My son started with golf when he was about 12. Not being a pro myself I taught him the basics as best I could and he actually seemed to be developing quite well. He was erratic of course but his swing looked fundamentally pretty sound and he could hit it a long way for a kid his size (he's not that big). Good enough to make the high school team 3 years in a row. The problem is he seems to have lost his game a little over the past year or two. He's lost distance throughout the bag and can't seem to get the ball up in the air with the driver (hits a lot of low snap hooks). He used to have a nice finish with all the weight on the left side and belt buckle facing the target. Now he seems to fall slightly backward and away from the ball on almost every full shot. Both he and I were very frustrated not being able to get him back on track. He's now a freshman in college (away from home) and I'd like to hook him up with a good teaching pro here on Long Island for next summer. Any ideas??? We're strictly public course golfers - we don't belong to a private club. Sorry to ramble on but any ideas would be greatly appreciated - I don't want him to get so frustrated that he gives up on the game!

Seems like, in the search for distance, your actually got:

- a reverse pivot,

- a downswing initiated by his shoulders.

Sorry I can't advise you any teacher, i'am not from the USA but I think you are actually right in your quest. Find him a pro to get him back on tracks before its too late. I used to think that teachers were not necessary and now that I hit millions of balls with a faulty swing, it is the triple (and more) work to get back to normal.

Good luck,

Eric

Go to the Golf Stop on 110 by the sky Drive explain to Chris what you want in a teacher and he will recommend one for you. With me, the problem is my short game, my drives are awesome. So Chris recommended John Forster at the Wind Watch. He knows several teachers on the Island and can recommend your son with a good one they also do custom club fittings, probably the best on the Island. At Smith Town landing there is a top 100 teacher. So you could also try there. Good luck

I'll second that John Forster is an excellent instructor, for both short game and full swing.

Thanks for your help guys!! :smile1:

Talk to Kirk Oguri at Spring Rock Golf Center, incredible instructor

can cause the game to go downhill too. I would have gone to a pro as soon as he started to have problems. Making the team 3 years in a row means he was cut one year & that is one year for him to grind on his game and get better. The more you neglect his swing the worse it gets. He might also need a new bag, if he has grown stronger or taller his old clubs won't fit. :tsg_smilie_cool: