12 months and 25 lessons later, I am done with my GolfTec experience. I thought I would condense my thoughts here in case anyone has thought about GolfTec or was curious about the process.
What You Get:
You can "buy" a swing evaluation; however, if you are buying a lesson pack, the swing eval is free. I already knew going in that I was signing up. I was on referral from a buddy, it was close to work so I could take lunch lessons, and I felt the analytical side of things would work for me. Because of the friend referral and a March deal running at the time, there was a pretty good discount. I ended up getting 25 "credits" plus the 60-min swing eval for about $1500 or so. You can also buy a video practice component, but I passed on that because I have a range card at a nearby outdoor place I and wanted to supplement the simulator lessons with outside practice.
Each credit is worth 30 minutes. You can book a lesson for 30 mins and use a credit, or you link them for an hour-long lesson. If you want to schedule a short game lesson on the course, it's 2 credits. If you want a playing lesson, it's 4 credits and you play 9 holes with your coach. I did 2 short game lessons but never did a playing lesson.
All told, I had 21 30-min lessons, 2 1-hr short game lessons, and 1 60-min swing evaluation. I typically went twice a month with practice and playing in-between.
It worked out to about $55 per 30-min lesson.
The Experience:
They had phased out the vests when I started, so I did not have the experience of having to wear their equipment. Instead, it's a standard simulator outfitted with a GCQuad (they are phasing this out for SkyTech, which they just bought). In front of you is a TV screen with a camera, and you can see yourself in real time. There's a camera down the line behind you as well. (Fun note, watching yourself on camera in multiple angles will tell you some truths about yourself. Consequently, I have lost some LBs since starting and having to stare at myself every other week.) You start with the short clubs and move your way up to the driver over the course of the lessons.
GolfTec is all about data. The cameras have some way of watching your swing and calculating how it moves. They can then split the screen to call up pro golfers and go through both your swing and the pros to demonstrate what it could look like. They put swing plane lines on the screen. They call up numbers to show amount of sway, degrees of rotation, etc. from your last swing by measuring your shoulder, hips, etc. These are all color coded. If the number is red, it's bad. Green, it's good. So you take a shot, then you watch the shot and the coach explains what you're doing wrong. Drills and balls. Drills and balls. You get the shot data as well. Pretty much everything you get from a GCQ if you have the stickers on your clubs.
Additionally, there is a microphone in the room that records everything said. All the tips, all your comments, etc.
After the lesson ends, it's uploaded to your "GolfTec Clubhouse" account/app. There, you can rewatch most of the practice and listen to the comments. You also get suggested drills based with links to drill videos based on what your struggles were. Then there's a game plan for what to work on before the next practice. I can go back and watch all of these right now if I want.
My Impressions:
I'm an analytical person. And I'm an old baseball player. You tell me to throw a curveball like I'm casting a fishing rod, I got nothing. You show me how I need the ball to spin and the axis it should be on, and I'm throwing them. This manner of thinking carried over to golf. I could never sync up "feel" comments about what I should do. GolfTec and the "science" of the swing with the analytical feedback appealed to me.
The thing I enjoyed the most was seeing the immediate feedback in numbers, then changing things and seeing results in numbers. I'd memorize something I did or felt to get that number, then work on repeating that over and over again. This led to a swing overhaul to breakdown my modified baseball swing into something that more consistent and repeatable. It was always something. Breaking down my wrists in my backswing was the hardest thing I had to stop doing. That and dropping my hands down and around instead of over and down, but I think that's every crap golfer.
I appreciated having the lessons on my phone where I could go to the range, watch the tips and drills, and then practice.
The thing I enjoyed the least was playing off the simulator. It just always felt confined compared to playing inside.
I also felt the 30 min lesson was just a hair short. After warming up, there wasn't really enough time to address multiple clubs. 45 min would be the sweet spot. Still, the coach was good about working on something specific if I had come in struggling off a round with a specific club or shot.
My Game:
I walked into GolfTec a mess. I played casually in HS, gave it up for the most part in college, then maybe played 2x a year after graduating. I never practiced. When I went to the range, I had no idea what I was doing, so I always just ended up getting bored and started trying to rip driver. My rounds were between 99 and 110 for the most part when I played with a couple of muligans. Good enough to hang with my casual friends, but never good. Never even really decent. Awesome in individual shots on occasion, but wholly inconsistent in a round. Worst of all, I never understood what I was doing wrong or why one worked and one didn't.
Earlier this month, I shot a 90, which was my best round ever. Then I went out and shot an 87 to break 90 for the first time. I lost a couple of balls due to "hero shots" but I wasn't spraying it. I feel like I know how to swing the club now. More importantly, I know why it goes wrong when it does. I feel like with more practice, more time working on my game from 75 yards and in, and more time putting, I can get pretty close to 80. In both my last two rounds, I posted 41 over 9, and that's with a couple of blow up holes aside.
I feel like I'm bordering on being a "decently average" golfer, and I think it's largely in part to GolfTec. I also think getting serious about playing and practicing has helped a ton. However, without GolfTec, a trip to the range was an exercise in being lost. Now, my practice is measured. I am working on a specific thing, a specific drill, a specific feeling. It's a big difference from just going to the range and dicking around to get outside.
What's Next:
I liked my experience quite a bit. Getting out of the office was awesome and it was an excellent stress relief. My game is definitely better, both in terms of score and in terms of how I'm hitting the ball.
So why no more GolfTec?
1) I think I'm ready for a new coach. I liked my coach, but I think getting another perspective would be good now that I generally know what I'm supposed to be doing.
2) I want to shift to outside practice. Get off the mats and onto grass. Stop watching screens and start watching the ball flight.
3) I want to take lessons with my son, who is still in it and loving it. He was the impetus for me taking it seriously, and I want to play more and train more with him.
All that being said, I will likely sign up for a practice pack just to use the bays close to the office and take advantage of the video practice.
Bottom Line:
I was nervous to start lessons for the first time ever, but I'm glad I did. GolfTec gave me what I needed to learn how to swing a club and the science behind it. If you're built like me and thrive on data and visual feedback, I highly recommend giving them a shot.
What You Get:
You can "buy" a swing evaluation; however, if you are buying a lesson pack, the swing eval is free. I already knew going in that I was signing up. I was on referral from a buddy, it was close to work so I could take lunch lessons, and I felt the analytical side of things would work for me. Because of the friend referral and a March deal running at the time, there was a pretty good discount. I ended up getting 25 "credits" plus the 60-min swing eval for about $1500 or so. You can also buy a video practice component, but I passed on that because I have a range card at a nearby outdoor place I and wanted to supplement the simulator lessons with outside practice.
Each credit is worth 30 minutes. You can book a lesson for 30 mins and use a credit, or you link them for an hour-long lesson. If you want to schedule a short game lesson on the course, it's 2 credits. If you want a playing lesson, it's 4 credits and you play 9 holes with your coach. I did 2 short game lessons but never did a playing lesson.
All told, I had 21 30-min lessons, 2 1-hr short game lessons, and 1 60-min swing evaluation. I typically went twice a month with practice and playing in-between.
It worked out to about $55 per 30-min lesson.
The Experience:
They had phased out the vests when I started, so I did not have the experience of having to wear their equipment. Instead, it's a standard simulator outfitted with a GCQuad (they are phasing this out for SkyTech, which they just bought). In front of you is a TV screen with a camera, and you can see yourself in real time. There's a camera down the line behind you as well. (Fun note, watching yourself on camera in multiple angles will tell you some truths about yourself. Consequently, I have lost some LBs since starting and having to stare at myself every other week.) You start with the short clubs and move your way up to the driver over the course of the lessons.
GolfTec is all about data. The cameras have some way of watching your swing and calculating how it moves. They can then split the screen to call up pro golfers and go through both your swing and the pros to demonstrate what it could look like. They put swing plane lines on the screen. They call up numbers to show amount of sway, degrees of rotation, etc. from your last swing by measuring your shoulder, hips, etc. These are all color coded. If the number is red, it's bad. Green, it's good. So you take a shot, then you watch the shot and the coach explains what you're doing wrong. Drills and balls. Drills and balls. You get the shot data as well. Pretty much everything you get from a GCQ if you have the stickers on your clubs.
Additionally, there is a microphone in the room that records everything said. All the tips, all your comments, etc.
After the lesson ends, it's uploaded to your "GolfTec Clubhouse" account/app. There, you can rewatch most of the practice and listen to the comments. You also get suggested drills based with links to drill videos based on what your struggles were. Then there's a game plan for what to work on before the next practice. I can go back and watch all of these right now if I want.
My Impressions:
I'm an analytical person. And I'm an old baseball player. You tell me to throw a curveball like I'm casting a fishing rod, I got nothing. You show me how I need the ball to spin and the axis it should be on, and I'm throwing them. This manner of thinking carried over to golf. I could never sync up "feel" comments about what I should do. GolfTec and the "science" of the swing with the analytical feedback appealed to me.
The thing I enjoyed the most was seeing the immediate feedback in numbers, then changing things and seeing results in numbers. I'd memorize something I did or felt to get that number, then work on repeating that over and over again. This led to a swing overhaul to breakdown my modified baseball swing into something that more consistent and repeatable. It was always something. Breaking down my wrists in my backswing was the hardest thing I had to stop doing. That and dropping my hands down and around instead of over and down, but I think that's every crap golfer.
I appreciated having the lessons on my phone where I could go to the range, watch the tips and drills, and then practice.
The thing I enjoyed the least was playing off the simulator. It just always felt confined compared to playing inside.
I also felt the 30 min lesson was just a hair short. After warming up, there wasn't really enough time to address multiple clubs. 45 min would be the sweet spot. Still, the coach was good about working on something specific if I had come in struggling off a round with a specific club or shot.
My Game:
I walked into GolfTec a mess. I played casually in HS, gave it up for the most part in college, then maybe played 2x a year after graduating. I never practiced. When I went to the range, I had no idea what I was doing, so I always just ended up getting bored and started trying to rip driver. My rounds were between 99 and 110 for the most part when I played with a couple of muligans. Good enough to hang with my casual friends, but never good. Never even really decent. Awesome in individual shots on occasion, but wholly inconsistent in a round. Worst of all, I never understood what I was doing wrong or why one worked and one didn't.
Earlier this month, I shot a 90, which was my best round ever. Then I went out and shot an 87 to break 90 for the first time. I lost a couple of balls due to "hero shots" but I wasn't spraying it. I feel like I know how to swing the club now. More importantly, I know why it goes wrong when it does. I feel like with more practice, more time working on my game from 75 yards and in, and more time putting, I can get pretty close to 80. In both my last two rounds, I posted 41 over 9, and that's with a couple of blow up holes aside.
I feel like I'm bordering on being a "decently average" golfer, and I think it's largely in part to GolfTec. I also think getting serious about playing and practicing has helped a ton. However, without GolfTec, a trip to the range was an exercise in being lost. Now, my practice is measured. I am working on a specific thing, a specific drill, a specific feeling. It's a big difference from just going to the range and dicking around to get outside.
What's Next:
I liked my experience quite a bit. Getting out of the office was awesome and it was an excellent stress relief. My game is definitely better, both in terms of score and in terms of how I'm hitting the ball.
So why no more GolfTec?
1) I think I'm ready for a new coach. I liked my coach, but I think getting another perspective would be good now that I generally know what I'm supposed to be doing.
2) I want to shift to outside practice. Get off the mats and onto grass. Stop watching screens and start watching the ball flight.
3) I want to take lessons with my son, who is still in it and loving it. He was the impetus for me taking it seriously, and I want to play more and train more with him.
All that being said, I will likely sign up for a practice pack just to use the bays close to the office and take advantage of the video practice.
Bottom Line:
I was nervous to start lessons for the first time ever, but I'm glad I did. GolfTec gave me what I needed to learn how to swing a club and the science behind it. If you're built like me and thrive on data and visual feedback, I highly recommend giving them a shot.
