANNOT HELP BUT KNOW by hitting some balls whether or not the videos personally helped him and whether or not he noticed improvements when following the tips shown in the videos. I personally know that videos were helpful to myself. It was through a video that I learned how to eliminate my slice. It was also through a video that I learned to become more proficient in my chipping game, to the point where I now chip in or darn near chip in quite a few balls into the cup from off the green. If videos were able to help me by following the tips they CAN help anyone.

Here's an example of how this can fail:

• Golfer is hitting the ball fat.
• Golfer hears tip about moving the ball back in his stance.
• Golfer hits the ball better initially, concludes that the tip was a success.
• Golfer, in reality, got worse.

So no, golfers are fooled all the time by band-aid type quick fixes that might actually do more harm than good.

[mvmac]

5 hours ago, 9wood said:

In my own personal experience there are a lot of decent instructional videos available on the internet.

I agree there are, few of them can be found on this site 

Those videos you see should be looked at as more educational rather than "this is what you need to do/feel" videos. A video can't tell you what your priority piece is and that's a huge piece for improvement. This is why we recommend people post their swings before we give them advice. 

For example, not everyone that slices it does the same thing wrong. The end result may be the same, path too far left, but there can be a variety of causes.

[Marty2019]

Here's what I would do.   Take him to the range.  Show him the correct grip and tell him why.   Show him the correct stance and tell him why.  Then tell him, left arm straight on the backswing, right arm straight on the follow through, keep your head still.  Have him start by hitting a ball off a tee.   Then loan him Ben Hogan's book.   If he's not hooked, give up. 

 

 

[mcanadiens]

I am basically in the very same position as the OP's friend. I've been at it four years, but the mass majority of my limited golf budget has been consumed by greens fees and replacing equipment when it becomes necessary. With all the other financial needs, I've had to set myself limits.

As a result of that, i was sort of wandering in the wilderness for the first two years. A friend of mine introduced me to the game and he tried to instruct me. Good guy, but he's not a golf instructor. Some things he had me doing took a long time to discard. The magazines, books and videos are hit or miss. A lot of band-aid fixes really do fool you into thinking you are on the right path. 

Everyone has decide for themselves how to proceed. I do wish I had been more discerning about what I listened to, what I read and watched early on. 

[RussUK]

9 hours ago, mvmac said:

I agree there are, few of them can be found on this site 

Those videos you see should be looked at as more educational rather than "this is what you need to do/feel" videos. A video can't tell you what your priority piece is and that's a huge piece for improvement. This is why we recommend people post their swings before we give them advice. 

For example, not everyone that slices it does the same thing wrong. The end result may be the same, path too far left, but there can be a variety of causes.

Ok, you found me out! .

I think that when many of us High handicappers get something positive out of internet clips its often down to pot luck. I gave up on all that and asked for help from a low hcp family member. the changes suggested worked, but as stated in another thread were similar to another swing "method". 

Golfers can learn by themselves but god its hard!