What should come first: Lessons or New (Fitted) Clubs?

As someone who has, at various times, taught exclusively, fit exclusively, and done both together, I've been asked many times, "When should I get fit?  Should I take lessons first or get the clubs first?"  This is a topic I plan to write about at length, and I'm going to get started on it by answering that question.

The short answer: Clubs first, assuming they are fitted for you.

The long answer: If you're planning to start playing golf seriously or are re-committing to improvement, there's no reason to play with clubs that are too long or short, too stiff or soft, too upright or too flat, or have the wrong size grips. All of these things will cause you to start building compensations into your swing: things that you will later have to work to remove.  For example, someone who is very tall, very short, or just uniquely proportioned might end up with a very odd posture if they played standard length clubs.  There's no reason for that.

On the other hand, does the beginner need to be fit to the highest level?  Of course not.  Someone who doesn't know their swing yet probably doesn't need to be dialing in spin rates with different high end shafts.  It is likely that they will be changing a number of things about their impact conditions, so that's not going to be money well spent.  For now, a decent stock shaft should suffice, as long as it's the right flex.

The toughest question is, "What type of irons should I get?"  There are lots of ideas about who should play what type of clubs, so I will address that question on its own at a later time.

If you have any thoughts or questions about this topic, please feel free to share them in the comments section.

Club Fitting: Method Fitters

While discussing club fitting on MyGolfSpy.com, I was inspired to coin a term: "method fitters."  Just as golf is cursed with many "method teachers" it has just as many "method fitters."

Let me define my terms: a method fitter is someone who tells you what you should play without asking many, or any, questions.  He tells you, "This is what you should play.  Buy it and leave."  Just as a method teacher is convinced that everyone should swing the club a certain way, the method fitter thinks that he knows the right club for every golfer.

Why do we have method fitters?  I think there are two primary reason.

1) Too much technology, not enough knowledge.  Over the last five to ten years, the advancements in launch monitor technology have been nothing short of amazing.  Flightscope and Trackman can tell us everything we would want to know about what the golf ball and club.  What's more, these technologies are more accessible to the average golfer than ever before.

Here's the catch: the machine can't fit anyone.  The machine is just a tool, no different than a hammer or a saw.  Without a skilled fitter operating it, the machine does nothing more than flash numbers and pictures across a screen.  It is the fitter's responsibility to take all the data and use it in a conversation with the player.

Unfortunately, what happens more often than not, is that the fitter uses the machine as a shield: "Here are your numbers, these numbers are good, these numbers are bad, buy this club."  The golfer, likely already intimidated by the setting and his own lack of knowledge, is left to nod and accept the recommendation, playing an utterly passive role when he should be no less than an equal partner in the decision making. 

And why does the fitter use the technology in this way?  I don't ascribe any malice to his actions, just ignorance and sloth.  Depending on the setting, the fitter's "training" may have consisted of watching a PowerPoint presentation and filling out a quiz.  He is likely as overwhelmed by the information as the golfer!  And why doesn't he get active and educate himself?  Because he doesn't have to...he has a shield.

The problem of too much technology and not enough knowledge contributes to the second cause.

2) Fitting is seen as a science, not an art.  There are many things about fitting that are scientific.  For example, we know exactly the best combination of launch and spin, at any given ball speed, to produce the longest drives.  But does that mean that a fitting should end the moment those numbers are achieved?  Absolutely not.  What if those ideal numbers are achieved with a club that the player hates the look, sound, or feel of?  What about accuracy; how much distance should we give up to be in the fairway?

The ultimate goal of club fitting should be to find a club that allows the player to perform his best.  The fitter doesn't know if he's reached that point without input from the player. 

There are many levels of custom fitting

While still not the norm, custom fitting is becoming much more common.  I would guess that if you're reading this, you have had your clubs fit.  What I hope you take away from this post is that there are many levels of custom fitting, and the next time you are in the market for clubs you should look for a "better" custom fit.

A bare bones, method fitting is still better than buying off the rack.  Even the most uneducated fitter can get you into a club that is the right length with the right grip size, and that's a start.  But the next time you are buying clubs, I would suggest finding someone who not only has the tools to fit you, but also the knowledge.  Finding a fitter like that might be a little more difficult (though if you're reading this, you've found one), and working with them might be a bit more expensive, but when you consider the cost of clubs and the frustration of playing badly-fit equipment, I think the difficulty and expense are worth it.

For a custom-fitting or club consultation, I can be reached at MattSaternus@gmail.com.

How to Take a Golf Lesson

If you type "Golf How to" into Google you'll get results like: "How to hit a draw," "How to fix a slice," "How to putt," and "How to chip."  What you won't find is, "How to take a golf lesson," and that's a shame because I can tell you, based on teaching hundreds of lessons, that most people are bad at taking golf lessons.

How can you get better at taking golf lessons?  I'm glad you asked.

Before the Lesson

1. Start with the end in mind.  Before you start calling instructors or researching them on the internet, before you drive out to meet your instructor, and certainly before you reach for your wallet to pay for a lesson, you need a SPECIFIC, CONCRETE GOAL that you want to accomplish.  What do you want to be able to do, or know how to do, when the lesson is over?

"I want to be more consistent" is NOT a good goal.  What does consistency mean?  Are you referring to your score, your putting, your ball striking, your driving, your mental approach, or something else?  "I want to hit the ball more consistently" is not good enough either.  What's the current problem?  Do you hit it fat, thin, too far right, too high, too low?

A good goal might be, "I hit my driver too far to the right.  I want to know how to hit it straighter or possibly with a little draw."  That is a specific, measurable goal that addresses a problem you have in your game.

Shooting a certain score can be a goal, but only if you know why you don't shoot that score already.  "I shoot 90 and I want to shoot 80" won't fly on my lesson tee unless the student and I are immediately heading out for a playing lesson or they have five or ten rounds worth of (good, honest) statistics that I can analyze.  There are dozens of reasons why you might shoot 90: bad driving, bad iron play, bad putting, bad course management, etc.  As I wrote about here, I helped a student drop 20 shots without doing much to his swing; I just adjusted his attitude and expectations. 

A good score-related goal might be, "I want to shoot under 80.  I hit 80% of the fairways, but I only hit 3 greens per round, so I need to improve my iron play to bring my score down."

2. Set a timeline.  Sometimes you go take a lesson because you want a little tweak before a big match.  Sometimes you want to start an overhaul that you expect to invest hours and hours in.  Figure out how much time you want to invest in improvement and when you want to see changes.  Communicate both things to your instructor and discuss them with him.  A timeline that includes both the required investment and the expected "completion" of your plan is a big part of a specific goal.

3. Research your instructor.  Taking a lesson with a guy because he happens to work at your course is a roll of the dice: he might be great or he might be terrible.  If you're going to invest time and money into making changes to your golf game, you want to know who is going to be guiding you.  Call around and talk to multiple instructor.  Ask about their background, their experience, their philosophy, and their methods. 

During the Lesson

 

4. Ask "Why?"  A lot.  I think a lot of people are intimidated during the golf lesson, so they don't ask questions.  Golf can be an intimidating game, and, as a student, you are dealing with someone who is supposed to know more than you, an expert.  This causes a lot of people to be submissive and just do what they're told.  The problem is that these behaviors do not lead to good learning, and they don't push the instructor to do his best work.

Asking "Why?" is not an insult to the instructor; all it means is that you want to understand the reasons behind the change.  If the instructor can't answer that question, they shouldn't be telling you to make the change.

Equally importantly, you are more likely to learn if you are engaged in the process.  If you understand the change and why you're making it, it's more likely to stick; you won't have that "Should my elbow be here or here?" feeling two days later.

5. Demand a good answer to "Why?"  "Because (insert name of Tour player here) does it," is not necessarily a good answer.  What's good for Tiger may not be good for you.  Push your instructor for a solution that makes sense for your game and your goals.

After the Lesson

 

 6. Practice.  Practice.  Practice.  A friend of mine took a couple of lessons with a golf instruction company and reported that, "It didn't work.  I took two lessons and got worse."  I asked how much he practiced the things he was taught.  I think you can probably guess the answer: not a bit.

Is it fair to blame the instructor if you don't get better?  If you did everything that was asked of you and you don't see the promised results, sure, blame the coach.  But if you don't practice or you abandon the change because "it feels bad" or "I hit some bad shots," well, in that case the person to blame resides in the mirror.

Once the lesson is over, the burden for improvement falls back on your shoulders.  You fueled up the car and packed your suitcase when you defined your goals and found the best instructor for you.  Your instructor gave you a map that will lead you to success.  Now, it's up to you to get in the car and drive down the road to better golf.

The Curious Imperative

Just ran across this, and after I read it, I immediately came over here to share it.  Short and really good:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/10/the-curious-imperative.html

My only question is this: how do I know what I don't know? 

I think for a lot of people, it isn't a lack of curiosity as much as A) their belief that they know something already or B) not having any idea what questions to ask.  Whether that makes it better, worse, or has no bearing...I don't know.

The Case for Uncertainty

I made a passing reference to this in my last post, but I feel like it deserves its own discussion:

The Case for Uncertainty

People like certainty, especially when it comes to experts.  It's reassuring. No one wants a car mechanic to tell them, "I think you're transmission is broken."  We want him to know, and then to fix it.

This love of certainty is, in my opinion, a big part of why method instructors are so prevalent.  Instructors want to appear certain and knowledgeable, so they pick one method and they teach that all day long.  It makes teaching very black and white: "That motion doesn't fit into the swing that I teach, so it's wrong.  This is the move that you should do, it is right."  Not only does it make the job easy, but people like it.  People think, "He is certain, so he must know what he's doing."

Unfortunately, the golf swing is not like a car engine.  There is very little that is objectively right or objectively wrong.  One needs to look no further than the PGA Tour to confirm this: among the best players in the world, there are many different kinds of swing...and they all work. 

Teaching Golf Is Not Fixing a Car

Every mechanic knows what a car owner wants from their car: they want it to start when they turn the key and get them from A to B.

As a golf instructor, I do not know what you want from your golf swing until I ask.  You might want the ball to move more right or more left.  You might want it to fly higher or lower.  Outside of wanting to hit it longer, which is pretty universal, every golfer wants different things from their swing.

Every (good) mechanic can identify and fix a car that doesn't start.  A car is a machine with very clear, unchanging cause and effect.

Golf swings are made by humans.  Humans are not machines.  We all come in different sizes and shapes.  We have varying levels of athleticism, flexibility, and coordination.  Our "feel" is different.  While I am very certain about what the club needs to do to create various shots, I can only suggest what you might need to feel to create those shots.  Furthermore, while I have seen certain causes lead to certain effects more often than not, I've also seen exceptions to every rule.  So much for certainty.

Do You Want a Certain Golf Instructor?

Let me be very clear in what I am and am not suggesting: 

I am not suggesting that you want an instructor who lacks confidence nor one who is uncertain about the basic realities of ball flight (the D-Plane). 

What I am suggesting is that the teacher who appears to know it all probably doesn't.  I will also suggest that the instructor who tells you what to do before asking questions is not doing the most important part of his job.

Finally, I will suggest that while your gut may not like an instructor who asks a lot of questions and offers possibilities rather than certainties, that instructor might offer you your best chance to improve.

It has always struck me that the best people in any field are very aware that they will never know it all, but they're always trying to anyway.  That's the kind of instructor that I would seek out.

Reflections on Ryder Cup Lessons

I spent all day Saturday teaching 10 minute lessons at the Ryder Cup.  I got the chance to work with a lot of people, see a lot of golf swings, and, hopefully, make a few people a little bit better.  I also left with a lot of food for thought.  Here's a short list:

1) Most people come into a golf lesson with no idea of what they want.  Despite the time constraints, I tried to ask my normal set of questions to every student: "What's your current ball flight?  What are you looking to change?  What are you goals?"  It was shocking to me how many people answered, "Straight.  I don't know.  More consistency/just see what I'm doing wrong."  This leads me to my second point:

2) There is no "right" in the golf swing.  There is orthodox or conventional in terms of the look of the swing, and there is optimal and sub-optimal when you talk about impact conditions and distance, but there is no universal "right" in the golf swing.  Does your current swing produce results that make you happy?  Then it's right for you right now.  If not, you need to figure out what results you want to see, then work on changes that will get those results. 
I usually frustrate people who ask me, "What's wrong with my swing?"  My answer is always going to be, "What's wrong with your ball flight?"  You can show me a swing that is miles from conventional, but if it produces results that you like, I'm not going to touch it.  This leads me to my final point:

3) Most golf instructors are method teachers, whether they know it or not.  If you're taking a lesson and your instructor starts telling you what to do or change without asking you what you're trying to improve, you are likely working with a method instructor.   
The thing that shocks me is that people not only tolerate this, but they seem to like it.  They like the certainty that method instructors bring to the table.  And if the method they teach is working for you, that's fantastic.  I just think that the odds are against it.

I could certainly go on about these topics for quite a bit longer, but I think that's enough for now.  Please feel free to post any thoughts, comments, or critiques below.