Customer Reviews

On Learning Golf: A Valuable Guide to Better Golf

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This book will allow you to get the right conceptions for producing a good golf swing. And as Percy says, it is the swing rather than hitting the ball that is the thing. It is not a technical book but he does make technical points in it. Its key virtue is that it gets rid of several common misconceptions about how to swing a golf club. Percy's tone is absolutely wonderful and he has a nice sense of humor. It would have been a joy to experience his teachings in person. Buy the book, read it and then practice its concepts and you will find yourself capable of nailing every shot. Of course, the result is that golf becomes a very fun game again, as it should be. Best golf instruction book I have ever read and I have read a bunch, including Penick, Hogan, Armour, Leadbetter, Haney, Harmon, etc.

Percy Boomer will probably go down in the annals of golf history as the finest teacher in the history of the game. He does this by explaining the proper conception of the golf swing as one athletic movement, not a series of positions to reach as in modern instruction. Boomer had the benefit of NOT having stop motion photography and video cameras - instead, he explains that the movement of the golf swing is a swing in the strict definition of Ernest Jones: that the club should be moved in a centrifugal motion, through the proper use of the core (center) of the body. Much like a pitcher or batter in baseball, a discus thrower, the golf swing according to Boomer employs the same physics, as the body generates this centrifugal force and imparts maximum velocity and accuracy through the clubhead, as the hands and arms act only as connecting agents to the club. All motion below the waist is active, while all movement above the waist is passive, or responsive to the hips, knees and feet. Jones, Hogan, Sarazen, Snead, even Moe Norman, arguably the greatest ball striker in golf history, employ this motion. While none appear the same in terms of setup, posture, grip, etc, they all utilize the body to swing the clubhead - the dog wags the tail!

Boomer is the seminal voice in golf instruction history. Jimmy Ballard developed his theories with much from this book. Ballard even took the term "connection" from Boomer. David Leadbetter and his "dog wags the tail" concept, was directly taken from the pages of this book. Modern instruction however detailed, somehow fails where Boomer excels. Modern gurus believe in positional instruction: lag the clubhead, width at the top and through the swing, clughead leans forward at impact, hit down and through, etc. If the golfer uses the motion described in this book, guess what happens: every one of the aforementioned positions are achieved! Does anyone really think that Ernie or Jack or Tiger try to lag the clubhead and in the last instant, snap it through impact? Of course not, they instead have and do use the motion of their bodies to achieve the centrifugal motion. Centrifugal force is the most powerful force that can be used in the golf swing.

Buy this book and revel in its incredible ability to convey to the reader the conception and feel of a centrifugal motion in a golf swing. You will not be dissapointed.

To put it bluntly...Percey Boomer is God. Percey Boomer knows... but better yet Percy Boomer explains - perfectly...eloquently...amusingly...concisely. The first lesson I had before I ever started playing was to read this book. In three months I broke 80. I still read this book. If you understand what you're trying to do and you understand how to do it and you understand what it feels like when you're doing it right... Then you've read Percy Boomers - On Learning Golf

Of all the golf books I have read, and I have read over a hundred, this pearl has done the most to improve my game. I learned why standing on the practice mat trying to think through the swing did not improve my game. And I learned what had to be done to improve my game. My score, which had languished around 110, started dropping soon after I adopted Boomer's concepts. After three months, I am now in the low 90s to mid 80s and am still improving. Don't pass this gem by! Boomer was the Harvey Penick of an earlier generation and his ideas are still true.

Of all the many golf books I have read this is by far and away the best! Percy Boomer teaches through feel & most importantly his verbage to comunicate these feels to the reader are pure genius! The simple turn, plant, & twist goes a long way in this crazy game called golf! Prior to reading this gem I struggled just to break 100 consistantly. Since reading & rereading this book & practicing I now shoot low 80's and I'M still improving! Everything you need to know is covered in this book! I would strongly advise to read this book many times so as one can fully absorbe & understand Boomer's teachings! The great thing about this book is it is not a dry read! It is very entertaining and Boomers verbage, as I said before, is sheer genius! Again Boomer teaches by feel but he lays down some very basic mechanics but then again the golf swing is a simple thing when one has the correct idea & the feel for it! Do yourself & your game a huge favor and get this book! Penick, Hogan, Leadbetter, Haney, & others pale in comparison to the genius of Percy Boomer! Hey the thing has been in print since the mid 40's so that in of itself shows the info contained therein has stood the test of time! Study it! Practice it! Know it & feel it! You may find yourself writing a review here praising this mans genius! Just listen to the other reviewers it is no hoax!!!!!!! GET THIS BOOK!!!

I first read the book 10 years ago when I was learning the game. Got to a 14 handicap. Reread it this spring and just shot my first 79 today!

I've read more than a few books on golf instruction. Percy Boomer's book is without a doubt the best of the lot. I don't know whether Mr. Boomer was ahead of his time or whether modern golf instruction just lost its way somewhere along the road. The fact is that these old time pros knew what they were doing. The "tricks" and "tips" of today's pros found in the pages of golf digest etc. are just that. Let Mr. Boomer show you how to build a repeatable swing that will produce consistent results. You won't be disappointed. My only regret is that he's not still around to give lessons.

I'm amazed that this golf book doesn't seem to have been recognised for the gem that it is. By far the best golf book there is, and I've read over 100. Boomer was WAY ahead of his time, and I'm convinced a lot of the more recent golf instruction authors have been influenced by his work. And yet, this book is still the best in communicating the feel of the golf swing.

This book has been in print for over 50 years! SO it would stand to reason that the information contained within has stood the test of time! Percy Boomer was a teaching genius! The book is very well written, clear, concise, and to the point! Boomer teaches by feel and goes about explaing the different moves in different ways to make sure the reader has an accurate grasp on what needs to be done! It is amazing on Boomers take on the mental game ala concentration & focus! Needless to say dome gurus wont' like this aspect of his teaching:D To sum it all up it is the only book on golf you need! Read it, practice it, and watch your game take off to new heights! I first read this book over a year ago! AT the time I was shooting about 107. It is now a year later my handicap is a 6 and I'M still improving! THIS IS THE ONLY BOOK ON GOLF YOU NEED! LET BOOMER SHOW YOUI THE WAY TO GOLFING BLISS!

This is one of a handful of books that any serious student of the game should read carefully. Perhaps the most important contribution that this book makes is that it beautfully describes FEELINGS associated with a good golf swing. He uses the term "controls" to describe the way the body learns to perform complex actions. I found myself laughing at how well he describes thoughts and sensations one feels in the journey of learning golf. His writing style adds to the value of the book (he's pretty sharp and funny). The premise is that you must feel to learn the golf swing. He uses terms like "a glorius sweeping of the ball" to describe what happens at impact during a good swing. He also makes the contention that ones initial instincts about the golf swing are mostly harmful to learning a good golf swing. Hogan clearly borrowed a bit from Boomer in Five Lessons. I can't say enough great things about this book. I would encourage anyone to use this book as an ajundct to all of the four Harvey Penick books. In my opinion, Penick is the best pro of them all, and he quoted Boomer pretty regularly.
The Scottish teachers and early American teachers used mind pictures and sensations to teach golf. In my opinion, they know the best way to learn is to use sensations and mind pictures. This lets the persons own natural ability learn how to square the clubface with every club in the bag