Old golf books

[kmmcnabb]

Good books all but...

I have Williams book (great copy that cost me about 60 bucks) two or three years ago (I got lucky with Abe Books. I also read the paper which I think is fine for general understanding of his work and the paper is much easier to get (I have a pdf copy somewhere and I have sent it to Brian once or twice). You may find it in the archives here.

I love all of Dante's stuff (ahead of his time) and the twistaway is certainly very close to what Dante advocates in the Four Moves. I have all of his others too but really like Four Moves (I picked up many first editions of these from the UK at fairly good prices).

The one book I really recommend is "The Physics of Golf" by Jorgensen. If you want to know how a swing is powered then that book is for you. It is a tough read but the second edition has some really nice additions that make it easier to read for non physics majors (I am a biologist and I thought it was not too bad to understand....of course, I had to go to the Physics department once or twice at my school).

Anyway, my two cents on books.

I love old gold books and most new ones but I am very selective on what I use to make swing changes.

To be sure Brian has helped me a bunch (as my buddies have noticed over the last few years). Hopefully, by retirement I will have it right.

Good luck all.

 

[priceunderpar]

just bought Joe Dante's book on ebay. I look forward to getting it and posting a review afterwards. Thanks

 

[zengolf]

Magic Moves

Anyone heard of the book
The Four Magic Moves to Winning Golf by Joe Dante

Friend sent me a PDF copy. Intersting read as it was published originally in 1962 but seems to be very much in line with Brians teachings (Axis tilt, open face problems, etc)

Seems a better read than any of the "Pop" Instructors stuff that ruined my swing in my teens.

anyone else heard of it?

Gareth

I read this book in my youth, and tried to apply it to my swing. I've spent years trying to unlearn these bad habits. One problem that haunted me was the explanation of the wrist cock to achieve "conservation of angular momentum." For me, it led to a shut clubhead at the top, although maybe I misunderstood the instruction. H. A. Murray's "The Golf Secret" has been more useful for me. His secret is to rotate the left shoulder "down" under the chin on the backswing, and "up" following the same track on the forward swing. Maybe his greatest contribution is making this your single swing thought, excluding all other distractions.

 

[btp]

Here's another one if you like reading,
The Golf Secret (circa 1950 reprint) by Dr H.A. Murray

I read that last year. A great book. Homer Kelley must have read it too.

Seymour Dunn had congruent planes figured out well before Haney.

 

[Noreaster]

I have a whole bunch of Golf Books on the swing and the best in my opinion are in no particular order: Swing the Clubhead-Ernest Jones, On Learning Golf-Percy Boomer, Play Golf the Wright Way-Mickey Wright, The Golfing Machine-Homer Kelly, 5 Lessons-Hogan

 

[DCgolf]

"How to play your best golf all the time" Tommy Armour, "the Mystery of Golf" Arnold Haultain, "Bobby Jones on Golf", Bobby Jones, anything by Henry Cotton.

 

[Aka]

Hi jjmule,

I was interested, and surprised, to read "Dr. Williams was an engineer that played a prominent role on the project to develop the Concorde supersonic airplane". [ I first read "The Science of The Golf Swing" book somewhere around the early 70s, taking it out of the local library simply on the basis I had a spare ticket (pass) rather than being other than sceptical about its practical value, particularly since its cover has mathematical instruments/vector drawings displayed. ]

When I say surprised this isn't to infer I am not aware of his engineering background but just to find out ANYTHING about him published; AND I would like to know all about him, at least that which a layman can follow. I bought a copy of the book a few years ago, for around £200, though I can recall all the salient data. One could read no better book than this, for many reasons. Just one fact; that being a natural left-hander who took to floundering around with right-handed clubs for around 18 years, breaking many sets in the process, and who swung like I was trying to throw the javelin out into space, this book came to the rescue; at least during those rare times I was able to concentrate properly and control all the "wrong teachings" I'd picked up along the way. Dr Williams avers that there is more bad golf played due to wrong instruction than any other cause.

Anyhow you may never read this; but I'd like to find out more about this guy; he deserves a BIG entry in Wikipedia where folks can find the real stuff about the golf swing and avoid all the insignificant and the downright wrong.

 

[Aka]

Hi,

I would like to suggest, as politely as I can, that you did not understand Dr Williams' book properly if you " ...am very selective on what I use to make swing changes". The book, and the articles that appeared in "The Journal of Dynamics and Applied Mathematics", show that due to the forces that operate on the golf club when it is being swung there is no room for deviation; ie you cannot pick and choose what you do; there is only one swing. Also his book is probably the simplest to follow, being mainly brought down to 2 main exercises that, if followed, give one the basis for an effective swing. One of the latest seductive false notions that I've seen is to do with how the clubshaft can be "loaded" with power to help with the shot; in spite of Dr Williams, who helped to design the Concorde after all, going into 3 separate reasons, each of which is conclusive in its own right, that nothing of the sort can actually happen.

 

[scotly]

I have, and read; "Swing the Clubhead", (Jones); "The Golf Secret", (Murray), "See and Feel the Inside move the Outside", (Hebron). They have helped me the most.

Also have a few others, such as "Five lessons", (Hogan), Homer Kelly's TGM, which did not help me.

 

[lucy.m]

I am very proud to say that DrH.A.Murray was my grandfather, he wrote not only The golf Secret but also "More golf secrets".
He wrote a book on tiger tennis to (not that golfers are interested,but hey).
He was an established author and writer of music.

Lucy Murray Devon. England