Champagne Tony's Golf Tips

jonnygrouville · February 10, 2015

Not regarded as an instructional classic, but I love it. Simple and... just... cool as a cucumber. Far more than "golf tips" which is now the odd page in golf magazines otherwise full of adverts, advertising and the odd promotional article for new golf clubs from the big manufacturers.

Some highlights...

About the driver...

"This is the big boomer and, as far as I am concerned, the most important instrument in the kit. Why? Because I regard the drive as the game's Big Shot. You can talk all you like about putting and chipping, and this shot and that one. But if you can't put the ball out there in playing position, all the rest of the words can be sung to the tune of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"."

Love the chapter called "How to hit a golf ball"...

"Golf is a game that is measured in yards, but the difference between a hit and a miss is calipered in micro-millimeters. Catch the ball squarely on the "sweet spot" of the club and you're rewarded with a fine shot. Miss it by a hair, and it's over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go."

"The golf swing is not a one-hand swing. I don't care what anyone says about hitting the ball with this hand or the other hand, or controlling with the left or the right. It takes two to tango and two to swing. Those two hands have to be working together of, man, you're playing another game entirely!"

"The heart of the golf swing is the knee action."

"Timing and rhythm mean everything in the golf swing. These are natural qualities that can be sharpened and refined. But if there is nothing there to begin with, we're in trouble right off the bat. Some people are born with a little metronome buried in a crevasse of the brain. Others spend their lives knocking over lamps every time they reach for a cigarette."

Talking about his swing with his extra knee action and straight left arm.... "Are these personal characteristics good or bad? Should you adopt them? I wouldn't recommend that you model your game on anyone's."

Very modern this... "The exaggerated firmness of my left arm, for example, is ideally suited to my physical structure - and blends into the pattern of my swing."

"All I can say is that if your head doesn't move at impact you can't be holding a club in your hand. Not only does the head recoil, but so do the shoulders and the whole trunk of the body. They have to."

"Remember to keep the back of the left hand square to the target all the way through the shot and finish high - "throwing" the hands at the target."

"One final thought on the golf swing. Nobody ever hit a ball on the backswing. This is, not willingly. So there's no reason to get that clubhead up there in a hurry. Take lots of time. Carry that club back slowly and smoothly. The whole point of the backswing is to get the club in a position to use it. So keep that backswing slow and silky."