About The Golf Lesson

a) Video—the video camera can be an important tool for golf instructors, but its real value is when the golfer uses it during practice in order to get feedback on their swing progress. On the other hand, video has a serious limitation that can make it more dangerous than beneficial. The problem is that anything viewed on a TV screen is two dimensional, which means you're missing the real picture of what's happening in a three dimensional golf swing. Having multiple views is better, but still doesn't solve the problem. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is! You can easily be convinced to work on a swing movement that is wrong because your instructor misinterpreted what was seen on the screen.

b) Still photographs—photographs can be just as beneficial, but also just as misleading as video because they also are two dimensional.

c) Proof—a thorough explanation from a good golf instructor is not just for the purpose of teaching, it is also offered as proof to the validity of what is being taught during the golf lesson. A golf instructor should prove what they are teaching—don't try to learn how to do something just because an instructor tells you to—they need to be able to explain why you should do it! Because almost all instruction is what I call band-aid instruction (which is the only instruction most golfers can handle), any suggestion can possibly help or hinder. This means that getting instruction is basically a trial and error process. Try it, and if it works, use it. If it doesn't work, try something else. People have different capabilities and what works for one person may not work for another.

Following is a message I received and I include it here because I fear there are many others who think the way this person does. My rebuttal follows the message.

what you see on the video screen tells the story. No instructors on the earth are good enough to work with students without cameras. SWING CHANGES is about making bunch of motions and eliminate the wrong ones and stay with the correct motions. How do you do that? VIDEO TAPING ~~Trainning Aids are to help develop "feels" you need to create "correct" motions in your swing. How do you know you make the right motions? CAMERAS!~ HOW THE F**K CAN YOU MAKE THE RIGHT CALL EVERYTIME WHEN YOU TEACH YOUR STUDENTS? NO F*****G POSSIBLE!~~LEARNING SWING CHANGE IS ABOUT trying all possible stuff that "might" help you improve. YOU WILL GET THE RIGHT MOTIONS EVENTUALLY, but it's not like what you said in the article that you can figure out what's right and what's wrong the very first time. LEARN the GAME PLEASE

If no instructor on earth can teach without video, how did instructors teach before cameras? No question video can be of help, but it isn't a game changer! It's just one tool at an instructor's disposal. And by the way, I speak about video on this page as an instructor would use it to discover what a golfer is doing—some things are obvious, but others are easily misinterpreted. The real value of video is when a golfer uses it on their own to get feedback on how their practice is affecting their golf swing.

Because golfers are so much better than they were decades ago…oh wait, they really aren't any better than they were decades ago. If video were that significant, wouldn't you expect golfers to be better since just about everyone has video cameras and most instructors use them?

My biggest issue with the message is the claim that you will get the right motions eventually. That basically means that anyone who uses video will eventually become a good golfer. As mentioned, golfers aren't better than they were before video, so this obviously isn't true. Because of this, one might even successfully argue that video is of no value. The more likely cause, golfers and instructors aren't using video correctly!

Lastly, this person interpreted my trial and error statement as referring to an immediate event. I didn't mention any time frame and so it was their mistake to assume that I did! Anyone who has been through my website knows that I believe a golfer must work on swing concepts for many months and even many years before they should expect to see a significant benefit. So in the sense I am using it, one must try something for at least a few months before they can make a decision as to whether the motion is of benefit to them.

Because this person has taken such offense at what I have said, I think there is a reasonable possibility that they might somehow, or in some form, give lessons. I certainly hope not, but this brings me to the very important point that YOU are solely responsible for the quality of golf instruction you receive because you are the one who chooses the instructor!

Next Page—How To Get The Most From Golf Instruction

Contents—descriptions and links to the varied topics at CEgolf.com

Casey Eberting Instruction Information—lesson options and a description of what I teach

Casey Eberting Golf Schools and San Antonio Private Golf Instruction
In Texas Hill Country just north of San Antonio
(35 minutes north of San Antonio International Airport)