How (and Why) to Choose a Good Golf Instructor

Today I've got a new guest post for you folks. It's from Charles Borden, a freelance writer and golfer at Raleigh NC, a couple of hours east of me, on how to find a good instructor. He loves playing great area courses like the ones in Myrtle Beach, Southern Pines, and, of course, Pinehurst. This article will give you the basics of how to determine what you need from an instructor, interview them to make sure they can really help you, and then assess their effectiveness as your lessons progress.

This is a good article and I hope you pick up some useful tips from it.
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Every golfer wants to improve his or her game. Whether you play casually once a month with friends, treat it as a regular weekend activity, or pursue the sport with the aim of winning competitions, it’s always fun to feel your swing working more smoothly and see your scores dropping down. The trouble is that the best way to improve is usually through private instruction, and finding a good coach can be pretty difficult.

In this article we’ll look at how to make that process a little easier, as well as what you can hope to learn once you find the right coach.

Finding The Right Instructor

The process of finding the right instructor involves a balance of self-analysis and thorough exploration. By getting the best possible feel for your own game, locating options in your area, and determining what those options have to offer, you can best ensure that you’ll wind up with a coach who can advance your game.

Gauging Your Game

When you’re considering finding a new golf instructor it may seem as if you should simply leave the analysis of your own talents and abilities up to them. There’s some logic to this, but you should also remember that when you seek out private coaching you’re usually asked to label yourself. Are you a beginner? Are you an experienced player who’s a beginner with coaching? Is your game at the intermediate level or higher? Often, the answers to these questions will help to determine which coach you wind up with, or how that coach approaches lessons.

You can always start by calculating your handicap as explained by American Golf. You’ll need to have an average of your last several rounds of golf on a given course. From that number you simply subtract the course rating (a number that should be available), multiply the result by 113, and divide that result by the slope rating of the course. The result provides you with a numerical representation of your ability.

You should also be prepared to describe your confidence level -- not just in your game as a whole, but in specific aspects of it. Take the time to really consider which strokes and clubs you’re most comfortable with, or which aspects of a course seem to challenge you the most. Basically, the more information you can express about your own game, the better an instructor will be able to assist you. This is wise to consider before you actually start looking for a coach.

Finding Your Instructor

There are plenty of ways to start your actual search for an instructor. If you’re lucky, you may have a friend or family member who’s already using an instructor that he or she would recommend. Alternatively, you may be a member at a course or a club where you have access to private instruction, or can at least get pointed in the right direction. Even these easy methods are often simply pairing you with the most convenient option, rather than a coach who’s necessarily best for you.

More and more, people are turning to the internet for ways to get around that issue and find an instructor who feels like a custom fit. For example, Play Your Course has an online search tool with a database of golf instructors that can help to handpick a coach for a given player based on that player’s set of goals, location, and course preferences. It may sound a bit impersonal, but keep in mind that it’s merely a search mechanism. It is meant to provide you with the best and most affordable options in your area, after which you can start a more specific selection process.

Interviewing Your Coach

In any relationship with a coach or instructor, you’re handing over control to some extent. You’re asking someone to direct your actions and help you improve. That can make it seem like you’re subjecting yourself to a prospective instructor’s approval as soon as you meet. But this isn’t the case! Keep in mind that you’re paying for the lessons and you should have multiple options for instruction. Before you commit long-term to a coaching relationship, you should sit down with your potential instructor and have an interview of sorts. Go over your game (based on the tips mentioned previously for how to gauge your level), discuss your goals, and ask for details of the instructor’s approach. This should help to ensure that you wind up in a productive and enjoyable situation.

What You Can Hope To Learn

Naturally, you’re hoping for an instructor to boost your ability and lower your scores, but this can only happen through improvement in the smaller parts that comprise your golf game. These are just a few areas to keep in mind as places you can expect to see improvement with the right coach.

Proper Preparation

A lot of golfers, and particularly those who approach the sport more casually, tend to simply walk out on the course and start swinging. There’s nothing wrong with this, but a little more preparation can only help. Life Fitness put together a list of golf stretching exercises that can help improve your range of motion, strength, and handicap. As with any sport, it’s necessary to prime your body (and mind) for competition. You can learn how to address this online by reading over tips, but an experienced coach can quickly help you to develop a preparation routine that will help you to be a more comfortable and more successful player.

Swing Mechanics

A good golf instructor will be able to help you with the specifics of your swing, whether you’re driving the ball down range or trying to sink a putt from five feet out. This is the main aspect of the game that most people hope to improve and it’s where your primary focus should lie.

It’s also important to recognize that you need to observe and ask questions where swing mechanics are concerned. You can’t always expect even an expert instructor to simply dissect your game from swing to swing. You should watch him or her play, watch professional players on television, or even record yourself playing golf. This should give you a better idea of what it looks like to be “doing it right,” and hopefully it should help you to be more aware of when something isn’t quite right with your own movements. You can ask about these little imperfections and work them out together with your coach.

Course Management

Finally, you should also expect a good coach to help you with the different factors that go into gauging and managing a course as you play. That means handling different conditions, adjusting to different terrains, and perhaps most importantly, knowing which clubs to use at which times. These are all things that even a beginner can do by feel, to some extent. But you might be surprised at the tips a professional can offer. You may find out that you’ve been using the wrong club for your own skills and tendencies from a given distance, or that you never realized how far out you could pitch a ball onto the green. The right coach will effectively teach you how to read a course.

Without getting into the specifics of your individual game, that’s about it! Of course, the requirements for a good instructor and the lessons you hope to learn depend on your own experience, ability, circumstances, and goals. But in a general sense, these are the things to keep in mind as you start the process of seeking private instruction. Best of luck improving your game this year!

A Ryder Cup Infographic

With the start of the Ryder Cup just a couple of days away, I know you might need some little conversation starters to use with your non-golfing friends. (Because you're ALWAYS looking for an excuse to talk golf with your non-golfing friends, right?)

So I've got an infographic here from the kind folks over at Function18, who occasionally do some guest fashion posts for me. It has a variety of facts and trivia about the history of the Ryder Cup. If you click on the graphic, you'll be taken to a larger version at their blog.

Top 5 Golf Fashion Tips for Men in the Fall

As the season starts to change and the air begins to turn a bit chilly, it's time to put away the heat resistant light clothing of summer and break out the kind of golf wear that can stand-up to the very different demands of playing in the fall. Let's take a look at some of the best bets for meeting the demands of the new season in a fashionable and practical way.

Golfing jumper: If there is one key to fall golf wear, it's layering. Golfing jumpers are perfect for this as they provide the warmth of a sweater, and the styling that allows you to fit right in with traditional golfing fashion. Jumpers come in many varieties, from v-neck, crew and zipper models, to straight pullovers.

Seasonal head gear: Not only is the sun still a factor during the fall, but keeping your head warm can be a key to not losing concentration at the wrong moment. Driving caps, bucket hats, and fedoras are quite popular this year, providing a nice range of styling options for the fashion conscious.

Long-sleeved polo shirt: Few pieces of clothing are more ubiquitous on the course than a stylish polo shirt. Long-sleeve polo shirts are multi-functional in giving you freedom of movement, stylish looks, and the little bit of extra protection from the chill that fall play demands.

Rain-ready outwear: A little wet weather won't stop the average golfer, but getting soaked to the bone might. Light jackets, pullovers, and windbreakers now come in a variety of breathable waterproof, water-resistant, and windproof materials that can meet any wet weather challenge.

Monochrome styling is back: Remember Gary Player - the Black Knight? Well sporting a uniform color look is not only back in fashion, but it's a great strategy for meeting the demands of fall golfing since the all-dark look also works to absorb what few rays of the sun there are, and help keep you warm so you can keep your mind on your game.

By wearing the appropriate gear on the golf course, you can avoid stiff swings, shaky putts, and muscle tension.  Ensuring you wear the proper attire for peak performance is crucial in the competitive arena.  There are a variety of options for men to look good without sacrificing agility.  Look around for your favorite apparel, and remember to layer accordingly.  As the temperatures continue to plummet, you can be sure your golf game won’t follow. 

Melinda Bailey's an avid golfer as well as the blog manager for 9 & Dine Women’s Golf Apparel You can read her Women of Golf blog, or connect with her on Twitter through @9Dine.

Top 5 Golf Fashion Tips for Women in the Fall

So the Tour decided to postpone the Limerick Summary again. At least we get to watch golf today -- in case you missed it, GC will broadcast the entire final round starting at 10am ET. Also, in case you missed it, apparently Lydia Ko told one of the interviewers at Evian that she might not be an amateur next time we see her. (Maybe she's getting tired of the limited LPGA starts an amateur is allowed? It couldn't be the millions she can't accept...)

At any rate, that leaves room for one of those fashion posts I promised yesterday. Melinda Bailey over at 9&Dine, an American golf clothier (my other fashion posts have come from UK-based companies), has a neat fashion blog and offered to give me some fashion help as needed. A quick note about the links: The golfing jackets and cardigans are about halfway down the linked page.

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The cold air and brisk winds on the golf course should never interfere with a woman’s ability to play.  Then again, neither should bulky overlays to protect from the cold.  As the weather continually drops in temperatures, women are finding it harder and harder to find comfort for agility to play on the greens.  To keep yourself warm and play at peak performance, here are some of the top items for fall weather.

Golfing jackets: Dressing in layers is a great strategy for the ladies, and the wide selection of women’s golfing jackets now on the market make this an easy thing to do. Golfing jackets come with many different combinations of down and weather-proofing, and can be quickly shed if the temperature starts to rise.  Many offer light weight, heat absorbing fabrics to keep you both warm and comfortable throughout the day.

 

Head gear: Wool and fleece headbands are a stylish golfing look during fall play, and provide that extra bit of ear and head protection cooler conditions usually call for. Rain resistant visors and more robust rainproof bucket hats also fit in on any course, allowing the game to keep going when conditions get wet. On a nicer day, a simple baseball style golf hat protects the skin from the sun, something golfers tend to overlook during the fall season.


Waterproof shoes: A pair of stylish leather golf shoes featuring waterproofing is a great choice for fall play. Today's waterproof golf shoes come in a wide range of colors and styles, and are guaranteed to keep your feet dry in wet grass, while providing eye catching fashion features.

Cardigans: No longer the bulky, unattractive pieces for the holiday season, women’s golf cardigans are the new hot fall item of 2013. Modern cardigans are now lightweight, trim fitting, and offer the protection needed from whatever the fall weather may throw your way.

Golf gloves: Here is a great way to bring practicality and style together on the course. Golf gloves offer finger warming protection for those cold early morning tee times, and the wide range of colors now available help bring a little pizzazz to the somewhat somber color schemes of fall clothing.

Melinda Bailey's an avid golfer as well as the blog manager for 9 & Dine Women’s Golf Apparel. You can read her Women of Golf blog, or connect with her on Twitter through @9Dine.

Selecting the Right Golf Shoes for You

I asked the folks over at Function18 if they'd do an article for me about selecting golf shoes, and they were kind enough to provide the following. Short of a shoe-by-shoe comparison, it hits all the main points and should help you know what questions to ask when you shop for new shoes. Where they gave prices I've added dollar equivalents for my American readers; exchange rates change daily but they should be close enough to give you an idea.

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We all understand how important comfort is when playing on the green. The average golfer walks around 4-5 miles per hour, now think about how long your average game lasts - and that is a lot of walking!

Not only is comfortable and stable footwear important for walking, stable footing is extremely important to your performance. Professional golfers take their selection of footwear very seriously, and so should you! So here’s our top guide to choosing the perfect golf shoes for you;

STYLE
When it comes to selecting stylish golf shoes, there are 3 main styles on the market - traditional, athletic with spikes, and athletic without spikes. Traditional golf shoes are made from leather, are very hard wearing and long lasting, yet lack flexibility and breathability. Athletic golf shoes, both with and without spikes, are lightweight and extremely flexible. Many of the top golf brands including Nike, Adidas, Puma, Footjoy and Oakley supply a wide range of athletic golf shoes, often worn in major tournaments by professionals.

FIT
No matter how great your golf shoes look, if they don’t fit correctly, you will not be a happy golfer! Your new golf shoes should give you space to wiggle your toes, feel secure yet give you room for your feet to breathe. Your golf shoes should be a little tighter than your day to day shoes, as you will need extra support from your whole body when swinging the club - and if your shoes are too loose this can also cause you to slide or loose stability when swinging the club.

We also suggest getting your feet measured before picking your new shoes - our top tip is to get your feet measured at the end of the day as this is when your feel will be a little swollen. Also many golfers wear extra thick socks for comfort when playing, so be sure to wear the same thickness of socks when trying on new golf shoes.

PRICE
Golf shoes generally range in price from around £45 to £150 and above. [That’s roughly $70 to $225 American.] Depending on the amount of golf you play, we suggest weighing up a number of options before splashing out on a new pair of golf shoes. Just because a golf shoe is more expensive doesn’t mean it is the best shoe for you. For example Rory McIlroy is a big fan of Nike Footwear, in particular Nike Lunar Footwear, as are many pro and amateur golfers, which are available from around £89.99. [Roughly $150 American.]

WATERPROOFING
It may be the height of summer, but you want your golf shoes to last you through all seasons! Be sure your new shoes have a waterproof element to them, as there is nothing worse that wet feet on the green. Many golfers recommend Footjoy, Oakley and Adidas branded golf shoes for sustainability in wet weather.

SPIKES OR NO SPIKES?
Spikes will give you more grip when playing and are a must on hilly courses. Some say spikeless shoes are more comfortable especially for a short game, but choose based on your swing, environment and how regularly you are playing.

Overall, your golf shoes should provide maximum comfort so you can thoroughly enjoy your game and perform to the best of your ability. To shop a wide range of golf shoes, clothing and accessories visit online golf store www.function18.co.uk.

Galvin Green Autumn / Winter Collection 2013

As I've tried to do more fashion posts, I've learned that Galvin Green is one of the big players in the market. Function18 sent me a press release about the new autumn and winter collection, complete with a link to a short video near the end. Hope this helps you would-be fashionistas out there!

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As one of the key brands within the golfing industry, Galvin Green quality garments are celebrated throughout the sport. Therefore the arrival of their latest Autumn / Winter collection is highly anticipated in the world of golf.

It may be August, but in the world of sporting fashion we’re already thinking about the next season. Designed by golfers for golfers, every Galvin Green garment has been developed to provide exceptional comfort, freedom of movement and protection from the elements that sometimes face us out on the course.

As the colder weather starts to roll in, the conditions on the course can get pretty extreme, and all golfers (no matter your level) need great, guaranteed protection from their clothing - and from outerwear and waterproofs to windstoppers, the new collection certainly does not disappoint.

Galvin Green has become a favourite amongst professional golfers, amateurs and fans of the sport, and online clothing store Function18 is pleased to announce that the Galvin Green 2013 autumn / winter collection is now available to purchase online at www.function18.co.uk.

The new collection brings with it a multitude of new Gore-Tex waterproof garments, with the introduction of the colour purple. The mid layer collection has also been expanded for autumn 2013 with the inclusion of the Dexter 1/4 zip Insula pullover and the Dawson full zip jacket.


The Ventil8 shirt collection from spring / summer 2013 has also been built upon, with the introduction of the body mapping Miller shirt, available in 4 colour ways.

The expert team at Function18 feel that the strongest product line for Galvin Green AW2013 is the collection of new Gore Windstoppers which are totally windproof, offering effective protection against wind-chill. The Brett Windstopper is also a very striking garment with contrast panel styling.

Galvin Green’s recent video commercial demonstrates the class of their latest WindStopper, and is definitely worth a watch - click here to view video.

The new autumn / winter collection is now available to purchase online from Function18.

Choosing Between Fairway Woods and Hybrids

Josh Blagden of golfbidder.co.uk was kind enough to provide me with this article on whether to choose a hybrid or a fairway wood for various kinds of shots. I thought you guys might find it helpful.

Golfers of all levels have long struggled with the long-iron conundrum. For many players, long irons are difficult to hit well even with modern clubfaces, because of their very small club faces and their equally small sweet spots. The extremely low trajectory of a long iron, caused by its low loft, as well as the longer club length makes it unsuitable for tighter lies, ‘punching’ out from underneath trees and playing from the rough.

Consequently, players tend to avoid having these clubs in their golf bag and favour fairway woods with a larger sweet spot. The extra mass in the head makes it easier to get the ball airborne and travel greater distances than long irons.

Fairway woods were the only alternative to long irons for decades, until the demand for hybrids exploded from 2004. The hybrid was designed to combine the accuracy and versatility of a long iron with the distance and forgiveness of a fairway wood.

In terms of design, a hybrid head is very similar to a fairway wood with a shallow, slightly convex face, but the loft of the hybrid head is generally higher than either the wood or the iron. Hybrid clubs can be a great option for a variety of different shots, and can even make great chippers near the edge of the green.

Many tour pros started including hybrids in their bags, as did golfers of all levels. The advantages of using hybrids became clear, in terms of their versatility and effectiveness out the rough. However, their weaknesses were exposed too. Fewer hybrids appear in tour bags nowadays as the more powerful pros have come to recognise they are not as effective in windy conditions, nor do they offer the ability to work the ball nearly as well as long iron replacements.

But recreational golfers generally find these long iron replacements as hard to use as standard long irons. They will use hybrids and fairway woods and, in most cases, they will find hybrids easier to swing than fairway woods. The key is in knowing which club is more effective for the situation.

How does a player choose which club between a fairway wood and hybrid?

The type of shot you can play is often determined by your lie, and the lie can dictate which type of club you should use.

• From the fairway, both woods and hybrids have their places. Hybrids launch the ball higher and straighter, helping it stop more quickly on the green, while fairway woods make it easier to curve the ball and get some roll for a little extra distance.
• In light rough, a fairway wood such as a 3-wood may be a better choice, as its flat bottom skims the low grass easily, yet a hybrid may be a better choice in thicker rough as the heavier but more compact clubhead can cut better through the longer grass.
• From a fairway bunker, the hybrid’s lofting ability makes it a better selection than a wood.

It is important to make the right club choice as it can vastly improve your game and lower your score. You need to look no further than Chinese teenage golf sensation Guan Tianglang, who made history at the 2013 Masters as the youngest ever player to compete at a major, aged just fourteen. Whilst the majority of his competitors were using a combination of long irons and fairway woods on the uncompromising 7435 yard course at Augusta, Guan opted to hit his fairway shots on the long par-4s and par-5s using fairway woods in order to compensate for the distance he lacked. As a result of his club choices, he successfully became the youngest player ever to make the cut in a PGA Tour event.

But unlike Guan, the majority of us are not afforded the luxury of changing clubs depending on conditions. That makes it even more important to make the right decision when choosing between a fairway wood and hybrid as a long iron replacement.