Who do you take golf advice from?

[jbishop15]

I trust my instructor, the instructors on this site, and a few of the members here. Otherwise, I rarely listen to anyone about swing tips.

 

[mchepp]

Best advice I can give is find smart people and soak up what they have to say like a sponge. Finding the smart people make take some time but as others have said the two guys who run this site are a great start. @iacas and @mvmac

There are more, these guys aren't the only two, but they also know many of the smart people as well. 

Edited October 13, 2015 by mchepp
Spaces

[mvmac]

Just thought it would be cool to hear from everyone where they get their golf instruction from?

This guy of course  

Biggest influences on my own golf game and knowledge (in no particular order).

@iacas, @david_wedzik, Mario Bevilacqua, Dana Dahlquist.

Edited October 13, 2015 by mvmac

[Big Lex]

From everyone....and from no one. 

I listen to and contemplate anything I hear about the swing or how to play. However I only follow or use things that I've tried and believe in. 

My philosophy is that even if there is a piece of advice or technique change that is genuinely correct, if I am not confident about it, don't believe in it completely, etc., then it is likely to fail for me under pressure. At those moments when i most need to make my best swing, I will doubt it, and doubt ruins swings and shots. I'd rather be 100% committed to an idea that is only 80% correct than be 50% committed to an idea that is 100% correct. 

Of course, I'm not as good as I want to be, so maybe I need to rethink this.

[Gator Hazard]

I just started and have only had one lesson with a golf instructor who has been doing it for over 20 years.  So far, the one hour he spent with me has been wonderful, just a few pieces of key information after watching and videoing your swing can be monumental.  For now, I will continue to listen to him and do what he says along with a very few people on this website who are instructors as well @iacas and @mvmac.  I figure if I try and listen to too many people it is going to get confusing and contradictory.

Edited October 13, 2015 by Gator Hazard

[Brakkus]

Sometimes at the start you maybe try everything then you get more selective with advice you take. Perhaps an instructor or a swing method that fits your body type and style. I find it hard when a fellow golfer starts giving advice or when I'm asked for advice never goes well so I try to avoid that. You may ignore great advice from a very highly regarded source because it conflicts with your mechanics or physicality.

I like reading about golf so you can never know enough even if it is to dismiss not using it. It helps to know as much as possible.

On the OP question about Tiger. It has definitely not helped since around 2010 forward. All the swing changes have confused him. As Bagger said to Junuh we gotta find your authentic swing. Tiger lost himself and his game somewhere along the way not Foley's fault or Como's. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[14ledo81]

I listen to the guys on this site.

[Vinsk]

My life/work schedule is quite sporadic so I'm still trying to find a live instructor. Mike Bender is only an hour away so a definite possibility. But in all my years of golfing (20+) I really haven't seen better teaching than what I've gotten from mvmac and Iacas. Times have changed as said before, golf has changed...the Internet has become so powerful (good and bad). I respect and trust these guys because they explain and show hard evidence of what they teach. I've heard Johnny Miller, Nick Faldo, many other pros give poor advice. Not because they're stupid, they just "think" they're doing something when today's technology shows they're clearly not or weren't. My 2 cents.

[Kenny Lee]

I learned everything I know from watching Caddyshack.

Gunga Galunga

[Gunther]

Never had formal instruction but I do listen to advice from those I deem better than me.  Typically I don't care for unsolicited advice, I prefer to work it out on my own.

These past 2 years, that's not serving me well as my hcap has increased by 3 and I can't seem to get it back down but I'm stubborn and confident that old driver swing will return.  Once it does, look the f out.

[JP golf]

I think it has to make sense to you.  To me I have to understand the advice and it has to be logical.  I will listen to a lot of people but don't always agree with their advice.  I will try to choose a priority piece and work on that so that I don't over complicate something needlessly.  I personally am not as concerned with how my backswing looks (not too much) as long as I am where I need to be at the top.  I think you do need a consistent setup, grip and alignment method.  You have to put yourself in a position to have a repeatable move and that starts before you move at all. 

I think it helps to have a swing philosophy but not an overly complex one.  I realize I don't know as much as I would like about the golf swing - I'll give some basic advice on the course or on mental approach to the game but usually only when asked.

From everyone....and from no one. 

I listen to and contemplate anything I hear about the swing or how to play. However I only follow or use things that I've tried and believe in. 

My philosophy is that even if there is a piece of advice or technique change that is genuinely correct, if I am not confident about it, don't believe in it completely, etc., then it is likely to fail for me under pressure. At those moments when i most need to make my best swing, I will doubt it, and doubt ruins swings and shots. I'd rather be 100% committed to an idea that is only 80% correct than be 50% committed to an idea that is 100% correct. 

Of course, I'm not as good as I want to be, so maybe I need to rethink this.

Missed this, but I understand this as well...  I kinda fall in the same boat, but I'm trying to learn more about my swing so I can trust it!

[DrvFrShow]

I trust the guy from whom I've been taking lessons this year. He's worked with me through my series of injuries and we finally seem to have things on track. Too bad it's the end of the season. I've learned that taking advice from too many people can be confusing and it is best to stick with one teacher. I have a priority piece I'm working on.

Some advice from other sources isn't bad if it doesn't fundamentally contradict what you're learning. I work with alignment sticks with marks on them set to shoulder width apart. This is helping me with consistency in set up. We can be a little off in our stances from one day to the next especially while we're learning, and the marks help alleviate that problem at the range. Another thing I got from elsewhere is the group of five drill. It seems like that fifth ball in the set being the last ball takes on more psychological meaning - more pressure to hit it well, so it makes things more interesting than hitting ball after ball.

[saevel25]

I thought this was the best part of the book, because it made me realize how many sources I was trying to improve my golf game from!  I have a swing coach, but was constantly going on YouTube for instruction as well.  I found that the mixed theories are extremely harmful to a golf game.  

If you have a good instructor then there is no need to constantly go outside of their instruction on your own and try to implement it into your swing. That doesn't mean you can't go out and get more information and taking it to your instructor to discuss it. Then you can flesh out if it would work for your swing. 
 

I take advice from the best of the best and less teachers.. Instruction from Greg Norman,Jack Nicklaus,Tom Watson Tiger woods etc.. They offer little tid bits that always make sense and of course it's great because they have careers to back it up.

Golfers are some of the worst teachers. Primarily because all they know is their swing. They only talk in those terms. We are not them. Good instructors know this and know how to work with you as a golfer and what works for your swing.