The Bobby Steiner Story
Since 2018, Bobby Steiner has served as Director of Instruction at Horseshoe Bay Resort, where he and his team oversee all private instruction and golf schools.
He began his teaching career in 1996 in Asheville, NC. In 1999, Steiner accepted the position of Head Teaching Professional at the Westin Mission Hills Resort in Rancho Mirage, where he served for 18 winters. During this time, he was Lead Instructor for all Golf Digest Schools, ESPN Golf Schools, and Troon Institutes conducted at the Westin Mission Hills Academy.
In 2001, Bobby began writing a weekly instructional column for the Palm Springs Daily Paper, titled “Golf, Heart, & Soul.” Within a year, papers all across the country picked up his weekly rendering, which led to Bobby’s first book, “Muni,” named Golf Book of the Year by Golf Today Magazine in 2004.
Steiner is the creator of the Perfect Swing Tempo Training System, designed to help players of all levels achieve the rhythm and relaxation to play their best. He is the creator of Longer with Age, a golf specific training program designed to help experienced golfers turn back the hands of time and regain lost distance.
His Philosophy
I rely on a non-method approach — every student is different with varied goals, backgrounds, practice opportunities, and learning styles.
My mission is to meet the student where they are, find out what brings them to see me, and take them beyond the limits of what they can do alone.
Golf fundamentals are not always difficult to understand, but communicating in a way that every student can latch onto requires near constant creativity, and the ability to provide a second slant when it’s clear the first missed its mark.”
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You wake up in the morning — what’s the driving passion?
The driving passion that must be satisfied is an intense workout in the gym. To me, that’s like making the bed or anything else… it’s a well made beginning to the day, and provides the mental clarity with which to approach the other things I love to do.
What’s the toughest thing about teaching that many people do not realize or even think about?
Teaching golf is a wonderful thing to spend a full day doing, and most of the time it’s quite enjoyable. The hardest challenge is when a student dwells on the bad shots, and doesn’t celebrate the good ones. It takes a little extra creativity to break the spell of a student being down in the dumps about their game.
Finding a quality instructor can be a difficult assignment for many. What’s the optimum pathway you can offer for those looking for the best teacher?
The first thing is to ask other golfers who they recommend.
Once you have a teacher in mind, a lot can be discovered in a 10-minute phone chat. Do they listen to you, or just talk?
Do they ask anything about your history in golf, or just try to get you on the lesson schedule. Do they seem likeable? How do they make you feel? In order to trust a teacher you must first like the thought of spending time with them.
When you meet a student — what’s the first thing you’re asking?
I want to know what brings them to see me. Some don’t really have a passion for the game, but want to play with their spouse or group of friends.
Others have big goals, are willing to put in the time – often at the sacrifice of other endeavors – and for their hard work should expect good results.
You’ve been a teacher for a number of years. What’s the most important lesson you know now that you wish you would have known when you first started?
All beginner teachers over teach. A student has one processor, and you can overload it in a hurry.
There are two types of people who impede the learning process. They are the teacher who over teaches, and the student who tries to over learn.
Who is more difficult to teach — a tour pro or someone just starting out in golf?
In both cases, I have to diagnose and prescribe. If allowed to do that, neither is more challenging than the other solely on the basis of their relative experience in golf.
What can be tough is when a student insists on you teaching them what they think they need when strong evidence suggests their personal diagnosis is flawed.
Do you follow any different approach when teaching men versus women?
I wouldn’t say I approach them differently in any big way.
If you could change one thing in golf unilaterally — what would it be and why?
My wish for the game is not realistic, and will never happen, but I wish widespread instruction was not so available as it is by way of YouTube and the like.
I really think it was a better world for golfers when it was just Golf Digest and Golf Magazine, and whatever hardbound book written by Hogan or Nicklaus you could get your hands on.
It was simpler, seemed more doable, and absent of all this hyper-technical information that only adds to the confusion.
How challenging is it to keep students motivated especially when the results are not immediately apparent?
I find students either love the game or they don’t. If they love the game they will keep trying no matter how slow things progress. If they don’t love the game, it matters very little how much early promise they exhibit.
When is the moment for the teacher / student relationship to end?
For a student / teacher relationship to work there must be mutual like and trust. If either disappears on the side of either person, it’s likely time for at least some time apart. Not every teacher is right for every student, and sometimes it takes a while for that to be entirely clear.
How much of a role does feedback play in crafting your future approach with students? Can you elaborate on a specific instance?
Feedback from the student is vital. I once had a student who simply would not finish her swing. She hit to the ball, not through it, and no matter how many times I physically put her in a good finish position – even having her stand there for 30 seconds while I counted slowly – she would never get there on her own.
Truly, I was baffled. I almost felt like she was being obstinate until finally she said, “How am I supposed to keep my head down if I finish the way you’re asking me to finish?”
It turned out the disconnect was caused by the near constant admonishment she’d received from her husband for as long as she’d played the game, which was, “Keep your head down!”
Of course, we then discussed openly the limits of how much a person can benefit from a completely fixed head position, and made rapid improvements soon after. Had she not told me about her husband’s near constant order to stay locked in place we may have never gotten anywhere during that lesson.
Best advice you ever received – what was it and who was it from?
The advice came from my former boss, Barry Clayton, Director of Instruction at the Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, CA. He said, “People don’t care about all you’ve accomplished, where you’ve been, and who you know.
“It’s counterproductive to even mention any of it unless they ask. They care about whether or not you can help them. If you will always keep that in mind you’ll be an effective teacher.”
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