Stereotype Posted May 23, 2023 Share Posted May 23, 2023 (edited) I am looking into finding a new coach, I'm in Northern CA, Sacramento area so there is an abundance of golf courses with 3-4 teaching pros at each, a few Golftec sites, and a TopGolf in the area all with lesson plans. For those who have taken lessons, what questions did you ask prior to, or what research from available bios did you consider before deciding on a coach? Currently a 13hdcp (low 10.2 - Dec 22). Completed a full bag club fitting mid-2022, changed shafts in my driver to an x-stiff vs stiff, no other purchases made. Have taken 2 lessons in 2021 at one of my local clubs, didn't really vibe with the coach so I haven't been back, I was a 17 hdcp at the time. He did change my takeaway which has helped some, so not a complete waste. But I feel like I have hit a plateau in my game and need that next bump. Goal handicap 6-9 or better if possible. Edited May 23, 2023 by Stereotype grammar Dweed 1 Quote Driver: King F8 9.5D w/Motore X1 x-stiff Fairway: King F8 3 wood Hybrids: King F9 3 hybrid 19.5° Fujikura Atmos 7s stiff Irons: King F8 5-PW true temper XP 90 stiff Wedges: 48° (10) Mack Daddy 4 S grind, 52° (09) Hi-Toe, 56° (09) Milled Grind, 60° (10) MG2 Putter: 004 Mallet w/ SuperStroke Zynergy 5.0 Ball: Pro (white & drip) Link to comment
cnosil Posted May 23, 2023 Share Posted May 23, 2023 First thing is to assess your game and identify where you think you might need improvement, how much time you are willing to invest in the improvement, and how much you are willing to spend. You didn’t vibe with your last coach so identify what you expect from a coach. next find coaches that are in you price range, see if you can find reviews, and then schedule a lesson/interview to evaluate your game. After the lesson have the instructor provide a plan for improvement and see if it aligns with what you are looking for. tony@CIC, TR1PTIK and Stereotype 2 1 Quote Driver: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven Fairway: XCG7 Beta 15* w/Fujikura Fuel Hybrids: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype 915H 24* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype Irons: TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite Wedge: 54/12D, 60/8M w/Accra iWedge 90 Graphite Putter: Sacks Parente MC 3 Stripe Backup Putters: Milled Collection RSX 2, mFGP2, Futura 5W, TM-180 Member: MGS Hitsquad since 2017 Link to comment
Stereotype Posted May 24, 2023 Author Share Posted May 24, 2023 20 hours ago, cnosil said: First thing is to assess your game and identify where you think you might need improvement, how much time you are willing to invest in the improvement, and how much you are willing to spend. You didn’t vibe with your last coach so identify what you expect from a coach. next find coaches that are in you price range, see if you can find reviews, and then schedule a lesson/interview to evaluate your game. After the lesson have the instructor provide a plan for improvement and see if it aligns with what you are looking for. Thanks, maybe I was making this process a little too complicated in my mind. I'm a stat guy, so I'm pretty in tune with where I need help in my game. tony@CIC and TR1PTIK 2 Quote Driver: King F8 9.5D w/Motore X1 x-stiff Fairway: King F8 3 wood Hybrids: King F9 3 hybrid 19.5° Fujikura Atmos 7s stiff Irons: King F8 5-PW true temper XP 90 stiff Wedges: 48° (10) Mack Daddy 4 S grind, 52° (09) Hi-Toe, 56° (09) Milled Grind, 60° (10) MG2 Putter: 004 Mallet w/ SuperStroke Zynergy 5.0 Ball: Pro (white & drip) Link to comment
cnosil Posted May 24, 2023 Share Posted May 24, 2023 17 minutes ago, Stereotype said: Thanks, maybe I was making this process a little too complicated in my mind. I'm a stat guy, so I'm pretty in tune with where I need help in my game. If you have stats, share them with your instructor. Stereotype, TR1PTIK and tony@CIC 3 Quote Driver: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven Fairway: XCG7 Beta 15* w/Fujikura Fuel Hybrids: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype 915H 24* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype Irons: TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite Wedge: 54/12D, 60/8M w/Accra iWedge 90 Graphite Putter: Sacks Parente MC 3 Stripe Backup Putters: Milled Collection RSX 2, mFGP2, Futura 5W, TM-180 Member: MGS Hitsquad since 2017 Link to comment
Bossfan Posted May 24, 2023 Share Posted May 24, 2023 The best coaches I’ve had. That would be two. They are the ones that take what you do well in the golf swing and build off that. I had one that tried to remake my swing and just screwed up my game. The other two I saw much more improvement because the changes seemed easier to do because I wasn’t changing as much. GaDawg, Stereotype and tony@CIC 2 1 Quote D- Tour Edge EXS 220 4W- Sub 70 949X Hybrid- Sub 70 949X Utility- Sub 70 699 U 21 degree Irons- Sub 70 749 5-PW Wedges- Sub 70 286 50+54, Tour Edge 1 out 58 degree Putter- Cleveland Huntington Beach soft # 11 Ball- Titleist Tour Soft Link to comment
Stereotype Posted May 25, 2023 Author Share Posted May 25, 2023 16 hours ago, Bossfan said: The best coaches I’ve had. That would be two. They are the ones that take what you do well in the golf swing and build off that. I had one that tried to remake my swing and just screwed up my game. The other two I saw much more improvement because the changes seemed easier to do because I wasn’t changing as much. I will definitely take that into consideration, I just booked an initial assessment for next week. I'll make sure to circle back to the thread with some feedback. cnosil, tony@CIC and TR1PTIK 3 Quote Driver: King F8 9.5D w/Motore X1 x-stiff Fairway: King F8 3 wood Hybrids: King F9 3 hybrid 19.5° Fujikura Atmos 7s stiff Irons: King F8 5-PW true temper XP 90 stiff Wedges: 48° (10) Mack Daddy 4 S grind, 52° (09) Hi-Toe, 56° (09) Milled Grind, 60° (10) MG2 Putter: 004 Mallet w/ SuperStroke Zynergy 5.0 Ball: Pro (white & drip) Link to comment
cnosil Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 17 hours ago, Bossfan said: The best coaches I’ve had. That would be two. They are the ones that take what you do well in the golf swing and build off that. I had one that tried to remake my swing and just screwed up my game. The other two I saw much more improvement because the changes seemed easier to do because I wasn’t changing as much. I’d say this should have been a discussion with the coaches. Are we doing dramatic changes to the swing or tune ups to get some better performance. A swing remake is going to mess up your game because it takes time to implement and isn’t something you accomplish in a lesson or two. Stereotype, tony@CIC and TR1PTIK 3 Quote Driver: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven Fairway: XCG7 Beta 15* w/Fujikura Fuel Hybrids: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype 915H 24* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype Irons: TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite Wedge: 54/12D, 60/8M w/Accra iWedge 90 Graphite Putter: Sacks Parente MC 3 Stripe Backup Putters: Milled Collection RSX 2, mFGP2, Futura 5W, TM-180 Member: MGS Hitsquad since 2017 Link to comment
Kenny B Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 A good instructor will only want to address one swing issue at a time; trying to address more than one issue is a recipe for disaster. When you have made that change, then it's time to move on to other issues. Be honest with any instructor on how much time you are willing to practice to make the changes; they can tell if you put in the time during the next lesson. The time you spend practicing the movements will determine how long it takes you to move on to the next issue. Playing golf while making a swing changes lengthens the time for the change. When on the course, you tend to return to what feels comfortable and that's you old habits. A good instructor will know when you have mastered the movement and when to work on the next issue. Stereotype, tony@CIC, TR1PTIK and 1 other 4 Quote “We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.” Link to comment
RickyBobby_PR Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 2 hours ago, Kenny B said: A good instructor will only want to address one swing issue at a time; trying to address more than one issue is a recipe for disaster. When you have made that change, then it's time to move on to other issues. Be honest with any instructor on how much time you are willing to practice to make the changes; they can tell if you put in the time during the next lesson. The time you spend practicing the movements will determine how long it takes you to move on to the next issue. Playing golf while making a swing changes lengthens the time for the change. When on the course, you tend to return to what feels comfortable and that's you old habits. A good instructor will know when you have mastered the movement and when to work on the next issue. Not only just one but what one is going it have the biggest impact on the golfer improving. The good ones are also going to keep having the student work on whatever it is they identified til they are doing it pretty consistently. That could be 3-4 lessons over 4 months of pretty much the samething Stereotype, tony@CIC and Kenny B 2 1 Quote Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4 Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120 Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60 Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1 Ball: Titleist Prov1 Link to comment
Kenny B Posted May 26, 2023 Share Posted May 26, 2023 7 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said: Not only just one but what one is going it have the biggest impact on the golfer improving. The good ones are also going to keep having the student work on whatever it is they identified til they are doing it pretty consistently. That could be 3-4 lessons over 4 months of pretty much the samething Yep! I was going to mention that. Thanks for the addition. BTW, I still have to work on Monte’s fix for my lack of rotation and depth from a year ago! It’s not that I can’t do it; it’s just harder to do when a ball is in front of me!! tony@CIC, Stereotype and RickyBobby_PR 2 1 Quote “We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.” Link to comment
Stereotype Posted June 9, 2023 Author Share Posted June 9, 2023 UPDATE!! @Kenny B @RickyBobby_PR @cnosil @Bossfan Had my lesson yesterday, and took pieces of all of your advice: We discussed his teaching philosophy versus my goals and current course strategies/management. Discussed my current stats on GIR, FIR, and putts. I hit a few balls some pure, some okay, nothing horrible. He said he liked what he saw and discussed small improvements that we can make over time. Gave me one thing to work on before we meet again. Discussed how he wants me to practice in between lessons, warm-up before rounds, and focus on some new goals for each round. I think the blind date went well, definitely vibed on energy and conversation, the dude just loves golf. Signed up for a pack of lessons. Thanks all, definitely went into this as a more informed consumer - sincerely appreciate your help and perspective. russtopherb, cnosil, tony@CIC and 2 others 5 Quote Driver: King F8 9.5D w/Motore X1 x-stiff Fairway: King F8 3 wood Hybrids: King F9 3 hybrid 19.5° Fujikura Atmos 7s stiff Irons: King F8 5-PW true temper XP 90 stiff Wedges: 48° (10) Mack Daddy 4 S grind, 52° (09) Hi-Toe, 56° (09) Milled Grind, 60° (10) MG2 Putter: 004 Mallet w/ SuperStroke Zynergy 5.0 Ball: Pro (white & drip) Link to comment
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