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Description
This full-color modern classic of golf instruction by teaching pro Manuel de la Torre (former PGA Teacher of the Year and Golf Digest ranked teacher) presents a simple approach to the golf swing based on Ernest Jones’s widely praised principles. Understanding the Golf Swing includes information on the philosophy of the golf swing (with emphasis on the development of a true swinging motion), the most thorough analysis of ball flights available, and analysis of the principles of special shot play (including sand play, pitching, chipping, putting, and playing unusual shots) and the mental side of golf and effective course management. The final chapter offers an organized approach to understanding golf courses and playing conditions. The result is a blend of philosophy and practical advice found in few golf instructional books. Read more
Publisher : Skyhorse
Publication date : January 16, 2018
Edition : Reprint
Language : English
Print length : 264 pages
ISBN-10 : 1510725970
ISBN-13 : 73
Item Weight : 1.6 pounds
Dimensions : 7 x 0.7 x 9.25 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #140,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #63 in Sports Essays (Books) #118 in Sports History (Books) #154 in Golf (Books)
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Top Amazon Reviews
I'll start by saying that I don't play full rounds of golf as much as I should. I go to the range more often. Almost anyone will tell you that you have to play the full game to get better, and I agree. Believe me, whenever I retire, this is the game I want to play. Not necessarily because I play well, but because I want to play well. In the search for a great golf swing, my room is literally full of piles of golf books, magazines, VHS tapes and DVD's. I also have been a subscriber to a number of online instructional websites. It would be unfair to say that any one of these did not do something to help my game. The problem is, it has taken me this long to realize that too much of this information, including some very conflicting swing theories, is a very bad thing! I am not sure where I first heard of Ernest Jones and his "Swing the Clubhead" book. I decided to give this book a read, and right away liked the simplicity of his approach. Yet somehow I could not translate his thoughts to my swing. When a heard that Manuel de la Torre is a "disciple" of this type a swing, as well as his very impressive playing and teaching background, I gave his book (and later his DVD) a shot. What I really like about his approach is again the simplicity. At times he compares the golf swing to other routine things we do without necessarily thinking. For example, when we throw a ball, we don't think of exactly where the hip, wrist or ankle are as we are making the throw. Granted there needs to be a good sense of the target when throwing a ball. The more you get used to throwing to the target, the better you will get, and in the process getting the FEEL of how to throw it without thinking about it. The same is true of the golf swing. If you read the other favorable reviews of this book, you will see that the keys are visualizing the overall SWING (NOT THE BALL) and taking into account some very simple mechanics to achieve the swing. His basis of the swing is the FULL swing, with the ball only "getting in the way" during the swing. If you are like me and have spent years hitting golf balls, that can be a tough concept to lock into. If you can get this, you are on your way. Manuel's approach is that by keeping the swing rather than the ball as the central thought, the other body parts will take care of themselves. Granted, like anything it takes some regular practice to get the right feel of this swing to be consistent. I have been using this approach for about 6 months, and I can at least say that my shots are a lot more accurate than they were before. Hopefully the better scores will follow. I have seen some improvement there too, but will know better when I start playing more. With this approach, I at least feel more confident when I do get out there. As a side note, to find a way to practice the golf swing more often, I bought some practice hitting mats and Birdie Balls. If you are not familiar with these, Birdie Balls when struck travel only about 40-60 yards. That way I can have these in my car and turn any given empty baseball field into my own personal driving range. The hitting mats are so you won't tear up the grass (and should keep you out of jail if the cops happen to be driving by). Make sure the mats are heavy enough so they will stay in pace as you are hitting them. I happen to use Real Feel mats. Overall this is a great way to keep your swing going if you can't get to the course or range. Give them a try! P.S. I started off giving this book 4 stars, but after rechecking the table of contents, I switched it to 5. With the possible exception of an in-depth discussion of golf equipment, this book (240 pages) is very comprehensive, including both the physical and mental aspects of the overall game. Definitely a solid book, and an excellent value!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2012 by Aging Rocker
Format: Hardcover
If you want to know how to move your body to simulate a golf swing, then go elsewhere. This book with the companion DVD, is probably the finest combined instruction work for many average to very good golfers. The DVD helps illustrate the concepts in the book and is, in my opinion, necessary to get the full benefit of what Mr. de la Torre teaches. Listening to him and then re-reading the book allows reflection and understanding of how his system actually works. And it does work. I am a lower handicap player -- a scratch player a few years ago before age and injury took their toll. Like many of the reviewers, this book is part of a library of golf materials -- including years of Golf Digest and Golf Magazine. My library includes all Harvey Penick's books and his videotapes, all of Johnny Miller's video series, Eddie Merrins' book and DVD set, Plummer & Bennett's book and DVDs on Stack and Tilt, Leadbetter on Hogan, Flick on Golf, Tom Watson's books and DVD, Tiger Woods' book, Hogan's Five Fundamentals and Power Golf, Haney's Essentials of the Swing and The Only Golf Lesson You Will Ever Need, McLean on Hogan and The Slot Swing, Ernest Jones' Swing the Clubhead, Nicklaus's Golf My Way and Golden Lessons, the Pelz series, the Utley series, The Plane Truth and the Plane Truth Master Class, Floyd on Scoring, Phil Mickelson's book and DVD on the short game, Jacob's Practical Golf...and so many others, it is depressing. For my money, the concept Mr. de la Torre attempts to teach as the central concept for learning and playing the game is the more useful of any of them. We DON'T know how our bodies actually move -- modern photography and video analysis has taught us that. Feel is helpful, but it can mislead. So one needs a visual concept of the motion of the swing. The book and the DVD help provide that. When Mr. de la Torre speaks on the DVD, it amplifies the concepts in the book. The book provides a reference for the DVD. And it is not just "swing the club" as some reviewers have suggested. For example, the explanation of "balance" in the grip helps immensely. The discussion of "squaring" to the target makes sense. Most of all the description of the swing in the DVD as an attempt to prevent the body from getting in the way of the swing is a wonderful "feel" tip. Using what one learns in this book and the DVD allows a player to create something that one sees on tour, but rarely sees on the practice tee among even good amateurs: a rhythmic, circular swing. Because the concepts and teachings are positive conceptual prescriptions rather than specific fixes, one cannot overdo them (believe it, I tried). The problem with applying what Mr. de la Torre teaches comes in learning the difference between swinging and creating leverage for a push "swing". There is a difference. If you learn by feel, try to get something like a whippy club or Orange Whip to help with the feel. If your nature is just to work on fixing what each part of your body does -- if that is the only way you can learn -- don't buy this book because you won't get much from it. But if you are willing to work on learning to swing the club and not muscle the club, the book and DVD can provide real help. By the by, for those who believe this is not a fine instructional set, you should read Jim Flick "On Golf," who discusses a pendulum type swing for most golfers, Tom Watson's descriptions of what he is doing -- reacting to the club (the mechanical descriptions are for the reader), Nicklaus's discussion of Watson's swing and his (which says the body movements Nicklaus describes are reactions to the swinging action of the club and how it feels when he does what he does) or John Jacob's discussion of "swinging" in Practical Golf. Mr. de la Torre's approach uses visualization and feel (with visualization as the predominant tool) to teach the motion we seek to learn. It is actually a modern approach. Do the book and DVD do everything? No. His method of bunker play works, but Utley's artificial technique works better for me. He doesn't describe all the specialty shots one can play. And, in my opinion, one needs both the book and DVD to get the most out of Mr. de la Torre's teachings. But for what the book and the DVD are -- concept and application explained in a number of ways as applied to most of our shots -- they are the best. For most of us. Because, as Mr. de la Torre would say, we are all individuals. So his teaching may not work for everyone. But I think it will work for most people.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2012 by MJ Schirmer
Format: Paperback
Been playing golf for over 40 years, averaging once a week with little other practice. Usually a 15 handicap, give or take. Will play well for a few rounds, then lose the feel. Picked up this book on a friend’s recommendation and watched some of the author’s videos online. De la Torre advocates a much simpler motion than most other teachers. He cautions against shifting weight to the trail leg on the backswing, and positions the club more in the palm of the left hand (for a right handed player). I’ve been using his advice for about 10 weeks, and honestly feel my ball striking is much improved. Probably have lost a few yards, but the ball tracks much straighter, and fat shots have disappeared. I’m not saying his swing is the best, but for someone who doesn’t practice often, it seems to be a truly simple and repeatable motion.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2022 by ROBERT WILLIAMS