Can Online #Golf Tips Do More Harm than Good to Your Game?

I am a proponent of professional golf instruction - meeting with a teacher and getting help with your game works for golfers from beginners through to the best in the world (even Tiger Woods needs an instructor).

But, what differences does a face-to-face experience offer vs a magazine article ....or, can we essentially learn proper technique either way?

With more and more posting golf blogs, articles from renowned players and teachers, and videos, it would seem that an online tutorial can also help your game, however...

A teaching pro is right in front of you, showing you how to execute a shot. In stark contrast, golf tips we receive from PGA Tour pros who tell us via magazine article or show us what to do via youtube video cannot give us any feedback.

Justin Rose in a recent blog, offers how to pull off certain shots as well as recovery techniques for an amateur who has been playing the game for a while and who understands course management and shot making but may confuse the beginner.

In other words, not all learning methods are best for every student.

Tips such as golf etiquette and understanding overall swing concepts are fine to learn from an established online source but, after you have gotten to the next level, it might be better to incorporate lessons if you are to improve in this game.

Two-way communication is essential in golf training - an instructor will watch your swing, talk to you to determine the source of the problem and may add the latest technology to the mix in order to show you where you need help. It's like when you are sick - if it's just the sniffles you may choose to take basic cold medicine but, at that point do you choose to visit the doctor?

My golf blog tip of the week? Take tips from magazines and videos with a grain of salt - you have to know when to take advice and when to get advice in person.

Do you take online golf tips with a grain of salt? Let us know which pro rely on for advice in the comments section of this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Golf Channel Instructor Search Finalists includes a real Player!

Golf Channel announced today that it has narrowed its nationwide search for the network’s next instructional star to three finalists, and one's a real Player!

 

Wayne Player (Tequesta, Fla.)  Son of golf legend Gary Player, Wayne and his father Gary were the first father-son duo to compete in both a U.S. Open and an Open Championship at the same time.  Today, he is best known for his tailored entertainment and travel experiences for corporate and private clients, sharing life lessons on and off the golf course he learned from his father.  He has worked in-tandem with several of the game’s top instructors, including David Leadbetter, Bob Toski and Peter Kostis.

 

Martin Hall (West Palm Beach, Fla.)  Ranked 12^th on Golf Digest’s Top 50 Teachers of all time and ranked as a GOLF Magazine Top 100 instructor, Hall is no stranger to Golf Channel viewers.   He has been a frequent contributor to the network’s instruction shows including Academy Live, and is a featured instructor on GolfChannel.com.  Hall was 2008 PGA of America Teacher of the Year, is a contributing writer for GOLF Magazine and was longtime teacher for LPGA Tour professional Morgan Pressel.

 

Karen Palacios-Jansen (Mooresville, N.C.)  Named as one of Golf Digest Woman’s Top 50 Women Teachers every year since 1998, Palacios-Jansen is a certified personal trainer who incorporates fitness training into her teaching.  A former David Leadbetter trained instructor and Jim McLean Golf School master instructor, she was named 2008 LPGA Teacher of the Year and has been teaching golf for 17 years.  She currently is managing editor for Golf Fitness Magazine, and is married to Olympic Gold Medalist Dan Jansen.

 

The three finalists were selected from a nationwide search conducted by Golf Channel this fall – all hoping to host their own instructional series on the network.  Each of the finalists will host a half-hour instruction show as part of the network’s 12 Nights at the Academy series of instruction specials, airing Nov. 29-Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. ET.  The finalists’ shows will air Nov. 30 (Hall); Dec. 5 (Palacios-Jansen) and Dec. 7 (Player).

 

Viewers have the opportunity to view the finalists’ audition video and video tips online at www.GolfChannel.com/InstructorSearch.  Viewers also are encouraged to participate in the selection process by voting online through Dec. 15.  The winner is expected to be announced on Golf Central in January, with the new show scheduled to premiere early in the year.

 

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