Customer Reviews

FINALLY: The Golf Swing's Simple Secret: A revolutionary method proved for the weekend golfer to significantly improve distance and accuracy from day one

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I bought this book a couple of weeks ago. Reading the other reviews and the Camilo Villegas' quote directed to the weekend golfer, I had no doubt this was a great book but I was skeptical it was also good for intermediate or advanced golfers.

I am an 8 handicap and without a doubt, this book was the biggest surprise I have had in a long time. I have played golf since I was a kid, practice regularly and had a two-plane swing. I decided to try the one-plane backswing explained by Tamayo as the proposed shoulder turn swing thought appeared very simple to perform and to repeat. In fact, it was the easiest backswing I have ever tried and the results where incredible and immediate. Not only many more of my golf shots are now hit solidly, but my accuracy and distance judgment improved dramatically. I am making at least 1 or 2 more birdies per round.

Regarding the lag chapter, I finally understood the technical reason of why making a good transition instead of coming over the top has such a huge impact on the distance attained. As I have my swing on tape, I could check that I was making a pretty good lag which explains why I have always hit the ball long. Anyhow, I learned that holding the club a little softer increased the lag I produced and I started hitting my driver around 8-12 yards longer with the same effort.

Bottom line, I HIGHLY recommend this book to all golfers of all skills that are really interested in improving. After reading many golf books, golf magazines and taking lessons for years, I truly believe this book can help your game more than anything else.

Like some of the other reviewers, I have read my share of popular instructional titles out there and gained a little something from most of them. But this book did more for me than any of the others. I have to admit being a little skeptical about the recommendations since I did not know of the author. But when I incorporated these simple principles into my swing, I had an immediate and dramatic improvement in my ball striking quality. If you will just do what Tamayo says, you will be astounded by the improvement. He has managed to boil down a mountain of instructional advice into a few truly golden nuggets that can be applied with great success. Its my honest opinion that you could go for years and not get advice this good.

Mr. Tamayo has created an interesting little pamphlet here. He claims that you can improve your golf swing when you stop focusing on the little details, and just follow his three simple steps toward the secret of the golf swing. He says himself that his book is intended as a "quick fix" book... so if you want to shave a couple strokes off your handicap, you should be able to in short order if you read this.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That's the case here. The tips and advice he gives are sound, and the golf pro I discussed them with agreed with me. However, you won't go from being a 25+ handicap to a 10 handicap in one weekend.

This book is intended for someone who is inconsistent off the tee and in the fairway. It helps to break the golf swing down into simple elements, and allows you to begin crafting a more consistent swing, due to focusing on the checkpoints he gives. You will hit the ball straighter and longer, but like he says, you'll need to engrain his advice into your muscle memory first. Like everything, it will take work. if you are below a 10 handicap, don't bother with this. Possibly buy it as a gift for one of your fellow golfers who struggles a little more.

As many golfers know, however, the true way to really start lowering your scores is to putt, putt, putt, chip, chip, chip, and pitch, pitch, pitch. This book gives little advice on the short game, but that's okay. It's not what its intended purpose is. Combine this book with Secrets of the Short Game and you'll have a good one-two punch to start improving your game.

In summary, if you struggle to swing the club consistently off the tee or with your irons from 120 yards out or further, this would be a good book for you (especially if you have a Kindle... it's only $.99). It will teach you more consistent ball striking and give you a technique that will lower your scores. Combine it with some good short game advice for a true complete instruction.

UPDATE: 7/29/10

I've continued to implement Tamayo's methods over the summer, and there has been some good improvement. My handicap has dropped from 20 to 16 in the last couple months. I am able to get from tee to green with much more consistency now.

However, I wished I had taken video of my swing right when I started using this method. In following Mr. Tamayo's back swing instructions, I developed a severe flaw in my swing that was not perceptible to me. Thanks to the significant upright shoulder turn that the backswing calls for, I was bringing the club head far to the right of where it should have been. It was almost directly over my head. I only noticed this because I asked my wife to video tape me swinging a club in the back yard. The next day, I went to the range and focused on keeping my club head more to the left during the back swing. I asked someone at the driving range what it looked like, and he said the back swing looked right where it should be, even though for me, it felt like it was extremely flat. My ball striking became even more consistent, and the next time I played a round, I broke 85 for the first time in my life. At this rate, this could be the summer of 80.

So, I would encourage everyone trying this method to have someone video tape or otherwise monitor your swing, in order to see if it looks right.

I'm your typical weekend hack. I paly about once a week, struggle to break 100. and usually slice my drives into the adjoining fairway.

I bought this book (the Kindle version) on a lark. It was offered for only $0.99 - I figured it was worth a try. I bought Friday night, read it quickly, and practiced only a few of the drills in the mirror (without a club) before my Saturday morning round.

Everything was different during that round. I followed the setup and backswing instructions listed by Tamayo and my game changed instantly. I was hitting the ball cleanly and my power slice turned into a very gentle fade. I was hitting most fairways and many greens in regulation. I had 9 pars on the day and scored an 83! Up to this point, my low round was somewhere in the low-nineties.

What a difference. It was definitely the best golf advice I've ever received. If you're struggling with your game, buy a copy of the book -- you won't regret it.

When I first read "Finally: The Golf Swing's Simple Secret" I was a little skeptical. I have been playing golf for 50 years to a handicap that, for the last 30 or so years ranged from 11 to a low of 6. My short game has been, in my estimation, the strongest part of my game. I could never count on hitting the fairway or the green due to sometimes repeating flaws in my long game. When my putting went south on any given day (who hasn't been there at one time or another) the increased pressure on my already suspect long game often resulted in disaster and breaking 90 became a challenge.

I read the book and then re-read the passages on the swing and "lag"..then I went out and played...all I can say is OMG. The new problem I have now is that I have to go to the range and find out my new distances to keep from going over the green. The results, in both distance and accuracy, are amazing. The sound my clubs make when I make continual solid hits is music to my ears....what used to be a rare "solid" hit is now becoming commonplace.

I have a Kindle and the price for a download is amazingly cheap for the results I am achieving. This, by the way, is the FIRST time I have ever written a recommendation on the Amazon site.

I've been playing golf for more than 15 years and have read my share of golf books who promise better distance better this better that... But this book I found to be different. It is really for the golfer who doesn't have anytime to practice day in and day out but want to have a fundamentally sound swing. He explains the technicalities for formalities just so that the reader knows that he has thoroughly made his research but the best part is he can breakdown the key moves that matter in the swing so you don't have to worry about other aspects as it will just naturally flow into place. He almost sounds apologetic when he has to explain it in a technical way because he would then explain it in simple terms and you'd probably think why didn't you just say it in the first place. There are four moves he teaches that will change your golf game forever and all of them are very doable bordering in ridiculously easy. Great book! I recommend it even to single digit handicap players

As one who took up golf only two years ago--at age 61--I can attest to the fact that the most difficult aspect of the game for beginners is getting to a point where they can strike the ball consistently and correctly off the tee and from the fairway. I think most would agree that is the first major golfing "hurdle" to overcome.

Then, as other reviews here have mentioned, the next hurdle--and the real secret to lowering one's score--is around the green; i.e., improving consistency and accuracy in pitching, chipping and putting.

Tamayo's little book covers, in simple, plain, easy to understand words, a critical part of getting over that first hurdle. And I should add it's one about which very little seems to have been written. Or at least very little that is as easy to understand as this book.

That's probably why there are millions of golfers out there suffering from the same basic swing flaw: Coming over the top, swinging outside to in, usually leading to slicing the ball and making poor contact.

Tamayo gives some easy to understand pointers and basic drills on how to achieve the proper shoulder turn during the takeaway. And then, perhaps most importantly, once you're at the top of the backswing, how to correctly start the move down toward the ball on the proper swing plane. And finally, once you get there, how to achieve that mysterious quantity called "lag" in order to make better contact.

For those tips and drills alone the book is well worth the price, and I definitely recommend that anyone having problems in these areas, which is most of us, should buy it. You won't be disappointed.

That said, the author asked for feedback and reviews at the end of the book. I rated it 4 stars out of 5 and here are some things that would have made it even better:

First, the photos are all b&w, and I ceratinly understand the added publishing expense issues related to going beyond that. However, many are the small thumbnail variety which makes it hard to see exactly what the subject is doing differently from one frame to the next. So better photos would improve the book substantially. I would add that any instruction book also benefits from extensive use of graphics and drawings to help illustrate key points. And while there are some, more would be helpful, particularly given that the subject matter--proper swing plane and how to get it--is a little obtuse, to say the least.

Second, the writing and editing, while certainly adequate to convey the main points, could be improved as well. Tightening down the editing, for example, rather than shortening the book, would then have left more space for the author to elaborate on some its key points, such as the one about the exact feeling and sensation of proper lag at the start of the downswing.

I bought this book and thought - it is so cheap, if it is just another golf aid book to throw out, I won't have spent much on it. I was pleasantly surprised. I practiced two of the three main tips without a club, in front of a mirror at home for three days. Then I went out on the course and broke 90 for the first time. I have added 20 yards to most of my irons and 40 to my driver! I am looking forward to working on the range.
The way the book describes the backswing made perfect sense to me. I would highly recommend reading it.
Bring on the summer!

I have been struggling with golf for the past two years since a friend invited me to 'check it out'. Ever since, I have developed a 'love-hate' relationship with the game. So frustrating to get the hang of it, but not frustrating enough to let go.

I have had quite a few lessons, including two 'professional' clinics, and spent time on many golf books and videos. I considered myself to be the world's worst golfer. Until I read this. By the time I ordered this I thought what the heck, tried everything already so why not one more?

My biggest issue is having a consistent swing. The drills described in the book can easily be done at home, and so I did over the weekend after I bought the Kindle edition. Then yesterday I played a round of golf but before that went to the driving range. I hit 18 out of 20 balls, longer than usual and consistently straight, using irons 9, 6 & 5. Still, I've had good sessions on the range before, then on the course it would be a mess again. Not this time! My best round ever. I can't believe these simple techniques and drills haven't been touched upon by any of the Pros and teachers I have had the pleasure of meeting (and paying) so far.

Mind you, I have only tried focusing on the swing itself - backswing & transition to downswing - without focusing on the lag creation since I didn't do the drills for lag yet. It feels so satisfactory. I've also had my first ever chip-in yesterday. What an amazing feeling.

I'm no expert and still consider myself an absolute beginner, but no longer the world's worst golfer. Thank you so much J.F. Tamayo, your book is an eye-opener to me. I especially appreciate the very last part of the book, the social aspect deserves top credit as well.

So I can't judge if this is for lower handicappers or let's say below 20 handicappers, but this is definitely for beginners. I have ordered the printed book now for a friend as well. If you're struggling with the game like I did, this is a no-brainer. Good luck with the book and I hope to see more in future, perhaps on the short game. The title of the book promises a lot, and for me I can only say: immediate results.

I have been playing golf for 40 years, since I was 10 years old. Recently turning 50, I have had more frustrations lately than I can deal with. I've gone from an 8 handicap to a 13 handicap, and thought about giving up the game. But since I am in the golf business, that would be difficult to do. I have read literally dozens of golf books, and spent thousands on lessons.

I just finished this fantastic book in less than 24 hours, and I know this is the answer. I haven't even practiced the drills, but I know that this is how the pro's and good players swing the golf club. And I also know before hitting one golf ball that this will change my life.

Kudo's to the author, great read, easy read, and without question the best instructional book with no bs I've ever read. And I do not write reviews. But I felt honored to write this one, as I would like to see like the author, more copies sold, as 50% of the sales will go to charities.

I will review a 2nd time after I've had time to take the lessons onto the course. I can't wait.

I honestly believe I have found it.