I'm not an instructor so I can't speak to the average amount of time it takes students to master a new stroke pattern but in terms of when the magic starts, I believe it is immediate, but almost unperceptible to the observer in the beginning. I would bet that the student was feeling big changes in his swing and as we can see, couldn't wait to try them out on a full stroke. As observers, we don't see much progress and wonder why he keeps taking full strokes every chance he gets.
If you watch the student progress on the tire and in chip shots, he does make progress. His biggest issue in my opinion is "adding". In other words, to actively use the right wrist at impact. He has many other issues, but Ben kept coming back to that issue. Before someone can advance, throwaway must be addressed.
My lesson with Ben was similar. I was "adding" as well. Once I felt the proper use of the right wrist (Bent, Level, Frozen) through impact, then I could focus on other elements of the swing. And there are many other elements that needed just as much attention. I worked for several months on just the wrist conditions through release until I could drag the clubhead way past the ball with an inert wrist. It made a huge impact on my game and that is just one small element. I still have to monitor the hands carefully to keep from reverting back. Now that I've switched to hitting, it is much easier to keep my right wrist in check. I have also incorporated Ben's setup routine. It's a no-brainer.
I doubt that Ben has ever had a mid to low handicap student come to him and leave the lesson with full mastery of everything he teaches in 2 hours. Would be interesting to know! I doubt that even the seasoned Pro's that come to Ben get it all. Most of us mortals just "get" one or two things out of the lesson, but once the proper look and feel is established in the lesson, it sticks if you let it. As you progress in the pattern, you can watch the lesson again and pick up other elements to work on.
The real gift here is that you get many years worth of instruction in a two hour lesson and at least one part of the lesson will produce immediate, positive results. Ben (and every other TGM instructor) puts you on the right road, especially if you are a swinger.
For me, I thank Ben for setup routine, aiming point and a passive right wrist. I have had fleeting success with a delayed snap release swing, but am nowhere near being able to successfully utilize it. If I were trying to master the swinging pattern that Ben teaches, there would be much more. But for now, I'm a Hitting machine.
2) 0% of instructors have provided a feedback questionaire after the lesson(s).
Missing #2 will guarantee you will never maximize the experience for the customer.
Thanks, Charlie. What items should be included in a model format? When should the feedback be solicited, e.g., immediately after or some time after or both? How can the questionaire be used to best 'maximize the experience' for both the student and the instructor?
Sorry for the slow response. I was duly punished by my inbox at work for the audacity of going on vacation.
Model format?
I am emailing you a Word document that is a tweaked sample of an eval sheet. I think within it are a handful of good "checklist" questions for the one lesson/instructor/student situation. In its entirety, its primary application is for 1-3 day "programs" with a number of students. Again, it's a sample including my guesstimate of pertinent golf related questions. Of course, you would know better what you want to find out. There are about 20 questions that provide for grading and comment. I included both because some students like it quick, some like to write treatises. The sections are divided into 4 parts : General, Instructor, Content and Facilities. The reason is that sometimes students' reactions "bleed" into other areas which are not responsible for his/her issue.
When?
The standard is BEFORE they leave. You can give them the form, a stamped/addressed envelope and taxi money to drive to the mailbox and they still won't mail it in. This part is opinion.... I wish it could be done before the final summation/review/questions. That way they could be "hawked" for easy issues that can be dealt with quickly.
Sometimes the prospective students are sent correspondence before the program to define scope and manage expectations. I only mention this because I got a great lesson by how perfectly you managed the opening for the Rob Noel Master class.
Followup evals are a "nice to have". It shows the commitment to the student and can be leveraged for references and further mentoring services.
Student AND Instructor
Students- More and more, people expect some type of measurement/ assessment. Whether it is a product or service. They like the fact that you need and are actively asking for their input. They assume that their judgements will be taken into consideration and utilized some how. It's quicker than a conversation and provides some anonyminity, so you get the real deal.
Instructors- It's all about continuous improvement. What works better. What to add. What to subtract. What to refine. It's a great way (quickly, succinctly, and simply) to find out what the people think/thought about each part of the experience. You find out if they learned, were overwhelmed, or whatever (from their perspective). If maximum effectiveness is the goal, it doesn't hurt to ask the customer.
Two-Man Team
I took this to heart and I don't see it successful any other way.
I took this to heart and I don't see it successful any other way.
Thanks, Charlie. I will implement some sort of post-lesson program in the near future. However, because my sessions generally run up until the time the student is in danger of missing his airplane, I may have to rely on the 'return envelope' method!
2) 0% of instructors have provided a feedback questionaire after the lesson(s).
Missing #2 will guarantee you will never maximize the experience for the customer.
Thanks, Charlie. What items should be included in a model format? When should the feedback be solicited, e.g., immediately after or some time after or both? How can the questionaire be used to best 'maximize the experience' for both the student and the instructor?
Sorry for the slow response. I was duly punished by my inbox at work for the audacity of going on vacation. :)
Model format?
I am emailing you a Word document that is a tweaked sample of an eval sheet. I think within it are a handful of good "checklist" questions for the one lesson/instructor/student situation. In its entirety, its primary application is for 1-3 day "programs" with a number of students. Again, it's a sample including my guesstimate of pertinent golf related questions. Of course, you would know better what you want to find out. There are about 20 questions that provide for grading and comment. I included both because some students like it quick, some like to write treatises. :) The sections are divided into 4 parts : General, Instructor, Content and Facilities. The reason is that sometimes students' reactions "bleed" into other areas which are not responsible for his/her issue.
When?
The standard is BEFORE they leave. You can give them the form, a stamped/addressed envelope and taxi money to drive to the mailbox and they still won't mail it in. This part is opinion.... I wish it could be done before the final summation/review/questions. That way they could be "hawked" for easy issues that can be dealt with quickly.
Sometimes the prospective students are sent correspondence before the program to define scope and manage expectations. I only mention this because I got a great lesson by how perfectly you managed the opening for the Rob Noel Master class.
Followup evals are a "nice to have". It shows the commitment to the student and can be leveraged for references and further mentoring services.
Student AND Instructor
Students- More and more, people expect some type of measurement/ assessment. Whether it is a product or service. They like the fact that you need and are actively asking for their input. They assume that their judgements will be taken into consideration and utilized some how. It's quicker than a conversation and provides some anonyminity, so you get the real deal.
Instructors- It's all about continuous improvement. What works better. What to add. What to subtract. What to refine. It's a great way (quickly, succinctly, and simply) to find out what the people think/thought about each part of the experience. You find out if they learned, were overwhelmed, or whatever (from their perspective). If maximum effectiveness is the goal, it doesn't hurt to ask the customer.
Two-Man Team
I took this to heart and I don't see it successful any other way.
Charlie
edit: I rilly kan spell, I'm just a lousy typer :)
Theodan,
Could you possibly send me a copy of the sheet, as a teaching pro myself, I would be interested in using this at my facility.
Many Thanks.
How realistic is it to expect an honest evaluation?
I have been helping out a local university, teaching as an adjunct professor the past 3 years and my students have filled out university-prescribed evaluations each semester. Regarding univeristy instructor evaluations, I observed a few things about my students (I did the same things when I was in college):
Lots of students are afraid they will get a bad grade if they give a bad "grade"...even if the evaluation is done after final grades are due or even if administered by a third party. Others just don't care or would rather be sleeping/eating/drunk/golfing, so they give all good or average scores (I watched them bubble in ansers without even reading the questions). Some students are ticked because they slept through the semester and didn't get a good grade, so they give you as low an evaluation as possible. Some think your God's gift to the university just because you're there. The rest provide honest feedback based on their experience in the course. The evaulation results that I get break it down by student (no names) and a median. I was always at or above average on most every category, but I never took any comments personally or took much stock in the results because I knew students didn't fill them in honestly. I guess the results would have indicated if there was a major problem, but for the most part I think they used were for low-level quality control not necessarily achieving excellence as an instructor.
Having been on the other end of the evaluation process, I fill out those sorts of things more honestly now. I'd much rather have a bad, honest evaluation than an "I don't care" evaluation; at least then I know what things I need to work on.
I had a set of 3 golf lessons (non-TGM) about 2 years ago...I wish he would have given me an evaluation to fill out because it was terrible...at one lesson he was asking me how to fix his pull! The only good that came out of it was that it pushed me to find better golf instruction material (TGM!).
1) Based on your expectations, what do you feel are the three best things about the school?
2) Based on your expectations, what do you feel are the three worst things about the school?
3) How can we improve the school?
I am a student and not a teacher though. With these three questions...You will find out what the expectations were by the answers. You should ask "are" instead "were" (three best/worst things). "Things" or another generic word lets the student tell you what he/she felt was important. Don't ask "what would you change about the school" that implies you may not think anything needs improving. I'd ask only these three questions.
BTW I am offering free of charge to any golf instructors/teachers my own feedback to you in exchange for lessons and/or instruction. Please PM me if there are any takers.
Thanks
Hybrid Mode
