Golf: From the Ball Forward [Paperback]

Dr. Gerry E. Crumbley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2006

If you just want to play golf and have fun, to be able to hit it and find it and hit it again, to be able to play bogie golf or better, don't think about what happens in the backswing. Think about what happens from the ball forward: Let your mind take over and your natural abilities come out.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Gerry is an amateur golfer. His thought process is free of any mechanical and technical jargon. As a health care professional he has been trained to ask the question "why". Why is this patient ill or in pain? What is the cause? Why did it happen? He has been trained to look for the cause of disease or pain and not simply treat the symptoms.

Dr. Gerry has taken this training and applied it to his golf game. He understands the brains amazing ability to control the body. This new "swing thought" has changed his game 100%. He's not a pro and never will be, but golf is beginning to be a lot more fun!

He was fortunate to have been asked to treat the players at the 1998 Sarazen World Open Golf Tournament. He worked with many PGA and European Tour players including Brad Faxon, Payne Stewart, Bernhard Langer and Mathias Gronberg. He was also asked to provide care for the players at the 1999 John Smoltz Celebrity Golf Classic.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Well, as I racked my brain and researched the golf swing I began to get some crazy thoughts. And, for some reason those crazy thoughts actually made sense to me. Thoughts that have actually helped me play better golf. Thoughts that I take with me on every swing. To me they're the ultimate "seeing through." So, I want to share these thoughts and ideas with you so maybe they will help you "Play" golf and not just swing at the ball."

"There is something very simple that separates poor golfers from good golfers I've seen fat men shoot 70, I've seen hunks who couldn't hit the ball 200 yards. I've seen the most goofy, awkward swings that hit the ball right down the middle every time, and I've seen great swings who end up all over the course. My question is WHY? It's obviously NOT all in the swing. There's got to be something else." "I want to try to get you to think of the golf swing differently. Try to get you to think of what happens from the golf ball forward. By doing so you will allow your brain to fire the muscles and make changes necessary to get you to accomplish what it is that you're trying to do."

"Here's one important lesson: You must know what it is that you are wanting to accomplish in order for your brain to cause response to get your body to do it. You must know ahead of time what you want to do."

"Think about throwing a rock at a tree. Do you think of where your elbows are? Do you think of your wrist flexion? Do you think of shifting your weight forward? NO. The only thought you have is where do I release this rock in order for it to start toward the target. That's it. You're thinking from the rock, forward."

"First we must understand this: You don't try to hit the ball! I know you're saying, "OK. This guy has lost his mind! How can I get the ball to go down the fairway if I don't HIT it?" Listen, I didn't say don't hit the ball, I said don't try to hit the ball."

This book explores a whole new approach to the PURPOSE of the golf swing. It does not teach swing mechanics, but rather focuses on helping to change your perception of actually what happens during the golf swing.

There is no cure-all for the golf swing, there never will be. It's all in our heads. If we let our brain take over we will be amazed at what we can do!"

Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing (July 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1553695879
• ISBN-13: 978-1553695875
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,504,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Golf: From the Ball Forward - A Worthwhile Read, December 22, 2002

By 

Ken Pine, The No Talent Golf Guru (Clarksville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golf: From the Ball Forward (Paperback)

I have read a lot of golf books, really like the new book, Golf: From the Ball Forward or Stop Thinking and Start Playing It is full of good advice and should help any golfer who chooses to include it in his or her library.

The material included in chapters 2 through 5 and chapter 7 is important to the studious golfer. I believe in these ideas a lot.... There is no time to think. The player has to swing fully from the top of the backswing, all the way through to a full forward finish. The idea that one focuses on "what happens after impact" is inherent in swinging to a full finish. It also relates to what Percy Boomer calls "inverse functioning" in his book, On Learning Golf. I think the whole concept of swinging to a full finish, balanced forward and up is important and I like the way this idea is reinforced over and over in the book.

I am especially enamored with the chapter on "Calibrate Your Brain." I teach this idea, but know of only one other writer/teacher, Dean Reinmouth, who recommends this practice. Rather than tell a student golfer how to hit a ball, I would rather they just learn to hit it where they want it to go. If the ball is taking off to the left, I tell them to hit it to the right. If it curves one way or the other, I tell them to curve it the other way. It doesn't take too long for a student to learn to move the ball around at will.

I have to say that I like almost everything about the book except for the part about "two points." My experience tells me to forget about what's happening with the release of the swing through the ball. Most people do it way too early anyway. I just have them focus on keeping their hands ahead of the clubface. I consider the idea of keeping the hands ahead of the clubhead to be one of the few true fundamentals of the swing.

The book is not meant to be the only and final word on the golf swing. I am not sure such an endeavor is even possible. But the book was worth doing and it is certainly worth reading.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW,Stop thinking? That helps already., November 16, 2002

By 

Gene Crumbley (Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golf: From the Ball Forward (Paperback)

Gerry has hit on something that should help anyone play a better game of golf. Just to be able to step up to the ball and not have to think of numerous things to do, makes a big difference. Thinking "From the ball forward" has helped me to concentrate more on my swing and follow through and I now hit the ball much straighter. Being in the fairway more has lowered my score. I really think it will help yours also.