How to Feel a Real Golf Swing- A Comprehensive Review

[ballshagger]

Great recommendation for reading and drills.

After getting into the book a little, its seems to me that Mr. Loves intentions are that just about everything we do in the swing, if done correctly, should support the hands.

Its been a while since I've read any of Mr. Loves book. I like his straightforward language.

I am using the book daily with the drills inside the house while the ground outside is frozen.

[Babydaddy]

Ballshagger

I have the book "every shot I take" where you can learn a lot about DL III's dad's teaching. He was heavily influenced by Harvey Penick, which is why I initially got that book, because I wanted to hear anything I could from the people that Penick taught. That's why I have Ben Crenshaw's book, and both of Tom Kite's, along with both of Kathy Whitworth's books as well.

This is the only book that I have seen that progresses the way that it does.

Also, slowing down as they recommend in practice, really does help you sort out swing flaws. I think it is far more valuable than video because you are feeling it, and perceiving it at the same time when you go slow.

In order to go slow, you have to relax and feel your hands. This book has been the single most effective book that I have read in terms of effecting legitimate change.

Penick's books are the best all-around golf books in my opinion, but in terms of pure swing learning, this Toski/Love book is just rocking my world.

[ballshagger]

Man I would love to have DLIII's tempo and swing speed.

I can remember doing most of these drills back when the book came out. Glad you menitoned here on the forum.

[thenextnumber1]

is there any drills for practicing good rythum and tempo in this book that you could share with me?

Thanks.

[ballshagger]

There are a couple listed above. Most of the drills in the book are awarness, tempo oriented.

Yardstick drill- holding a yardstick in your hand like a club. Taking slow swings checking halfway back at the top impact . Its such an easy drill, yet the flatness of the yardstick helps id wether you hand positioin is correct or not.

Two club swing-swinging two clubs one in each hand at the same time. Starting out slow and increasing your swingspead. Optimum swing spead is the one just before your swing in either club breaks down.

Holding two clubs one in each hand upside down. Try tapping the grips together as many times as you can. All the while trying to keep loose, and aware of the fact that its easier to tap the two grips together as you grip tension is loose.

Hope I represented the book accurately.

Each chapter has a number of drills to help the hands, arms, legs etc. throughout the swing.

[goldenwave77]

Pitfalls of the Toski-Flick methods--"How To Be A Complete Golfer"


Just wanted to add some comments of my own re: this book which is referred to in earlier posts. It was, in fact, used as a PGA--instruction text some years back...I believe in the early 80's. Its features-- (i) emphasis on free arm swing, with light grip pressure...very much lead arm oriented, (ii) de-emphasis on lower body action, generally, (iii) slight emphasis on left-knee separation to initiate downswing, (iv) quite well-organized with its "5 P's--Posture, Preparation, path, pace and one other, (v) well-written w/ more entertainment, literary value than say Hogan's 5 Lessons, (vi) fairly comprehensive, (vi) emphasis on "weak" left hand grip, (vii) upright, 2 piece swing plane.

When I was 20, worked with PGA pro-- tore down my old, unschooled swing, and built it back up during a summer at Bethpage State Park in NY. I was the typical good-sized 6'2 quite athletic former basketball player and tennis player who could not figure out why golf was so difficult: After all, it was just a repetitive, rhythmic athletic motion...can it really be more difficult than shooting jump shots coming off a double screen, or hitting topspin backhands (back in the wooden racket days)?! Like most rt-handed athletes, an overactive rt-hand rotating forward and through killed any chance of good golf shots. (Exactly the reverse of throwing a football, serving a tennis ball, pitiching a baseball, etc.)---9 irons that never rose more than 20 feet convinced me that something had to be wrong. Could hit the ball with some authority. at times..but no ht., or consistency, etc....never broke 100

Decieded something was wrong.
proshook head..."we got a lot of work to do". So 10 weeks on the practice range.....using drills from the Toski/Flick book....rt-hand off after impact, the "claw", putting ball up against a 2 by 4 to ensure "inside out" swing path...rt-hand only drills to feel rt wrist folding under at top, etc. . After about 2 months, I had a repeatable swing that was not half-bad...he pronounced me ready for a set of Hogan Apex irons...and the stiff shafts were a definite improvement....mostly leg motion was de-emphasized...as he told me "....the arms come up....the arms come down"----that is most of the swing. Towards the end of the summer, I had a repeatable fairly reliable swing...I could hit some good shots and keep the ball in the fairway with a power-fade-ish driver swing that allowed me to make a good aggressive move into the ball knowing that it would left-center of the fairway, middle or rt-hand 1st cut if if I'd really blocked out...more importantly I could hit a high, soft faded iron into an elevated green. Felt, at times like this game was getting to be reasonable and enjoyable & could shoot in mid 80's depending on my putting....was maybe 6-7-8 greens a round from back tees...short game was terrible, aside from pure putting but that was to be another project for another day. Distances were 235-240 with persimmon woods....7-iron was about 145 with steady 10 yd. differential and the 2 iron would go for 210-215 when driving it on the short par 4's. Most importantly, irons held with good ht. though not backing up on public course greens. (Once played San Antonio a week after the Seniors and was able to back up 6-irons...) ....unfrtunately for my golf game went off to law school and my clubs gathered dust....tried to get back into game after 7-8 yrs. and couldn't find the flashes of magic again...iron were too short, too high and lost to the right way too much of the time, and did not correspond to the tee shot and fairway wood distances I hit.

After seeing myself on video coming after my 1st golf 'retirement'...I had aggressive, ankle and knee slide with good arm extension...but never really got off the back leg properly...I remember seeing Curtis Strange's Jimmy Ballard swing which looked like he was walking into the ball as he swung but he squared the club up, and could draw the ball with control, too..my swing, never had proper rotation of hips, and I had good clubhead speed coming into ball but did not retain lag angle properly...

Bottom line on Tosk/Flick method---there is much, much of value in their method but I came to believe that one could be a B+ type golfer using their techniques but could not really play superbly without paying more attention, directly, to leg drive....like any method which depends on wrist/forearm release...timing is everything.---I do think the Toski/Flick emphasis on light grip/feeling the club swing and not pressuring it from the top with the right hand is a huge step forward for most players--also the emphasis on a quiet axis to swing around is a vast improvement than lungeing, etc.

Major shortcomings of Toski/Flick ---don't feel they emphasize need to clear left side through hip rotation and necessity of getting off of rt. leg--though full swing photos of Toski and Tom Watson clearly show this happening. You can play reasonable, but not great golf, and play well "within yourself" using T/F "arms are the key principles".