A Golf instructor as a golf coach

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

We just hired a very nice man in Craig Winstead as Golf coach as LSU. He is a nationally well know and respected instructor. I wondered weather one thinks as I do that is a good qualification to be a great college golf coach. He was a good college player at LSU and made his mark on the amateur level.

[Brian_Gracely]

Tiger,

It's one of the qualifications.  But it's only a part of it....

Recruiting, Athletic Department politicing, Scmoozing Alumni, and Babysitting are just as much a part of it.  

<all of those apply to any college sport>

[CHrisB]

Tiger,
It can go either way. I know of many situations where college coaches who are great swing instructors have not gotten the best out of their players. The most notable example is probably Hank Haney at SMU ten or so years ago, who really had problems with Hank Kuehne, who didn't seem to want the swing instruction that Haney wanted to offer.

I'd imagine it would be tough for a college coach who is a great swing instructor to feel entirely comfortable with players on his team who don't want to work on their swings with him. Obviously he will have strong opinion on what they need to work on and what they should do with their swings. Craig will have to make sure he recruits players who will want to work with him.

Then there is the issue of the extent to which players should or will want to make swing changes while in college. There is so much immediacy in college golf--the system is set up for playing well now, and not building toward the future. "I need to qualify for the traveling team", "I need to play well in this tournament", "I need to help the team get to regionals & nationals this year", etc.

(Disclaimer--I was a college player and a college coach, although my strength was in teaching the mental game, which I considered even more important to college-aged guys in their development. But I made sure to hire a good swing instructor as my assistant!)

[JESII]

Tiger,

I would think the good player attribute will prove more valuable than the good teacher attribute. Both are important, but the on-course decision making and maturity needed to turn a good high school recruit into an All-American college player will be better transferred from an accomplished player. With teaching, I would like to see him use a light touch in working on the guys games because drastic overhauls can kill confidence in a young player and he'll never contribute to the team.

Just my opinion  .

Sully

[Tony_Chapman]

"It's not the X's and O's, it's the Jimmy's and Joe's."
--Barry Switzer

Tiger should this guy succeed at LSU, it probably won't be because he is a good swing instructor. It will most certainly be because he can identify talent, get good kids with good attitudes and find the right mix of talent to produce a successful team.

[Lou_Duran]

Tiger,

You've already hired the guy, so much of this is moot.

At the top golf programs, do the kids (and their parents) really want extensive instruction?  Most of the players have their own teachers, some since they were very young.

I think that having a coach who is a good instructor as well should be a plus, provided that he doesn't have a compelling need to teach and meddle.  A good set of eyes for keeping the kids consistent within their fundamentals is great.  Much more than that, it could be counterproductive.

How well a coach plays or played should not be part of the equation.  Unfortunately, to some of the kids it seems to mean a lot, perhaps a prerequisite for consideration to earn respect.

Personally, I would value more highly the candidate's knowledge of the game and his integrity; a consistent, level, positive personality and public demeanor; a strong work ethic; and a vision that's optimisitc but grounded in reality.

I have never subscribed to the adage that if you can't do something, you teach it.  In this case, teaching is probably one of the lesser responsibilites.  Hopefully, LSU does not have remedial golf classes for its team members as it might in simple math and english for some of its other athletes.    
 

[Andy Troeger]

Before making any comments, I should note that I am a high school golf coach and don't have too much experience with college golf so my opinions might differ based on that.

With the high school golfers I've seen, it is more important to have a basic knowledge of the golf swing (enough to correct fairly basic flaws, but not necessarily enough to take things beyond that, as was mention most kids have their own teachers). To me, once someone learns the basics of the swing, golf is mostly mental anyway, and that's really where coaches have to be strong. You have to know how to get your players to execute what they really should already know how to do. Being able to teach them the swing is certainly helpful, but if you have an assistant coach or other teachers that can do that, then I don't think its all that necessary.

Lou, I agree fully with your comments regarding integrity, knowledge of the game, work ethic, and a positive outlook. Those values will aid the team's growth more so than anything else, IMO.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Thanks guy and he fits the bill on Lou's next to last paragraph. I know its moot but that does not mean I am not curious about qualities. Oh by the by we are not Nebraska on the remedial courses. Hell they have a remedial college within the University for their athletes. College golf coaching is still somewhat undefined as to the qualities a winning program needs. I agree about the better players bringing their own swing coach to the table. Chuck sold that as his strong point. He knows the other guys and the business and can continue to work with the young men consistent with the process their coach has them on. These guys cannot afford to fly coaches all over the country to watch every match. I totally agree with Chris the mental game is really the bigger deal with college golfer development. Oh did I say 28 days to kickoff Go Tigers

[Craig Van Egmond]

Tiger,

It certainly can't hurt him, but as Sandbox and others pointed out it is so much more.

I don't think many golfers  come here to Oklahoma State because Mike Holder is a great swing coach, but he is a great golf coach and has won 8 NCAA's. All of these kids already have swing coaches like Ledbetter, Harmon, Haney, etc..

[Ken Fry]

As a coach, you recruit talent.  A good swing instructor won't mean better players.  They need to be really good before they arrive.

As has been mentioned in previous posts in different ways, a Bobby Bowdon doesn't teach kids how to play football, he teaches very talented kids how to play for his team.