Lessons with Manzella, one year in.

[niblick1]

My first lesson with Brian in Louisville was in October '07 when my golf game was in a severe melt-down. Yesterday was my fourth lesson.

I got answers to questions about whether I should use more lct, more float loading, more underhanded toss in my soft draw that really were not what I expected. I got an in-depth explantion of how to hit a fade with my soft draw pattern, from a swing and mental perspective. I got input on how to take my entire swing to the course. What to do about the hop in my swing. I had 50 questions I'd been accumulating over the past 4 months and the thing is Brian has an idea about how the questions I raise relate to what I am trying to do right now. Part of all of this working well is that I've put in a lot of time learning the lingo, working with the SD pattern, and experimenting and practicing, so we sort of share more of a golf vocabulary than I would with most teachers, but a much bigger part of this is that Brian has a real understanding and feel and eye for what people are doing.

I am extremely happy with how I am swinging these days and where the ball is going. Extremely happy. I am enormously better than a year ago. Of course, the proof is in the results and until you produce results it's just bragging. We'll see how it goes. I have had several subpar 9 hole rounds in the past month (with maybe just an average wedge game and mediocre putting), but that doesn't yet count as a sample big enough to constitute "proof."

Now off to improve my wedge game and putting with observations from Brian (the putting thing may be a big overhaul). I am very excited by golf again and really enjoying it.

Call me a suck-up for posting this, whatever. I can take it. But I think if you live within a day's drive of a place Brian is teaching and you participate here and you don't go for a lesson or two, I think you are doing yourself a disservice. I don't think it takes a dozen lessons to see a change.

 

[HowardK]

good post nibs

not a suck up at all

think of all the millions of dollars golfers have lost taking lessons, where questions could not be answered

glad your happy

hj

 

[kdvols]

I have only had one lesson and I definitely feel much better about my swing. I probably won't have a chance to get another lesson until next spring, but by the time that gets here I will also understand the lingo much better. I would agree that you need to travel to see Brian for a lesson if it is practical. I drove from Nashville to Louisville and the lesson was drastically better than any lesson from previous "pros". He has a gift for diagnosing problems and teaching solutions.

 

[niblick1]

I broke par for the first time ever (on a tough course) last Saturday, shooting a 71. I converted four of eleven reasonable birdie putt chances and chipped in once. Missed converting three easy up-and-downs (I did have one sandie). The greens I missed were all the result of not trusting my swing and steering too much.

To put my recent play in perspective, my old crappy swing before golf lessons had me playing in the 4-7 handicap range, then I started experimenting with all kinds of junk two years ago with some "method teachers" and by last winter, after seeing Brian a second time and basically feeling like I was starting over, I had some scores in the 90's.

I hit balls yesterday and hit much better than this past weekend. I feel like I am hitting the ball better every time I go out to practice the last three weeks.

Yesterday, I worked a little more "Johnny U" feel to the backswing after seeing tongzilla's post, and hit the ball a little further. I worked on when to add the right hand and adding a little more right hand as well.

Soft Draw all the way for me....