Presented by Bobby Lopez and Darren deMaille, PGA
You want to get better at golf but you’re not sure if lessons will help. You don’t know what to look for in a good golf instructor. A good instructor knows all about formal swing theory but also recognizes that every player has unique needs, demanding a unique approach to swing development.
To improve YOUR golf swing you must understand more than the mechanics of a sound golf swing – you must understand the idiosyncrasies of YOUR own golf swing. What makes YOUR swing tick?
Finding the right teaching professional is not easy. Especially with all the show business related to teaching today. Some golf instructors are more concerned with their royalties from swing aids than their teaching skills. There are so many golf schools to choose from in golf magazines and on-line. Some claim to have a special swing key or method that will take you to the promised land of golf. Be careful! There are no short cuts to better golf. One swing key might work for a specific type of golfer or golf swing, while the same swing key might be disastrous for another.
Did you try golf lessons before and played worse? This is a very common result and the reasons are numerous. Your instructor may have tried to address several swing faults at one time causing you to become overloaded with too many swing thoughts. Another common mistake golf instructors make is to teach all their students the same swing technique. Even tour players do not attempt to copy their competitors. Would you consider mimicking Jim Furyk’s swing? How about Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus or Matthew Wolff?
Great Golfers Know Their Swing! They know their positives and negatives and more importantly, they know how to keep their negatives to a minimum or under control. A good golf instructor will help you better understand YOUR golf swing motion, body type and style. Work with what you’ve got and you’ll improve quicker with less frustration.
If the question is, “should you take lessons” the answer is a resounding yes! Golf lessons from a qualified professional will prove invaluable in helping you better understand YOUR swing and the reasons why you are experiencing the level of success or frustration to this point in your golf game.
Here’s the ten top questions I would ask any teaching professional before taking a golf lesson. We hope to save time, money and frustration up front, by offering you the right questions to ask before getting started.
Question #1 – How Long have you been Teaching Golf? Who Taught You? – This question should provide some interesting information. Why? Because if an individual has been teaching for a long time, then he or she must be somewhat proficient or they would have had to seek other employment by now. If your professional studied under or was taught by a very well known teacher, then that would be a positive and give you some insight into the teaching philosophy.
In the case of Quick Fix Golf, Darren deMaille taught for Jack Nicklaus for seven years, BINGO! No need to ask more at this point. Bobby Lopez learned from well recognized golf professionals like Dick Farley, Bill Mehlhorn, and Bob Toski.
If you’re considering on-line lessons, teaching experience and a keen eye is vitally important! Quick Fix Golf leads the industry in on-line lessons. We started offering on-line instruction during its very infancy. Check out our You Tube channel https://www.youtube.com/quickfixgolf
For local lessons, if the prospective instructor answers that they have been teaching for a short time, then ask if their boss or head professional can sit in on the lesson or at the very least check you out at each phase of your development personally. You will definitely want to shy away from an unsupervised rookie. A cold rookie teacher could cause you years of aggravation and difficulties in unraveling the damage done to your golf swing motion.
Question #2 – Do You Use Video Analysis? – If the answer is no to video analysis, then start looking for another pro. The video analysis will save you weeks, maybe even years of frustration. You will have a much better understanding of what you are doing wrong when you can actually see yourself on the video analysis!
You need to have the best technology available to be competitive. When it comes to an on-line lesson you literally can NOT perform without video.
The video analysis allows you to take your lesson home so you never forget what you learned. You will be very surprised at things you will see in your video when you get home that you did not notice in the heat of the moment during the lesson. You will see yourself trying to reach a new swing position that felt uncomfortable at first but looks great on video.
The visual support will give you the energy to continue forward with your swing changes. Your improvements will look good on video before they feel good. Once the swing changes feel right, you’ll begin to see some significant improvement on the golf course.
Question #3 – Do You Offer LIVE Lessons Online?
Online instruction can be offered in three different formats. Most common is:
Access to the Vault – You are awarded access to a vault of prerecorded videos for a monthly fee. This in our estimation is a very poor choice for golf instruction prone to creating even more frustration with your golf game. Yes the pros offering their advice as part of the group of prerecorded videos may be name brand teachers with impeccable credentials. However, they have NOT had the opportunity to see YOUR swing to see how their suggestion would be a “good fit” for your swing ailment.
I would shy away from this format even if the price is tempting. Some companies offer as low as $9.97 per month. Quick Fix Golf does NOT offer this format because of it’s ineffectiveness.
Analysis Sent Over the Internet – This format is far superior although NOT the best. You would upload a video you’ve taken of your golf swing, or E-mail it to the instructors for analysis. Once the analysis is completed it is e-mailed back to you with lesson commentary.
Quick Fix Golf offers lessons under this format for as little as $12.90 each. Quite a savings over the one on one lesson with a local pro geared up with video capabilities. A pro with top technology like what we use might charge as much as $180 or more per hour.
LIVE Lesson Online – This is by far the best format for maximum results in the shortest period of time. You again upload your video to your professional. A mutual time is booked when you and your professional can get on-line with software such as ZOOM and both converse while the analysis is produced. You should have access to or a visual of the instructors computer screen in real time. This allows you to ask questions when they immediately come to mind.
Yes, this format may cost more then the other two, but well worth the investment. Quick Fix Golf offers LIVE on-line lessons for as little as $49 each.
Question #4 – Are You Going To Change My Golf Swing? – If your prospective teaching professional begins his/her lesson by offering an in-depth dissertation of technical mumbo-jumbo…it’s time to find another pro! The pro is probably hung up on how much they know and could possibly overload you with too many swing thoughts which could cause you to play worse.
Make sure your pro will only work on one swing thought at a time. Until the new motion is set in stone, don’t attempt to add another change.
Remember, golf professionals that offer too many changes too quickly contribute to the concern many golfers have about golf instruction.
Question #5 – Can I try one lesson without obligation?
You should be able to take one lesson to see how things go. Never sell yourself short and take less than the best for your golf swing.
I would NOT commit to a long term lesson obligation unless I was very comfortable and convinced during the first trial lesson that the teacher student relationship was going to be a successful one.
I’ve witnessed some golf lesson companies that offer long term lesson plans for $1,500 to $2,500 where students walk away from a lot of money when they find that the lessons are not working out. In most cases the student is too embarrassed to ask for a refund.
Question #6 – Do You Offer Additional Follow-up – So many pros and amateurs think when the lesson is over it’s over. Not true! I just had surgery on my ankle and the next day the Doctor’s office called to follow-up on my reaction to medication and/or other possible discomforts.
When Quick Fix Golf assigns a drill specific to the needs of our student we offer UNLIMITED follow-up on the drill performance. Why? In our mind, we consider the drill we assigned to the student as medication for their golf swing. As follow-up, we ask you to video yourself performing the drill an UNLIMITED number of times, until we are both convinced you are performing the drill properly. We want to make sure you’re taking the medication your drill) properly for guaranteed results! This is KEY!
Question #7 – Do You Have Reviews and Long Term Students? – All good teachers will have tons of testimonials and success stories. Good testimonials and referrals are a must! I would ask students how long they’ve been taking lessons with them? Students that stick with a teacher are usually getting results.
At Quick Fix Golf we include a picture of the student with the testimonial in the student’s own hand writing. Don’t settle for a short line like, “I cut ten strokes off my game” from George in Seattle.
Question #8 Do You Offer Instructions on Taking the Best Video for a Successful Analysis? – We offer a short but effective video with instructions on how to film your golf swing from the proper angle, height and length for maximum results. Just one swing per video works best. One from the frontal view and another from the down the link view.
Question #9 Do You Attach Drills with an Explanation on how to Perform Properly for Best Results? – Not just the drill should be attached. You should also receive an explanation of why the drill was assigned to YOUR swing, how to perform it properly and then what results one should expect.
Remember, under our system, you may upload a video of you performing the drill so that we both are assured that you are performing the drill properly. No wasting time going two steps forward and four back by performing a drill the wrong way, being ineffective..
Question #10 Will I Have Access to the Video Analysis at my Convenience? – You need to have access 24/7 365 from anywhere, so that you can work on your drills in front of a mirror in your hotel room or on a golf trip.
You’re on a golf trip and have a poor opening round, no problem. Go to your Quick Fix Golf Member’s Only Section and watch your prior videos for support. You can also take advantage of an on-line lesson right from your room, the range or the clubhouse.
Send in a video of your swing that day for a quick analysis on what might be causing your poor play. Touring pros do the same thing on a regular basis.
