which method of instruction do you prefer?

[Dave325]

As I have only became serious about truly learning the game of golf this year (even though I have been playing it for many years)... I have used a combination of training methods including video online series instruction, books on technique (currently reading LSW, Evolvr online swing analysis (which helped the most) and numerous youtube videos. However, I have never taken a personal lesson with a pro (face to face). I have been toying with this idea, but thought I would ask for input here. Should I take lessons? And if so, how do I find a good instructor that supports and uses the method of instruction that I am currently using (5SK)? Or, should I just keep doing the current modes of instruction?

[iacas]

@georgep and @saevel25 come to Erie from Columbus and Dayton, respectively. FWIW.

I'm not one to toot my own horn or anything, so I'll just say that only.

[gregsandiego]

38 minutes ago, Dave325 said:

As I have only became serious about truly learning the game of golf this year (even though I have been playing it for many years)... I have used a combination of training methods including video online series instruction, books on technique (currently reading LSW, Evolvr online swing analysis (which helped the most) and numerous youtube videos. However, I have never taken a personal lesson with a pro (face to face). I have been toying with this idea, but thought I would ask for input here. Should I take lessons? And if so, how do I find a good instructor that supports and uses the method of instruction that I am currently using (5SK)? Or, should I just keep doing the current modes of instruction?

I haven't taken a ton but I've had a couple groups and a couple privates, The private lessons are much more valuable.  To find a good instructor I'd suggest going for an intro lesson and decide later if you want to come back for more.

[mvmac]

1 hour ago, Dave325 said:

Should I take lessons?

Yes and you should make the trip to Erie to see @iacas. Make a day or a weekend out of it. It'll be well worth it to understand your priority, how to work on it, what drills to do and you walk away with detailed notes and before/after pics.

[Golfingdad]

All else equal (meaning that you're taking a lesson from the same person giving you your online lessons) and in person is considerably more valuable very often.  :)

[Patch]

If you can find a qualified swing guru that you are comfortable with, then live lessons are the way to go. The only thing better would one that is also a club builder.  You should also plan on several lessons to get the full bang for your bucks. Obviously find such a qualified person is going to be toughrt.

If live lessons are not available then continue on with what you are doing while working harder on those parts of your game that are holding you back. 

[saevel25]

10 hours ago, Dave325 said:

Should I take lessons? And if so, how do I find a good instructor that supports and uses the method of instruction that I am currently using (5SK)? Or, should I just keep doing the current modes of instruction?

In person instruction is significantly more beneficial than any other type of instruction. Just to have that immediate feedback from an instructor is invaluable to improving the golf swing. Evolvr is good once you figure out your priority piece to fix such that you can get occasional feedback. To figure out what you need to do and really drive home how you should go about improving your swing, nothing beats in person instruction from a good instructor. 

8 hours ago, mvmac said:

Yes and you should make the trip to Erie to see @iacas. Make a day or a weekend out of it. It'll be well worth it to understand your priority, how to work on it, what drills to do and you walk away with detailed notes and before/after pics.

I agree with this 100%. Erik is an amazing instructor. 
 

[nevets88]

10 hours ago, Dave325 said:

As I have only became serious about truly learning the game of golf this year (even though I have been playing it for many years)... I have used a combination of training methods including video online series instruction, books on technique (currently reading LSW, Evolvr online swing analysis (which helped the most) and numerous youtube videos. However, I have never taken a personal lesson with a pro (face to face). I have been toying with this idea, but thought I would ask for input here. Should I take lessons? And if so, how do I find a good instructor that supports and uses the method of instruction that I am currently using (5SK)? Or, should I just keep doing the current modes of instruction?

You've already done some online lessons w/Evolvr - it seems the next logical step, since you thought it was beneficial, is to take an in person lesson at Golf Evolution. Some people get more out of online lessons than others, but in person, live, for sure, you'll get a lot more done faster. Personally, for me, live lessons are better.

I drove from NY to Erie a couple of times to see @iacas and it was well worth it. Others have come from much further places. You'll end the day getting more than you expected.

Basically my order of preference for lessons is:

1. Live/in-person
2. Video conference (Skype/Facetime/Google Hangout)
3. Delayed video

 

[Dave325]

10 hours ago, iacas said:

@georgep and @saevel25 come to Erie from Columbus and Dayton, respectively. FWIW.

I'm not one to toot my own horn or anything, so I'll just say that only.

I feel honored to even be considered as a student for you guys. Thank you so much. I think I'll try to make this work over the winter since you guys have an indoor facility. How do I go about setting this up? You can unicast me with the info. I am originally from Cleveland, which would have made for a shorter trip (smile)... But Cincinnati is 5 hour drive, so probably need to make a weekend trip with the wife. Thanks for all the great advice everyone! 

[Kenny Lee]

For me, there is no substitute for time on the range with a bucket of balls and a competent professional armed with a Trackman, and a video camera.

Anything else is a waste of time. And money.

[Abu3baid]

7 minutes ago, Kenny Lee said:

For me, there is no substitute for time on the range with a bucket of balls and a competent professional armed with a Trackman, and a video camera.

Anything else is a waste of time. And money.

 

Couldn't agree more!!!!

[iacas]

3 hours ago, Kenny Lee said:

For me, there is no substitute for time on the range with a bucket of balls and a competent professional armed with a Trackman, and a video camera.

Anything else is a waste of time. And money.

FWIW, we teach multiple Tour players (and I'm not talking Gateway Tour or something) players on evolvr.

And FlightScope is better than Trackman.

FWIW, obviously, I agree that in-person lessons are the best. But the instructor has to be good. Not just good with the information, but good with you, and good at prioritizing, too.

I'll take (and clearly hundreds of others would too) competent online instruction over poor in-person instruction. And I'll take good online instruction over no instruction, too, of course.

[RandallT]

Ran across this article recently:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/11/11/improving-your-athletic-form/

Quote

In golf, for instance, he said, “the most important aspect of biomechanics is that the club head must make contact with the ball in the exact way the player wishes contact to occur.” Backswing, downswing and club head speed all must be in service of creating that perfect, desired meeting of club and ball, he said.

But if you analyze professional golfers “whose ball-striking statistics can be very similar,” he said, “they have quite different swing techniques.” Similarly, anyone watching the recent baseball World Series or New York City Marathon could have noted subtle variations in how the best hitters stood and swung and the fastest racers strode.

So for most activities, there is no single, quantifiable “best” form, Dr. Keogh said, or every top performer would employ it.

On the other hand, many sports can be done quite badly, and these apps may be able to save us from “very big errors” in form, said Stuart Phillips, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Canada, who frequently studies weight training and other forms of exercise. That makes them potentially of benefit for people trying out a new sport.

However, it is likely that electronic coaching will never be as potent as the flesh-and-blood version. According to Dr. Phillips, the psychology of skills acquisition suggests that “people learn through imitation of behaviors modeled by coaches or trainers and corrective feedback.”

We respond best to repeated — and hands-on — suggestions and tweaks from people, not machines.

 

[Rainmaker]

I've had experience with all methods . .self teaching, dvd's/tips/forums/golf videos, wrong instructor, right instructor.  

First and foremost, there has been nothing more effective for me than an in-person lesson with the right instructor.  This guy was able to look at my swing and tell me what to focus on and gave me drills to practice that worked for me.  

I've had varying results with self learning - at first it was almost worthless.  The better my swing has gotten, the more I am able to self learn .. ie . .hitting balls on video and diagnosing my own issues.  

Same with books, videos, tips, etc .  at first it was not very helpful.  I really enjoyed, for example, Shawn Clement's videos . .but they didn't really help me that much when was first starting out.  I can re-watch the exact same video today and it will be more helpful to me now than it was then.  I guess I just have a better over context to put the information in the video into.  

The least helpful was my in person lessons with the wrong instructor.  I felt like he was a "human golf video".  I felt like he told me what to work on based on what he *always* tells students of my ability to work on . .not necessarily based on my particular swing or physical abilities.  

Something like on-line lessons is something I want to try in the near future.  I am not sure it would've been as good for me as in-person when I first got started . .but now I think it would be almost just as good as in-person lessons.

 

 

 

 

[RFKFREAK]

On 11/12/2015, 11:27:42, mvmac said:

Yes and you should make the trip to Erie to see @iacas. Make a day or a weekend out of it. It'll be well worth it to understand your priority, how to work on it, what drills to do and you walk away with detailed notes and before/after pics.

The weekend part is a great idea.  I think Erie is like 10 or 12 hours from Albany and making a weekend of it would be the only way to do it. 

[iacas]

21 minutes ago, RFKFREAK said:

The weekend part is a great idea.  I think Erie is like 10 or 12 hours from Albany and making a weekend of it would be the only way to do it. 

5:45. Heck, it's only 7 hours on a train.

[RFKFREAK]

1 minute ago, iacas said:

5:45. Heck, it's only 7 hours on a train.

Hmm, not as bad as I thought.

If a couple of things over the next few weeks fall my way like I hope they will then I'd actually consider it. 

[mvmac]

39 minutes ago, RFKFREAK said:

Hmm, not as bad as I thought.

If a couple of things over the next few weeks fall my way like I hope they will then I'd actually consider it. 

Much closer than San Diego  I've traveled to Erie several times to work on my game, well worth it.