Opinion & Analysis

Ryan: Lessons from the worst golf instructor in America

Published

2 years ago

Apr 30, 2024

In Tampa, there is a golf course that boasts carts that do not work, a water range, and a group of players none of which have any chance to break 80. The course is overseen by a staff of crusty men who have succeeded at nothing in life but ending up at the worst-run course in America. However, this place is no failure. With several other local courses going out of business — and boasting outstanding greens — the place is booked full.

While I came for the great greens, I stayed to watch our resident instructor; a poor-tempered, method teacher who caters to the hopeless. At first, it was simply hilarious. However, after months of listening and watching, something clicked. I realized I had a front-row seat to the worst golf instructor in America.

Here are some of my key takeaways.

Method Teacher

It is widely accepted that there are three types of golf instructors: system teachers, non-system teachers, and method teachers. Method teachers prescribe the same antidote for each student based on a preamble which teachers can learn in a couple day certification.

Method teaching allows anyone to be certified. This process caters to the lowest caliber instructor, creating the illusion of competency. This empowers these underqualified instructors with the moniker of “certified” to prey on the innocent and uninformed.

The Cult of Stack and Jilt

The Stack and Tilt website proudly boasts, “A golfer swings his hands inward in the backswing as opposed to straight back to 1) create power, similar to a field goal kicker moving his leg in an arc and 2) to promote a swing that is in-to-out, which produces a draw (and eliminates a slice).”

Now, let me tell you something, there is this law of the universe which says “energy can either be created or destroyed,” so either these guys are defying physics or they have no idea what they are taking about. Further, the idea that the first move of the backswing determines impact is conjecture with a splash of utter fantasy.

These are the pontifications of a method — a set of prescriptions applied to everyone with the hope of some success through the placebo effect. It is one thing for a naive student to believe, for a golf instructor to drink and then dispel this Kool-Aid is malpractice.

Fooled by Randomness

In flipping a coin, or even a March Madness bet, there is a 50-50 chance of success. In golf, especially for new players, results are asymmetric. Simply put: Anything can happen. The problem is that when bad instructors work with high handicappers, each and every shot gets its own diagnosis and prescription. Soon the student is overwhelmed.

Now here’s the sinister thing: The overwhelming information is by design. In this case, the coach is not trying to make you better, they are trying to make you reliant on them for information. A quasi Stockholm syndrome of codependency.

Practice

One of the most important scientists of the 20th century was Ivan Pavlov. As you might recall, he found that animals, including humans, could be conditioned into biological responses. In golf, the idea of practice has made millions of hackers salivate that they are one lesson or practice session from “the secret.”

Sunk Cost

The idea for the worst golf instructor is to create control and dependency so that clients ignore the sunk cost of not getting better. Instead, they are held hostage by the idea that they are one lesson or tip away from unlocking their potential.

Cliches

Cliches have the effect of terminating thoughts. However, they are the weapon of choice for this instructor. Add some hyperbole and students actually get no information. As a result, these players couldn’t play golf. When they did, they had no real scheme. With no idea what they are doing, they would descend into a spiral of no idea what to do, bad results, lower confidence, and running back to the lesson tee from more cliches.

The fact is that poor instruction is about conditioning players to become reliant members of your cult. To take away autonomy. To use practice as a form of control. To sell more golf lessons not by making people better but through the guise that without the teacher, the student can never reach their full potential. All under the umbrella of being “certified” (in a 2-day course!) and a melee of cliches.

This of course is not just happening at my muni but is a systemic problem around the country and around the world, the consequences of which are giving people a great reason to stop playing golf. But hey, at least it’s selling a lot of golf balls…

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B.M. Ryan

B.M. Ryan, an entrepreneur and scientist, is a passionate golfer who loves his local muni. Armed with a keen interest in the game, a large network of friends in the industry, Brendan works to find and produce unique content for GolfWRX.

14 Comments

Slackjaw Jenkins

Nov 3, 2024 at 6:41 pm

An uneducated take while throwing shade at information that is not only mainstream, but leading the way. Plummer holds as many golf schools as anyone in the world while Golftec leads the private lessons market. This take reminds me of the dump you took in the cup at the Campbell U course in Buies Creek. Go camels.

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geohogan

May 3, 2024 at 9:52 pm

The fact is that poor instruction is about conditioning players to become reliant members of your cult…..PGA of America

Reply Report comment
- geohogan
  
  May 16, 2024 at 10:45 am
  
  “The Certified Professional Program is an online, career-enhancing educational curriculum that supports the goals of PGA Members who are committed to continuously improving their business and teaching skills to meet the increasing demands of the golf industry.”
  
  Committed to continuously improving their business… full stop
  
  Reply Report comment
Greg

May 1, 2024 at 9:42 am

You would think a “scientist” would have better critical thinking skills.

Where in the quote provided does S&T say “the first move of the backswing determines impact”? The information provided says that it “promotes” a draw but at no point does it say it determines impact? Words matter, especially to I scientist. “Promotes” and “determines” have two very different meanings.

Then you speak of a law that says “energy can be created or destroyed” saying that S&T has “no idea what they are talking about”. And you evidence is? The evidence you provide only says that they promote a hands inward backswing “to create power, similar to a field goal kicker”. Does a field goal kicker not create power swinging their leg in an arc? Do field goal kickers not know what they are doing? As a scientist have you presented any evidence to back up your claim, no.

Hopefully your “science” is more open minded and evidence based than your critique here which reads more like a rant based on preconceived ideas and personal views but lacks any evidence of what is claimed.

Or maybe the scientist is right and Golf Digest #14 instructor Andy Plummer and #23 Mike Bennett (S&T creators) has no idea what they are talking about with the golf swing.

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Ned

May 1, 2024 at 6:11 am

Youtube isn’t much better. Their instruction may be better but watch this one tells you to do this, watch another one tells you almost the opposite. Example Swing has nothing to do with arms hands it’s about the body, no swing is hands and arms that’s where the power and speed comes from.

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Mean Zack

May 1, 2024 at 3:01 am

Very good article..this is exactly whats happening in my club..so many times i m hitting balls at the range and witnessing this trickery happen right before my eyes..if they charged 10 bucks an hour i sort of would t mind but they re making 6figures salary..drives me nuts..will never stop telling people to go on youtube or internet for golf lessons and use a mirror and record your self hitting balls..most effective way to get better..

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JD

Apr 30, 2024 at 6:09 pm

Rocky Point? Yes, potentially the worst.

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- DM
  
  May 1, 2024 at 6:34 am
  
  Agreed that Rocky Point’s instructor is an a**hole. But I think this article is referring to Heritage Isles which has the water range and the instructor boasts he’s certified by Stack and Tilt.
  
  Reply Report comment
Frank

Apr 30, 2024 at 4:57 pm

I don’t understand why you singled out Stack & Tilt as the only example out of literally thousands of methods in the world and trashed on it in your article.

Does that mean AimPoint is BS as well since it also has a certification program? Meanwhile their finger pointing Express system used by multiple PGA Tour players has probably earned them a billion dollars total by now. Talk about raising the middle finger.

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Golf Instructor

Apr 30, 2024 at 4:18 pm

There’s an old golf joke about how a bad golfer says to his caddie “You must be the worst caddie in the history of golf” and the caddie says back something like “Well, that would be a heck of a coincidence…”.

This article about the “worst” golf instructor in America is one of the worst I’ve seen on this site or any other. The author, who claims to be a “scientist,” gets the basic phrase wrong: matter can NEITHER be created nor destroyed (but it can be transformed or transferred), misses out that this applies to closed systems, and fails to link this to the fact that the golf swing DOES move back, up, and in… and then down, out, and forward.

This is the latest in a series of groundless, instruction-bashing articles from Mr. Ryan, and do more to make GolfWRX look poor in the eyes of both instructors and ardent students of the game.

There are definitely bad golf instructors out there, and GolfWRX should write articles about them. Tell golfers how to learn whether their instructor is a “bad” one, or let golfers know what their role in instruction is, or how to spot if they have a great instructor.

Please, Brendan, you can’t have written an article about the worst golf instructor in America, because that would be a heck of a coincidence.

Reply Report comment
- NEHacker
  
  May 8, 2024 at 10:58 am
  
  The guy isn’t a golf instructor, but it’s clear this is about you. Hard being a footnote?
  
  Reply Report comment
- SlumpingINSEATTLE
  
  May 8, 2024 at 12:05 pm
  
  This is classic! The cult is attacked and what does this guy down? Double down on the rhetoric. Some real L. Ron Hubbard shi*t here.
  
  A couple better quotes that might fit here Golf Instructor are “when everyone thinks a like, no one thinks much at all”. Or “it’s better to have them think you a fool, then open your mouth and remove all doubt”.
  
  Cheers to the Kool Aide, 2 day golf certifications and no original thought
  
  Reply Report comment
Greg V

Apr 30, 2024 at 1:42 pm

Good article. I think I’ll switch over to the Instruction section of this very site!

Reply Report comment
- SaturdayAt605
  
  May 1, 2024 at 8:04 am
  
  Now that’s funny!!!
  
  Reply Report comment

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