Strangers on the Range Offering Unsolicited Advice

[Brian Manzella]

Why?

When I was single, I used to go out a lot, looking for my wife Lisa. She was very hard to find.

Anyhoo, I totally amazed me that some girls who wouldn't give me the time of day, who were not even in the same league as the last 10 girls I dated. I wanted to pull out the pictures and say, "Look honey, YOU don't measure up."

I used to feel that way about folks who took lessons from inferior teachers, or listen to less to the less informed.

Not anymore.

There are about 40 million golfers in the world, and half of them in the USA. I can't teach 'em all.

This is a PERCEPTION business. I always wanted it to be a reality business, because I can actually teach. But, some kind of light bulb went off a year or two. It think Carol Galleyz helped a bunch.

It is what it is, and I like it just the way it is.

This forum is MY facility, so to speak, and folks, I can't thank you enough. I keep trying to make this place better, and upgrade my content and information.

Bless all those other teachers out there. They are HELPING ME. Bless GolfDigest and Golf Magazine and their little silly lists. They make me get up in the morning. Bless Rick Martino and The PGA for hiding me. Without their help, I would have gotten famous too soon. Like a cake that hadn't risen yet.

I am still in the oven, so to speak, but....I am almost "done."

 

[shortgamer]

Funny little story- Me and my father were getting lessons from Brian last summer in Louisville and while walking to the end of the range were he teaches Brian is cruising with us slowly in the cart and looks at the guys on the range and then at us and kind'a shakes his head and says"There's just not enough time in the day boy's". I don't know why but I still get a chuckle when I think about it. I guess you got to meet him to understand but just too funny.

 

[chrisfx811]

I used to go to the range in Louisville where Brian teaches, and there's this one older gent (i'd guess 50's to 60's), who was there all the time.

He's always hitting balls, and has this real herky jerky swing. All kinds of funky looking. Yet, often times I'd see this same gent sidle up to some random fellow who may be hitting balls nearby him, and slowly but surely, he'd be offering up advice and conducting little lessons.

Now, I know not every pro has an Ernie Els looking swing, but this guy looks like his puppeteer is on crack, and yet there he is trying to fiddle with other people's swings.

For the love of the game, someone needs to walk up to him, and just say 'No, bad dog! Go home now!'

 

[cmartingolf]

I'm a club pro and can teach a wee bit.

I don't say a darn thing to anyone until someone asks me. In pro ams, friendly member play, whatever, the mouth stays shut until advise is sought. Even then, I don't like giving mid-round advice and only keep that to super simple feely crap.

I can't stand guys that offer unsolicited advice. If someone makes a crack to me about something golf related, I scowl at them.....

 

[djm]

Rule 8 is not just a rule of golf, it is proper golf etiquette. Never give advice to, or ask for advice from, anyone other than your playing partner or your caddie, including at the range. The unsolicited advice givers are not just annoying, they have incredible bad manners. If people want to give or ask for free advice, come here. Leave everyone at the range and on the course alone.

 

[speedracer68]

I dunno I just already past people talking about how bad my lagging clubhead takeaway looks..Nobody here in my country even uses anything like it..they all like the early set..However i feel striking is a lot more solid and my hands are a lot quieter Using LCT..However it sticks out like a sore thumb when i'm practicing in the range..Who cares I'll play any of them anyday..I was able to beat a "so called" 2 hadicapper the other day and he just shut up...I just let them talk and do what i think is best...they will never stop giving advice so all you have to do is change the way you treat these situations..You'll be a lot happier for it..Just kick their asses..After the round the guy asked me how to do the LCT..hahahaha

 

[birdie_man]

Ya man who cares. If they knew WHY you did it.....

I don't think I could ever hit it as good without it.

 

[JamesBurg]

What's the old saying? Something like: "The less skilled the player, the more likely he is to explain the golf swing to you."

 

[KnighT]

In college I took a 1 credit golf gym class with a pro who helped with our swings hitting plastic balls in the gym.

I remember one day he said something like 'Amateur golfers teach amateurs how to be amateurs.'

 

[HowardK]

to share a story

speaking of being at the range.....

i was watching a gentleman hit balls...wonderful swing.

there was a bench nearby..and i asked if i would be interfering if i sat and enjoyed his swing.

he looked at me......be my guest he said......

pure abso pure...1 after the other......he was dressed in a windbreaker

older golf hat.....jeans.....shirt.......

next to him was a father trying to give lessons to his son.

The boy was about 12 and the father was getting nowhere

the gentleman i was watching looked over and said.......young man if you keep your knees yadda yadda yadda............

the father looks over and in a harsh tone.....said please hit your own golf balls.....my son starts lessons with a pro on monday....a pro who knows the game...

i sat there and didnt say a word.........after he finished playing.....he said c'mon how about a diet coke....

we sat and talked for 3 and 1/2 hours.......brilliant just brilliant.......

i thought i recognized him...but when i into myself he just said dave.........so i left it at that......his wife came and picked him up.....

he excused himself and went to restroom

i said im sorry but i must ask

i know i know him..............she smiled......dave hill 1969 ryder cup among other things....GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZ........

ANYWAY...just a fun story to share..........

hjack

 

[tongzilla]

nice story hjack. Did you tell that idiot father who he actually was?

 

[Steve Khatib]

I have a slightly different problem.

I am a major range rat, especially when I was trying to get ready for the State Mid-Am last month. I have been approached several times by people asking me why I am there so much because my swing "looks" good. They ask me about the drills I do (that Brian gave me), and some ask me to take a look at their swing or ask me why they can't stop slicing or hitting it fat......etc.

I ALWAYS explain that I am not an instructor and the only thing I know about the golf swing is what I have been told by instructors, (like Brian) that understand the problems "I" have. I couldn't tell them any more about their golf swing than I could about differential calculus. I feel like it's quite likely that if I told other people to work on what I work on, they would get so screwed up they would hunt me down and hurt me. Most of the time the people tell me thanks anyway and go back to their labors, but a couple of guys have told the club pro that I am not very friendly. (which sort of hurts my feelings since I really try to be nice)

I now always go to the farthest spot on the range and set up so that my back is to all of the other people. It seems that people are less likely to speak to me if we never make eye contact.

I have often wondered how it must feel to be a good instructor and see so many people struggling so hard and knowing exactly what will improve them immediately. It must be almost disheartening. I would almost feel guilty for not saving them from themselves. If you spend much time at a driving range you know what I mean. There are so many people that want to hit a golf ball well that it is often difficult to find any room at some ranges. Yet if you stand and watch the people hit all those balls, you will be hard pressed to find a single person hitting the ball well. But they all work very hard and they really want to be better.

I remember when I saw Brian in Louisville in March, there were several people on the range working on their swings during our second day. I was thinking about how I had flown half-way across the country to see Brian, and these people probably had no idea how lucky they were to live so close to one of the best instructors in the world. Then I wondered how many of them had ever worked with Brian. I thought to myself that there was probably not a single person on the range that had ever met Brian. I estimated that few of them had ever worked with any instructor at any time. I might be wrong, but even I can see basic flaws like a horrible grip or terrible back swings. (the type of swing that makes you wince, and that every instructor would fix in one lesson). Yet, there was Brian, giving me more information in two days than I got at Haney's in two years, and for the life of me I can't understand why he has to travel anywhere. There should be a never ending line of people in New Orleans or Louisville begging to take lessons from this guy. He should be booked solid for the next 5 years.

What I don't understand is that if you wanted to learn how to solve differential calculus equations, you wouldn't do it by continually adding 2 + 2 and getting 5 as your answer. But that is what I see on the range every day. Why don't people go see the one person that can make their addition equal the correct answer? Even a beginning club pro can fix the fundamentals like grip and posture. But you see horrible grips and horrible posture from one end of the range to the other.

Golf is a difficult game. Some say it's harder than Chinese algebra. So why do so many people that love this difficult game, refuse to learn how to add?

I just don't get it.

OK.....I apologize, this turned into a rant!!

Great post and very very true.

 

[Steve Khatib]

Golfers that have played for a long time lets say 20 years, say they have 20 years golf experience, so people should listen to them as a credible source of information.

This is not quite the case, I believe they have 1 year golf experience times 20 years.

 

[welshdentist]

People sometimes just don't want to hear it.....

My father in law is a 25yr ++ slicer, I cringe when he slices it and he say things like "Came over the top on that one.....", "Swayed on that one etc etc etc"

NSA would change his life.....

A month ago I was at the range with him, showing my nieces how to do it 4 and 9 yrs old.

Lesson was, buy them one US Kids 7 iron for their height, made them watch my wife grip it, set up and hit.....said copy that, end of lesson

He was there and was slicing away

I asked if I could help....

I showed him a twistaway, he started hitting a straight pull, then it started to straighten out a bit......

He had a net 65 the next week.......his best score for years

Saw him the other day, asked him how it was going, he said terrible....I asked how twistaway felt....he told me he'd stopped doing it as the club pro told him at a lesson the toe should be pointing to the sky when club parallel to the ground...

I'd love to do NSA with him, but i'm no instructor and he wouldn't listen anyway...

Great advice cmartingolf, don't help unless asked....

I have to say most Dads/Mums/Uncles/Aunties/Grandparents should be banned from ANY teaching of kids unless they know WTF they are doing and are at least half decent players....

I have to move at the range many times to stop myself wanting to tell "helpful" Dad (who slices like a twit and tells kid to "do it like him") he is ruining the kids swing....


Tough, very tough........

 

[watson08]

welshdentist - I have an 8-year old son who learning to play. Initially, I tried to help with some mechanics, but I quickly learned this was a very bad idea. I know just enough about the golf swing to know that I really am a golf idiot. After doing some research, I got him started with a great pro and that is a huge load off me and far better for my son. The only thing better would be to get him some lessons with Brian!
.
I see dads telling their kids all kinds of junk at my practice facility - laundry lists of their favorite "works once in a while" swing tips. I see these young faces wanting to do good and it literally crushes me that they are not getting a real opportunity to get better. It is indeed very tough stuff. From this, I've learned to encourage, encourage, and encourage some more. It is a long journey, I pray nothing I do will derail it. My message to moms and dads is - let kids have fun, make up games for them that will enable them to hit various shots, and get off their backs!

 

[birdie_man]

Cool hjack.

lol @ Leo. (I woulda wanted to tell him too)

...

BTW welsh and watson.....you guys are on it. I know EXACTLY what you're talking about.........cause that stuff is wayyyy too common. Some people are very hesitant to change. (students)

And we all know the golf teaching world is plain crazy...

 

[Chris Sturgess]

There is a weird spectrum of people out there in the world of giving and receiving advice. First of all, I can understand how most people who need advice are going to be unable to recognize what is good or bad advice. But, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that advice from someone who can hit the ball well has a much greater chance of working than advice from a guy who sucks. But what is amazing is that a lot of people don't even factor that in. Seeing people get advice from a guy who can't play himself is truly entertaining in a sad way. Maybe they are just unable to tell the guy to go away I guess, I don't know. But then there are people who don't want advice from people who are better players, their ego makes them pretend they already know everything, in the face of all logic. This is amazing to me as well. I don't give unsolicited advice, except for a few times in the past when someone next to me at the range is really struggling and I'm feeling bad for them and it would be so easy to fix their problem. And a few of those times the person was open to it, it fixed their problem and they were overly grateful. But then the other times the person didn't really want to hear it and actually wanted to tell me what they needed to do. Unless they have very bad eyesight they can see that I am hitting straight 300 yard drives over and over right next to them and they are hitting some form of awful shots but they act as if the situation is reversed in the realm of advice. Like with Hjack's story with Dave Hill, this kind of blows my mind since I will actually ask advice from guys who are slightly worse than me just because they might have an interesting way of doing something. But yeah, I pretty much don't ever give advice until someone asks.