COULD LESSONS HELP YOUR GAME? 

     Golfers often open conversations with me by asking some 
variation of that question. Everyone, it appears, is curious about
the potential benefit of taking instruction but don't know what to 
expect or how instruction might help them play better.

Let's see if we can sort some of this out.

     First, you should understand that professional golf teachers 
are just that; teachers first and golfers second. It may have been 
a love for the game that brought them into the sport but that initial 
infatuation was overwhelmed by their discovered love for teaching.
 
	John Jacobs, often called the European father of golf, was a 
mediocre tour player (which is really pretty good) but stopped 
playing tournament golf when he realized that his mind was too 
analytic, too teaching oriented to allow him to concentrate on his 
own swing and his own game. He has become an eminently successful 
teacher who has been rewarded many times over for his decision to 
concentrate on teaching. 

     John Redmond, when I knew him, was a "snow bird" teacher at 
Winter Pines G.C. in Winter Park, FL. John, too, had been a very good 
golfer but gave it up to specialize in teaching. John acquired several
great students, including Paul Azinger, went on to write a successful 
book and is happy being a good teacher.

     Monica Darling (yes, that's her real name) qualified for the PGA 
and the LPGA as a golfer but now teaches full time at Juniper Hills 
G.C. in Northoboro, MA and is enjoying teaching more than anything 
else that she could do.

     The list could continue but I believe the point is made that 
teachers teach and players play. Both are good at what they do  
but I have never found a GOOD teacher who was, simultaneously, 
a GOOD player or vice versa. Good players can be good teachers 
(and the other way around) if they concentrate on one or the other. It 
is, however, very difficult, if not impossible to be both at the  same 
time. This is why tour level players don't teach. This is why teachers 
don't play tournaments and why your single digit handicap friend 
can't do much to help your game. He's a player, not a teacher. Good 
teachers are specialists.

     There are some (thankfully dwindling in numbers) teachers who 
will completely tear down and re-make your swing in their image. 
There are also (thankfully growing in number) teachers who assess 
your total golfing qualities (including your personality and 
temperament) and tailor their teaching to your specific needs. 
A good teacher realizes that although they can get you to hit a 
succession of good shots on the teaching tee, they can't be with 
you a month later on a vacation course when you are two down with 
three to play for a dollar Nassau. They know that they must leave 
you with positive swing thoughts and execution that fit your natural 
style and temperament and that you will revert to under the pressure 
of real play. Those are the best teachers.  These are the teachers who 
give you the most for your money.

     So, how do you find a teacher that's right for you?

	First, talk to any of your friends that have taken golf lessons. 
Look for their impression of how their teacher treated them as 
individuals. "Cookie Cutter" teachers don't often leave good lasting 
impressions.

	Second, look for a teacher who genuinely loves golf, likes 
people and believes that every golfer can improve. That set of 
positive attitudes is contagious. Students learn more thoroughly 
and faster in a positive environment.

	Last, interview your candidate teachers. Nearly all good 
teachers are more than willing to meet with you off the tee, over 
coffee (?) to discuss the teaching and learning process. They are 
always looking for any chance to help any golfer. It should be obvious
that these people absolutely love what they do.

     After selecting your teacher, trust them. You are spending good 
money for their expertise; maybe the best money you ever spent.