Player-Coach Relationships

The aim of this blog post is to help you select the best golf coach for you.  If you don’t take lessons then hopefully after reading this you might be tempted to.

The UK has 4 million golfers and apparently around 10% of them take golf lessons.  This is good and bad for golf coaches like myself.  It’s bad in that such a low % of golfers take lessons but also good that there’s a big untapped market there that we can hopefully attract.

My belief is that without taking golf lessons from a qualified PGA professional it will be very difficult to improve as a golfer.  I don’t hear many success stories from YouTube watching as a way to self-teach.  I am not saying there aren’t some golfers doing well this way as there is a lot of great information out there for free.  I’m just not convinced it’s the best plan.

MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS FOR LONG LASTING IMPROVEMENT:

• find a coach you like (more on that below)
• be willing to practice smart and effectively to make the necessary changes
• enjoy the journey of getting better and working on your game
• be patient and accept the road to success isn’t always plain sailing

So how do you find the right coach?  Shop around is one way.  If a coach and you aren’t clicking then try another as we all have different approaches.  I have never been offended when a player I have taught has gone to another coach.  After all, no coach will ever be the right coach for every golfer.  I am also happy to speak to other coaches and share any information or data I have on players if they want it.  My belief is golf should be about golfers and not protecting the egos of coaches.  We should all be working towards improving a golfer’s golf experience as that will benefit the sport the most in the long run.  I really don’t like insular or protective attitudes where coaches put themselves ahead of the greater good of the game.

A coach should care about you and your game and not just see you as income.  If you don’t get the impression your coach genuinely cares about your game then he or she can’t really complain if you ditch them!

If you find a coach you like then I really do believe in building a long term relationship.  I have students I’ve worked with for a few years now and you really get to know their games and swings inside out.  When they come in with issues the fixes tend to be easier because you know them so well.

A lot of the best golfers in the world have been with the same coach since they were young.  McIlroy, Spieth and Day come to mind straight away.  I like the fact that if they hit a bad patch they don’t think the answer is a new coach.  I doubt any of them will find a coach now who knows them better and cares more about them than their respective long-term coaches.

I hope this short blog has give some of you a little insight into the coach and player relationship.  If you haven’t got a coach just now hopefully you are encouraged to get out there and find one that’s a great fit for you.  Good luck and please get in touch if you have any queries.