Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Practical Golf

John Jacobs is one of the most influential golf instructors among his peers, probably more influential among his peers than with the general public - but of course, over time, that means that Jacobs did influence the general public. This book, originally published in the early 1970s, is 144 pages with line drawings for illustrations.

John gives us the basics and builds on the vital necessity of knowing what is going on, the geometry of the golf swing.

Get your copy of PRACTICAL GOLF Here

Lady golfers will especially like the section provided and helps throughout for them, such as "why women raise up on their toes" and "ladies, you can hit it further"

Trouble shots, strategy, equipment selection are all provided in one volume that anyone starting in the game or desiring to shave strokes will reap benefits from. Having gone to a Jacobs school, I can proclaim that this book is a good one to study and mold one's swing after.

 Awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1997, Jacobs also achieved fame as a television commentator, author of several books (including the best-selling Practical Golf), a two-time Ryder Cup captain, and, from 1971-'75,

Friday, January 18, 2013

Harvey Penick -Little Red Book

Harvey Penick - Little Red Book was in his 80s when this book came out, and the book itself just entered its second decade of printing. But the words within were compiled over the course of Penick's 60-year teaching career, jotted on scraps of paper that Penick saved and finally collected. It has become the best-selling golf instructional book of all-time.

Get your LITTLE RED BOOK Here

The legendary Harvey Penick, who began his golfing career as a caddie in Austria, Texas, at the age of eight, worked with an amazing array of champions over the course of nearly a century, dispensing invaluable wisdom to golfers of every level. Penick simplifies the technical jargon of other instructional books and communicates the very essence of the game, and his Little Red Book is full of inspiration and homespun wisdom that reflects at once his great love of golf as well as his great talent for teaching

 The lessons Harvey Penick teaches the basics and fundamental of the game of golf that we all should go back to.. The golf swing is basically the same, and Penick could teach it better than anybody. For most of his life, he never intended to publish his Little Red Book, a notebook of golf wisdom and anecdotes that he compiled with the idea that he'd pass it on to his son.

But, for the sake of history, it's a good thing that he changed his mind. Contained in its 175 pages is just about all you need to know about golf from a technical standpoint, along with Penick's priceless memories of working with famous pros, teaching absolute nobodies to get the ball in the air, and finding a horde of bat guano and hauling it across town in a pickup truck to fertilize his golf course

  This book is about life,"Take Dead Aim!" With his teachings and those words as my mantra, I have not only improved the quality of my golf game but I have improved the quality of my life. This book is a testament to the fact that not all things in life can be had by making more money than the other guy, but rather by finding what you like to do (play golf), work at being the best you can be (practice), and then treating others as you would be treated were you in their shoes. A must have for not only any golfer interested in improving their game, but for anyone. 



 Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings From a Lifetime in Golf started out as a notebook of things that he learned about golf over the years.  He opens with, "An old pro told me that originality does not consist of saying what has not been said before; it consists of saying what you have to say that you know to be the truth".

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Swing the Clubhead - Ernest Jones

Ernest Jones was one of golf's first "superstar" instructors. He taught decades ago, but what he taught - summed up in the title of this classic book - is still influencing golfers and teachers of the game. Jones realized you couldn't have a swing unless you have the motion of a swing in the clubhead.  Furthermore you couldn't dissect motion into parts and still have motion: therefore it is impossible to take a swing apart and still have a swing.

Get your SWING THE CLUBHEAD Here

There is a frustratingly easy drill in this book that I want to share here. Jones uses the example of a pocketknife tied to the end of a handkerchief to illustrate a pendulum motion. The knife builds speed as it travels along the swing arc.

 The teachings of Ernest Jones are of a distant generation, yet no one with the possible exception of Percy Boomer, has such an influence on modern day golf instruction. Jones is quoted in countless magazine articles, and golf instruction books by well known players and teachers, including Jack Nicklaus, and Gary McCord. McCord, most well known for his humor in golf broadcasts, is a very intelligent and serious student of the golf swing. In his book Golf for Dummies, McCord lists Swing the Clubhead as one of his Top Ten Golf Books.



This book is easy to understand and really exploits the current-day theories and how they target people like you and me. They have a great revenue model: Adults, particularly men, thrive on details and information.

They keep throwing us more "swing secrets" and gadgets and we keep asking for more - when does it end? Swings come in all shapes and sizes - stop chasing that "perfect swing" and go back to the true roots of the golf swing...swing that clubhead!


By producing a swinging motion with the clubhead you will have:
  • Rhythm and timing
  • Maximum acceleration at the bottom of the arc
  • A repeating arc = Accuracy
  • Centrifugal force = distance
  • Balance