Well……………..
Let’s start at the beginning. A tour coach is one of celebrity types who has book deals and Golf Digest falling over themselves to do editorials. They have a roster of tour pros lined up for their services. They charge in the region of $1,000/hour. They have launch monitors and body tracks and studios and club deals. They tour around with star clients on private jets. And, why not? They have earned the right to be there and when demand goes up, so does the price – economics 101.
Are they better than you’re average PGA pro from the club down the road?
I guess I look at this from a couple of angles. First we’re in New Zealand where golf is accessible to almost everyone. The price for being a member at a club can be around $20/week. New Zealanders also tends to be a nation of Mr and Mrs Fixits where people can and do anything they set their minds to including golf. The Number 8 wire mentality is a remarkable trait. Kiwis also have a rather large tall-poppy syndrome. I don’t mean this disparagingly but rather in terms of those who excel, really excel. They have survived and weathered the systematic beatings that go with being a standout in this country. They’re better for it.
Relating that to Mr or Ms PGA from your club, I imagine there are bad ones, but I think the vast majority are just as knowledgeable and resourceful as the tour guys. A Kiwi pro or and Ozzie pro have all the tricks and tips to make you play better…the only thing you have to do is believe it.
It’s easy to believe a guy you see everywhere. Golf Digest and TV and books and YouTube are all great advertising tools. It’s easy to believe a coach that has coached a major winner. That markets itself. The top guys are brilliant self-promoters. It’s not as easy to believe and have faith in a random pro shop dweller, toiling away on a set of grips one minute and selling a bottle of Coke the next. But, you should. You should believe and have faith in the abilities of your pro. They have your game at heart. If they don’t they lose a customer and possibly more because of word-of-mouth. They are equipped with all the tools. For a fraction of the price you can get world-class instruction.
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