My Teachers
By Elaine Crosby

While out hitting balls, I often see and hear people on the driving range giving each other lessons. It’s all I can do not to go over to these golfers to correct their advice. It’s always been my belief that learning golf needs to be systematic. You get that by listening to an individual who understands how that system works depending on your individual needs. Other than from my friends on the LPGA Tour, I haven’t taken much advice from anyone but a qualified instructor. That is what golf instructors have learned to do. It’s their profession. They have studied for years what works for which type of golfer. Telling your golfing buddy to do the same things that your teacher tells you can potentially make him or her a total basket case.

I want to tell you a few things about the teachers I’ve had, not because you can safely borrow from the tips they’ve given me, but to encourage you to find a teacher for yourself who can help you play better.

My first years of learning golf came under the tutelage of Charlie Knowles, PGA. He was the head pro at the Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Michigan at the time. I worked with Charlie about once a week for the first summer. I was 20 years old and winding up a long and successful tennis career, having grown somewhat disenchanted with that sport. A natural athlete, I was looking for a change and contemplating a fall try out with the University of Michigan Women’s Golf Team.

Charlie and I worked on just the basics of golf. I didn’t really know much, though I had played previously with my parents as a young child. Anything I did right wasn’t because I knew better, it was just imitation. In those very first lessons, I expected to be a sponge. I didn’t know anything about how to play golf, so I relied on Charlie to provide all the information, and I simply followed his advice. Basically, I didn’t question why – I just did what he said.

With Charlie’s help and a diligent practice routine, I made the team at U of M. My coach there was Tom Simon. Tom was a great player in his own right and was able to help all of us on the team with our course management. I learned a lot from him just by playing with him. I think I surprised Tom later when I qualified for the LPGA Tour. He knew me as a “new” golfer. Even though I improved greatly while on his team, I wasn’t Tour material at that time.

When I made the decision to try to make the LPGA Tour, I spent a couple of years working with David Leadbetter. I worked with David on all aspects of the game, but probably the most on my swing. We did a lot with video, and I spent about one day a week at his academy. I improved immensely in the year before obtaining my Tour card, and continued forward from there. I also worked for a short time with John and Bo Redman, father and son. Janet LaPera was a teacher of mine for a time. All of these people a very good teachers. As you mature in your game and as your mind and body change, trying a different teacher and a different approach can sometimes take you up another notch or pull you out of a slump.

The person who has influenced my game the most is Jim Flick. I spent about five years working with Jim on a regular basis. These were my best years on the LPGA Tour. I learned about my swing in great detail. We always looked at video when we worked together so that I would have a good understanding of what I was doing right as well as what might be going wrong. Jim was very good about pointing out the good things in my swing so that I didn’t feel like I was working on everything. He is a very positive person and makes you feel like you can get it. I learned the most about the short game from Jim. He made sure we worked on that aspect of the game every time we were together. It is very easy to spend too much time on the golf swing itself, but Jim didn’t let that happen.

As my career developed, I wanted to be involved in more of a dialogue with my teachers. As a young player, I had a lot to learn. The older and more experienced I became, the better I knew my swing and my abilities as a player. I wanted to be part of the decision-making. I am a good listener, but as I matured both as a player and a person, I became much more involved in each lesson. Rather than just doing as said, I exchanged ideas. My lessons with Jim made me feel like we were both learning something.

Jim and I improved my game the most with a very simple practice routine that Jim taught me early in our lessons. This routine met my individual needs and helped me to systematically make adjustments to my swing when necessary. Jim divided my swing into three moves that were causing the most problems. He showed me through video what they were, explained the change, and watched me until I felt the change. Then I would go back to my course to practice, but with a purpose. I would hit five balls concentrating on one of the changes, then repeat that for the other changes. After hitting five balls of each, I would then take five golf swings just concentrating on the target. This way I didn’t get too mechanical, and I could still take my swing to the golf course, instead of spending the entire day on the range.

I was very diligent in this routine, and in a short period of time I made the changes. Then I would go back for another lesson with Jim, and we would be able to move forward in developing a proper swing. I still find this method to be the best way to systematically make adjustments to my swing.

While I was working with my teachers in the different phases of my game, my success was measured by a combination of how I was doing on the Tour, and whether or not I was making the changes necessary to improve my scores. As you work on your game with a teacher, note that for a time, scores can actually get worse as your swing improves. One of the reasons that happens is your focus shifts.

While trying to make swing changes and trying to score at the same time, you tend to worry about your swing more and place less emphasis on the target. If you are making big swing changes, many teachers will recommend you don’t play. Spend more of your time on the range, and then go out on the course and just hit shots. Play a couple of balls, trying your new swing on the course. Wait until you have made some good progress before trying to play for score. There will be much less frustration in the long run. Just keep in mind that success isn’t always measured by the lowest score.

When I look back on the teachers I’ve had and how they’ve affected my game over the years, I notice they all have one thing in common: great communication skills. Among the best in their profession, my teachers were top-notch at explaining all the intricacies of the game of golf. And they could do it in a variety of ways – with technology (video), if necessary, or simply by their own physical demonstration of a particular move. It all comes down to identifying a golfer’s needs and being able to adapt your vast knowledge to that golfer’s way of thinking. My teachers could do that; there are thousands more out there who could have the same effect on your game.

If I were giving lessons, I would borrow from my teachers that commitment to first communicating the basics, and then develop a plan with each student toward learning the game systematically. If a student doesn’t have a good grip, I wouldn’t move on to other parts of the swing until he or she has mastered the grip. I would be diligent in stressing basics. It is these foundations that allow golfers to improve. Many teachers I know, and every teacher who is listed in the FINDaLESSON.com directory, take a similar approach with their students.

If you are looking for a teacher right now, I think you first need to find someone that you have some common ground with. That is why I started FINDaLESSON.com. Golfers can read about the teachers in their area and make a more educated decision. Once you find someone who suits your game, take a lesson in order to determine if he or she truly is the right teacher for you. And remember, just because someone else finds a teacher very good, it doesn’t mean that teacher’s style will be good for everyone, namely you.

I started playing golf the way a lot of people do – as a child of parents who love the game. I learned some things from them in the beginning, but when I was ready to take it seriously, the first thing I did was take lessons from our club professional. If you would sincerely like to improve your game, seek out a PGA/LPGA instructor. Look what happened when I did . . .

Elaine Crosby is a 16-year veteran of the LPGA Tournament Division and Founder & CEO of FINDaLESSON.com, a web site directory of 1,600 PGA/LPGA teaching professionals in 50 states.