Thanks for visiting my Banana Putting site. My name is Paul Hobart, and I’m a Class “A” PGA Golf Professional, and the creator of the Banana Putting System. Banana Putting is my revolutionary new system that will forever change the way you look at putting and putting performance. Using my simple 5 step system, you can quickly and easily knock 5-10 strokes off your total putts, and off of your score. I look forward to helping you change your game.
See you on the putting green!
Paul Hobart
Had a great chance to watch some of the Quail Hollow tournament yesterday. We had some nice thunderstorms in Ohio and the lesson schedule got a little damp.
I love the great camera angles that we get to see when the players are putting. There were a number of occasions yesterday when you could see right down the players line towards the cup. I paid particular attention to Jim Furyk’s putts and how he was rolling the ball down the line. Jim had a great day, and shot a nice round in the 60’s that got him within one shot of the lead. He somehow posted that great round while breaking one of the main rules of my Banana Putting System.
Why do I say that? Pretty simple. Jim got lucky a couple times. Jim Furyk…one of the best players in the world, got lucky? I believe he did. Jim had at least three putts that he misread or misaligned, and then made a corrective stroke that got the ball to go in the hole. If you watch the putts closely, you can tell if the player is starting the ball on the intended line or not. In at least these three cases, Jim didn’t start the ball on the line he thought he would, but the putt found its way into the cup.
What’s wrong with making those putts? Not a thing! I hope he continues to get them in the hole and he wins the event. Nobody is going to take away the trophy if he pushes or pulls a couple putts into the cup, right?
What I will tell you is that the reason Jim hasn’t putted that well, and the reason he has to work so hard at his putting is that he isn’t getting committed to and rolling the ball on his intended line. Eventually, that catches up to you. The guys play a long season, and if they get into the habit of manipulating their putts, at some point, they get bad results.
Maybe when Jim comes to Dublin, Ohio for the Memorial, we can talk about how Banana Putting could get him to putt his ball a little more consistently.
Good luck Jim!
A great golf instructor understands that the quality of his or her workspace has a major impact on the student’s experience, and on their lesson business in general. For most of us, the workspace is either an indoor golf academy setting, or an area on the practice range, or both.
Much like an office worker arranges their tools in and on their desk, a good instructor should have available all the tools that they need to conduct a lesson, school, or clinic. These tools may include:
I make a point to separate my teaching area from the member’s hitting area. If the facility has a tee at each end, it’s great to use the opposite end. A bit of privacy goes a long way in making the experience better for student and instructor. There’s nothing worse than a lesson in the middle of a crowded tee. Half the folks will be trying to listen in for a freebie, and the student may feel the weight of lots of eyeballs checking out their session.
It should be obvious that the lesson will take place in an area that has been set aside for instruction. I like to get things setup 1 hour before my first student, and have a setting that is very conducive to learning.
Ask to see the instructional area, whether it’s a structure, or a section of the tee. A good instructor will have taken the time to create a great environment for you.
If you spend much time in the golf world, you’ve probably seen a lot of the different swing systems in the golf magazines and on the Golf Channel. Jim Hardy is well known for his One Plane and Two Plane swings. Some people have worked with Model Golf. PGA Tour player DJ Trahan’s father Don has just released his Peak Performance Golf Swing program, which is a really unique concept. Some of you may be Natural Golfer’s, some of you may have watched the “AJ Reveals the Truth about Golf” videos. How about Stack and Tilt?
Some instructors favor a “big muscle” version of the swing. Some like Jim Flick favor a swing that utilizes the hands and the swinging of the club. There’s a lot of different ways to present and learn the game.
A good instructor will have at least an understanding of all of these swing models. I receive a lot of questions about aspects of all these different swing models, and want to be able to discuss them intelligently. Does the instructor need to teach all these methods…no way. Most good instructors have sifted through a lot of information, and learned from a lot of great teachers. They keep what they like, and discard the rest. They do however, keep studying and staying abreast of new ways of swinging and playing.
Ask your potential instructor if they teach by one of these models. Ask if they are familiar with your method if you are using a specific one. Most good instructors will be able to help you, regardless of your individual swing model choice, or they will be able to refer you to a local colleague that has more in-depth knowledge.
Share the techniques you are using. If it’s something you grabbed from TV or a magazine, discuss it with your instructor. If they’re good, they can answer your questions and make sure that you are headed in the right direction.
One of the most important aspects of taking a lesson is successful communication and understanding of ideas and information between teacher and student. It does no good if the instructor is very knowledgeable, yet unable to successfully communicate with the student. Imagine being given a lesson in a foreign language…wouldn’t be the best way to learn, although you might pick up a few things here and there.
“Successfully communicate” means that the student fully understands what is being taught, and is able to process and utilize the information to help their game. One of the most important thing an instructor can do is to communicate with you in your preferred learning style. Most people agree that their are three key learning styles that most people utilize.
Auditory learners need to be told the information. They do best when given a verbal explanation
Kinesthetic learners need to feel what the movement is. These folks do really well with training aids and hands-on instruction that involves movement and positioning.
Visual learners need to see the proper action or movement. They like to be shown what a swing or technique looks like. “Let me see you swing” is a common request during a visual learners lesson.
Many people do best in one of these categories, yet utilize all three. If you find yourself in the middle of a lesson, and don’t seem to be grasping the information, ask for the instructor to try another angle. A good instructor can relate the same concepts to you in a number of ways. Top notch instructors will develop a pretty good idea of your learning style very quickly, just from listening to you talk about your game.
Find someone that communicates in your preferred style, and you’ll improve much quicker.
Until next time…
A good golf instructor will have a lot of successful students. This doesn’t mean that every great teacher works with tour players. It simply means that he or she has a number of students who have made significant progress and acheived some of their personal golf goals.
It’s a good idea to ask an instructor who his or her best student is, from a playing standpoint. have they worked with a PGA or LPGA player. Perhaps they work with better amateurs or college players. Do they work with or coach players at the local high school level?
I would want to work with an instructor that had coached someone well beyond my current skill level. Why is this important? Your teacher should help you progress towards your goals. In many cases, a good instructor will recognize your potential to go well beyond what you think is possible, and help you get there.
An instructor that works with good players will see you and work with you on a different level, and be more inclined to see your game from the big picture standpoint. Much as it’s helpful to play with better players, I feel it’s helpful to learn from someone that has worked with really good players. In addition to the teacher’s insights, you’ll also benefit from the insights the teacher has learned from these star pupils.
Asking about the instructor’s most accomplished students can also help you with a believable road map for the achievement of your goals. It’s always easier to embark on a journey that someone else has completed. Ask if the instructor has a student that has achieved a goal similar to yours. See if you can meet that student, and grab some insights on the process. At the very least try to get some information on how the good player got to that level. Every process has it’s steps, and these can be copied.
See if your instructor has a track record of success, and make sure that they have taught some folks that have already arrived at the place you’re looking to go.
When you start your search for a golf instructor, I would recommend that you find a professional that teaches full time. Within the ranks of golf professionals, there are a wide variety of jobs and positions, and each of these can have an impact on the instructor.
In my experience, many of the best instructors have positioned themselves in a job that allows them to teach most or all of the time they are working. I have been at several different facilities, and my percentage of time teaching has varied at each one. My current position allows me to teach 100% of the time. The key to this, for me, is that I can spend my entire day thinking only about teaching, my students, and conducting my teaching business. I don’t need to worry about setting up the next day’s tournament, handicaps, shoe inventory, or the slow group that just made the turn.
What I’ve found, is that full time teachers are more focused on each individual lesson. They have time to set up their instruction area. They have an opportunity to review the day’s students, and to develop a game plan. Their mind belongs to the student during their time together.
I know many great professionals that wear all the hats of the PGA Professional, and still manage to be great teachers. This post is not meant to slight any of these fine women and men. I do think when you look at most lists of great instructors, you’ll find that most of them spend most if not all of their time teaching, and working in the business of golf instruction.
Love to hear your comments…
Based on discussions with my online friends, I thought I would compile my list of things that I would look for in a golf instructor. As a disclaimer, I am a PGA Golf Professional in Columbus, Ohio, and some of these thoughts may be biased towards the way I do things. When you write the blog…you get to do that! These “things to look for” are in no particular order, and you may rank them inorder of importance for your own situation.
I will make the assumption that the search for a golf instructor is based on the golfers desire to improve their scores, their shotmaking, their understanding, and their enjoyment of the game. Many may have an event in mind such as a tournament, family outing, golf team, golf tour, vacation, or business outing. Some need to get better for work, or to join a spouse on the course. For a lot of folks, a lesson may be a last resort. Perhaps the game has become so aggravating that they are on the verge of giving up.
Everyone has their own reasons, and one of the instructor’s first jobs is to determine the students main motivation for taking the lesson or lessons. A good instructor will spend a good deal of time asking questions and listening to the student or prospective student. I feel that each new student should go through a short sit down meeting before heading out to the range. I want to ask lots of questions, and listen intently to what the person says, and for what they really mean.
A wise man told me a long time ago that you have 2 ears and 1 mouth, and that they should be used in the same proportion. Golf instructors need to abide by this. A good instructor will spend more time listening than talking. This holds true during the initial interview, and during subsequent lessons.
During initial learning sessions, the instructor may have a lot to tell you to get you up to speed on terminology, and also explaining some of the cause and effect of the game. This is normal, although you will find that a good instructor breaks up the discussion by asking you lots of questions. This feedback is critical to a good instructor/ student relationship.
As players become more advanced, you’ll find the best instructors talking less and less. Watch a tour player work with their teacher…its often just a gesture or a nod that communicates the idea.
If you find yourself involved in a lesson situation where the only one talking is the instructor, look somewhere else, you can do better.
Feel free to leave me a comment, I love to hear from you!
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