Choosing The Right Golf Instructor

The PGA website has some advice on picking the right golf instructor.

It’s not as easy as you might think. I’ve been to several lessons and gone away thinking that I’m never going back to that instructor again. In all of those cases, it was due to the instructor’s love affair with the video camera. They spent most of the lesson showing me on a monitor why my swing isn’t like Tiger Woods.

That’s nice, but I already know that, and I also know why. I need construction, not criticism.

Here’s what the PGA site says about video:

Video, when used correctly, is a third pair of eyes (you and your instructor are first and second). This is similar to a doctor using an X-Ray or M.R.I, to diagnosis a health issue. Your golf instructor should be using video in the same manner. Video should confirm the diagnosis to you, not the instructor. A good golf instructor has the ability to see the flaw first, and use his or her knowledge of that flaw to diagnose a cure or drill for you to practice to realize improvement. If your golf instructor is relying solely on video to tell what is happening in your swing, you will eventually lose trust in the instructor’s ability to help you.

The best lessons I’ve had were from a couple of instructors (both of whom moved away) who could tell you everything you wanted to know about your swing from the ball flight.

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