Lessons and Contradictions

cbrown1170 · June 13

Hi all,

I’m a beginner. Posted my swing (https://imgur.com/a/2O6jQpM) last week and got some great feedback. I’m making this post today to ask for some advice on lessons (sounds weird, I know). So I figured I would do my due diligence and find 2 or 3 reputable coaches in the area, take a lesson with each of them and get a long term package with one of them.

I’m a bit frustrated because there’s been a lot of contradictions with what I think should be straight forward things (grip, foot position, takeaway). All three coaches I’ve been to have told me my grip is wrong and fixed it, and all three of them have coached a different takeaway. It’s led to massive confusion on my end and honestly frustration. How can I be confident anything I do is right when the next person says it’s incorrect?

I don’t have a ton of money but golf is my number one hobby now and I’m really, really trying to get better. I don’t even know which coach to go with or what the approach should be here. The last thing I want to do is pay for poor instruction. I understand there’s multiple ways to probably progress my swing forward, but why is there so much inconsistency in these beginner concepts?

GoGoErky · June 14

Well coaches have different approaches for how they go about solving an issue. They have numerous feels/thoughts they can use and it’s a trial and error fo which one works for a student.

Since we dont have the details of what each told you we can’t say any of them were right or wrong in what they wanted you to do.

You have to determine which coach communicates things with you in a way that works for your learning style and go through the process with them. One lesson may not be enough for you to figure it out or for them to find the drill that works for you.

joedizzy1978 · June 14

A good coach will talk to you about what needs to be done with the club before making any adjustments. A clear understanding as to what you need to do/change with the club then ties into the changes youre being asked to make with your grip and backswing to increase likelihood of success. The club is the common denominator, and if its not being considered or discussed, you should probably move on to the next prospect.

petep52 · June 14

Golf instruction can be the absolute pits.

sundaypins · June 14

8 hours ago, cbrown1170 said:

I understand there’s multiple ways to probably progress my swing forward, but why is there so much inconsistency in these beginner concepts?

The ball has to be moved forward with a club that has to be moved in some manner for that to happen- that's the beginner's concept. Beyond that how the club is held and moved starts separating the men from the boys as there are several repeatable ways to approach that just like there are different ways one can efficiently use chopsticks.

RickyBubbs · June 14

Most instructors teach a method even if they say they don’t. Often their method is how they swing the club and how they were taught. If you have the same predispositions as the instructor, you will click. If not, the instruction will make you worse. There are instructors out there that don’t teach one method (e.g. how Randy Smith never touched Scotties weird footwork), but those teachers are as rare as Tree Ents.

Canada8888 · June 14

Here is a top coach talking about coaching at a conference ...

Edited June 14 by Canada8888

Canada8888 · June 14

11 hours ago, GoGoErky said:

Well coaches have different approaches for how they go about solving an issue. They have numerous feels/thoughts they can use and it’s a trial and error fo which one works for a student.

Since we dont have the details of what each told you we can’t say any of them were right or wrong in what they wanted you to do.

You have to determine which coach communicates things with you in a way that works for your learning style and go through the process with them. One lesson may not be enough for you to figure it out or for them to find the drill that works for you.

Great advice above ... choose the coach that works for your learning style

bluedot · June 14

I think your first paragraph is the key; find an instructor you’re comfortable and confident with, and stick with him. Lessons from multiple guys is a bad recipe.

I would urge you not to get hung up on one lesson differences between instructors, but rather to just use those lessons to help you assess which one is the best fit. It’s possible that all three were trying to do the same things, but were using different strategies and verbiage to get you where they wanted you to go.

And if possible, talk to people who have worked with these guys to get their feedback about how effective their lessons were.

Asics10 · June 14

For some reason, golf pros think your swing should line up with their swing philosophy and anything other than that is wrong. It's pretty annoying. That like taking your car to a mechanic for an oil change and them trying to rebuild the engine because they would have built it a different way originally. We feel your pain.

PedronNiall · June 14

On 6/13/2025 at 12:39 PM, cbrown1170 said:

Hi all,

I’m a beginner. Posted my swing (https://imgur.com/a/2O6jQpM) last week and got some great feedback. I’m making this post today to ask for some advice on lessons (sounds weird, I know). So I figured I would do my due diligence and find 2 or 3 reputable coaches in the area, take a lesson with each of them and get a long term package with one of them.

I’m a bit frustrated because there’s been a lot of contradictions with what I think should be straight forward things (grip, foot position, takeaway). All three coaches I’ve been to have told me my grip is wrong and fixed it, and all three of them have coached a different takeaway. It’s led to massive confusion on my end and honestly frustration. How can I be confident anything I do is right when the next person says it’s incorrect?

I don’t have a ton of money but golf is my number one hobby now and I’m really, really trying to get better. I don’t even know which coach to go with or what the approach should be here. The last thing I want to do is pay for poor instruction. I understand there’s multiple ways to probably progress my swing forward, but why is there so much inconsistency in these beginner concepts?

Recommendation from many is that before taking from anyone you ask around and see how they regarded. See who consistently gets good results for their students. Instructors who have a good track record of helping juniors new to the game make their high school teams or helping older golfers break 80/90 for the first time are good indicators.

On what you're getting from the three you've been to it's hard to say. Possible they're giving you very different ideas about the key elements or possible they're all sharing the same thing in three different ways. How exactly did they differ in what they wanted you to do for your stance and takeaway? What was so different about how each told you to grip the club?

GoGoErky · June 14

1 hour ago, Asics10 said:

For some reason, golf pros think your swing should line up with their swing philosophy and anything other than that is wrong. It's pretty annoying. That like taking your car to a mechanic for an oil change and them trying to rebuild the engine because they would have built it a different way originally. We feel your pain.

Thats a very small number of coaches these days.

while there are still bad coaches out there the field is changing.