Jimmy Ballard

[trickyric67]

I have heard many teachers speak very highly of Jimmy and in Brian's video interview he commented that if he had to teach another instructors method he would chose Ballard. Having said that I have an opportunity to take a lesson from him as he has opened up some private lesson time and is only an hour and a half from where I live. I have been having success working on my Brian lessons and am worried it might confuse the progress I have made.
is this something you people would do if you were in my shoes?
Ric

 

[teeithigh]

just take the good stuff but watch out for his sway right on the backswing...

 

[Jared Willerson]

Agree with teeithigh

 

[Mike Thomas (sunmart)]

Most good players move to the right on the backswing.

 

[Richie3Jack]

I say save the money and get more work with Brian. If something is working for you, I'm not a big fan of changing for the sake of it.




3JACK

 

[JonWil]

Ballard believes the hips can’t turn because of their two ball joint circumstance. He says that the golfer should ‘load’ into the right side ….. not ‘sway’ to the right in pursuit of weight shift.

 

[trickyric67]

I am by no means leaving Brian, I just thought it would be cool to check out what Ballard has to say...but I also like what I am doing now and I am worried about input overload.

Richie,
I noticed on your blog that you listed Ballard as a top teacher (i think #1) would you pass up the chance to pick his brain?
thanks,
Ric

 

[Matt Bryda]

Ric,

It might be interesting to see what and how Ballard has to say for your swing and see how or if it coincides with what Brain has you working on.

Matt

 

[softconsult]

I will throw this in. About 2 years ago, an early 20's guy showed up on our little practice range. We were talking, and it turned out that he was playing a couple of the smaller mini-tours. Then he taken an assistant job somewhere in Florida. One of the guys he worked with had an in with Ballard.

He took a few lessons with Ballard and, according to him, radically changed his swing. He is about 6' 3', young and strong. His swing had the bent left arm thing with the sort of baseball swing look. He hit it absolutely great, or so it appeared to me. I have the Ballard book from years ago and this guy actually swung like the book. This contrasts to, say Curtis Strange, where it is harder to pick out the Ballard influence.

 

[greenfree]

I have heard many teachers speak very highly of Jimmy and in Brian's video interview he commented that if he had to teach another instructors method he would chose Ballard. Having said that I have an opportunity to take a lesson from him as he has opened up some private lesson time and is only an hour and a half from where I live. I have been having success working on my Brian lessons and am worried it might confuse the progress I have made.
is this something you people would do if you were in my shoes?
Ric

You only live once.

 

[jpeck]

In your shoes I would see it as an opportunity not to be missed. You know you'll regret it if you don't. Will it improve your swing better than time spent with Brian? Probably not, but some things in life have their own value.

 

[trickyric67]

I think I am going to do it. For those people who don't know me I have taken at least 1 lesson from around 30 of the people on the 100 list. To be honest around 20 or so were complete disappointments and 1 actually apologized to me for teaching a bad move some 9 years earlier in the first of 2 lessons taken that long apart. I think I just want the experience so I am going to go for it!
I'll let y'all know how it goes.

 

[Richie3Jack]

Richie,
I noticed on your blog that you listed Ballard as a top teacher (i think #1) would you pass up the chance to pick his brain?
thanks,
Ric

I never put him at a #1 teacher.

I had him in my top 50 teacher list. He was listed first because I put the names of instructors in alphabetical order. Brian, Kevin Shields and others are in the list as well.

I have worked with Jimmy. I liked him and I agree with Brian, if there's one *method* teacher that you had to choose from, I'd take Ballard.

But again, it's a question saying if you HAD to use a METHOD teacher's philosophy. I don't have to work with a method teacher and I don't want to work with a method teacher, so that's why I had no ambition to go back to working with Jimmy when I got back into the game.

I do think he is a good teacher.

I do think his way can help a lot of golfers.

But I also see a lot of shortcomings in his method.

My feeling on what you are asking has nothing to do with leaving Brian. If the situation was reversed and you told me that you were having nice success working with Jimmy and you were thinking of working with Brian, I'd suggest you avoid it.

It's like Crash Davis once said 'don't ever mess with a winning streak.' Same for golf IMO.

Now, if you had good success with Brian and felt you had reached a plateau and thought Jimmy could take you over that plateau, then it may be a good idea to give it a shot. But that doesn't sound like the case to me and I think you're really just going to take longer and spend more to improve.

I imagine you'll go to Ballard regardless of what I say, but IMO it's risking the factor of taking a step or two back and then Brian having to repair that regression.





3JACK

 

[trickyric67]

Richie,
I apologize, I thought you had the list in an order. my Bad.
I just want to see what he has to say, there might be nugget that I can put in the mental bank, but I do get where you are coming from. Thanks for the honest opinion.
Ric

ps,
I am going to get my book autographed too

 

[birly-shirly]

If you found one book that you liked, would it stop you buying any more books...

 

[JonWil]

I have heard many teachers speak very highly of Jimmy and in Brian's video interview he commented that if he had to teach another instructors method he would chose Ballard. Having said that I have an opportunity to take a lesson from him as he has opened up some private lesson time and is only an hour and a half from where I live. I have been having success working on my Brian lessons and am worried it might confuse the progress I have made.
is this something you people would do if you were in my shoes?
Ric

I certainly do not see a problem with the question, any question, but the venue makes me want a shower.

 

[Kevin Shields]

I sorta second that.

 

[trickyric67]

I do not understand?
Are you saying that you would not go to a seminar from a world renowned teacher?
I ask in this forum because he was mentioned in high regard by Brian. I would never have met Brian if Rick Martino didn't tell me he was doing a tour stop near by. I have always looked at instruction as the oportunity to learn and expand ones knowledge.
This is really a one time thing that fell into my lap and I thought I would like to see what people like Brian and Ben Doyle have a high regard for.
am I missing soemthing?

 

[needham]

I would not let Jimmy Ballard walk my dog, much less teach me golf..........JMO

 

[greenfree]

I do not understand?
Are you saying that you would not go to a seminar from a world renowned teacher?
I ask in this forum because he was mentioned in high regard by Brian. I would never have met Brian if Rick Martino didn't tell me he was doing a tour stop near by. I have always looked at instruction as the oportunity to learn and expand ones knowledge.
This is really a one time thing that fell into my lap and I thought I would like to see what people like Brian and Ben Doyle have a high regard for.
am I missing soemthing?

Just go for it and enjoy. The only opinion that matters in this case, is yours, and you seem like you want to do it, so do it. Your not missing anything. Have fun.