It’s rare, but it happens, to hear about a professional golfer that isn’t working with a swing coach. Or maybe one that has never worked with a swing coach. Sometimes as a pro, it’s nice to just have another set of eyes evaluating your swing and picking the most important thing you should be focusing on. There have been times where I can look at my swing and pick out 3-5 things I want to change immediately. That’s just not helpful. Now, as an amateur player, I believe that you should have a handful of lessons under your belt to make sure that you have a good understanding of what you’re trying to work towards or accomplish. In order to do that, you need a good golf instructor. So how do you find a good one?

Here are 3 things that you should look for in a golf instructor:

  1. Can answer your question, “Why?” This is important! Definitely one of the most important things for me personally. If you have an instructor in front of you and they are a true professional, they should be able to answer why. Why do you stand a certain way? Is there a reason why you take the club back like that? Why do they want you to shift your weight that way? They should know the reason behind what they are telling you to do. If they can’t, then how are you supposed to know? Having them tell you why will also allow you to fully understand more of the golf swing too. This allows you to learn how to diagnose when you’re doing something incorrectly and resolve it.
  2. Speaks your language. This seems obvious…you, of course, wouldn’t want a Spanish speaking instructor if you speak English and can’t understand them. But that’s not what I mean. I mean, you want an instructor that is going to tell you how you need to adjust your swing in terms and language that you understand. If they’re telling you to bring the club 2 degrees more open at impact…are you going to know how to get there? Or why? If you find an instructor that you are compatible with, they are able to reword or rephrase things until it clicks with you.
  3. Someone who works with your body type, flexibility and, if you have one already, your swing. This can be a pretty big one. I’ve gone to instructors that they teach the exact same swing method for every student. This couldn’t work for me. For one, I’m a woman and a lot of instructors teach men. Second, I have a naturally different swing. And I’m okay with that! When I was looking for an instructor, it wasn’t that I wanted someone to do a massive overhaul on my swing. I just needed a second set of eyes to help me find the areas I could adjust to improve my ball flight, contact and consistency.

What are some of the most important traits in a golf instructor that you look for? Let me know in the comments!

This article was originally published on The Graceful Golfer.