Unofficial Review: Skillest App (golf lessons)

[dlow206]

This is a quick review for the Skillest mobile app. Skillest's self-described purpose is "Skillest connects you to the best coaches in the world, allowing you to communicate with your coach entirely remotely; sending swings for analysis and discussing your game through live video."

With COVID going on, I looked to the Skillest for online lessons to improve my game. 

How It Works

In the app, you have the option to select from a large selection of golf instructors who have chosen to provide lessons via the Skillest app. The app also provides user reviews of instructors, and some instructors also have sample lessons so you can get a better idea of what a lesson would look like with an instructor.

              

Once you pick an instructor, you can choose from a one-time lesson, or many instructors also offer a monthly plan, or other multi-lesson plan. After making the payment, you submit your swing videos, one down the line, one face on.

After your videos are submitted, the instructor will provide an analysis of your swing, as well as videos of specifics for you to work on.

How Much Does it Cost?

It varies. I have seen single lessons as low as $50 per lesson and single lessons over $200. The monthly plans, I have seen range from about $100 to over $400 per month. There is also a small "lesson" fee that I assume goes to Skillest.

Would I Recommend It?

Yes, I would. So far, I have only be doing a few single lessons, but may choose to do a monthly plan through the app. The good thing about the monthly plan is that as you are working on drills or whatever else your instructor has you working on, you can upload videos at any time and the instructor will respond in a timely manner. The other thing I like about the instruction offered via the Skillest app is that often times the instructors go beyond a swing analysis and linking you to generic drill videos. Many of the instructors record personalized videos for you. Lastly, I love the wide selection of instructors to select from with sample lessons viewable for many of the instructors. It can be tough to find a good instructor to work with, but i think the app makes the process easier.

[BMart519]

Thanks for the screenshots showing the interface. I have been hearing about Skillest a lot on the How's my Hand Path Podcast, so it was great to see it laid out here. A great option with lockdowns looming in many different areas. 

[dlow206]

11 hours ago, BMart519 said:

Thanks for the screenshots showing the interface. I have been hearing about Skillest a lot on the How's my Hand Path Podcast, so it was great to see it laid out here. A great option with lockdowns looming in many different areas. 

Definitely a great option with lockdowns. Also, at least in my area, it can be hard to find an instructor that is of the caliber of the instructors on Skillest. That is definitely a plus.

[dlow206]

Wanted to provide an update now that I am using the monthly subscription plan. My instructor, Alex, asked me to send some videos of what he wanted me to work on. I sent them in today and he responded within like 15 minutes with some comments on some things that I still need to fix with setup. So I went out, tried to make the change, and now just submitted a new set so he can validate if i made the change correctly or not.

Not all instructors may be this prompt in giving feedback, but it can definitely be a quick turnaround, especially when you are working on something very specific and you need validation if you are doing it correctly or not.

[Rickp]

Sounds interesting and may like into it.
The instructor I had previously gone to was in his 70’s and retired due to C19.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[dlow206]

2 minutes ago, Rickp said:

Sounds interesting and may like into it.
The instructor I had previously gone to was in his 70’s and retired due to C19.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Pretty sure that my instructor is a youngin (says the 36 year old)

[Rickp]

Pretty sure that my instructor is a youngin (says the 36 year old)

If I go that route I have to be careful of instructor I chose. I don’t need someone who wants to give the student a perfect swing those days are long gone for me. My need would be someone who realizes the limitations of a mid 70’s golfer.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[HardcoreLooper]

@dlow206 - What a great review.  Thanks for taking the time out to give such a detailed write-up.  I'm lucky enough to have ready access to good instruction for my daughter and me, but this is such a good option for people.  And it seems to be pretty well priced for what you get.

[dlow206]

One thing that I really like about Skillest (especially with the subscription) is that I get back personalized videos recorded by my instructor. This may be a subtle difference with other online lessons, or maybe it is even instructor specific. With other online lessons, i have gotten back an analysis of my swing and then some generic videos of drills to perform or changes to work on. However with my instructor on Skillest, if we are working on something even as small as grip change, he will send back a video response where he demonstrates what i did incorrectly and then the correct position. For example, he spent two minutes on video explaining what I was doing wrong with my left thumb, how it should actually be placed on the club and why it is so important. For me, these types of details help me learn better.

[dlow206]

15 hours ago, HardcoreLooper said:

@dlow206 - What a great review.  Thanks for taking the time out to give such a detailed write-up.  I'm lucky enough to have ready access to good instruction for my daughter and me, but this is such a good option for people.  And it seems to be pretty well priced for what you get.

Thanks for stopping the thread. I definitely feel like it is a good value for the price, particularly the monthly subscription. While everyone has different perceptions on what a good value is, the subscription model on Skillest is truly unlimited. I have sent more than one set of videos in on a single day for example. The first set was trying the drill, the instructor gave some feedback on the drill, then i sent in a second trying to incorporate that feedback. For me that is important, because i am one of those people that ask "is this right", "is that right".

[dlow206]

If anyone is interested in trying Skillest, they are running 25% off one off lessons and 7 day passes for black friday. Code is FRIDAY25 and is good until 11/30.

[Patriots68]

How do you guys who use skillest decide which swing videos to send in? I've been thinking about it for a while now but most of my practice is into a net so its hard for me to decide which swings produce good results and which ones produce my common misses, the big misses I can tell but I'm looking for more consistency in my swing, and avoiding the big misses more than anything else.

I've been looking into some type of online instruction for a while now and have looked at a couple of guys on skillest. Ideally I'd like to take lessons in person but I've had a hard time finding someone in my area who is consistently available especially year to year. Any one try any of the other instructors?

[DaveP043]

9 minutes ago, Patriots68 said:

How do you guys who use skillest decide which swing videos to send in?

I haven't used skillest, but I've posted videos for review on another golf forum (I won't name competing websites here).   The instructor there says frequently that your swing is pretty much the same all the time, your faults will still be there even if the result is good.  Just be sure the camera angle is what the teacher wants to see, do it in slow motion if he wants that.

[RickyBobby_PR]

8 minutes ago, Patriots68 said:

How do you guys who use skillest decide which swing videos to send in? I've been thinking about it for a while now but most of my practice is into a net so its hard for me to decide which swings produce good results and which ones produce my common misses, the big misses I can tell but I'm looking for more consistency in my swing, and avoiding the big misses more than anything else.

I've been looking into some type of online instruction for a while now and have looked at a couple of guys on skillest. Ideally I'd like to take lessons in person but I've had a hard time finding someone in my area who is consistently available especially year to year. Any one try any of the other instructors?

Having worked with a couple online instructors last year albeit not via skillest. Take one swing from face on and one from down the line.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s one that was a big miss or a good swing. A good instructor will communicate with you and ask questions to gather info about you and your swing to include your big miss.

The vast majority of us produce the same swing movements on all of our shots. A good instructor will be able to see what causes the big miss

[Serge]

Does Skillest charge their course fee of $12 for every lesson (I was looking at the 7 day pass). It says it is for a lifetime of storage etc. Hence wasn't sure if it was a one-off additional charge or something that comes with each lesson that you book through them.

[dlow206]

On 2/23/2021 at 10:45 PM, Serge said:

Does Skillest charge their course fee of $12 for every lesson (I was looking at the 7 day pass). It says it is for a lifetime of storage etc. Hence wasn't sure if it was a one-off additional charge or something that comes with each lesson that you book through them.

sorry, didnt see this before. yes, there is a fee per lesson. If you get a subscription, like a monthly subscription, there is a Skillest fee added on to the monthly fee. 

[dlow206]

Since I originally created this post, I had transitioned off of using a coach on the skillest app and then started using a different coach on skillest. i am now working with Jonathan Chown: https://www.instagram.com/jchowngolf/?hl=en

One thing i have found important as i have worked with different instructors is that besides finding a competent instructor, you need to find someone that can best facilitate your learning, which includes their communication style. Some teachers are brief and to the point and tell you this is whats wrong and work on this. Other teachers go into more detail about why certain things are happening, etc. 

For me, I am a nerd in general and i really like to know the details. For example, i have a tendency to lose balls straight right, sometimes severely, especially with irons. The prevailing golf instruction thought from a grip perspective would be to strengthen my grip. It actually turned out that if weaken my right hand i actually hit the ball straighter and sometimes turn the ball over. Jonathan went into great detail explaining to me about match ups and how with my normal grip (strongish but not super strong right hand), im a bit closed at the top and then my reaction to that is to early extend, open the face on the way down, etc. so that i don't hit it super left with a closed face. With the weaker grip with the right hand, my face is square at the top, whereas some people with the weaker grip actually get the face really open. 

That's just an example, and Jonathan always responds to my lesson submissions with at least 10 minutes or more on analysis of my swings and a custom video on drills for me to work on, even though i probably bother him too much and send in videos weekly. He also responds quickly to my questions when i send him a message. 

[qwiklap]

Reviving this thread.

 

On 3/24/2021 at 2:36 PM, dlow206 said:

Since I originally created this post, I had transitioned off of using a coach on the skillest app and then started using a different coach on skillest. i am now working with Jonathan Chown: https://www.instagram.com/jchowngolf/?hl=en

One thing i have found important as i have worked with different instructors is that besides finding a competent instructor, you need to find someone that can best facilitate your learning, which includes their communication style. Some teachers are brief and to the point and tell you this is whats wrong and work on this. Other teachers go into more detail about why certain things are happening, etc. 

For me, I am a nerd in general and i really like to know the details. For example, i have a tendency to lose balls straight right, sometimes severely, especially with irons. The prevailing golf instruction thought from a grip perspective would be to strengthen my grip. It actually turned out that if weaken my right hand i actually hit the ball straighter and sometimes turn the ball over. Jonathan went into great detail explaining to me about match ups and how with my normal grip (strongish but not super strong right hand), im a bit closed at the top and then my reaction to that is to early extend, open the face on the way down, etc. so that i don't hit it super left with a closed face. With the weaker grip with the right hand, my face is square at the top, whereas some people with the weaker grip actually get the face really open. 

That's just an example, and Jonathan always responds to my lesson submissions with at least 10 minutes or more on analysis of my swings and a custom video on drills for me to work on, even though i probably bother him too much and send in videos weekly. He also responds quickly to my questions when i send him a message. 

OP — how are you finding the lessons with Jonathan?  I have been working with Alex Moore for some time — but I think I would like to get a new set of eyes and thoughts (not necessarily move away from Alex (who has been great and patient) — but just check out someone new.

[dlow206]

6 hours ago, qwiklap said:

Reviving this thread.

 

OP — how are you finding the lessons with Jonathan?  I have been working with Alex Moore for some time — but I think I would like to get a new set of eyes and thoughts (not necessarily move away from Alex (who has been great and patient) — but just check out someone new.

I've moved off Skillest and onto the Kirk Junge one plane swing system. I wanted to move toward something completely different. 

[WaffleHouseTour]

D- I saw on Instagram you are back on Skillest  - still a believerI assume?  Any particular feedback on your latest coach Molly? 
 

I downloaded the app but haven’t used it yet - age old question - best way to record your video? Getting the phone camera in the right spot….?

[cnosil]

2 hours ago, WaffleHouseTour said:

age old question - best way to record your video? Getting the phone camera in the right spot….?

I always used a regular camera (video mode);  a phone works just as well. 

Here is a video that tells you where to place the camera for DTL and FO views.  Basically the camera is at hand height and pointed directly at your hands for both views.  I have used a string that I run from the camera toward where I am setup to make sure everything is setup correctly.   Or you could use a second person to record your swing.    

 

 

[Everardo]

Skillest charges $15 a month for their fee, so 115 a month for a 100 monthly subscription

Edited December 11, 2022 by Everardo