What makes a good golf coach?
That was a question GOLF Top 100 Teacher Sean Foley tackled during Coach Camp last week. Foley was one of the keynote speakers at Coach Camp, which was hosted by Andrew Rice at The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa.
Rather than talking nitty-gritty details of a swing, Foley spent time reflecting on the bigger, philosophical questions about what makes a good golf coach during his keynote presentation. That’s when he pulled up this quote from Bruce Lee, talking about the importance of protecting students from a coach’s own “influence.”
Foley reflected on the quote with a candid and refreshing outlook on his teaching approach.
“This is the kind of quote you can spend a year thinking about, because what is my own influence? So I’m more of a swing guy,” he said. “I’m a bit more of a technical nerd, and how many times have I had a kid come to me — not a pro, but a kid — which is mostly what I teach. The kid gets up, swings a few, I put him on Swing Catalyst, put him on Trackman, look at his numbers, think of things we can improve. And then at the end of the lesson the kid says, ‘Hey, can we look at my putting? I can’t make a five-footer.’ And I’m like, ‘What have I just done for two hours?’ I made something that was already good one percent better while he’s losing rankings in the AJGA because he doesn’t know how to aim his putter.”
You can watch the full video below. For golf instructors, it’s a constant journey of learning, improving, and self-discovery. For more from Foley, check out the time he joined Alan Shipnuck on the GOLF.com Podcast.
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