My GolfTec lesson ... a positive experience!

[cksurfdude]

3 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

As has been said many times, what we feel is so far different than reality, when you see it on video.

I truly *hated* seeing myself on video, and had actually avoided it before GolfTec, buuuut ..... from the first little swing clip I immediately recognized the value of that form of feedback.

Being able to actually see yourself swing .. with your coach describing / explaining things .. and compare it to what you thought you felt can be really eye-opening and a gateway to making good changes!

I always had trouble with good weight transfer and with swing plane / path issues and with... ...well basically every part of the golf swing... ...and the lessons have been a good progression. Sure I still make plenty of mistakes and miss-hits on the course but overall I can see that I'm definitely playing better this season!

[GolfSpy AFG]

I've had a great GolfTec experience. Didn't sign up for a plan but went more "pay as you go" but I've definitely improved over the two years and 10-12 lessons I've experienced.  For me, having the app and the ability to reference those lessons, and having "dry" drills that I can do in the basement, has been key.  Full-time job, 3 little kids...can't always get out to the range with regularity.

Glad to see you're seeing positive results as well.  

[cksurfdude]

Going in later today for the second lesson with my new coach (the one I started with retired) ... and what was most interesting about our first lesson together was he quickly focused in on a few basic fundamentals, that either I'd not been properly taught before or had totally forgotten about / moved away from (the more likely scenario LOL!).

For example, he showed me a still frame from the DTL vid cam showing my setup and asked me where my weight in my feet was -- and (even I could see LOL again!) it was clearly back in my heels, with too-straight knees plus a hunched-over back ... all in all a pretty bad combo for trying to make good contact with the ball. Showed me a good trick to use to help set up more consistently, too.

We also worked for a bit with a rubber kickball between my arms (larger than a Tour Striker Smart Ball; which I have and am now practicing more with!) to get the feel of using the body relatively more to power the swing and to reduce the "hit" on the ball with (relatively more) arms, wrists and hands. Yes - they're important also but he wants me to get me to improve my transition and weight shift before even thinking about more power (Tim Allen har harr ).

Had a good range session earlier in the week trying to focus on these things - setup, balance, better arm "structure" - and had some good results but I can see it's gonna take me a while and a lot more work to apply all this good stuff out on the course...........

[cksurfdude]

Visual comparative....

..then...
First GolfTec lesson 2019-11-05 ... too much movement, excess backswing and swaying off the ball...

 

..and now...
Most recent lesson (to date) 2020-09-04 ... making some progress - the drill here is to bump into the black cylinder at the start of the transition...

(..si la mascarilla es muy annoying )

[Golfspy_CG2]

3 hours ago, cksurfdude said:

Visual comparative....

..then...
First GolfTec lesson 2019-11-05 ... too much movement, excess backswing and swaying off the ball...

 

..and now...
Most recent lesson (to date) 2020-09-04 ... making some progress - the drill here is to bump into the black cylinder at the start of the transition...

(..si la mascarilla es muy annoying )

Good stuff.
Same issue, i have been working on.  Im on lesson 5 i think?

[Kenny B]

5 hours ago, cksurfdude said:

Visual comparative....

..then...
First GolfTec lesson 2019-11-05 ... too much movement, excess backswing and swaying off the ball...

 

..and now...
Most recent lesson (to date) 2020-09-04 ... making some progress - the drill here is to bump into the black cylinder at the start of the transition...

(..si la mascarilla es muy annoying )

Looks good.  Much better than mine right now!!

[Chip Strokes]

hey @cksurfdude this is a great thread and it looks like you’re getting the most out of your lesson package at GT. swing is coming along nicely man!

if i may offer my 2 cents, and i’m only doing so because you mentioned Pete’s in your original post, when your package runs out you should check out Kirk Oguri the pga pro at Pete’s. i had my first lesson with him on Sunday and he was fantastic. 

i don’t mean in any way to hijack your thread, just wanted to pass along another great option. you can message me if that works better for keeping your thread on track 

[cksurfdude]

9 hours ago, Kenny B said:

Looks good.  Much better than mine right now!!

Thanks! ...but that's still just a practice swing .. we'll see over time how much I can translate all of it to the course...

[cksurfdude]

8 hours ago, Chip Strokes said:

hey @cksurfdude this is a great thread and it looks like you’re getting the most out of your lesson package at GT. swing is coming along nicely man!

if i may offer my 2 cents, and i’m only doing so because you mentioned Pete’s in your original post, when your package runs out you should check out Kirk Oguri the pga pro at Pete’s. i had my first lesson with him on Sunday and he was fantastic. 

i don’t mean in any way to hijack your thread, just wanted to pass along another great option. you can message me if that works better for keeping your thread on track 

Thx! And thx for reading .. yeah making progress .. but .. have to keep telling myself to be patient and to keep doing the drills. The golf swing is hard dammmmit!

Pete's is a good suggestion, thx for that - will keep it mind for the future. I just .. literally in the last few days .. extended the GolfTec lessons as I'd accumulated some referral credits so wanted to use them. But def making a note of Kirk's name

[DiscipleofPenick]

Does anyone know if GolfTec just rents out bay time? Looking for options for the winter and I think 30 minutes on their launch monitor would be more productive than a range session in below freezing temps.

Take Dead Aim

[cksurfdude]

18 minutes ago, Tsmithjr9 said:

Does anyone know if GolfTec just rents out bay time? 

Yes - you can buy (just) practice time! They'll .. of course .. try to upsell you into a package but _I think_ there are practice time only plans -- check their website.

FYI .. each bay has a push-button panel on the floor that you can activate with the handle end of your club to access video functions and LM output.

....

Shameless plug - if you do decide to sign up, consider using my referral link (bottom of 1st post, Pg 1) and we'll both get $100 credit

[DiscipleofPenick]

Yes - you can buy (just) practice time! They'll .. of course .. try to upsell you into a package but _I think_ there are practice time only plans -- check their website.
FYI .. each bay has a push-button panel on the floor that you can activate with the handle end of your club to access video functions and LM output.
....
Shameless plug - if you do decide to sign up, consider using my referral link (bottom of 1st post, Pg 1) and we'll both get $100 credit

That's awesome, thanks. If I go this route I will use your referral. I've read through this post, and like you I am hesitant (or you were) about going to a cookie cutter place for lessons.

Take Dead Aim

[cksurfdude]

32 minutes ago, Tsmithjr9 said:

That's awesome, thanks. If I go this route I will use your referral. I've read through this post, and like you I am hesitant (or you were) about going to a cookie cutter place for lessons.

Take Dead Aim

Sounds good, thx! Hope it works out for you

I'd actually started with a free evaluation that I happened to see last Fall .. not sure if it's a regular promo they run every year, tho. 

[Golfspy_CG2]

I’m sad to report that I have divorced myself from GolfTec lessons 

After 7 sessions I just felt we weren’t making prorgess like i should.  As the student i shoulder most of the blame, ultimately it comes down to me putting in the work and being able to grasp the concept of what the instructor is showing you. 
 

That said, I am disappointed that he didn’t pick up on that, and find another approach or some other trigger that might have worked for me.  I had posted about that before and mentioned it at my last lesson, but it didnt seem to make a difference.  He kept heading down the same road. 

On the bright side I’m not quitting on lessons.  I took 1 lesson from a private instructor not part of a chain system.   He seems to have a much broader tool box to pull from and isn’t tied into a system like golftec seems to be.  
 

So i’m looking forward to continuing with him.  

[Tom the Golf Nut]

53 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

On the bright side I’m not quitting on lessons.  I took 1 lesson from a private instructor not part of a chain system.   He seems to have a much broader tool box to pull from and isn’t tied into a system like golftec seems to be.  
 

So i’m looking forward to continuing with him.  

It's all about finding the right fit between student and instructor.  In my opinion, once you get somewhat accomplished in getting around the course you want to work with someone that will work with the swing you have, and refine it from that point. 

[edingc]

1 hour ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

As the student i shoulder most of the blame, ultimately it comes down to me putting in the work and being able to grasp the concept of what the instructor is showing you. 

You touch on it in the next paragraph, but your instructor should have been able to offer a different feel to help you along. No two people feel the same things.

Sounds like you did the right thing to suggest a different trigger or swing thought. At the end of the day it cost him business being unable to adapt.

And even better that you've found another coach that you like already. 

 

[cksurfdude]

1 hour ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

I’m sad to report that I have divorced myself from GolfTec lessons ...(etc.)...

No.. in anything you have know when to "call it" and cut & run ... and invest your time and energy (and $$) more productively elsewhere.

GolfTec does have this thing where they like to keep a student paired with a particular coach .. so that each coach gets to know each student's tendencies; buuuut .. it's not on you -- it's like like @edingc mentioned the GT coach / GT center should have taken better note and been more proactive...

---

It's interesting .. and the people who are on here can fully appreciate .. since golf is such a major part of our lives, then clear and effective communication with those in whom we place our "golf trust" is an absolute requirement!

[cksurfdude]

2 hours ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

After 7 sessions I just felt we weren’t making prorgess like i should.

On a somewhat related note... fully 19 months ago (just checked the date) I'd attended a mental game clinic - my last 9 hole round (detailed in "How'd You Play?") I feel like I finally put those lessons and concepts to use during play on the course.

So the point being.... My current GT lessons should "hit" in the Spring of '22 ...

[Golfspy_CG2]

15 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

No.. in anything you have know when to "call it" and cut & run ... and invest your time and energy (and $$) more productively elsewhere.

GolfTec does have this thing where they like to keep a student paired with a particular coach .. so that each coach gets to know each student's tendencies; buuuut .. it's not on you -- it's like like @edingc mentioned the GT coach / GT center should have taken better note and been more proactive...

---

It's interesting .. and the people who are on here can fully appreciate .. since golf is such a major part of our lives, then clear and effective communication with those in whom we place our "golf trust" is an absolute requirement!

Thanks. Some good thoughts there. 

You are correct in how they do there things and sticking with the same instructor could be good or bad.   That was one my hesitation in the beginning to sign up with them. 

In this case it didn’t work out. According to him, I’m leaving $$ on the table by stopping before my package is up.   But i lost all motivation to go in and continue on without seeing any progress or light bulb light up. 
 

Oh well, time to focus on the new instructor and approach. 
 

 

 

 

[cksurfdude]

7 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

I’m leaving $$ on the table

Maybe ask .. if you're interested and don't already have the capabilities .. if you can convert those $$ into practice time at the center (you get to use the LM and video playback)..?

[Golfspy_CG2]

10 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

Maybe ask .. if you're interested and don't already have the capabilities .. if you can convert those $$ into practice time at the center (you get to use the LM and video playback)..?

He offered a playing lesson.  Which I mind of found to be a bit ironic

But yeah I was going to ask about the practice time.   But in a way I’d feel awkward going in there.  In the back of my mind I’d be wondering if he was still watching me
 

 

[Chip Strokes]

10 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

But yeah I was going to ask about the practice time.   But in a way I’d feel awkward going in there.  In the back of my mind I’d be wondering if he was still watching me
 

 

[cksurfdude]

So speaking (in another thread) of LM anomalies ... during my lesson (using a GC Quad in the GolfTec center) I hit a 170 yd 7 iron....
(yeah both the instructor and I were looking at it in disbelief, too!)

Now note 1: no, I don't expect to *ever* repeat that trick; and note 2: yes, that is like 2 or more clubs longer vs my typical 7i!!

We've been working on literally rebuilding my swing, with the primary goals of creating a better path coming into the ball along with a better weight shift starting at transition and continuing all the way through and past impact. Another key work-in-progress is extending my trail (right) elbow coming in to impact so that both arms are extended and I have a "wider swing arc". 

Well.. all of that good stuff must have come together in that one magical moment?!?!?

 

[cnosil]

18 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

Well.. all of that good stuff must have come together in that one magical moment?!?!?

Let's go with that!!!   

Sometimes there are misreads based on where the ball is located or the stickers get messed up.   during one of the most wanted tests a few weeks ago, my face angle on a bunch of iron shots was 60* closed but the ball was going straight.  

[dlow206]

On 10/27/2020 at 3:39 PM, Golfspy_CG2 said:

I’m sad to report that I have divorced myself from GolfTec lessons 

After 7 sessions I just felt we weren’t making prorgess like i should.  As the student i shoulder most of the blame, ultimately it comes down to me putting in the work and being able to grasp the concept of what the instructor is showing you. 
 

That said, I am disappointed that he didn’t pick up on that, and find another approach or some other trigger that might have worked for me.  I had posted about that before and mentioned it at my last lesson, but it didnt seem to make a difference.  He kept heading down the same road. 

On the bright side I’m not quitting on lessons.  I took 1 lesson from a private instructor not part of a chain system.   He seems to have a much broader tool box to pull from and isn’t tied into a system like golftec seems to be.  
 

So i’m looking forward to continuing with him.  

I had more or less the same experience at GolfTec. We spent like 10 lessons on "swing to the right" and that just has never worked for me. I asked for other drills or feels but we kept coming back to the same ones focused on "swing to the right". 

I had made significantly more progress in one lesson with a different instructor, but unfortunately that instructor is in So Cal, and I go to So Cal much less now with Covid. 

[JFish350]

On 10/27/2020 at 3:39 PM, Golfspy_CG2 said:

I’m sad to report that I have divorced myself from GolfTec lessons 

After 7 sessions I just felt we weren’t making prorgess like i should.  As the student i shoulder most of the blame, ultimately it comes down to me putting in the work and being able to grasp the concept of what the instructor is showing you. 
 

That said, I am disappointed that he didn’t pick up on that, and find another approach or some other trigger that might have worked for me.  I had posted about that before and mentioned it at my last lesson, but it didnt seem to make a difference.  He kept heading down the same road. 

On the bright side I’m not quitting on lessons.  I took 1 lesson from a private instructor not part of a chain system.   He seems to have a much broader tool box to pull from and isn’t tied into a system like golftec seems to be.  
 

So i’m looking forward to continuing with him.  

I am in the exact same boat. Bought a 10 pack last spring (2020 Febuaryish) hoping to figure out my driver. Driver used to be my best club in the bag. May 2018 I developed a bit of a draw (fine) which turned into WTF just happened.  I used my 4 iron off the tee for 2019. 

Initial lesson was hit 2 drivers and then lets see a 7 iron. I had it to where I could work my 7 iron left, right straight. First thing instructor says, We need to fix this and this the proper way. At the time my HDC was 14.6 and trending down according to "The Grint". He pulls out this pool noodle and said we need you to hit the ball with a fade. I was like why I like my ball flight now and can play pretty decent. His response, " so we can get you to work the ball the correct way".  I scratched my head and like a dummy was like ok your pro. After lesson 4,  I told mr Instructor this isn't working and my HDC has gone up to 16.9. I started canceling lessons and pushing them out. Lesson 5, pool noodle, I have ZERO control of the ball and still can't hit my driver during play. I felt that if I saw that flipping pool noodle I was going to wrap it around his neck. Lesson 6, pool noodle. I told him this isn't working and the noodle is going to go away. At this point I lost all confidence is his teaching. I told him all I wanted was to be able to hit my driver again, my irons were fine when I came in and now my HDC went 18.5. Lesson 7, he says lets hit the driver and 3 wood. I was like ok here we go this is what I paid for. Well, 4 shots with each and back to the 7 iron and the flipping noodle. I told him my back tightened up and needed to call it a day. It was that or 22 year old me was about to blow up. I'm 50 now so it would have been bad in so many ways none of them good. 

I sent him an email out lining all this in detail and wanted something different. Crickets for like 6 weeks. I get an email from him, hey we haven't seen you in a while bla bla bla. I sent him the same email as before. I didn't even get crickets back. My last lesson was June 6th. Oct 2020 I get another email saying hey you have 3 lessons left can we get those scheduled?? I sent him a shorter email with the same info. He responded with, " you have 3 lessons and have till March to get them in. He laid out how my swing was in June (the swing he had me working on) and how we needed to fix it.  WTF???

I have 3 lessons left and either want a new instructor (not my first choice), money back which I don't think they will do, or some other option. 

 

Sorry for the long vent. My suggestion, If you don't like how the guy is teaching, get out fast. I didn't do that and my game and wallet are paying the price. 

[cksurfdude]

1 hour ago, JFish350 said:

My suggestion, If you don't like how the guy is teaching, get out fast.

Yes, definitely .. I'd agree that's true anywhere, with any pro...

But sorry to hear about your negative experience. My initial hesitation going there was I thought they'd be too "formulaic" .. and it sounds like your pro was rigidly by the book.

Maybe (if you still have the patience) try...

1. Going on to your location's website and check out the other instructors at your center; then..
2. Schedule a time with the coach that looks better to you.
3. If that doesn't work, find out who the center's manager is and *call* to speak with them.
4. If that doesn't work, maybe try to contact GolfTec HQ (in Colorado, I think?)
5. Or - see if you can convert the remaining lessons into Practice time (if that interests you).

Too bad that instructor was not more receptive to your input! The student is supposed to be able to tell the instructor what he/she wants to work on.

[Golfspy_CG2]

2 hours ago, JFish350 said:

I am in the exact same boat. Bought a 10 pack last spring (2020 Febuaryish) hoping to figure out my driver. Driver used to be my best club in the bag. May 2018 I developed a bit of a draw (fine) which turned into WTF just happened.  I used my 4 iron off the tee for 2019. 

Initial lesson was hit 2 drivers and then lets see a 7 iron. I had it to where I could work my 7 iron left, right straight. First thing instructor says, We need to fix this and this the proper way. At the time my HDC was 14.6 and trending down according to "The Grint". He pulls out this pool noodle and said we need you to hit the ball with a fade. I was like why I like my ball flight now and can play pretty decent. His response, " so we can get you to work the ball the correct way".  I scratched my head and like a dummy was like ok your pro. After lesson 4,  I told mr Instructor this isn't working and my HDC has gone up to 16.9. I started canceling lessons and pushing them out. Lesson 5, pool noodle, I have ZERO control of the ball and still can't hit my driver during play. I felt that if I saw that flipping pool noodle I was going to wrap it around his neck. Lesson 6, pool noodle. I told him this isn't working and the noodle is going to go away. At this point I lost all confidence is his teaching. I told him all I wanted was to be able to hit my driver again, my irons were fine when I came in and now my HDC went 18.5. Lesson 7, he says lets hit the driver and 3 wood. I was like ok here we go this is what I paid for. Well, 4 shots with each and back to the 7 iron and the flipping noodle. I told him my back tightened up and needed to call it a day. It was that or 22 year old me was about to blow up. I'm 50 now so it would have been bad in so many ways none of them good. 

I sent him an email out lining all this in detail and wanted something different. Crickets for like 6 weeks. I get an email from him, hey we haven't seen you in a while bla bla bla. I sent him the same email as before. I didn't even get crickets back. My last lesson was June 6th. Oct 2020 I get another email saying hey you have 3 lessons left can we get those scheduled?? I sent him a shorter email with the same info. He responded with, " you have 3 lessons and have till March to get them in. He laid out how my swing was in June (the swing he had me working on) and how we needed to fix it.  WTF???

I have 3 lessons left and either want a new instructor (not my first choice), money back which I don't think they will do, or some other option. 

 

Sorry for the long vent. My suggestion, If you don't like how the guy is teaching, get out fast. I didn't do that and my game and wallet are paying the price. 

"The Flipping Noodle"  I love it. Your rant is justified  I can't tell you how many times my guy pulled that out.  I guess that's their go to!  

In the subsequent lesson I took from my new instructor, he didn't pull out one aid.  Other than he had me lay aln alignment stick down for stance purposes.  Other than that it was just working my shot with his watching me then demonstrating something for me to try. 

I haven't been able to see him for several weeks as he's busy closing and moving into a new house along with getting his PT exams.   But I learned more in 1 hour with him than I did in 7 sessions with GolfTec.   I'm not saying the whole chain is bad, just didn't connect with this instructor. 

[dlow206]

2 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

"The Flipping Noodle"  I love it. Your rant is justified  I can't tell you how many times my guy pulled that out.  I guess that's their go to!  

In the subsequent lesson I took from my new instructor, he didn't pull out one aid.  Other than he had me lay aln alignment stick down for stance purposes.  Other than that it was just working my shot with his watching me then demonstrating something for me to try. 

I haven't been able to see him for several weeks as he's busy closing and moving into a new house along with getting his PT exams.   But I learned more in 1 hour with him than I did in 7 sessions with GolfTec.   I'm not saying the whole chain is bad, just didn't connect with this instructor. 

I had the same pool noodle experience at Golf tec as well... My backswing kept getting more and more inside because thats what i thought i needed to do to avoid hitting the noodle on the way down. Was left with a terrible super inside backswing, and that was never addressed, just trying to avoid hitting the noodle.

[GolfSpy AFG]

8 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

"The Flipping Noodle"  I love it. Your rant is justified  I can't tell you how many times my guy pulled that out.  I guess that's their go to!  

In the subsequent lesson I took from my new instructor, he didn't pull out one aid.  Other than he had me lay aln alignment stick down for stance purposes.  Other than that it was just working my shot with his watching me then demonstrating something for me to try. 

I haven't been able to see him for several weeks as he's busy closing and moving into a new house along with getting his PT exams.   But I learned more in 1 hour with him than I did in 7 sessions with GolfTec.   I'm not saying the whole chain is bad, just didn't connect with this instructor. 

Yeah, definitely hit or miss.  As @cksurfdudealluded to, the trick and challenge with them is finding the right coach among the staff.  I've had a great experience at GolfTec, but I did my research on their site...among all of their bios, some looked okay, but one guy was the Nebraska PGA Teacher of the Year five times.  Kind of an easy decision.

Even having the credentials didn't mean I would gel with the guy, but I got lucky and I did.  And he's only broken out one training aid, a Tour Striker Smart Ball.