Finding the right golf coach

While instructional videos and books can take you a long way on the road to learning golf, there is no substitute for learning from a real golf pro. And while lessons CAN be expensive, they can also make the difference between learning the correct swing – and staying a hacker all your golfing life.

After trying at least two dozen coaches – both in India and the U.S, I settled on TWO – a go-to coach in the U.S. and a go-to person in India. The India coach was an ex-India open champion – and the U.S. coach, a scratch golfer with a short game that was everyone’s envy.  Here are some important takeaways from my experience in finding good golf coaches:

Golf cannot be learned in 45 or 60 minute lessons.

You need to immerse yourself in the training – get a 3 week training camp or something analogous – and you might walk out with a couple of elements retained. Anything less may not help you retain anything concrete. You WILL, most likely, revert to your old habits a few days after the lesson wears off. After spending a lot on lessons, I decided to try coaching in my native country, India. Being relatively inexpensive, I could afford to get a (good) coach for the entire day (4 to 6 hours) for the same price that I would pay for an hour here in the U.S. I lucked out – and got an even better coach than I was hoping for – he was an ex-‘India open’ champion from the 60 and 70s, now retired, but coaching the next generation. So anyway, 45 – 60 minute lessons, in my opinion, are ineffective.  If you can, consider joining longer golf camps – or take continuous lessons from the same coach.

Your coach’s built

This may sound trivial – but try and find a coach who has a build similar to yours. There  are too many little nuances in the golf setup (the amount of hip bend (which dictates the Spine Angle), the angle the left wrist makes with the grip, the amount of flex in your knees etc. What I learnt was that these all depended on the build of my instructor. To avoid any confusion, go with a coach who has a build similar to yours. Often, the coaches themselves are not aware of these little nuances.

Don’t be afraid to ask VERY BASIC questions.

If you are not sure that you have the right GRIP, by all means have the PRO check it. And recommend any changes. If you are not confident you have the right clubs for your swing, the COACH should be able to point you in the right direction. And don’t be afraid to ask the coach to demonstrate any lesson. A good coach should be able to demonstrate with his own swing what he is trying to get you to do – and also inculcate a FEEL for what you are trying to accomplish. If you are not getting this from your coach, move on – and find a coach that WILL get you there.

Avoid coaches with whom you are improving SLOOOOOWLY

Several coaches will tell you – ‘This is a time consuming process – and it will take a few months to see any difference’ The truth of the matter is that – YES – it IS time consuming – but you should get something SOLID and IMPLEMENTABLE out of each lesson. Even if it is JUST ONE thing you take away – and work on – on the range. As long as you are doing your homework (practicing on the range what you learn from the coach) , you should notice IMMEDIATE improvements. Coaches who downplay your lack of improvement with ‘Oh – its only been two lessons’ – may not be right for you.

Summary

Golf is a sport that FEW people can pick up without instruction. Golf coaching is not cheap either. You need to try and ensure that you have a coach that gives you a bang for your buck.