Rick Shiels - Lesson review

Saintee Davie · August 12, 2018

Just thought I'd share my experience of going for a session with Rick Shiels down at Quest golf centre...

My wife bought me a voucher as a Christmas present last year for a session with Rick and I couldn't wait to get it booked and pay Quest a visit. We had planned to go down a few months later but I discovered that Rick only coaches 2 days per week and the week we were going down originally fell on Masters week and he was going to Augusta so wouldn't be around. We decided to drive down to Burnley from Scotland a couple of weeks later so I managed to get a date booked with Rick.

The weekend arrived so we drove down on the Saturday morning with the lesson booked the next day. On the Sunday morning, I arrived at Quest around 30 minutes before the session which was booked for 90 minutes. I was met by a guy working in the main part of the sports complex who took me down to the golf range and gave me a token for some balls to warm up with. Quest isn't as big a range as I thought but the set up and facilities are definitely impressive.

I started to hit some warm up shots and when the lesson time had arrived, Rick came out of the bay he does his videos from etc and met me. He offered me a tea or coffee and asked me to take a seat while he went and got the drinks. This makes you feel at ease right away and puts you into a relaxed atmosphere. For the first 10 minutes, we spoke about my game and the shots I hit etc. Rick asked where I play so he had a look at the course online to get an idea of the layout etc. He asked me what I wanted to get out of the day and we then started to hit some PW, 7I and Drivers to get some stats from GC Quad.

Once Rick had seen me hit some shots and gathered some information, he advised me what he thought his plan would be for the session and the tweaks he'd like to make whilst explaining how this would benefit my swing. We set to work going over my posture and trying to reduce the amount of lag I had in my backswing as this was causing some inconsistency.

At the end of the session, Rick did a video summary of the lesson and then emailed this to me so I could watch it back should I need a recap or to check anything out which I might have forgotten from the lesson. I left quest hitting the ball a lot better and had a clear idea of what I needed to work on. There is a reason why Rick is so popular and getting a lot of exposure. He explains things in an excellent way and manages to definitely get you leaving the range a better player than when you went in. I would definitely recommend him to anyone who wants to improve their game. Although I felt a bit intimidated going into the lesson, I was made to feel at ease straight away and Rick is an excellent coach who I wouldn't hesitate to book with again.

Spooky67 · August 12, 2018

Just thought I'd share my experience of going for a session with Rick Shiels down at Quest golf centre...

My wife bought me a voucher as a Christmas present last year for a session with Rick and I couldn't wait to get it booked and pay Quest a visit. We had planned to go down a few months later but I discovered that Rick only coaches 2 days per week and the week we were going down originally fell on Masters week and he was going to Augusta so wouldn't be around. We decided to drive down to Burnley from Scotland a couple of weeks later so I managed to get a date booked with Rick.

The weekend arrived so we drove down on the Saturday morning with the lesson booked the next day. On the Sunday morning, I arrived at Quest around 30 minutes before the session which was booked for 90 minutes. I was met by a guy working in the main part of the sports complex who took me down to the golf range and gave me a token for some balls to warm up with. Quest isn't as big a range as I thought but the set up and facilities are definitely impressive.

I started to hit some warm up shots and when the lesson time had arrived, Rick came out of the bay he does his videos from etc and met me. He offered me a tea or coffee and asked me to take a seat while he went and got the drinks. This makes you feel at ease right away and puts you into a relaxed atmosphere. For the first 10 minutes, we spoke about my game and the shots I hit etc. Rick asked where I play so he had a look at the course online to get an idea of the layout etc. He asked me what I wanted to get out of the day and we then started to hit some PW, 7I and Drivers to get some stats from GC Quad.

Once Rick had seen me hit some shots and gathered some information, he advised me what he thought his plan would be for the session and the tweaks he'd like to make whilst explaining how this would benefit my swing. We set to work going over my posture and trying to reduce the amount of lag I had in my backswing as this was causing some inconsistency.

At the end of the session, Rick did a video summary of the lesson and then emailed this to me so I could watch it back should I need a recap or to check anything out which I might have forgotten from the lesson. I left quest hitting the ball a lot better and had a clear idea of what I needed to work on. There is a reason why Rick is so popular and getting a lot of exposure. He explains things in an excellent way and manages to definitely get you leaving the range a better player than when you went in. I would definitely recommend him to anyone who wants to improve their game. Although I felt a bit intimidated going into the lesson, I was made to feel at ease straight away and Rick is an excellent coach who I wouldn't hesitate to book with again.

That sounds like an awesome experience. We hear so much about people having poor experiences with different things- just read a horrendous tale about a TM fitting- it is really nice to hear about the positives too. Rick seems like a nice guy on his videos, so it's good to hear he was in person as well. The video summary is an awesome extra, I wish all instructors would do that, or at least an email summary- very personal touch. Hope the lessons pays dividends on the course, hit 'em well!

Saintee Davie · August 12, 2018

Just thought I'd share my experience of going for a session with Rick Shiels down at Quest golf centre...

My wife bought me a voucher as a Christmas present last year for a session with Rick and I couldn't wait to get it booked and pay Quest a visit. We had planned to go down a few months later but I discovered that Rick only coaches 2 days per week and the week we were going down originally fell on Masters week and he was going to Augusta so wouldn't be around. We decided to drive down to Burnley from Scotland a couple of weeks later so I managed to get a date booked with Rick.

The weekend arrived so we drove down on the Saturday morning with the lesson booked the next day. On the Sunday morning, I arrived at Quest around 30 minutes before the session which was booked for 90 minutes. I was met by a guy working in the main part of the sports complex who took me down to the golf range and gave me a token for some balls to warm up with. Quest isn't as big a range as I thought but the set up and facilities are definitely impressive.

I started to hit some warm up shots and when the lesson time had arrived, Rick came out of the bay he does his videos from etc and met me. He offered me a tea or coffee and asked me to take a seat while he went and got the drinks. This makes you feel at ease right away and puts you into a relaxed atmosphere. For the first 10 minutes, we spoke about my game and the shots I hit etc. Rick asked where I play so he had a look at the course online to get an idea of the layout etc. He asked me what I wanted to get out of the day and we then started to hit some PW, 7I and Drivers to get some stats from GC Quad.

Once Rick had seen me hit some shots and gathered some information, he advised me what he thought his plan would be for the session and the tweaks he'd like to make whilst explaining how this would benefit my swing. We set to work going over my posture and trying to reduce the amount of lag I had in my backswing as this was causing some inconsistency.

At the end of the session, Rick did a video summary of the lesson and then emailed this to me so I could watch it back should I need a recap or to check anything out which I might have forgotten from the lesson. I left quest hitting the ball a lot better and had a clear idea of what I needed to work on. There is a reason why Rick is so popular and getting a lot of exposure. He explains things in an excellent way and manages to definitely get you leaving the range a better player than when you went in. I would definitely recommend him to anyone who wants to improve their game. Although I felt a bit intimidated going into the lesson, I was made to feel at ease straight away and Rick is an excellent coach who I wouldn't hesitate to book with again.

That sounds like an awesome experience. We hear so much about people having poor experiences with different things- just read a horrendous tale about a TM fitting- it is really nice to hear about the positives too. Rick seems like a nice guy on his videos, so it's good to hear he was in person as well. The video summary is an awesome extra, I wish all instructors would do that, or at least an email summary- very personal touch. Hope the lessons pays dividends on the course, hit 'em well!

Thanks! Absolutely loved it and he’s a great guy! Meant to say the video recap was Rick talking over the videos of my swing and not one of him facing the camera like his own videos.

MarkFromTheUK · August 12, 2018

So when do you embark on your quest for The Open?

Saintee Davie · August 12, 2018

Lol In my dreams!

Mcgeeno · August 12, 2018

Sounds like a thorough and high quality encounter.

I'm glad to hear it.

Rick gets a bad wrap but I think he could help a ton of players.

Saintee Davie · August 13, 2018

Why does he get a bad rap?

Hawkeye77 · August 13, 2018

Why does he get a bad rap?

Let's not go there and get all the keyboard "experts" wound up. You've had a great experience, who cares what people in their mother's basements think!

Sounds like perfect gift for you, and I love reading the recap. Please post more if you have any more lessons, etc.

lewisbeardwell · August 13, 2018

I understand why Rick gets some hate, his videos can be quite annoying to people who know what they're talking about in golf, but he knows where the money is at and knows who to target to get it, the hackers. Can we blame him?

I've met him at The Open and couldn't say enough nice things, walked away rooting for the guy

Saintee Davie · August 13, 2018

Why does he get a bad rap?

Let's not go there and get all the keyboard "experts" wound up. You've had a great experience, who cares what people in their mother's basements think!

Sounds like perfect gift for you, and I love reading the recap. Please post more if you have any more lessons, etc.

Will do! I’d like to get back down before the end of the year if possible but it’s going to be tough getting off work.

PenetratingWedgeStinger · August 14, 2018

Rick might be a bit clickbaity and I'm not the biggest fan of his reviews, but in coaching videos he has a very impressive skill for explaining quite complex golfing concepts in a way that a 5 year old could understand. Not surprised at all that an individual coaching session with him went so well, hope the benefits are long-term for you OP!