Interesting Phenomenon

Status
Not open for further replies.

Leek

New
I found this interesting. I invited my older brother to play in a guest day outing yesterday. As has been typical lately, I began by playing pretty well- for me. Through 7 holes, I was one under. My brother, who has always been a much better player than I, was just terrible, probably 6-7 over. He was pretty down and not having fun. He was complaining that he couldn't hit the ball and having a miserable time. For the first 7 holes I said, hang in there, your swing isn't so bad, just play through it.

I noticed he was WAY under the plane and fanning his takeaway, really out of synch at the top and then flipping through impact, but I kept my mouth shut. He looked like he was going to cry, so finally I asked if he wanted a tip or two from observation. He was all ears and I felt terrible so I opened my big mouth. I told him to make sure he hinged his right wrist on his takeaway, and then make a smooth transition. He asked how to make a smooth transition when he is all out of whack, and I suggested he take the slack out by making a backswing until his lower back would not allow him to back any further.

Unfortunately, this same extremely deep backswing puts me in a position to get severely under the plane (I just get too deep, I'm very flexible). Immediately, I step up to hit my drive, and voila- I do what I told HIM.
Immediate huge way right to left hook- OB! I tee off again and salvage bogey. Next tee, he asks what I told him, because he couldn't remember, but it helped him some. I repeat what I said, hit my drive- another screaming push hook OB.

I will never, ever do that again. I will either keep my mouth shut and concentrate on my game, or tell them to play with what brung 'em.

Has this happened to you?
 

Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
Welcome to my life as a teacher! Can you imagine how hard it is to teach 3 different patterns to 3 different people and using each of those 3 patterns (that isn't your stock pattern btw) in their lesson to PROVE TO THEM it works?

Now you know why i am leaving teaching to focus ON ME!
 
It is always tempting to try and help someone on the course that is melting down, but unfortunately they rarely work...at least in my experience.
 

Leek

New
It is always tempting to try and help someone on the course that is melting down, but unfortunately they rarely work...at least in my experience.

Oh, he came back just fine (even on the back). So did I. I just jacked 3 ob and cost myself 6 shots :)
 
Well this actually leads to a very good question.

Why teach specifics at all? What happens when that person takes your advice and eventually turns into a big hooker like you with that advice?

Perhaps there is another way to get them to understand their swing than to just tell them what to do differently?
 

Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
Why teach specifics at all? What happens when that person takes your advice and eventually turns into a big hooker like you with that advice?

Then you "tweak" them back to normal. And then until they "overdo" something again, most times you are going to have to "over un-do" it again until they over do it AGAIN and then tweak them once again.

WHEEEEW.

That's teaching. There's no way to take someone who is doing something majorly incorrectly and only get them to where they "need to be." They won't really get "fixed." In most cases you have to over-do the fix (to a point) so they can do what they need to do to play better. Then as anyone, they will over do it and you tweak them back.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top