Coombsgolf

For beginner Men or Women, I like to find out their golf goals so I can impart proper drills they can take home to practice the swing fundamentals I teach. Realizing that Golf is often a difficult sport to learn, I work on decreasing embarrassment and increasing confidence throughout the process.

For experienced golfers, I learn about their game and any physical limitations they may have. I help analyze scoring weaknesses and poor habits, from alignment, swing flaws, short game, putting or course management. I hope I am a good golf instructor who offers the right amount of swing solutions that each player can absorb. There is nothing more satisfying for me than seeing a golfer change something in their swing to improve control of their ball flight.

I have been taught by some wonderful pros. Jim Dante,  Marty Talameo,  Bob Toski, David Leadbetter and three wonderful pros from Portland Country Club in Falmouth, Maiine.  Growing up in North Miami, Florida I attended several Florida & Vermont Golf Schools and played my first tournament at age 7. As a teen in September 1955, I caddied for Dick Mayer in a New Jersey tournament at Shackamaxon with Arnold Palmer & Cary Middlecoff. It was the first Cavalcade of Golf, a brand new PGA Tour event with a $50,000 purse which Middlecoff won by beating Sam Sneed .   I have practice putt with  Bobby Locke, Tom Watson and played with Maine amateur champion Mark Plummer at Sugarloaf and Belgrade Lakes golf clubs. 

I love and cherish the game and all the joy and friendships it has given me in my lifetime.

I love to teach golf and see people improve and play better.

Golf can be very frustrating if you continuously repeat & practice mistakes.  Eliminating those mistakes improves the game & satisfaction

for you and everyone you play with.

I have no pricing system.  I am flexible and confident I can help any level of golfer that looks to improve or my lesson is free. 

I started by helping friends on the driving range.  Taking golf lessons at age 5, I fell in love with the game because I could be with my father when he played, eventually caddied for him.  I played in my first tournament with our club pro at age 7.  Then, I started reading golf books & magazines, learning and experimenting with all the techniques each teacher was promoting.  I started giving helpful golf hints when I was a second lieutenant in the Army stationed in Atlanta.  After serving, I started a family and working very hard with little time to play.  However, I found myself constantly at the driving range after work and helping friends or others make some changes that seemed to improve their games.  That continued both in Florida and in Maine, as a member of Portland CC, where I spent 30 years on the range giving lessons to friends.

Club Members were usually men of varying abilities.  Usually, hard-working businessmen like myself that played on weekends and never began with an overall concept or proper fundamentals, like a decent grip.  Some sent their wives to me to help design a swing and I even taught some youngsters who were interested.  I enjoyed teaching them all.

I watch most of the professional golf tournaments on Sundays.

Try several until you find someone you connect with.  Golf, like other sports, finds wonderful teachers or coaches who were not particularly successful as players. For instance, Professional Baseball managers, hitting and pitching coaches were not always the best players.  But they have studied the game and know how to teach the fundamentals, understand motivation, management and how to impart instruction that each individual can absorb.

   I think the same may be true in golf, with, of course, some exceptions.  My two sons are school teachers & coaches.  I think it runs in the family.

In golf, students should understand that in order to improve or learn, they should be willing to have patience and practice.  For beginners, practice teaches muscle memory.  Some experienced golfers might have difficulty re-training poor swing habits they have had for a long time. Are they prepared to have the patience and willingness to practice the new thoughts and concepts so they become part of their new swing?  

Only a few will want to win tournaments.  Most will want to enjoy playing this social or competitive sport for their lifetime.