Brian Manzella
Administrator
I'll never forget her.
She was just a typical lady in her late 20's or early 30's who wanted to learn to play golf. She had average coordination, and average strength. She was a very good student, however, listening intently, trying her very best.
It was way back in the day of my now 26-year teaching career. Best I can remember, about 1991. Almost four years into my post-Ben Doyle-style Golfing Machine teaching. Back when I videoed every lesson and gave the student a VHS copy when they left. Back when I charged $40 an hour. When a ten-lesson package was a whopping $320 dollars. When I taught exclusively at The New Orleans City Park Driving Range. Back when "the range" had over twenty independent instructors. Back when if I didn't out teach every other teacher by a lot, I couldn't pay my car note.
When I started teaching, a lesson was what I still call a "real" golf lesson. The student warmed up, told me about their golf game, and hit some shots with their "stock" motion. No matter who they were. Whether they were a PGA Tour player, or a raw beginner. I would look, evaluate, and come up with a game plan. Then I would go to work making the changes I deemed necessary for contact and ball-flight improvement.
I could help almost anyone from the very beginning. Just pure natural teaching ability, a really good eye, and the knowledge I gained from having to teach myself from hacker to pro.
But, my quest to become the best ever led me to Ben Doyle and The Golfing Machine. It was obvious the book was the best information available at the time, and Ben was the best teacher who used the book. So, in 1987 I went to begin to learn all I could from Ben.
When I first got back from Carmel, California, I was—like many other teachers who go to learn from Ben—basically a parrot, albeit one with a Y'at accent.
I videoed every lesson—like Ben, I taught all but the very best players short-to-long, little chip, chip, pitch, punch, then full swing—like Ben. I even started to stutter a little.
Most folks got better. Some way better than they would have pre-Ben. But there was this lady…
She wasn’t the first, or the only. But, for whatever reason, it was a Epiphany.
She had taken a ten-lesson package, and she was on lesson number ten. She got to go right through the bag hitting full shots. She was better than she was when she started. She could chip and pitch adequately, but something was not there. And I knew it.
For reasons known only to the man upstairs, most folks have a very poor memory. I may not remember everything very well, but some things I remember perfectly. In this case, I was recalling ladies just like this one, pre-Ben. Or more exactly, pre-Short to long.
I knew this lady did not get my best. I was a better teacher than this product. If I just would have given this lady ten regular lessons, ten "Real" lessons, ten lessons without a “lesson plan,” ten lessons just helping her make a better swing, she would've been light years better.
It was the beginning of a long draw down.
In retrospect, a draw-down that took way too long.
I give “real” golf lessons these days. It took probably until 2005 or 2006 to fully go “Back to the Future,” back to why I started teaching in the first place. I started teaching golf because I had ability, and it took almost twenty years to really learn all the useful information that Ben taught me, and which information just wasn’t right for me and my teaching. Twenty years to really learn The Golfing Machine, and find out how smart Homer Kelley was, and how smart he wasn’t. Twenty years and thousands of students, all over the country, on the PGA Tour, juniors, seniors, fourth-flight club champs. Twenty years of ladies just like the one I can’t remember her name. Twenty years to make thousands of mistakes, and finally figure out how close I was, in my own swing and in my teaching back in 1987 when I took my first plane ride to see Ben.
I could have never got to where I am without this lady. In her own way, she steered me a bit, a help me help people play better golf.
You see, a “real” golf lesson is not “stack and tilt,” “one-plane/two-plane,” “12-1 & 12-2.” These are methods. So is "short-to-long" or the "basic motion curriculum."
Not everyone looks good in black. Not everyone’s feet fit well in Addias shoes. Not everyone needs to hit a fade, or a draw. And if I want to be the very best, I have to be able to help everyone, or anyone. Whether I have just one lesson, one post, or hundred of hours to do it.
I can do it now.
I wonder if she still plays golf?
She was just a typical lady in her late 20's or early 30's who wanted to learn to play golf. She had average coordination, and average strength. She was a very good student, however, listening intently, trying her very best.
It was way back in the day of my now 26-year teaching career. Best I can remember, about 1991. Almost four years into my post-Ben Doyle-style Golfing Machine teaching. Back when I videoed every lesson and gave the student a VHS copy when they left. Back when I charged $40 an hour. When a ten-lesson package was a whopping $320 dollars. When I taught exclusively at The New Orleans City Park Driving Range. Back when "the range" had over twenty independent instructors. Back when if I didn't out teach every other teacher by a lot, I couldn't pay my car note.
When I started teaching, a lesson was what I still call a "real" golf lesson. The student warmed up, told me about their golf game, and hit some shots with their "stock" motion. No matter who they were. Whether they were a PGA Tour player, or a raw beginner. I would look, evaluate, and come up with a game plan. Then I would go to work making the changes I deemed necessary for contact and ball-flight improvement.
I could help almost anyone from the very beginning. Just pure natural teaching ability, a really good eye, and the knowledge I gained from having to teach myself from hacker to pro.
But, my quest to become the best ever led me to Ben Doyle and The Golfing Machine. It was obvious the book was the best information available at the time, and Ben was the best teacher who used the book. So, in 1987 I went to begin to learn all I could from Ben.
When I first got back from Carmel, California, I was—like many other teachers who go to learn from Ben—basically a parrot, albeit one with a Y'at accent.
I videoed every lesson—like Ben, I taught all but the very best players short-to-long, little chip, chip, pitch, punch, then full swing—like Ben. I even started to stutter a little.
Most folks got better. Some way better than they would have pre-Ben. But there was this lady…
She wasn’t the first, or the only. But, for whatever reason, it was a Epiphany.
She had taken a ten-lesson package, and she was on lesson number ten. She got to go right through the bag hitting full shots. She was better than she was when she started. She could chip and pitch adequately, but something was not there. And I knew it.
For reasons known only to the man upstairs, most folks have a very poor memory. I may not remember everything very well, but some things I remember perfectly. In this case, I was recalling ladies just like this one, pre-Ben. Or more exactly, pre-Short to long.
I knew this lady did not get my best. I was a better teacher than this product. If I just would have given this lady ten regular lessons, ten "Real" lessons, ten lessons without a “lesson plan,” ten lessons just helping her make a better swing, she would've been light years better.
It was the beginning of a long draw down.
In retrospect, a draw-down that took way too long.
I give “real” golf lessons these days. It took probably until 2005 or 2006 to fully go “Back to the Future,” back to why I started teaching in the first place. I started teaching golf because I had ability, and it took almost twenty years to really learn all the useful information that Ben taught me, and which information just wasn’t right for me and my teaching. Twenty years to really learn The Golfing Machine, and find out how smart Homer Kelley was, and how smart he wasn’t. Twenty years and thousands of students, all over the country, on the PGA Tour, juniors, seniors, fourth-flight club champs. Twenty years of ladies just like the one I can’t remember her name. Twenty years to make thousands of mistakes, and finally figure out how close I was, in my own swing and in my teaching back in 1987 when I took my first plane ride to see Ben.
I could have never got to where I am without this lady. In her own way, she steered me a bit, a help me help people play better golf.
You see, a “real” golf lesson is not “stack and tilt,” “one-plane/two-plane,” “12-1 & 12-2.” These are methods. So is "short-to-long" or the "basic motion curriculum."
Not everyone looks good in black. Not everyone’s feet fit well in Addias shoes. Not everyone needs to hit a fade, or a draw. And if I want to be the very best, I have to be able to help everyone, or anyone. Whether I have just one lesson, one post, or hundred of hours to do it.
I can do it now.
I wonder if she still plays golf?
. Seriuously can we know what Homer Kelley got right and what he got wrong . Just a percentage will do 70:30 ?
