My GolfTec lesson ... a positive experience!

[GolfSpy AFG]

5 hours ago, cksurfdude said:

Oops! So sorry for the way too delayed feedback.

Briefly ...
.. way worth it for me; great learning experience
.. instructor had a few pre-planned on course situations he wanted to cover, beyond that he was totally open to any and all questions about any aspect of the game at any point during the round (of 9 holes)
.. going to do it again soon

One negative but this is neither GolfTec's nor the instructor's fault - the course that my GT Center has an arrangement with is up to an hour+ drive for me each way, depending on stoopit LI traffic jams.

One other item that may or may not be a negative to you - it's a semi-private lesson, not private; the GT playing lessons take two people at a time. It's up to the coach's discretion to try to take two people of approximately similar playing abilities .. so they're each benefiting from the same set of instructions.

One on course bonus - if you want to think of it that way  - was that the wind picked up and was pretty strong all over the course .. especially in more exposed areas .. so we had a chance to work on into the wind, wind coming in from either side and downwind shots.

 

Thanks for the feedback!

A playing lesson is an intriguing concept to me, but I’m curious, was he commenting or working on your swing and overall technique?  Or was it more strategy and course management stuff?  

[cnosil]

12 minutes ago, Getoffmylawn said:

A playing lesson is an intriguing concept to me, but I’m curious, was he commenting or working on your swing and overall technique?  Or was it more strategy and course management stuff?  

I've done one and it was a combination of both but more on swing.  It puts you in real world situations and the ability to work on different lies and situations that you can't replicate on a range.  

[cksurfdude]

1 hour ago, Getoffmylawn said:

A playing lesson is an intriguing concept to me, but I’m curious, was he commenting or working on your swing and overall technique?  Or was it more strategy and course management stuff?  

In this particular case this lesson was more oriented towards the latter; ie. more of.. "here's a situation - what would you do?" .. followed by "let's try another shot from there this way" with a quick tip on what he wanted us to do.

He was willing to talk to questions about swing mechanics but really wanted to prioritize more on assessing the conditions affecting each shot and shot selection strategy ... more of playing the game...

 

[cksurfdude]

1 hour ago, cnosil said:

I've done one and it was a combination of both but more on swing.  It puts you in real world situations and the ability to work on different lies and situations that you can't replicate on a range.  

I'd also taken an outdoor short game lesson with this instructor - private that time, just me - and it was kinda like that .. put the ball into all kinds of different lies and work on getting good contact and getting the ball onto the green. Really helpful to me!

[GolfSpy AFG]

3 hours ago, cnosil said:

I've done one and it was a combination of both but more on swing.  It puts you in real world situations and the ability to work on different lies and situations that you can't replicate on a range.  

 

1 hour ago, cksurfdude said:

I'd also taken an outdoor short game lesson with this instructor - private that time, just me - and it was kinda like that .. put the ball into all kinds of different lies and work on getting good contact and getting the ball onto the green. Really helpful to me!

Maybe naive and borderline arrogant of me, but I’d be more interested in a playing lesson focused on conditions…am I making proper adjustments for downhill lies, ball above my feet, etc.  Course management…while I don’t have the application of it down yet, I’m putting my faith in Decade.

[cnosil]

9 hours ago, Getoffmylawn said:

 

Maybe naive and borderline arrogant of me, but I’d be more interested in a playing lesson focused on conditions…am I making proper adjustments for downhill lies, ball above my feet, etc.  Course management…while I don’t have the application of it down yet, I’m putting my faith in Decade.

If you do one, then tell the instructor that is what you are looking for.    When I did mine, we would play a hole and he would ask why I would do a certain thing then he would drop balls in different lies and have me play the ball out from those locations.  

[cksurfdude]

26 minutes ago, cnosil said:

If you do one, then tell the instructor that is what you are looking for.    When I did mine, we would play a hole and he would ask why I would do a certain thing then he would drop balls in different lies and have me play the ball out from those locations.  

Yes! What the smart guy said

It's *your* lesson - in this, like any lesson IMHO, make it clear to the instructor what you're looking to work on. 

[Ed S]

I took a lot of GOLFTEC lessons over the years. Overall I think I got somewhat better bang for a $$ on average compared to if I had a trial and error approach with a “regular” instructor. I think the instant video feedback and benchmarking vs pros sets them apart.  Otherwise the rest, as already noted, is the same lucky turn of getting in touch with a good instructor vs someone who’s not.

IMO the issue with GOLFTEC’s method is that their instructions are too formulaic - we have to remember is that their success is based on it but unfortunately when it doesn’t work - the instructors don’t have  an alternative approach. I’m generalizing here - I’m sure good instructors have alternative means of communicating differently to get their point across.  
 

 

[cksurfdude]

1 hour ago, Ed S said:

I’m sure good instructors have alternative means of communicating differently to get their point across.

Yes, and I'm lucky to have been paired with one of those ... he adapts our lessons to what he sees that I need to be working on, while also accommodating all my questions.

Over time I'm finding the visuals increasingly helpful - for example when the instructor freeze frames the vid of your swing and puts up a pro side by side doing it the *right* way! (.. occasional light bulb moments )

[sub80]

Great stuff here, and thanks for the referral--I think we each made 100$.  I have been looking at more technical lessons for a while.  I have some very good local pros I have worked with but they are mostly old school guys.  I have occasional rounds/moments of brilliant striking punctuated with very average to bad ones.  I think the answer may lie in a level of detail that isn't a simple movement instruction.  E.G. swing left to fight your hook. 

We will see.

[cksurfdude]

47 minutes ago, sub80 said:

Great stuff here, and thanks for the referral--I think we each made 100$.  I have been looking at more technical lessons for a while.  I have some very good local pros I have worked with but they are mostly old school guys.  I have occasional rounds/moments of brilliant striking punctuated with very average to bad ones.  I think the answer may lie in a level of detail that isn't a simple movement instruction.  E.G. swing left to fight your hook. 

We will see.

Cool .. thank you!! Hope you get someone good and it works out well for you!

Funny at first I was not into the technical underpinnings but over time I've come to appreciate that at least having a basic understanding really does help to "get" what you're supposed to be doing better with your golf swing.

[fixyurdivot]

Another great thread I missed seeing. By most accounts, GolfTec has really positive reviews/results.

[cksurfdude]

1 hour ago, fixyurdivot said:

Another great thread I missed seeing. By most accounts, GolfTec has really positive reviews/results.

Thx! Yep - I'd mentioned in my first post I was initially sceptical of them, but decided to stick with it and over time .. for me, admittedly not for everyone .. it's definitely worked out.

[cksurfdude]

OK so... It's about 3(!) years since I started this topic .. and while I still suck (there: I said it), I suck a lot less vs when I started!

For me (again, maybe not for everybody) but being able to go back to the same instructor over an extended time period .. and being able to repeat aspects of prior lessons over and over .. and at what I think is a reasonable price overall .. has really helped me progress. 

The biggest negative for me = I still don't like hitting indoors.

But...

The flip side of that is I can schedule and take a lesson throughout the year .. rain, snow, gale force winds , whatever.

Still have some underlying fundamental issues with my swing and my game (guys - do NOT pick up this game in your 50s ) but over time - with coaching and practice - my swing technique is inching a bit closer to being "good" ...enough to move the ball around the course adequately...

Here's a clip from a recent lesson...

https://gt.golf/S7SKXu

We're working on getting the back to the target and hands a little deeper at the top of the backswing .. allowing a little more of an in-to-out path and a little fuller turn through impact.

WIP! (=Work In Progress!!)

[cksurfdude]

Quick update: been practicing and feel like a lot of the pieces are starting to come together

When I .. well, almost .. get the movements correct I can really feel and see the difference in impact and ball flight!

Haven't played in a while, so of course all this good stuff still quite theoretical 

[Kenny B]

On 1/17/2023 at 6:42 PM, cksurfdude said:

Quick update: been practicing and feel like a lot of the pieces are starting to come together

When I .. well, almost .. get the movements correct I can really feel and see the difference in impact and ball flight!

Haven't played in a while, so of course all this good stuff still quite theoretical 

I think you will be surprised!  People that practice and play between practice sessions tend to not improve as fast as those that forego playing for a period and continue to practice.  You have been engraining better movements but not fighting them with old habits that inevitably arise when playing.  People practicing new movements should do exactly what you have been doing!!!

[cksurfdude]

10 hours ago, Kenny B said:

I think you will be surprised!  People that practice and play between practice sessions tend to not improve as fast as those that forego playing for a period and continue to practice.  You have been engraining better movements but not fighting them with old habits that inevitably arise when playing.  People practicing new movements should do exactly what you have been doing!!!

Ha, I certainly hope so .. thx!! Definitely trying to put the reps in.

Mentioned elsewhere but in conjunction have also been watching/rewatching Monte's NTC vid - initially I didn't think that was for me, but now I can see it's *exactly* what I need... And funny enough it works great together with where I've gotten to in my lessons!

[Kenny B]

13 hours ago, cksurfdude said:

Ha, I certainly hope so .. thx!! Definitely trying to put the reps in.

Mentioned elsewhere but in conjunction have also been watching/rewatching Monte's NTC vid - initially I didn't think that was for me, but now I can see it's *exactly* what I need... And funny enough it works great together with where I've gotten to in my lessons!

Monte's NTC video works for anyone!  If I were just starting to learn to swing a golf club, I would watch it over and over working the drills.