Tag: learn golf swing

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How to choose a golf coach

 

By John Hughes

Published on 

Getty Images

Here are some important points to consider when choosing a golf coach:
Compatibility
Make sure there is a good fit between you and your coach on all levels, personality type to mutual goals, to similar beliefs about the game and how it should be played, as well as your coach’s ability to relate to your individual needs.
Find a PGA Coach near you

Do your Research — One good way to find the right coach is to ask your friends and playing partners for referrals. Ask them about pricing, reputation, location, and how they improved after working with the coach. Call the coach and set up a phone or in-person meeting. A good coach will be happy to discuss your game and get to know you.

Accreditation and Experience — Does your golf coach have the education and experience to take your game to any level you desire? Many individuals claim to be golf coaches but you cannot get any better golf instruction than from a member of the PGA or LPGA, all of whom have completed intense training which they need to continually update.

Swing Aids — A swing aid should do one thing: assist you in feeling the difference between what you are currently doing in your swing versus what your coach would like you to feel within your swing. If a swing aid does not provide that feedback for you, then it is not the right choice for you.

Technology — Video is an expectation of golf practice. If you cannot post the video to various social media immediately, you are behind the times. The value of videos should be to show you what how you need to improve your swing.

Follow-up Communication — You should expect instant feedback via digital platform or in-person, regarding follow-up practice, scheduling and your improvement.

An Expert Team — Golf is getting so diverse that a coach cannot know everything about golf anymore. Good coaches will surround themselves with a team of experts that may include a fitness instructor, sports psychologist, nutritionist, and others. You may not need all those experts but having them at your disposal could be a huge benefit to you.

Wherever your golf journey is heading, let’s get you there. There are nearly 29,000 PGA Professionals ready to help. Find yours at pga.com/coach.

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How To Choose a Golf Instructor

A great golf instructor is invaluable

Photo: Courtesy The PGA of America
The right golf instructor can make a world of difference in your golf game.

By John Kim
PGA.com

I originally wrote this article in 2003.  With 11+ years of advancement in technology, communication, and business, I felt it was time to revise the original article and provide a look at some factors that should help influence you in one direction or another when deciding who you choose to help you reach your potential as a golfer.

The process is still as unique as your fingerprint, based upon who you are as well as what level you want to accomplish.  And the process is still comparable to choosing the best doctor to diagnose and treat you for an illness or decease.  There are certain questions you would ask your doctor and certain things you would require from your doctor that will allow you feel comfortable with your treatment plan.  You should ask similar questions and expect similar services from your golf instructor before investing your time and money improving your game.

Compatibility – It is your responsibility to insure that there is a fit between you and your instructor on all levels regarding personality type, mutual goals, are your beliefs similar about the game and how it should be played, as well as your instructor’s ability to relate to your individual needs. 11 years ago, the communication vehicles and methods we now have access to did not exist, and now have to be part of the compatibility side of choosing the best golf instructor for you.  Does the instructor use modern methods of communication that provides you instant feedback and contact with your instructor?  Or is the instructor still using antiquated forms of communication and not replying to his or her clients request for contact and follow-up?


Find a PGA Instructor near you

Before throwing a dart in the phone book under “golf instruction,” research the professionals in your area. One way is to ask your friends and playing partners for referrals of good instructors in your area they have used. Ask them about pricing, reputation, location, and their improvement under the instructor’s tutelage.  Also ask about the instructor’s use of technology and how good is the instructor at delivering timely communication to you in a personal way.  Chances are if you get along with your playing partners and the instructor does too, the instructor(s) they use may be a good fit for you too.  Call the instructor and ask if he or she has some time to get to know you by phone or if you can come by and watch a lesson.  A good instructor will be happy to talk to you about your game, get to know you as an individual, as well as allow you to peak into a lesson prior to helping you with your golf game.

Accreditation and Experience – Does your golf instructor have the education and experience to take your game to any level you desire? Many individuals claim to be golf instructors. Many of these individuals are self-proclaimed “experts,” or had enough money to take a one to two week course on how to teach golf and make more money.  11 years later, I will not back down from this statement that caused the most commotion about the original article.  I will tell you some of the organizations that accredit golf instructors have upped their games and are providing improved educational opportunities for those who are not wanting to become PGA or LPGA Members.  These companies are still ultimately out to make money the easiest way they can and at their lower levels of accreditation allow substandard instructors to promote themselves under their brands.

But you can not get any better golf instruction than from a Member of the PGA or LPGA.  The programs these men and women complete are intense, include first-hand experiences over a longer course of time, and are constantly required by the organizations to re-educate themselves on a regular basis.

When seeking a golf professional to help you with your game, insure that the individual has an active accreditation with the PGA or LPGA, or another accreditation association that places more value on education over a longer period of time, versus just a couple of weeks of training.  Be sure the instructor is remaining active in the association he or she belongs to and is constantly educating themselves on the latest innovations of technology and instructional methodology.  And most important is to be sure that the instructor has a history of creating positive results for the clients he or she serves.  No matter what affiliation of accrediting association the instructor is part of, asking for and receiving references from the instructor is a great way to confirm if this is the instructor for you.

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Get More Distance Out Of The Ground

NEW RESEARCH

Get More Distance Out Of The Ground

3 power moves the pros make that you don’t

WITH RON KASPRISKE
PHOTO BY STEPHEN SZURLEJ

March 2011

There are a lot of differences between the golf swing of an elite player and that of the average amateur, but what are the biggest? Let’s look at what most golfers want more than anything: power. My work with biomechanics researcher Jean-Jacques Rivet has proved that most amateurs don’t push into the ground effectively to create leverage in their swings. And leverage leads to power.

With the use of J.J.’s data, we’ve found three spots in the average golfer’s swing where a lack of leverage is most evident: the takeaway, halfway back and the transition. I’m going to share our findings with you and give you some drills to fix these power leaks. Follow our advice, and you’ll start hitting the ball better than ever.

1.THE START OF THE BACKSWING

Ground force in the takeaway: 
Pro: 125% of body weight
Amateur: 70% of body weight
Most amateurs tend to lose leverage early in the backswing by raising their bodies, which lightens the force they apply to the ground. The pros do the opposite and apply even more force, giving them a much more stable base to coil the upper body.

leadbetter

DRILL
Take a wood block or similarly weighted object such as a hardcover book and place it behind your 6-iron at address. Push the block away from the target as you start your backswing (right. You should feel pressure building in your right heel as well as the ball of your left foot from the extra effort it takes to move the block.

2. HALFWAY BACK

Ground force in the takeaway: 
Pro: 125% of body weight
Amateur: 65% of body weight

Even if they had good ground force at the start of the swing, many amateurs lose that grounded feeling at this point. As that pressure decreases, they stop coiling and begin to lift their hands and arms as a compensatory move to finish the backswing. Pros continue to coil all the way to the top because they’re still grounded.

leadbetter

DRILL
Place a club on the ground and stand on the shaft with both feet as shown (right, shoes optional). Then swing a 6-iron while standing on the shaft. As you move past the halfway point in your backswing, you should feel a steady or increasing amount of force in your right heel and the middle of your left foot. Because of this force, you should be able to complete your upper-body turn just like the pros do.

3. THE TRANSITION

Ground force in the takeaway: 
Pro: 145% of body weight
Amateur: 90% of body weight

As the club starts down, elite players increase the pressure under their feet — it looks as if they’re starting to squat — which shallows the swing plane and increases clubhead lag. It’s a huge power move. Most amateurs swing down on too steep of a plane and release the clubhead lag early, usually resulting in a weak slice. They often have more ground-force pressure halfway down than at impact. The sequence of the downswing should be from the ground up, but these players frequently do just the opposite, leading with the upper body.

leadbetter

DRILL

Set up with your feet and hips open to the target and take the club to the top. As you start to swing down (right), rotate your hips in a clockwise direction — a feeling of closing them off to your target even more. This dynamic move will force you to push into the ground with your front leg. It also will keep your shoulders from unwinding early and will drop your arms and club onto a shallow plane. Those are keys to hitting a powerful shot that curves from right to left.

BIOS
DAVID LEADBETTER, a Golf Digest Teaching Professional, is based at ChampionsGate, near Orlando. JEAN-JACQUES RIVET is the sports biomechanics consultant to the European Tour.

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Practicing Your Golf Swing in Slow Motion

  1. Slow down when working on your swing for amazing results!

    Practicing your golf swing in slow motion is a concept I’ve always believed in and have religiously articulated throughout my teaching career, “If you can’t do it in slow motion, how could you ever do it in fast motion.”

    Now some have argued they are not one in the same in the sense that with a full speed swing the dynamics are different when considering the impetus generated through centripetal force.  I believe this is true but only to a certain degree as they are overall missing the point that the player first needs to understand the exact positions they need to achieve within the swing and repeat those motions slowly over and over again and habituate them then slowly transgress over to full speed swing.

    Check out the Slow Mo Drill video below:

  2. Slow Motion Golf Swing | Golf Channel

    Jan 2, 2013… and in this video Brad Brewer shows you how to practice in slow motion to … In this video segment, Brad Brewer shows y…
    Golfchannel
  3. Amazing, here is a video of Ben Hogan actually practicing in slow motion as referenced above by Brad Brewer.
  4. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5vTfi0gtZ8?feature=oembed&w=400&h=225]
    Ben Hogans’ slow motion practice routine
    TSSfootage
    ·

    Sun, Feb 24 2013 15:29:35

  5. Just for the sake of analysis here is a great slow motion swing video with Professional Golf Coach Mitchell Spearman examining the swing of the 2010 US Open Champion Graeme McDowell.
  6. Slow Motion Golf Swing Videos | Hit The Perfect Golf Ball Video

    Golfing World have amazing slow motion golf swing videos so you can see exactly how … The Path to Par Series – Perfect PracticeProfes…
    Golfingworld
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My Favorite Shots To Save Par

See on Scoop.it – golf instruction

Brandt Snedeker shares his favorite shots around the green. (RT @GolfDigestMag: One of Brandt Snedeker’s favorite shots around the green? The hands-free lob.

BestGolfeBooks‘s insight:

The "Hands free lob" is an adaptation to the pitching swing and is a great tool in and around the green.  The firmness in the hands provides a high degree of consistency.

See on www.golfdigest.com