Brian Manzella GTE Seminar #2 - Las Vegas - Reviews & Comments

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cmartingolf

cmartingolf

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Hello Forum Members,

I'm sitting in the airport in Vegas catching up on E-mail for the last couple of days and I thought I'd give you guys some insights on my first GTE.

I had a great time with Brian and the attendees. The guys were great and it was a nice mix of young and ... more mature:)

I could go over the curriculum, but most of you can read about that in the introductory thread. Brian did a nice job with the content and stayed on point pretty well. I say pretty well, because I really enjoyed the stories that arose after some of the questions. Brian has a great sense of humor and we all had a good laugh. The fun was "poked" at everyone.

My highlights? Simple. Watching Brian fix guys in relative minutes. Now, with a couple of guys, some of the fixes were mild and with some, the fixes were significant. I've been doing this a long time. Clearly, I'm on this site because I think I learn stuff from you guys and Brian. This GTE reinforced that thought.

Negatives? The presentation was on a TV that was 32". Being the nerd I am, I would have like the discussion and presentation to have gone longer both days.

Otherwise, I was very satisfied and would highly recommend anyone at any level attend. That said, you have to know some of Brian's lingo to keep up with the discussion. My buddy who attended is a multiple "teacher of the year" in various PGA Sections and I had to translate the Cajun's lingo a couple of times. He isn't easily impressed and he really enjoyed the material as well.

For those of you who attended, it was GREAT to meet all of you and I look forward to staying in touch.

Brian: Thanks a ton. You've made me a better player and a MUCH better teacher.
 
mjstrong

mjstrong

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Just leaving myself, and plan on posting a little more detail later on, but, for now will just say that I thoroughly enjoyed the two days. As educational as this website is, these GTE's are even more informative, and I'm sure that each one will povide a 'cutting edge' bit of information that hasn't even made it out yet. I've got a few ideas for research from thus Vegas trip that I really look forward to pursuing.

Thanks Brian, and thank you to all the other attendees. It was great. I strongly encourage anyone who has the chance to go to one of these, to take it.
 
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jawallace

New
GTE - Las Vegas - Review and Comments

Just returned from the Las Vegas GTE. I really enjoyed meeting Brian and participating in the seminar. Brian is a real seeker and boldly says what he believes now vs. what he has found as less than essential in the golf swing. I really like his focus on ball flight supported with D-Plane info and Trackman.

It was great to see several people hit while capturing path and face numbers with Trackman. Measurement sure beats "guessing" and Trackman delivers the goods. I applaud Brian's genuine love of learning and his sincere desire to help all of us find swings that really work. As he says, "customized patterns."
 
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Scott P

New
Wow, where to start? First off thanks to Brian and everyone that made this happen. I had an amazing time. For a fairly new PGA Apprentice something like the GTE is invaluable. This course should be mandatory for anyone in the PGM program. I learned so much about the golf swing in two days. Brian did a great job conveying the material in a manner that even I could understand it, no easy task! I will agree with Martin, my highlight was watching him fix peoples swings so quickly, really impressive. The live lessons alone were worth the price of admission, a VERY fair price I might add! If you are thinking about attending a GTE do yourself a favor and go, don't hesitate, I am glad I didn't. That was easily the best $350 dollars I have spent. I can't wait for the next one. It was nice meeting everyone, a lot of very knowledgeable people in attendance. I had a great time listening to everyone and the stories weren't bad either!

Brian, thank you so much. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. You are a class act it was a pleasure meeting and getting to know you. The lesson you gave me helped me tremendously. Your lesson and the one I received from Kevin are easily the two best lessons I have ever received.

I would also like to thank Mr. Rick Dandy for his more then generous donation for the door prize that I was lucky enough to win. Mr. Dandy, thank you! I was speechless yesterday when I won and I'm still in shock. I can not thank you enough. It's people like you that make this world a better place.


Arrr Matey! I'm still laughing about the elevator comment.
 
Matt Bryda

Matt Bryda

New
Thank you Brian for all the time and effort you put into making the GTE available and affordable for all. I attended both GTEs and I have a much better understanding of the D plane and how it describes ball flight. Like the first GTE the live lessons with Trackman were the best part. It was interesting to see how some of the guys taking the lessons were able to guess their path or clubface numbers but not usually their clubhead speed. And like at the first GTE the attitude and openness of the people in attendance adds a bunch to the atmosphere of learning. There were a few things that came up that I don't think you would ever hear in any other teaching seminar that in the end could go a long way with helping golfers get better quicker. To all the instructors out there don't pass up another chance at attending a GTE.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us again!

Matt
 
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flyers66

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In one word-Fantastic! Exceeded my expectations on what I would learn. Things that were difficult for me to understand on video, and musing on the forum, easily came to light with Brian's insightful, always entertaining, live presentation...A big plus for me was having open group participation- which lead to many questions being asked that one could never think up on there own. The live lessons were invaluable; both taking one and watching someone else. The guys were great; it is always fun to be around like minded individuals seeking the truth...In summery, the GTE summit really help demystify concepts for me that were only that-concepts, till you see them in action...
Worth every penny!
Doug
 
jpvegas1

jpvegas1

New
I also thought that the GTE seminar was outstanding. Made Brian's concepts and the matrix much easier to visualize and understand. Having trackman and watching the lessons was eye opening. Brian usually managed to zero out the trackman numbers within the first couple of minutes. With the trackman you not only had ballflight, but the numbers to show you were on the right path. He explained the compensations the players were doing and what needed to be done to correct the compensations I also took a lesson with Trackman after the summit and though I've had lessons from Brian before it was nice to see the numbers and how they were zeroing out within a few swings.

One of the pluses of the course was the freedom and ability to ask questions and have Brian or one of the other attendees answer. There definitely was a wealth of golf knowledge in the room and I learned a lot from the attendees at dinner as well as Brian. It was great meeting everyone and hope to see people again in the future.

I agree with CMartin on the audio-visuals and another minor annoyance was having to hit off of mats. Other than that the summit was outstanding and hope to attend another summit or a Manzella get together golf weekend.
 
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flyers66

New
OK, it's official...
Played today after attending the GTE summit-The verdict is that I played one of my best rounds EVER!...The real difference being that my good shots were consistent and went as PLANNED; and my not so good shots were easily dissected as to what went wrong and fixed accordingly-THAT is the beauty of what I learned at the summit with Brian and Trackman. I felt like i finally had the knowledge and procedure to execute and play my way around the course...Awesome
Doug
 
Jwat

Jwat

New
flyers66 said:
OK, it's official...
Played today after attending the GTE summit-The verdict is that I played one of my best rounds EVER!...The real difference being that my good shots were consistent and went as PLANNED; and my not so good shots were easily dissected as to what went wrong and fixed accordingly-THAT is the beauty of what I learned at the summit with Brian and Trackman. I felt like i finally had the knowledge and procedure to execute and play my way around the course...Awesome
Doug
Click to expand...

I think this is becoming a trend, Brian + Trackman = Golf Improvement
 
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potterphd

New
I was probably a little different than the average participant, as I am in no way an instructor or even a decent golfer. In fact, I absolutely stink at golf. Despite being a fairly decent high school athlete 14 years ago and still remaining in decent shape, I just never have been able to produce a usable golf swing. Over the past two years I have played about 30 rounds a year and have only broken 100 a handful of times and have never come close to breaking 90. On a bad day, I can play so bad that I literally cannot play by the rules of golf without turning it into a seven hour round. Although I occasionally hit some pretty crisp wedge and short iron shots, I'm fairly certain I've never hit a good shot with a driver in my life.

I've taken many lessons and despite what was obviously an open club face problem (as I learned from NSA) not one teacher ever did anything about my club face. Lots of work on path, but never club face. Finally, I came to the realization that if I was going to learn to hit a golf ball I was going to have to teach myself. Late last fall I stumbled across this website and specifically NSA. Due to weather and a new baby, I haven't gotten to play a round since, but have had some range sessions that seem promising.

Ok, all that said, I decided to attend the GTE because of my nerdy love of the study of the golf swing. I certainly was not disappointed. Watching Brian teach, both in the classroom setting and on the range is watching a true master at work. I felt that he explained complex concepts (the D-Plane, new ball flight law, etc.) in an understandable and even entertaining manner. He, as you can well imagine, is very energetic and funny. The impersonations of Moe and Don (fellow NO instructor) are epic.

A couple of areas that could have made the event more enjoyable for me would be if there had been handouts of the items on the screen and maybe even a little more of what was discussed. So much great information was flying that I'm sure I missed some good bits. It also seemed that we were so focused on some of the new concepts that Brian is working on that some other really important but boring areas (grip, set-up, etc.) may have gotten short shrift.

As others have noted, the live lessons and work on Trackman was enjoyable (seems I now DO have a path and less of a club face problem). However, as the vast majority of participants were already very accomplished golfers we didn't get a chance to see what Brian would do with a really broken or beginner swing. "Fixing" Matt or Martin's swing is like changing the shade of Scarlett Johansson's fingernail polish. Maybe it helps, but it was pretty darn good to start with. I personally think it would have been more fun to see Brian turn Rosie O'Donnel INTO Scarlett Johansson.

Thanks to Brian and the other participants for being so welcoming to a hacker and I hope I get the opportunity to see you sometime again down the road.
 
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JHodge

New
Best golf instruction seminar i've been to hands down. I am TPI Golf Pro level 2 and have gone through the Canadian PGA teaching and coaching certification like others have. I continually study golf instruction texts trying to absorb as much as I can. I learned more during the GTE than I have in all the other classes/seminars combined. Brian is a class act and top shelf. All the literalist/method haters can pound it. Get your facts straight! His knowledge of the golf swing and use of Trackman for teaching made for an unparalleled experience.

I was lucky enough to watch Brian give a few lessons after the GTE, so I witnessed some higher handicap swings transformed. The root causes were addressed first. No one was fitted into the same pattern - but everyone put up zeros on Trackman pretty quick!

I had a two hour lesson with Brian and his assistant Trackman. I hit about 200 balls and although I was sore the next day, it was muscle soreness and not joint/tendon pain. I am a CPGA teaching professional so my swing was decent enough, but practicing that long would previously aggrevate an old S.I. joint strain on the right side and right side neck pain. After Brian set me straight during the lesson plus practice over the next two days the only thing that is sore are my obliques on the left side from more axis tilt. My back feels great. That alone is worth it all, not to mention the invaluable experience and knowledge I gained during the week.

Thanks Brian!

Jeremy
 
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cmartingolf

cmartingolf

New
flyers66 said:
OK, it's official...
Played today after attending the GTE summit-The verdict is that I played one of my best rounds EVER!...The real difference being that my good shots were consistent and went as PLANNED; and my not so good shots were easily dissected as to what went wrong and fixed accordingly-THAT is the beauty of what I learned at the summit with Brian and Trackman. I felt like i finally had the knowledge and procedure to execute and play my way around the course...Awesome
Doug
Click to expand...

That's awesome. Congrats.
 
jpvegas1

jpvegas1

New
Thought I would post on my first round post summit and lesson.

I played well, shot an 82, but had a triple bogey and two doubles which skewed the score. If I can get a handle on the short game I wouldn't have had those bad holes, plus I would have had more par saves.

The biggest change I noted was with the short irons. I had a much better ball flight and with my new knowledge of the D-Plane, much better direction.

Thanks Brian and the other participants in the summit.
 
D

dwurzer

New
Las Vegas

Brian,

Thanks for the great seminar in LV. Your instruction and media was excellent in explaining the D plane. Can see how Trackman would definitely help add science to the teaching of golf. The PGA has not stepped up on teaching/coaching. With all that PGA Championship and Ryder Cup money you would think they would put some in research. Most of the cutting edge instruction is taught outside the PGA.

Maybe the new education you are providing will take off and leave the PGA with just General Managers and Head Professionals.

Give them hell Brian.

David
PGA Master Professional
 
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