B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 120; Flight Crew Type 2797
Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Speed All Types
Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors; Procedure
While flying a new hire [training] trip on 737-900ER we had a leg to LGA. Due to runway length and ops alert regarding landing cautions we elected to land flaps 40 with brakes max. We were planning on flying the RNAV visual approach. I was cautious about coming to LGA as it had been a few years since landing here before but my student FO was doing a great job so I let him have the landing. We planned for the RNAV visual 31 and briefed as such. Once 15 miles south of airport we were told there was an issue with the current version of that published approach and that we would have to fly the Expressway Visual 31. This approach was a tighter left turn to the runway with no vertical guidance except the VASI. After quickly re-briefing the new approach we continued. The approach was very tight and close to the runway following the procedure making the descent steep and in a tight left turn around a stadium. My FO could barely see the runway for most of the base to final turn and I then had to constantly talk him through the descent and turn. Being in a flaps 40 condition and in a steep (approx 35 deg) turn I saw that he was getting slow and thought I heard the stick shaker come on for a second while I was commanding more thrust be applied.  We were able to land at 1;000 ft and stop without issue but the approach had left us shaken. It was not a safe procedure in the -900ER that close with so much pressure on the runway length.
B737-900ER Check Captain reported concern that the LGA Runway 31 Expressway Visual Approach is not safely designed for that aircraft type.