Advice for a frustrated duffer

[Tomf]

Greetings all!

 

I am an avid reader of MGS (thanks to my friend RevKev) but rarely post. Not because I am disinterested, but because I have nothing of value to add. 

 

I live at the southernmost end of Minnesota which, let's face it, is not very southern.  I started playing golf recreationally on a regular basis about three or four years ago.  There are no teaching professionals in my area of the state, so last year I tried some lessons online for a while, and finally had a face to face lesson last May while I was visiting my mother in Florida.  The lessons were great and the teachers wonderful. I have no complaints.  My game improved, which still isn't saying much.  But I am coming to the realization that since I am old, out of shape, not athletic like my friend Kevin, and not particularly coordinated, I really need to scuttle the idea of online lessons and find a good pro who can work with my body type and skill set or lack thereof, and help me to be the best I can be.  I don't have much extra cash and neither do I have tons of spare time, so maybe I am stuck with what I have.  But I would love to find a good teacher from whom I could take four or five lessons a season in the hopes that I would develop a swing that looks more like a golfer and less like an angry two year old.  :-)  My swing shape is more rounded and single planed, generally speaking. Though I like to say it is more "plane crash" than anything.  So I have a good bit of work to do.  The past month I have gotten myself so messed up by practicing on my own with no one to check what I am doing, that I almost quit. But golf is important to me, it helps keep me from losing my mind, and so I was glad that RevKev talked me off the ledge yesterday and recommended I hit up the MGS community for advice.

 

My question is this: does anyone know of a good teaching pro I could use who is located in southern Minnesota, preferably no further north than the Twin Cities?  Someone who could help a frustrated duffer like me? (A very kind Minnesotan gave me a name a couple years ago, but I misplaced it.)

 

My computer is being taken away for a day or two so I will only be able to read your responses on my crummy tablet at home, so let me thank you now for your responses.

 

Thanks!

 

Tomf

[hckymeyer]

Hi Tom,

 

Glad you stopped in, I think I had given Rev some suggestions a year or two ago for you, but I've since deleted the conversation.  I really haven't played much down south, but I'm guessing there are some competent pro's somewhere near you. 

 

If you decide to come up to the cities I would recommend Totally Driven as good place to start, I've taken a short game clinic through them and it was great.  They offer both indoor and outdoor lessons so it's a good place to go in the winter.

 

Another fellow MGS'er (barbajo) uses Brad Pluth and has had very good things to say about him.  He gives lessons out of several locations, mostly on the west side of the cities.

 

Other than those two I don't have any specific people to recommend.  Another place to start your search though would be golf digest's list of top teachers by state.  It looks like one of the top choices in MN works in Alexandria so that might also be an option for you.

 

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2013-11/best-teachers-state-ranking?currentPage=2

 

Best of luck on your search!

[wbealsd]

How far are you from Sioux Falls, South Dakota? There are some good teaching pros there.

[Tomf]

I just got my new computer up and....running??  LOL. Still don't know how to use it very well. 

 

Thanks for the advice, hckymeyer.  I will look into that.

 

wbealsd, I live about 2 hours from Sioux Falls.

[wbealsd]

I just got my new computer up and....running??  LOL. Still don't know how to use it very well. 

 

Thanks for the advice, hckymeyer.  I will look into that.

 

wbealsd, I live about 2 hours from Sioux Falls.

IMHO, Todd Kolb, in Sioux Falls, is an excellent teaching pro.

[fozcycle]

Welcome Tom........glad you use MGS to sound out your issues. If you go to the PGA.com website, select instruction then find a pro. On that page, you can enter your zip code and get a list of all the teaching pros in your area. Hope this helps.

[Tomf]

Thanks for the name, wbealsd and the for idea, fozcycle.  I very much intend to get some instruction and am eager to get something set up.  We have, if we are lucky, about a month or so left of playable weather.....at least for a Florida transplant like me. So I'm thinking I ought to wait until spring.

[revkev]

Do it now my friend and then use your indoor golf place to work on it throughout the winter.

[Tomf]

Good idea, revkev.