The Negotiable Golf Swing: How to Improve Your Game Without Picture-Perfect Form [Hardcover]

Joseph Laurentino (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2008

In this book you will discover non-negotiable swing elements, those centred on irrefutable laws of the flight of the ball, as well as the full complement of swing components that are negotiable. This eye-opening tutorial that will empower double-digit handicap golfers, but can also help anyone - from beginners to seasoned to single-digit handicap players. Instructors and coaches will also benefit from a world of ideas on how to assist clients and players that cling stubbornly to their swing mechanics.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Respected cognitive-science research into the nature of learning anything, even golf, has shown that a teaching, fixing, get-it-right approach to progress is less effective than a learning, developing approach. This reality is at the core of Joe Laurentino's approach to golf instruction and The Negotiable Golf Swing, which suggests that golfers stop spending time fixing their golf and start investing time learning to play and learn golf in their own unique way. This can improve a golfer's learning potential, which then improves performance. Joe Laurentino's love of the game of golf and passion for helping golfers can be felt on every page of The Negotiable Golf Swing."
- Michael Hebron, PGA, MP, CI, Golf Magazine and Golf Digest Top 50 Instructors, author of Golf Swing Secrets and Lies; Six Timeless Lessons.

"I have known Joe Laurentino for over 30 years. We grew up at the same public golf course. We both love this game. His passion for his craft shows through in this wonderful book, in which he's clearly done his homework. If you're interested in clear, concise and fundamentally sound information that will in fact make you a better player, The Negotiable Golf Swing is the read for you."
- Tom Patri, PGA, Golf Magazine Top 100 Instructor, author of The Six-Spoke Approach to Golf: A Blueprint for Success.

"Read this book, it will help you understand what the clubface is doing while in motion, what's important in hitting a golf ball, and why the golf ball flies the way it does. The explanation in The Negotiable Golf Swing of the movement of the right arm and right shoulder in the downswing is the best I've ever read."
- David Glenz, PGA, Golf Digest Top 50 and Golf Magazine Top 100 Instructor, author of Lowdown from the Lesson Tee: Correcting 40 of Golf's Most Misunderstood Teaching Tips.

About the Author

Joseph Laurentino is the Head Golf Professional at the Indian Hills Country Club on Long Island. He has been a member of the Professional Golf Association of America since 1997, and has studied the mechanics of the golf swing under the tutelage of Top 100 PGA teachers such as Mike Hebron, David Glenz, Tom Patri, Darell Kestner, Ben Doyle, Martin Hall, and Dr. Jim Suttie as well as the mental game under Dr. Bob Rotella, the renowned author of Golf Isn't a Game of Perfect. Joseph's weekly television golf show, which regularly features elements of the negotiable golf swing, airs in the homes of several hundred thousand cable television subscribers on Long Island. He also writes for local and regional golf magazines.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Mountain Lion Press (March 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977003922
• ISBN-13: 978-0977003921
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #469,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Objective Views of the Full Golf Swing and How to Make Simple Adjustments, May 27, 2008

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 110,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Negotiable Golf Swing: How to Improve Your Game Without Picture-Perfect Form (Hardcover)

Since I started playing golf 30 years ago, I have taken lots of lessons from four different professionals. Each one taught me a different swing, and those swings produced vastly different results on the course. Only one of the professionals taught me a swing that was very repeatable and reliable. That professional spent a lot of time letting me see what the swing was supposed to look like and then giving me lots of objective information on how my swing was different.

With the other three professionals, my game always got a lot worse after taking a lesson . . . even if I hit the ball well during the lesson. I also found that I was confused . . . because these professionals had told me things that contradicted one another.

As a student of how people learn, I'm a big believer in using feedback from experience to spot errors and correct them. But none of the four professionals ever taught me to how take information from ball flight and use that to make adjustments. As a result, I learned relatively little about how to hit the ball well.

I found that The Negotiable Golf Swing was like a breath of fresh air because Joseph Laurentino shows what must happen in a swing . . . and where you have room for personal preferences. After 30 years of confusion, I found that he demonstrated objectively three things that I do wrong in my swing that account for most of my current problems . . . all of which are based on my misunderstanding of what is supposed to happen during a swing.

Without picking on any of the professionals who confused me, it's clear that they demonstrated those three points in ways that included errors . . . errors that I memorized and struggled to repeat. It's clear that the professionals could have used access to this book's fine photographs and analyses.

Before you take any lessons, read this book. I was also impressed that the book referred to the most helpful other golf books that I've read over the years. If I had read this book 30 years ago, I would have been a better golfer and saved a fortune in lost balls and unnecessary lessons for the full swing.

The book is, however, not as complete as the Pelz books on short game and putting. For those important subjects, rely on Pelz . . . as Mr. Laurentino also suggests.

Hit 'em where you want to!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who Knew The Golf Swing is Negotiable?, April 9, 2008

By 

Tony Bradley "s3kur3" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Negotiable Golf Swing: How to Improve Your Game Without Picture-Perfect Form (Hardcover)

I had never really thought about it before picking up this book, but nobody really has a perfect, text book swing. The best of the best in any sport seem to have their unique idiosyncracies, and yet they make it work...for them.

Really. I have been golfing off and on for 30 years. For 30 years I have worked to keep the left arm straight, head still, legs proper width apart, grip perfect, etc., etc. And yet, for 30 years I have a natural tendency to fall into old ways that feel more comfortable to me than the "perfect swing".

After reading this book, I have learned that I don't have to beat my head against a brick wall trying to perfect a text book swing. Laurentino showed me how to take what feels natural to me, and tweak it to make it work. It feels much better to work from my natural comfort zone, and modify those parts of the swing that are "negotiable" to achieve my goals, rather than trying to execute a completely unnatural swing in the name of "perfection".

The lessons I learned in this book have helped me get more distance and accuracy and have definitely improved my game. More importanly though, they have made the game more fun. I can play better with less frustration because I "negotiated" a swing that works with my natural habits. Thanks Joseph.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Connecting the dots, May 12, 2008

By 

max power (Franklin, WI United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Negotiable Golf Swing: How to Improve Your Game Without Picture-Perfect Form (Hardcover)

What so impressive about this book is its ability to help me link the dots in my golf swing. More amazingly, it allows me to choose my own dots and connect them as I see fit; as long as I adhere to some governing rules that are non-negotiable.

Non-negotiable rules related to club face, club path, and swing path, cannot be bent. Hence, you MUST adhere to them in order to improve your ball flight. As I become more aware of them during my practice, I see my ball flight begins to take a gradual ascending shape - this is what I was looking for :). My short and mid iron play is getting sharper. I can't wait to work on my longer irons to make the ball flights more predictable as well.

What this book tells me to do is; as long as I adhere to these simple rules that govern the ball flight, I can keep my own unique swing, even if I don't swing like a pro, and still manage to hit great shots.

This book will pass the test of time and remains as one of the greatest books ever written. It humbly unravels the mysteries behind your unique golf swing and convinces you that; it's ok to swing the way you swing; as long as you adhere to some basic rules of a good golf swing to maximize your ball-striking ability.