Monte's K.C. after action report.

[skraly]

So Monte was in K.C. MO. Sat.-Monday. The clinic ran from 9AM to about 4PM except Monday when Monte had to catch a 3:00 flight. There were 13 pf us except Monday when some of the guys had to return to work. The first two days were devoted to range time and short game work. The last day was a round on the course with Monte shuttling back and forth between groups to see how we performed under actual playing conditions. There was a lot of short game work done on this day as well. He gave each person a lot of time and I don't believe anyone felt that he was short changed in this regard. A few of the guys made remarkable improvement in this very short period of teaching time. For the others a little more time and work will be required to implement Monte's suggestions. Monte is very up front in stating that continued work and practice is required to see significant improvement and that the best improvement is achieved step by step. This doesn't mean that you have to go backwards to improve. On the contrary, Monte feels a good instructor should be able to help you have some immediate improvement. But giant improvements in a short period are rare. Monte's strength in these relatively short time periods of instruction is to key in on just one or two basic errors that are leading to multiple compensations that make a consistent swing very difficult. It is not that you can't play a decent game of golf with these errors but they make it much more difficult to be consistent. In this regard listening to him talk and discuss issues with each player reminded me of reading Harvey Pennick's Little Red Book. Very straight forward and easy to understand. As an example in my own case I was dismayed to discover that when done as Monte instructed, I could hit short pitches better with one hand then I could with two hands using my old method. Off of short fairway lies, rough, it didn't matter. I just did not have the proper concept of how to hit this shot. 10 minutes of instruction from Monte and 15 minutes of practice and I can at least say I now really understand this concept. Have I mastered it? No, but I can now clearly see what I have to work on. Monte is very personable and easy to talk to. He is a good communicator who can give the same instruction in several different ways until he finds the one that resonates with a particular student. At the end of the second day Monte entertained us with some neat trick shots and some crushed drivers. He only had his standard 44.5" playing driver with him, not his long drive driver. But even with this club he can really crush it. I have been to a couple of pro tournaments and I have never seen anyone longer than the display Monte put on. I was very impressed with how in balance and in sequence his swing appeared no matter how hard he was swinging at he ball. He looked smooth and in balance even swinging at 125 mph. If you ever have a chance to attend one of Monte's outings I don't believe you will be disappointed.

[golfnff]

Well said. Monte really does have a gifted ability to convey his message to the student and get fast results. Never met anyone that understood cause-and-effect better than he does. IMO, best money you'll ever spend on the game of golf

[m111]

i saw him when he came up to Chicago and I'll say that my short game has significantly improved since spending just a day there. it has changed how I play -- I don't have to be so caught up in needing to hit the green and maybe forcing a bad shot because I know that I can basically make par from a pitch out of the rough and if it's an easy chip, I can really go for it whereas before I'd chip defensively.

[tembolo1284]

Any pics?

[Lefty_3Jack]

What course were you at?

[Coy M]

[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1412785996' post='10255543']
Any pics?
[/quote]
+1

[modore]

[quote name='Lefty Light HItter' timestamp='1412787698' post='10255713']
What course were you at?
[/quote]

Shoal Creek

[tembolo1284]

how about some video?

[skraly]

[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1412793359' post='10256185']
how about some video?
[/quote]
Monte video'ed each of our swings and we will be getting those along with his comments on things to work on in the next couple of weeks. I did not think to take any pics or video myself. Perhaps some other participants did. I was really too busy trying to absorb as much as I could in the limited time we had.

[ryan983]

This is the only pic I got. Videos are too big to post from my phone

[leerob3]

Good post. Was really bummed I couldn't see Monte when he was in N.J. Really looking forward to next year.

[tembolo1284]

[quote name='skraly' timestamp='1412803692' post='10257057']
[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1412793359' post='10256185']
how about some video?
[/quote]
Monte video'ed each of our swings and we will be getting those along with his comments on things to work on in the next couple of weeks. I did not think to take any pics or video myself. Perhaps some other participants did. I was really too busy trying to absorb as much as I could in the limited time we had.
[/quote]

That's awesome! Will be waiting for them videos!

Anyone video monte doing some of his trick shots?

[caseFSU]

[quote name='skraly' timestamp='1412736113' post='10252957']
So Monte was in K.C. MO. Sat.-Monday. The clinic ran from 9AM to about 4PM except Monday when Monte had to catch a 3:00 flight. There were 13 pf us except Monday when some of the guys had to return to work. The first two days were devoted to range time and short game work. The last day was a round on the course with Monte shuttling back and forth between groups to see how we performed under actual playing conditions. There was a lot of short game work done on this day as well. He gave each person a lot of time and I don't believe anyone felt that he was short changed in this regard. A few of the guys made remarkable improvement in this very short period of teaching time. For the others a little more time and work will be required to implement Monte's suggestions. Monte is very up front in stating that continued work and practice is required to see significant improvement and that the best improvement is achieved step by step. This doesn't mean that you have to go backwards to improve. On the contrary, Monte feels a good instructor should be able to help you have some immediate improvement. But giant improvements in a short period are rare. Monte's strength in these relatively short time periods of instruction is to key in on just one or two basic errors that are leading to multiple compensations that make a consistent swing very difficult. It is not that you can't play a decent game of golf with these errors but they make it much more difficult to be consistent. In this regard listening to him talk and discuss issues with each player reminded me of reading Harvey Pennick's Little Red Book. Very straight forward and easy to understand. As an example in my own case I was dismayed to discover that when done as Monte instructed, I could hit short pitches better with one hand then I could with two hands using my old method. Off of short fairway lies, rough, it didn't matter. I just did not have the proper concept of how to hit this shot. 10 minutes of instruction from Monte and 15 minutes of practice and I can at least say I now really understand this concept. Have I mastered it? No, but I can now clearly see what I have to work on. Monte is very personable and easy to talk to. He is a good communicator who can give the same instruction in several different ways until he finds the one that resonates with a particular student. At the end of the second day Monte entertained us with some neat trick shots and some crushed drivers. He only had his standard 44.5" playing driver with him, not his long drive driver. But even with this club he can really crush it. I have been to a couple of pro tournaments and I have never seen anyone longer than the display Monte put on. I was very impressed with how in balance and in sequence his swing appeared no matter how hard he was swinging at he ball. He looked smooth and in balance even swinging at 125 mph. If you ever have a chance to attend one of Monte's outings I don't believe you will be disappointed.
[/quote]

That range isn't very long. Was he hitting it into the other teeing ground (on the opposite end) or the clubhouse?

[skraly]

[quote name='caseFSU' timestamp='1412881364' post='10261639']
[quote name='skraly' timestamp='1412736113' post='10252957']
So Monte was in K.C. MO. Sat.-Monday. The clinic ran from 9AM to about 4PM except Monday when Monte had to catch a 3:00 flight. There were 13 pf us except Monday when some of the guys had to return to work. The first two days were devoted to range time and short game work. The last day was a round on the course with Monte shuttling back and forth between groups to see how we performed under actual playing conditions. There was a lot of short game work done on this day as well. He gave each person a lot of time and I don't believe anyone felt that he was short changed in this regard. A few of the guys made remarkable improvement in this very short period of teaching time. For the others a little more time and work will be required to implement Monte's suggestions. Monte is very up front in stating that continued work and practice is required to see significant improvement and that the best improvement is achieved step by step. This doesn't mean that you have to go backwards to improve. On the contrary, Monte feels a good instructor should be able to help you have some immediate improvement. But giant improvements in a short period are rare. Monte's strength in these relatively short time periods of instruction is to key in on just one or two basic errors that are leading to multiple compensations that make a consistent swing very difficult. It is not that you can't play a decent game of golf with these errors but they make it much more difficult to be consistent. In this regard listening to him talk and discuss issues with each player reminded me of reading Harvey Pennick's Little Red Book. Very straight forward and easy to understand. As an example in my own case I was dismayed to discover that when done as Monte instructed, I could hit short pitches better with one hand then I could with two hands using my old method. Off of short fairway lies, rough, it didn't matter. I just did not have the proper concept of how to hit this shot. 10 minutes of instruction from Monte and 15 minutes of practice and I can at least say I now really understand this concept. Have I mastered it? No, but I can now clearly see what I have to work on. Monte is very personable and easy to talk to. He is a good communicator who can give the same instruction in several different ways until he finds the one that resonates with a particular student. At the end of the second day Monte entertained us with some neat trick shots and some crushed drivers. He only had his standard 44.5" playing driver with him, not his long drive driver. But even with this club he can really crush it. I have been to a couple of pro tournaments and I have never seen anyone longer than the display Monte put on. I was very impressed with how in balance and in sequence his swing appeared no matter how hard he was swinging at he ball. He looked smooth and in balance even swinging at 125 mph. If you ever have a chance to attend one of Monte's outings I don't believe you will be disappointed.
[/quote]


That range isn't very long. Was he hitting it into the other teeing ground (on the opposite end) or the clubhouse?
[/quote]
We were on the smaller practice area at opposite end from the club house. Into a 15 mph breeze Monte was hitting it to the front of the bigger range near the club house. Probably about 325 or so. The bigger range was closed except for hitting from the mats which sit at the very beginning of that area so probably 375 or so from where we were hitting. The ground was soft from recent rains so even with a 325 carry there was no chance he was going to reach that area. Maybe with his long drive driver which is 48" but not with his 44.5" playing driver.

[Henry Frankel]

I also attended Monte's KC clinic, and agree with skraly. Monte was terrific. Many of you have watched his U-Tube mini-lessons and I imagine that some of you have purchased his short game video. Just imagine Monte popping out of the screen, looking at your swing, and telling you whether or not you commit the fault illustrated in the mini-lesson or if you’ve mastered the short-game swing.

At the beginning of the first day, we each hit several shots while Monte taped our swing, and he and the other participants watched. Monte asked us to identify any swing-faults. He would agree with some suggestions, but often would say that there is something more fundamental, something that causes or brings about ensuing mistakes. Fix the fundamental mistake and most others will take care of themselves. After identifying everyone’s fundamental mistake, he worked individually with each of us, explaining and demonstrating the mistake, showing us how to fix it, and checking to see if we were on the right track. The day ended with a short game lesson. Monte introduced his method of keeping the right arm moving and using the bounce of the club, just as he demonstrates in his short game video. I’d say that by the end of second day everybody could execute the basic shot. To help those who did not get the correct move initially, he would give individual drills to remove the particular problem. I was keeping my head down too long which restricted proper movement of my right shoulder. He had me lift my head up toward the target before starting my downswing. It worked. He had others hit the shot with just their right arm forcing them to keep their right arm moving. It worked.

During the second day, we continued to work on our swings; Monte again monitored us, sometimes explaining how our new swing required us to make an additional change to eliminate a Band-Aid move necessitated by our old and now former mistake. Monte wants to make sure we definitely understand what we have to do. He likes questions. He encourages dialogue. If you don’t think you have correctly understand what he means, he wants you to tell him. He then reexplains in different terms what he wants you to do. My fundamental mistake was bringing the club back way too far to the inside. Once I started bringing the club back correctly, I had to stop spinning out my hips, a Band-Aid move I was doing to square the club because of my fundamental mistake. After lunch we had a friendly competition. Monte wanted to show us how we often revert to our old swing when under pressure – another lesson. We then went back to practice our short game. The day closed with Monte bombing the ball. His swing looks effortless, even when he swings over 125 miles per hour. During the third day, we ventured out onto the course. Monte split his time between our two groups, spending two or three holes at a time with each group. He watched each of us, seeing if we have cured our fundamental error, checking for new ones, and seeing other ways to improve our swing. We also hit a variety of shots around the green. He would pick a shot and have us execute it, further explicating elements of his short game. We ended the day working on our short games before Monte had to leave around 2 o’clock.

I believe that everyone improved, and definitely left knowing what they had to do to continue improving. Monte spent equal time with everyone. Although we were a group, he doesn’t give a group lesson. He gives individual mini-lessons punctuated by twenty or so minutes of working on your swing before he returns to given another mini-lesson to see how you’re doing and to make further suggestions. Fellow students also help each other. The guy next to me brought the club back too slowly. I would check to see if he was speeding up his backswing; he would check to see if I was bringing the club back too far to the inside.

If you like Monte’s U-Tube lessons, you’ll love his clinics and learn a lot about your swing. You’ll also better understand whether or not what he says in a particular U-Tube lesson applies to you. If you have not seen his U-Tube lessons, I think you’ll still love the clinic, definitely improve your swing, and begin watching them.. An added bonus is that he loves to tell stories, and lots of them are very funny.

[Coy M]

Any east coast outings in the future, Monte?

[MonteScheinblum]

[quote name='Coy M' timestamp='1412995707' post='10268963']
Any east coast outings in the future, Monte?
[/quote]

10-15 people and a course and I'll come.

[ryan983]

How's everyone doing 3 weeks post KC?

I've only had time to play 27 holes but have hit a lot of balls. The changes are starting to feel instinctive and have really saved my body. If I had hit this many balls with my old move, my back would have been killing me for sure! Had some time yesterday to work around the chipping green and am really loving how easy chipping is now.

[PJ72]

Nice review Skraly. Sounds like an awesome event.

I'm going to have to get a holiday to the US to visit Monte and have a couple of lessons. It'd be awesome to check out some of the California golf courses too.

[skraly]

[quote name='ryan983' timestamp='1414359048' post='10354177']
How's everyone doing 3 weeks post KC?

I've only had time to play 27 holes but have hit a lot of balls. The changes are starting to feel instinctive and have really saved my body. If I had hit this many balls with my old move, my back would have been killing me for sure! Had some time yesterday to work around the chipping green and am really loving how easy chipping is now.
[/quote]
My short game has shown great improvement. My full swing is another story. When I can implement the change Monte wanted I really strike the ball well. But I too easily fall back into my old habit. Old faults are hard to break. Hey, if it was easy anybody could do it.

[modore]

Until today I have not been striking the ball well. I have struggled with a comfortable transition from a more vertical shoulder backswing.
The feel that I added in transition today was external right shoulder rotation. It kept me in balance, shallowed things out and I was able to hit the ball straight and solid. I even hit a few draws. 9 Fairways today.
Monte has a video about external shoulder rotation. It feels to me like it kind of sets up the right arm rotation that he shows in his latest video.
Short game has improved since KC.

[CRider]

New to wrx but my exploring has found no NE Monte visits. Short season dictates May-October. NJ not close enough. Even CT too far west. RI, MA. Southern VT, NH in particular to reach the Boston market. Any interest for next year?

[MonteScheinblum]

[quote name='CRider' timestamp='1414370496' post='10354947']
New to wrx but my exploring has found no NE Monte visits. Short season dictates May-October. NJ not close enough. Even CT too far west. RI, MA. Southern VT, NH in particular to reach the Boston market. Any interest for next year?
[/quote]

I'm from RI originally.

[dwboston]

[quote name='MonteScheinblum' timestamp='1414370729' post='10354975']
[quote name='CRider' timestamp='1414370496' post='10354947']
New to wrx but my exploring has found no NE Monte visits. Short season dictates May-October. NJ not close enough. Even CT too far west. RI, MA. Southern VT, NH in particular to reach the Boston market. Any interest for next year?
[/quote]

I'm from RI originally.
[/quote]

I'm in for a MA/RI/NH Monte visit. I went to NJ and it was great.

Boston would be great but I'm having a hard time thinking of a facility to host it. Pinehills in Plymouth would be a good spot - they have a two-sided range, and I know they used to host Pelz short game schools there.

[Schnee]

I'd come up to Boston area. Went to school there.

[CRider]

[quote name='MonteScheinblum' timestamp='1414370729' post='10354975']
[quote name='CRider' timestamp='1414370496' post='10354947']
New to wrx but my exploring has found no NE Monte visits. Short season dictates May-October. NJ not close enough. Even CT too far west. RI, MA. Southern VT, NH in particular to reach the Boston market. Any interest for next year?
[/quote]

I'm from RI originally.
[/quote]I have a place in Providence where I am during the week. Maybe Buddy will be Mayor again when you come this way. Yikes. Dinner on Federal Hill. I play mostly on Cape Cod at a muni in Hyannis so am of little help in selecting possible venues. Pinehills certainly has a great reputation.

[magdocjr]

[quote name='CSchnee' timestamp='1414375122' post='10355409']
I'd come up to Boston area. Went to school there.
[/quote]

Who are you trying to fool? You went 3k miles twice and then went to see him again on the east coast. I think you have a man crush on Monte :-p


You know I am just jealous and jerking your chain

[Schnee]

[quote name='magdocjr' timestamp='1414376013' post='10355471']
[quote name='CSchnee' timestamp='1414375122' post='10355409']
I'd come up to Boston area. Went to school there.
[/quote]

Who are you trying to fool? You went 3k miles twice and then went to see him again on the east coast. I think you have a man crush on Monte :-p


You know I am just jealous and jerking your chain
[/quote]

I didn't see I'd go up there BECAUSE I went to school in Boston lol. I'd go pretty much anywhere for lessons with Monte if logistics worked out. And yes there is some man crush lmao jk

[btewks]

I'm in southern NH and would be interested in a Boston-based setup.

[vernon]

My brother and I attended KC and we both say do whatever it takes to get there. Awesome stuff. I'm 61, been playing for 40 years and was blown away by what I learned. Was scratch for several years and am hoping to get back to low single digits soon thanks to Monte.