Customer Reviews

How to Become a Complete Golfer

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I bought this book from a used book store for $4 because it was cheap. I then put it in a drawer for eight months and forgot about it. Fortunately, I recently pulled it out for a second look. I'm a seven handicap and have read numerous books on the golf swing; many written by contemporary "gurus" and high profile players, as well as most of the classics. I thought I possessed a solid understanding of the golf swing -- until I read this book. I'm now considering boxing up the others and storing them in the garage. In How to Become a Complete Golfer, Mssrs. Toski and Flick provide the most thorough and honest explanation of the golf swing I've come across. This book exposes various myths promolgated by many in the golf instruction industry. However, it is no quick simplification of the swing; it's like a golf text book. It indepthly describes the causes and effects of a proper swing. If you're willing to spend the time studying and incorporating what Toski and Flick teach, you'll gain a true understanding of the golf swing. Although the book is currently out of print, I highly recommend tracking down a copy. It will be well worth the time and expense. I can already see real improvement in my ball striking and expect to have strokes start falling off my handicap very soon.

If I could only have one golf book, this is it. From grip to putt, you get a clear mental picture of the best techniques to get the ball in the hole. It suggests two or three images to feel the "feeling" for each technique that I found very useful on the practice range. It is my golf bible. It helped me improve 6 shots down to scratch.

I'm a seven handicap and have read numerous books on the golf swing; many written by the contemporary "gurus" and high profile players, as well as most of the classics. I thought I possessed a solid understanding of the swing --until I read this book. I'm now considering boxing up most of the others and storing them in them in the garage. In How to Become a Complete Golfer, Mssrs. Toski and Flick provide the most thorough and honest explanation of the golf swing I have come across. This book exposes various myths promolgated by many in the golf instruction industry. However, this book is no quick simplication of the golf swing; it's like a golf text book. It in-depthly describes the causes and effects of a proper swing. But if you're willing to spend the time studying and incorporating what Toski and Flick are teaching, you'll gain a unique understanding of the golf swing. Although the book is currently out of print, I highly recommend tracking down a copy. It will be well worth the time and expense. I can already see real improvement in my ball striking, and expect to begin seeing strokes fall off my handicap.

This is my golf bible. If my house were burning, this would be the only book I would risk injury to save.

I have invested myself seriously into golf twice in my life. The first time as a teenager where I suffered a long painful marriage to an ugly slice which I elliminated with a few golf lessons from a local pro. Nothing can beat a teaching pro that knows his stuff - but a hack can be just as damaging. Anyway, after a brief season in golf Nirvana following some productive golf lessons, I went off to college and stopped playing. Eventually, I lost my swing from years of neglect, while peppered by occasional half hearted reunions via 9 hole company golf leagues I watched as I slowly devolved into a hacker. Finally at the age of 30 or so I admitted to myself I no longer knew how to swing a golf club - piqued by a particularly embarrasing outing on the first day of a company golf league where I had taken a new position. I wasn't one to take much stock in instructional books having unproductively spent my youth trying all the tricks and tips from the pros in various golf "my way" books to fix my slice. But for some reason I bought this book and dedicated myself to developing the swing they prescribed. Thoroughly putting my faith in this book and studying every nuance of the golf swing as described in this wonderful book and hitting the driving range 2-3 times a week and the course once or twice a week took me from shooting in the very low hundreds to mid 80s in about 3 months. I have no doubt that if I had stuck with the game I would have been shooting a single digit handicap by the end of that first year. But again... for various reasons I stopped playing.

I am now 55 and again my swing has devolved to near hacker status from neglect. But my swing fundamentals, as built on the instruction from this book, were so good it took decades to deteriorate from neglect (as in zero to 36 holes per year). I amazed friends that I could shoot so well without ever playing. But time took its toll and I again managed to embarrass myself on the course. So I decided to quit the game or master it - well at least to my satisfaction!

So, I have re-dedicated myself to find that beautiful swing that gave me so much joy at 30 something. I dusted off this book and started again at page 1 and my local driving range and have no doubt I will regain that swing and even excel beyond it now that I have more time to invest in the game - allowing for the added physical challenges of age. Flick and Toski describe the golf swing from so many perspectives you are bound to relate to at least some of them. They describe the physics, the body mechanics, the psychology, the way it feels to strike the ball from the prescribed path and they litter the pages with plenty of diagrams and photos. If you want to learn how to play...take instruction from professional teachers, not professional players! These guys know their stuff! Its not magic, it takes a lot of work at the range, reading and re-reading this book while visualizing in your head the proper swing and while you will see improvement, you will also suffer setbacks and some frustration. But this book gives you the mental tools to analyse your swing and to correct its faults. I learned more about the golf swing from this book than I did from my local pro or any other book. While I thank that pro from so many years ago for fixing my dreaded slice I never really understood how it was done and when things went awry with my swing I had to rely on feel to regain it. But with this book I understood all the elements of my swing because I had built it from the ground up; so even when I got into trouble on the course I was usually able to fix the problem within a few holes by using my head instead of relying on feel.

In summary, I would say this book is not for the sunday golfer that wants some quick tips to get him/her on the right path. This is for someone that aspires to be a good golfer and is willing to invest the time and effort to develop the sound mechanics and understanding that goes into a good golf swing. It is an invaluable guide for the neophyte and a priceless reference for the low handicapper. Buy it.