Chuck Quinton gets it, big time
Below is an excerpt from the website of Chuck Quinton, One-Plane golf instructor extraordinaire. I've never been instructed on the One-Plane swing, so I can't say whether it has any value or not, but I can say that Chuck Quinton's teaching philosophy is at the center of the core of the very essence of good instruction, golf or otherwise.
This is just a taste of what Chuck has at his site, so check it out if you want to understand that you can stop searching for the ideal swing, because there is nothing to search for...
So what is the cure to the slice? What is the "secret" to hitting 300 yard drives? Sadly, because you have read this far, it means that you are still looking for that one secret tip that all good ball strikers know and you don't. You are still looking externally for answers when you had them all along. The cosmic joke of the universe is that the answers to all your questions about life, peace, happiness and a good golf swing have always been right in front of your eyes. The secret is that there is no secret. The second you stop trying to understand the golf swing at an intellectual level is the very moment in your golfing career that you open yourself up to your true golfing potential. The golf swing is much like Zen, it can't be taught, only experienced. If I tried to explain to you with words what Zen or love or happiness are, they would never suffice. There are no exact words to accurately describe how to make a proper golf swing just as there are no words to describe what love is. If you try and explain what love is to a computer it will never understand because love is not logical, but a human who has experienced love can fully comprehend what love is without any words being said. If someone were to try and "teach" a human how to love, it would never work because words cannot replace the experience. In much the same way, NO ONE can explain to you how to swing a golf club and guarantee you will "get it". There are some things that can be put into words just as there are some words that can describe happiness. But to truly understand happiness you must first experience it. So, how can anyone ever expect to learn the golf swing?
A good golf instructor is one who understands that the technical aspects of the golf swing are never the sole focus of learning, no more than a Buddhist monk would be expected to attain enlightenment by learning the details of "how to" meditate. A Zen master would act as a guide to the monk, passing along wisdom and experience, not just "technical" details. But first, the Zen master must experience enlightenment for himself, how else could he guide someone down a path that clearly cannot be explained with words alone? How can someone learn to love from someone who has never loved? In much the same way, taking lessons from a golf instructor who can't strike the ball like a master and focuses only on the technical details guarantees you one thing - that you are missing half the picture.
8 comments:
Quinton only talks a good game. He shot 87, 85 in Club Championship at the Windermere Country Club. He also shot close to 90 in a Hooters tour event several years ago. Why doesn't he play on the mini-tours in Florida, if he is so good?
I know Chuck as I took lessons from him while I was still playing on the tour and played with him at the Hooters event you speak of, he shot something like 87 the first day. The following day he shot 75 and was -2 going into the back nine. The guy can flat out play, but his mind gets cluttered at times because he's always tinkering with his swing. It's a curse to know as much as he does. For the record, he beat the Bentley world champion last year to go undefeated and win the Keene's Point Match Play Championship last year, all while giving the 4 handicapper 7 strokes. He also shot -2 last year at the Utah State Open Championship to Monday Qualify. So next time get all your facts before you post something ignorant. He doesn't play on the mini-tours because he runs a super successful golf academy that has him teaching all over the country, he travels non-stop and has a great career. Mini-tour golf is a tough way to make a living, trust me, I did it for 8 years.
Dont forget the 85-88 at lpga intl (hooters 11/1-2, 2005)
Hope i never "know" so much that i can barely break 90.
Josh c'mon u work for Chuck!
Seems to me tht most GREAT teachers may NOT necessarily be great players. I have watched Chuck's videos and I could care less what he scores on the course. The man has a wonderful way of explaining a very complex move..ie the golf swing. Personally I think he is one of the best instructors out there.
Golf is about how many shots you take to get through the round.
While Chuck's swing is tour class, if not elite tour class, there are many facets to the game out with that, namely short game and mental strength, course management, to name a few. High scores in a tournament does not suggest the swing or the method is flawed, it means there were issues with other parts of his game, or he had a bad day.
His approach is refreshing and a serious tool for improvement.
Too bad Chuck is a thief and a liar. I was a long time rotary swing guy (member since 2011), and I worked so hard to master the fundamentals he preaches; but, I never got any lower than a 15 handicap. In the back of my head I always felt something as missing in the explanations, kind of like asking a flight attendant how to fly a plane. He knows the basics but it's not his material. After some online research I came across a ripoff report with Chucks name in it and the back and forth between he and the accuser is pretty damming. The author claims Chuck stole her work and made it his own. Google it and you can decide for yourself. She has since launched her own site. I signed up with hers and cancelled his and it completely filled in the knowledge gaps. In the month since joining, and 10 rounds later (I was on vacation) I've lowered my handicap to a 10.8.
Why is he a liar? Go listen to the golf strategy school podcast he was on (episode 30). He talks about how he worked with many players on the pga tour and other tours. Who? How he played in college and took lessons from all the famous instructors, but never once mentioned a name. No mention of a school? If you've ever met someone who played college golf, they never shut up about it: where they went, how well they played, yada, yada. Why doesn't he name names? Because they would most likely deny it and the jig would be up on his charade. He's also pretty savvy on reputation defense. There always seems to be these fanatic defenses by anonymous posters that follow any dirt you find. Hmmm....
Just came upon this site and article... I personally don't think that you can claim a "swing method" without being able to back it up on the course. If YOU have THE method, then it should work.
It is so strange where golf instruction has gone. "Back in the day," a good swing (by definition) was one that stood up under pressure. That was THE proof and really nothing else. It was not a matter of internal rotation of the upper right arm at the start of the downswing or any craziness like that.
Great instructors don't claim to have a method. Which brings up one of the comments from David about Haney, Harmon and Foley. So much to say here.....First of all, only one of them is a great instructor: Harmon. The other two may be some of the worst. After all, they are responsible for ruining the greatest golfer of all time. (Tiger of course needs to carry some of the blame...) . Haney was ruining golfers long before Tiger went to him. The simple truth of the matter is that Tiger was struggling with his driver, probably because he was young, flexible, over-rotated and got across the line (exactly what a young golf swing should do)--leading to some flippy hooks when he would get fast. A good instructor would have him work to get the club more on plane at the top, which for Tiger would initially feel "laid-off."
No question at all that such work would lead to success--UNTIL YOU TURN IT INTO A METHOD. Which is exactly what Haney had been trying to do for years with players. He even convinced Tiger to change his body type in order to match the new swing. (RED LIGHT NUMBER 1- you match your swing to your body and not the other way around). This lead to an insane workout regimen that to body deconstruction (may even talk about enhancing drugs to help...).
As for Foley--one word: charlatan: (I'll give you the definition so that you don't have to look it up: a person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge or skill; a fraud).
Ironically, what made Harmon so great with Tiger is that he did not actually try to teach him anything. Unfortunately Tiger did not recognize the value in that at a young age.
In short: if you have THE METHOD, then it HAS to work. That is why great instructors do not talk about methods. That is perhaps why the best instructional piece of all time is Nicklaus' "Golf My Way." Not always for the content, but for the message it gives: "this is how I do it, I hope that it can help you." And yes, if I want to learn more about the golf swing, I would spend my money going to see Jack and not Chuck.
Post a Comment