Would you take lessons from an uncertified golf instructor?
And no I'm not going into teaching. :P
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Would you take lessons from an uncertified golf instructor?
And no I'm not going into teaching. :P
For you, my rate is $125/hour.
The pros do it all the time. Just sayin'.
Advice sure. Lessons, no.
Advice is usually free, but give me a tip that adds 20 yards to my drives and I'll be buying you a beer.
Stay thirsty my friends. :-)
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You never said anything about paying...So my answer is yes...I know quite a few scratch players who could improve my game because they're good teachers as well. I don't think I'd pay them though.
I am uncertified and i am constantly giving lessons to my hacking buddies.
Sure I would. If Rory McIlroy offered to give me a lesson I'd jump at the opportunity and he's not a certified instructor. :)
sure, I need all the help I can get.
You are not allowed to say that certification is important unless you know the criteria used for certifying, and whether international certification is valid in Canada. I don't know, so I would rely on references and on talking with the person. I would want my brain surgeon to be certified, though, and I can't resolve that apparent inconsistency.
Part of teaching is finding a way to connect with your student and get your point across. I am a certified soccer and hockey coach and have worked tennis camps and multi sport camps. I have worked as a teachers assistant. I have given many friends help with their golf game, and I am a 4 handicap. Does that mean I could teach a scratch golfer? Not likely, but I can surely help my friends shooting in the 100s!!!
And on another note, you can become a certified golf instructor in less than a week...
Please do not mistake a Class A PGA Professional with someone who has taken a "weekend" certification course. Class A certification takes years to acquire.
Cam Doig who coached Dan Halldorson (won 2 PGA events and 2 World Cups) for years has no teaching credentials.
When my son was 15, Cam took him from a 14 to 4 in 4 months spread over 5 one hour lessons, then he shot a '69'.
Some guys don't need a 'piece of paper' to instruct.
Pieces of paper are the glue that hold the fabric of society together. There's a big difference between someone who says they are a good driver, and someone who is a good driver with a driver's license to prove it. Just because someone is smart doesn't mean they can teach a classroom of people. I would rather bring my taxes to a CA because he has been trained and passed the minimum requirements needed to perform his job at the highest level, as opposed to bringing them to a guy who's good with numbers.
A piece of paper doesn't really prove anything. You don't need a piece of paper to be good at something, if you're passionate about it, you can easily be better than the majority of 'paper professionals'.
I work with a bunch of really smart, young software developers, a lot of which don't even have post-secondary degree, and I'd much rather work with them than some others that have the piece of paper to try to prove they're good at it.
Knowledge, experience, and passion win. If I knew the instructor was really good, uncertified would be fine by me!
Denis - totally agree with you!
Denis I totally agree as well. I get lessons from a "kid" in Florida. He is going through the process of becoming PGA certified, played university golf on scholarship, and then a attended a 3 year program on golf management. He loves the game, and all aspects of it. He is motivated and we connected. So he is not PGA certified, or certified in any way but he has dramatically helped my game. I'm happy to pay for that.
I think the key is to find an instructor that you are comfortable to work with and stick with them. In my case it is someone who is certified and she has done wonders for my game.
Dax, care to share her name?
She is in Maui, if anyone is interested, I can PM it to them. I travel here a few times a year and so I am able to get the swing tweaked a few times each visit. She works with my swing and does not try to change much. For instance on my latest visit we worked on the short game, as the rust was really in the swing from being at the start of the season and we played with ball position weight distribution and angle of attack and my chips were night and day after the lesson (I've been able to practice these on the course as well and was very happy).
I think that having the knowledge and necessary credentials up the ying yang does not necessarily equate being a good teacher. I for one have taken lessons from 3 well known local PGA pros and each has a differing level of being able to communicate their knowledge to me and getting me to understand what I need to do to accomplish what it is they see needs improvement. The best of the 3 in my opinion was/is the teacher who can explain what he wants me to do in different ways until I get it (Marc Levac). You can be a mathematical genius but be completely unable to teach someone the basics of math.
I agree with you completely leftylucas! It took me about five teaching pros until I found the right person who could look at things, break them down and then work with me to make corrections that fit my swing.