Erica Larkin: Heretical or 'True' swing?

[Nels55]

Earnest Jones taught hands lead, body follows.  A bit different from what Erica is saying.

[DShepley]

Erica is ranked #44 in Golf Digest Top 50 teachers in America. She is capable of helping anyone on this forum improve.

[virtuoso]

45 minutes ago, DShepley said:

Erica is ranked #44 in Golf Digest Top 50 teachers in America. She is capable of helping anyone on this forum improve.

I've got a call in to Jon Sinclair to help me chip down my 14. If he leaves me hanging, I'm calling Erica.

[NosajNeelik]

1 hour ago, virtuoso said:

I've got a call in to Jon Sinclair to help me chip down my 14. If he leaves me hanging, I'm calling Erica.

You’re ripe for Saguto 

[DShepley]

2 hours ago, virtuoso said:

I've got a call in to Jon Sinclair to help me chip down my 14. If he leaves me hanging, I'm calling Erica.

Is anyone posting on this forum ranked better than 44?

[virtuoso]

4 minutes ago, DShepley said:

Is anyone posting on this forum ranked better than 44?

As noted above Saguto lurks around here but doesn't post much. Username is CrispyS&T. I haven't checked but he must be top 10.

[Nickc]

9 minutes ago, virtuoso said:

As noted above Saguto lurks around here but doesn't post much. Username is CrispyS&T. I haven't checked but he must be top 10.

?

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-50-best-teachers-in-america

 

 

[virtuoso]

11 minutes ago, Nickc said:

?

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-50-best-teachers-in-america

 

 

Am I reading that right? What the...

[virtuoso]

1 minute ago, virtuoso said:

Am I reading that right? What the...

Wait, is Jon Sinclair at least on there? I didn't see him?

 

I can't get in to see Saguto (he's booked out months in advance), but I'm trying to get in to see Sinclair.

Edited July 31 by virtuoso

[MK7Golf21]

4 minutes ago, virtuoso said:

Wait, is Jon Sinclair at least on there? I didn't see him?

 

I can't get in to see Saguto (he's booked out months in advance), but I'm trying to get in to see Sinclair.

looks like he is in there, number 43.

 

Ive taken lessons with a few and their prices have atleast doubled. Nick Clearwater I took a couple lessons right before he got that new role in Colorado and he was like 100 an hour or something, that list says he is 1,000 an hour now, lol. 

 

[virtuoso]

5 minutes ago, MK7Golf21 said:

looks like he is in there, number 43.

 

Ive taken lessons with a few and their prices have atleast doubled. Nick Clearwater I took a couple lessons right before he got that new role in Colorado and he was like 100 an hour or something, that list says he is 1,000 an hour now, lol. 

 

Ok, cool, 43 is good enough for me.

[MonteScheinblum]

So here’s a story about Golf Digest rankings.

 

A guy trolls me on my Instagram.  I tell him what I said has been measured to be true.  He says he’s on the Golf Digest top list in CA and I should defer to his knowledge.  I looked at the list, he was well below me. 
 

I responded that he should look at the list and suggested I was well above him.

 

”That list is a sham, you just had more friends voting than I did.”

 

It’s kind of peer review but there are people not on the list that should be and some that are that shouldn’t.  
 

It’s half peer review and half popularity contest among other instructors.  I feel I earned my spot because I’ve pissed off everyone.  😜

Edited July 31 by MonteScheinblum

[DShepley]

1 hour ago, MonteScheinblum said:

So here’s a story about Golf Digest rankings.

 

A guy trolls me on my Instagram.  I tell him what I said has been measured to be true.  He says he’s on the Golf Digest top list in CA and I should defer to his knowledge.  I looked at the list, he was well below me. 
 

I responded that he should look at the list and suggested I was well above him.

 

”That list is a sham, you just had more friends voting than I did.”

 

It’s kind of peer review but there are people not on the list that should be and some that are that shouldn’t.  
 

It’s half peer review and half popularity contest among other instructors.  I feel I earned my spot because I’ve pissed off everyone.  😜

All lists and rankings have an element of this but let's face it,  nearly every golf teacher in the world would love to have a ranking on the list to add to their marketing.  I've followed Erika for a few years on Instagram and it is pretty clear that she is a good instructor.  Her latest stuff reminds me a little of Manuel de la Torre, or George Knudson, and several others who have tried to find a teaching method that removes the paralysis of swing positions. Kind of a 'let the club swing and get out of it's way' approach.

[ferrispgm]

Dave Pelz was a top 50 guy....Hank Haney was a top 5 guy if I remember right.  If I went to both of them 10 years ago I'd be a +8 and on the Korn Ferry tour by now.

[RayPlan]

3 hours ago, virtuoso said:

As noted above Saguto lurks around here but doesn't post much. Username is CrispyS&T. I haven't checked but he must be top 10.

Seguto is Top 10 in the rankings that actually matter

[MonteScheinblum]

25 minutes ago, DShepley said:

All lists and rankings have an element of this but let's face it,  nearly every golf teacher in the world would love to have a ranking on the list to add to their marketing.  I've followed Erika for a few years on Instagram and it is pretty clear that she is a good instructor.  Her latest stuff reminds me a little of Manuel de la Torre, or George Knudson, and several others who have tried to find a teaching method that removes the paralysis of swing positions. Kind of a 'let the club swing and get out of it's way' approach.

Nobody worth a damn teaches positions and paralysis.

 

You’re conflating education with active instruction.  If you had any experience in the lesson tee you’d understand most golfers struggle because they have a poor understanding of what they’re supposed to do.  You have to tale to them about all the bad ideas they’ve implemented from a century of misleading instruction before they can clear their head and work on one simple idea.

 

Ive told the story many times where all I was trying to get a guy to do was free up his hip turn.  After 30 minutes he was exhausted and I asked why.  He said he was thinking about too many things.  I said I was only asking him to achieve one simple task.  He said that on top of his 12 step swing checklist was overwhelming.  
 

I laughed as I thought he was kidding.  He was not and pulled out his 12 step checklist that was given to him by his friend who was a good golfer.  It was laminated.  
 

It took me an hour to explain why every thing on that checklist was objectively incorrect.  I had to get technical on why each on was not correct and not what good players do. 
 

Luckily he had booked two hours. 
 

After being educated he was able to narrow his thoughts down to free up backswing hip turn and hit ball.

 

Over simplified is the other poor extreme from paralysis. Your issue in this forum is you make too many judgments based on suppositions that are quickly discounted after a short time teaching golf.  Don’t feel bad, it’s just as common among people who don’t teach ever day and it is coming for someone who teaches every day to make things simple at the expense of it being objectively incorrect.

 

PS-Erika is president of my section and I have a very good report with her.

[NosajNeelik]

Any list with Sean foley on it is complete bunk 

[DShepley]

34 minutes ago, MonteScheinblum said:

Nobody worth a damn teaches positions and paralysis.

 

You’re conflating education with active instruction.  If you had any experience in the lesson tee you’d understand most golfers struggle because they have a poor understanding of what they’re supposed to do.  You have to tale to them about all the bad ideas they’ve implemented from a century of misleading instruction before they can clear their head and work on one simple idea.

 

Ive told the story many times where all I was trying to get a guy to do was free up his hip turn.  After 30 minutes he was exhausted and I asked why.  He said he was thinking about too many things.  I said I was only asking him to achieve one simple task.  He said that on top of his 12 step swing checklist was overwhelming.  
 

I laughed as I thought he was kidding.  He was not and pulled out his 12 step checklist that was given to him by his friend who was a good golfer.  It was laminated.  
 

It took me an hour to explain why every thing on that checklist was objectively incorrect.  I had to get technical on why each on was not correct and not what good players do. 
 

Luckily he had booked two hours. 
 

After being educated he was able to narrow his thoughts down to free up backswing hip turn and hit ball.

 

Over simplified is the other poor extreme from paralysis. Your issue in this forum is you make too many judgments based on suppositions that are quickly discounted after a short time teaching golf.  Don’t feel bad, it’s just as common among people who don’t teach ever day and it is coming for someone who teaches every day to make things simple at the expense of it being objectively incorrect.

 

PS-Erika is president of my section and I have a very good report with her.

I'm not conflating anything.  I'm saying that she is teaching a method that helps people simplify the process so they can forget about their 12 step checklist.  I also know that her lesson focus would change depending who was on the tee and what issues they have to deal with. She is a top 50 instructor for a reason, because she is good at what she does. Many people on this forum like to poo poo on instructors because they teach in a way that they don't agree with or because their method doesn't fit with their 'rigid' ways.  She is good at what she does, so good at it that she gets to hang on a list with some very notable company.  

[DShepley]

1 hour ago, ferrispgm said:

Dave Pelz was a top 50 guy....Hank Haney was a top 5 guy if I remember right.  If I went to both of them 10 years ago I'd be a +8 and on the Korn Ferry tour by now.

Did you go to them or are you just assuming that you had nothing to learn from them?

[DShepley]

15 minutes ago, NosajNeelik said:

Any list with Sean foley on it is complete bunk 

Have you taken a lesson from him?  You read through these threads and it increasingly seems like nothing can be correct unless it comes from the teachers who post on here.

[NosajNeelik]

27 minutes ago, DShepley said:

Have you taken a lesson from him?  You read through these threads and it increasingly seems like nothing can be correct unless it comes from the teachers who post on here.

No I want to keep my back healthy. 
 

Plus he carries a purse and matches his glasses frames and his shirt color. 

[MonteScheinblum]

PPS-I obviously know Erika is in VA and Allison Curdt is my president. 
 

The joke was funnier in my head.

Edited August 1 by MonteScheinblum

[MK7Golf21]

50 minutes ago, NosajNeelik said:

No I want to keep my back healthy. 
 

Plus he carries a purse and matches his glasses frames and his shirt color. 

Foley doesn’t teach anything to hurt someone’s back. Sure he’s got some quirks but I’ve watched a lot of his stuff and I thought it was helpful. He does push that pro sender a bit too much though. 
 

If you want to avoid that, stay away from guys teaching super side bend and rotation. 

Edited August 1 by MK7Golf21

[MonteScheinblum]

24 minutes ago, MK7Golf21 said:

Foley doesn’t teach anything to hurt someone’s back. Sure he’s got some quirks but I’ve watched a lot of his stuff and I thought it was helpful. He does push that pro sender a bit too much though. 
 

If you want to avoid that, stay away from guys teaching super side bend and rotation. 

I made fun of Foley a little when he had Tiger going left early without going right first and he was chunking woods, but he has a lot of good stuff.

[NosajNeelik]

27 minutes ago, MK7Golf21 said:

Foley doesn’t teach anything to hurt someone’s back. Sure he’s got some quirks but I’ve watched a lot of his stuff and I thought it was helpful. He does push that pro sender a bit too much though. 
 

If you want to avoid that, stay away from guys teaching super side bend and rotation. 

Most of his students developed back problems at some point. He’s just an annoying tool, thinks he understands things because he listens to hip hop and has embarrassing tattoos. I can’t imagine being around him for 5 minutes 

[MK7Golf21]

1 minute ago, NosajNeelik said:

Most of his students developed back problems at some point. He’s just an annoying tool, thinks he understands things because he listens to hip hop and has embarrassing tattoos. I can’t imagine being around him for 5 minutes 

you realize he molded Roses swing that we all talk about on this forum and worked with him for over a decade? He gave him that Justin Rose drill everyone talks about on here because he had an upright swing and his hand path went out too much from the top, stalling his rotation. Foley improved his swing a bunch. 

[coops]

Reading that list from the top makes Brian Manzella look a complete bargain.

 

It was the name John Dunigan at #30 that piqued my interest... I have (or had... i've lost it somewhere) his spiral bound book "The Secret of the Golf Swing" - i'd like to find it - I remember he taught himself to play left handed, which is certainly one way to put yourself in a beginner's shoes again.

 

 

[NosajNeelik]

24 minutes ago, MK7Golf21 said:

you realize he molded Roses swing that we all talk about on this forum and worked with him for over a decade? He gave him that Justin Rose drill everyone talks about on here because he had an upright swing and his hand path went out too much from the top, stalling his rotation. Foley improved his swing a bunch. 

Good for him. 

[Hawkeye77]

6 hours ago, DShepley said:

Is anyone posting on this forum ranked better than 44?

 

My wonderful wife still thinks I'm number one and on occasion has an interesting way of signaling that. 😀

[NosajNeelik]

2 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

 

My wonderful wife still thinks I'm number one and on occasion has an interesting way of signaling that. 😀

Me too