Monday, November 8, 2010

How to get to teach PGA Tour players

I get asked by a lot of prospective instructors or current instructors looking to get better and build a bigger clientele base ‘how does one get to teach PGA Tour pros?

Here’s perhaps the most common way.



The ability to demonstrate your own abilities and to do it extremely well will always catch the eye of PGA Tour players. Mike Bennett (hitting shots here) is considered by many one of the best ballstrikers in the world and people who have told me they have seen him in person hit balls, say it’s one of the most impressive things you will watch in golf.

That’s how Sevam1 got hooked up with Steve Elkington.



Elk was impressed with Sevam’s ability and swing along with his theories and brought him in for a discussion and to see if he could really hit the ball as well as it looked on video. When he did they got to talking more about swing philosophies and theories and hit it off and the rest is history.

The same with Geoff Mangum:



Geoff can flat out putt and that draws the interest of PGA Tour pros. And it helps that he knows how to teach putting as well as anybody in the world.

Of course, there are other factors. Location is important, particularly being located in mini-tour hotbeds like Florida and Arizona. And some guys like Hank Haney happen to be in the right place at the right time, have success with one player (O’Meara) and they have friends that will help them as well.

Personally, I am more interested in knowledge and being able to teach that knowledge and having an ability to decipher what my issues are and how to correct them than an instructor’s actual ability.

I like to point out football kicking coach Doug Blevins. Blevins, a quadriplegic, has never kicked a football in his life…yet he’s one of the best kicking coaches ever.



But it’s nice to have somebody with ability to demonstrate and knows the rigors and how good players think.





3JACK

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The question is not how to teach a pga tour player. The question is how best to present and demonstrate what you teach, there is a difference. It´s quite obvious if you read the article...heck even if you read the goddamn headline geeezzz.

John T.

Anonymous said...

okay,
How many PGA tour players has Mr. 3jack impressed, secured and has in his stable?
It would seem that somebody offering this type advice would have accomplished this.
Is 3jack a teacher?
Ron J.

Nick said...

Um. He's not saying he is teaching anyone. He's saying this is how someone might start to teach a tour player.

Next time read before making asinine comments.

Rich H. said...

Nick and John made my point for me. Thru my blog and thru some other contacts I've made before my blog, I talk to about 11 PGA Tour or former PGA Tour players a few times throughout the year. So no, I don't teach anybody...but I was asked this question by a few golfers looking to be teachers and from my discussions with these current and former PGA Tour players, this is what I gather. They are very interested in somebody who can do it themselves because 'theory' isn't as important to them as application is and if you can't apply it to your own game, then that leaves them with doubt that you'll apply that to their game.

I've talked to a few guys that have worked with some former PGA Tour players that really don't know much about instruction and don't teach them much. But they have so much respect for their career that they think he must know something.





3JACK

Anonymous said...

That's a fair answer, as opposed to the other BS which attempted to answer my question.
Ron J.

David Wedzik said...

Re: Mike Bennett's ball hitting abilities...as someone (as many of you know) who has had a chance to watch Mike hit LOTS of golf balls I can tell you that it is better in person than on video. Very impressive - can't remember seeing him miss more than one or two shots, ever. BTW when we do a Stack and Tilt school with a hitting demonstration (controlling the curve of the ball) we always call our shots BEFORE we hit them...not after.