Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

I have read numerous books such as "Search for the Perfect Golf Swing", "Understanding the Golf Swing" and "7 Laws of the Golf Swing" that break down the golf swing in terms of its essential elements. However, for most people, these books are highly detailed and only interest academics or purists. The classic book on the modern swing such as Hogan's "Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf" and more recently, "The Eight Step Swing" by Jim McLean, cover the full swing in a clear manner. However, many golfers come in various shapes, sizes, abilities, and flexibility. This book helps you succeed with what you have.

For many golfers, they have neither the time or desire to focus on so many mechanical or technical details. The essence of many golf experts have been addressed (including the latest `vogue' styles, like the One Plane /Two Plane method or the Arc Putting Stroke) and this is a holistic approach to the various teaching styles. He covers commonly taught `tips' that have hurt a golfer's game, more often than help, and gives guidance what is really important for consistency. The author covers major topics such as how we learn a new skill, learning models, the form and function of style of a swing, the full swing, pitching, chipping and putting. The perspective on the proper methods of practice and how to choose an instructor is covered. The pitfalls and main limitations of golf training aids are covered - which is a valuable point for many, like myself. How to analyze your own swing and understand what dictates the ball flight is empowering. This is a comprehensive book on what is most important with regards to the golf swing.

Areas not covered, in detail, are course management, choosing equipment and the mental game. With regards to the mental game he refers to Bob Rotella's book "Golf is not a game of Perfect".

The book is well written and has many helpful illustrations and photographs that communicate his points. The writing style flows well. The author covers at times, his own struggles in the game, but speaks about he was able to overcome them. Each chapter is well organized and easy to follow. This is not a book where a reader can just read a chapter and understand the entire message. You can; however, refer to certain chapters to review a specific point. One of the most valuable areas of the book is the section on understanding ball flight. I have seen similar depictions of the analysis of ball flight from writers like Manuel de la Torre but Mr. Laurentino's explanations are more practical and concise. The author not only has a mastery of the golf swing, but the gift of communicating and teaching it to his students. What has never been covered in any book is what factors dictate direction and what factors dictates speed in a golf swing. He gives the reader the tools to critically examine `golf tips' from various sources.

The author, Mr. Laurentino, breaks down the full swing into what is negotiable and not negotiable in a full golf swing. Rather that revealing specifics to you, I would prefer if you read this book yourself. This book truly simplifies the golf swing in what is essential and gets away from following a 'specific technique' that many other books try to prescribe. This is a great book, and it ranks up there with other `classics' of golf instruction.

With regards to an update in the future, I would like to see `bullet points' or `summary boxes' for a quick reference. I would also like to see illustrations of some of the techniques or drills described in the book.

VERDICT:

I highly recommend this book.

Most of my comments have been said elsewhere, but as the dubious owner of dozens of golf instruction books (including the excellent Pelz putting and short games tomes) I can say that this book is in the top tier. The ball flight description alone is worth the price of admission. If, over the course of your golfing life, you buy five instructional books - this should make your list.

After growing tired of quick fixes, tips from magazines, internet advice and often conflicting instruction, I wanted to find a book or teaching style that would not intend for me to have a major overhaul of my present swing. The search is now officially over. I have read his book and already applied some simple setup changes that have had a dramatic affect on my striking of the golf ball. Mr. Laurentino's book does a superb job of explaining the laws of ball flight and offers ways you can change it for yourself without overdoing the the changing of your own individual way of swinging a golf club. We all have inherent tendencies in our individual golf games that are OK to play with if we want. He calls these things "negotiable". It is a refreshing way of looking at what can be adjusted and what you should strive to accomplish when making any of the changes he recommends. There is a large portion of the book spent on short game play which I feel is a bonus. I highly recommend anyone who is tired of searching for answers and spending exorbitant amounts of time and money to hopefully improve their golf game to read this book.

I spent several years and a lot of money taking video lessons at golftec, an outfit where they strap sensors all over you to analyze your swing and then compare your angles and movements to tour pros, both visually, and with numbers for spine angle, turn, etc. We spent more than a year just working on backswing. So ultimately, it was both interesting and refreshing to hear that the backswing, in its entirety, is "negotiable." Imagine the face on your golf pro (especially at Golftec) when you say this. Then show your pro all the touring pros who have unusual backswing moves and achieve great results.

The simple fact of this book is that just about everything you are told about a golf swing is "negotiable." Seriously, other that one or two things, it's all negotiable. The book asks you to focus on the data that you have available to you about YOUR swing, namely, your ball flight and your ability to videotape yourself.

Much of the book is meant to help you understand your ball flight and what could be causing it, as this is the primary data we all have. After about ten years of studying the golf swing, there's very little here that seemed new to me. It's most summaries of things you've probably heard before. For instance, if your ball starts right and then fades further right, it's due to an inside out swing path and/or an open club face.

Though the author makes some interesting and subtle distinctions for how to look at this data from time to time - like understanding that club face angle has a much greater effect on the ball than club path - it wasn't nearly worth the price of this book.

If you know the basics of swing path, face angle, weight shift, etc., don't bother with this book. If you need some evidence that studying Vijay and mimicking him isn't likely to help your game, break out your wallet.

I have been playing book for 36 years and have read at least 100 books and magazines articles. Found things in this book that were expressed differently that made the light went go on for several key points. 1. Pivot around the hip sockets. 2. Shoulders are the most important alignment.

The section on ball flight is worth the price of the book, best ever. Peter Jacobs book comes close but you raised the bar.

When is the last time you bought a golf book and the author would answer your email. Joe will and has done that for me.

Does not give quick fixes but will give you a path to work to improve your swing no matter your level of play.

After all the golf swing is always a work in progress.

Why is Tiger's swing so different to Furyk's yet both "get the job done"? But don't just stop at that comparison - look at all the pros and there are just so many variations.

So it's very refreshing to see a PGA pro discuss different aspects of the swing and explain what is negotiable and what isn't, but more importantly, WHY, and what to look at and correct if you want to hit the ball better.

There's a reason why out of 20 reviewers so far, all have given this book a 5 star review. And why some of those reviewers, like myself, have been compelled to write their first review to give others the assurance that, yes, this book is good. Well, actually, the book is brilliant! The best part, after all the $$$ spent on equipment and lessons over the years, is that the book is only about the cost of a bucket of balls. Great value for money! Now if only I can find a pro who'll guide me through the minor changes that I need in my swing, rather than the latest "perfect" swing model...

Okay, yes, the book is a bit "light" on chipping and putting. But guess what? There's more variation in these by pros (eg. putting - stance & grip; chipping - Pelz open stance, Utley parallel) that the same non-negotiable principles for the swing, apply to these. So it doesn't take much to figure it out.

This book is for a golfer at any level and experience.

Now, if Joe would only write a book about "Your Consistent Golf Swing"...

This is the Best golf instruction book! The author allows you to be an individual and shows you how to make your swing work. Just the section on chipping is worth the price of the book. It's probably the first book I've read cover to cover in 10 years. I'm reading it again because there is so much good info that I want to get it all. The instruction has taken much of the stress off of my swing and allowed me to really start enjoying golf for the first time in the 40+ years that I've been playing. There is so much good and understandable info that this is a must read if you want to play better.