AS I MENTIONED EARLIER THIS WEEK, golf instructor David Leadbetter had a lot to say about the A Swing, his new approach to the golf swing and also his first book in a decade (The A Swing: The Alternative Approach to Great Golf / St. Martin's Press).
You can read the Q&A here. Following is the rest of what he told me.
Q: Please feel free to offer any other comments or thoughts.
DAVID LEADBETTER: I'm excited about presenting the A Swing. I feel there needs to be a shakeup in the way this game is taught. The game proves too difficult for most people to play to a reasonable level.
When I'm doing clinics or presenting seminars to amateurs, my first question to them is this: "How many of you are satisfied with your golf games?" Virtually no one sticks their hands up. So it appears to me that the vast majority of golfers are frustrated and we need to find an easier approach so that golfers with little time to play and practice can go out and enjoy themselves and hit a lot of good shots. Although we are in an age of technology, where we can analyze swings to the nth degree, this does not in most cases, make it easier for most golfers to play better. In fact it complicates things because so much information is being thrown at the golfer. Only a very small percentage of golfers in fact take lessons. How many more would take them if the information was simple and they could see quick improvement?
So in the final analysis, if we are going to grow the game and keep people passionate about playing it, we need to get the message across in a simple, uncomplicated manner. My feeling is that with the A Swing, it's easy to teach, easy to learn, and easy to teach teachers to teach.
There really has not been a change in the approach to golf instruction for many years. There have been the odd methods and wild claims thrown about, but essentially, certainly for the masses, golf instruction remains very complicated. Teaching a tour-player-level golfer is one thing, but teaching recreational players is totally another. The great thing about the A Swing, it does help players of every level. So, my advice to golfers out there, if they have tried a lot of different things, are frustrated with their games, and don't see a lot of improvement, that the A Swing is definitely something to try. All I can say in our testing, is that the benefits have been amazing, and in most cases, have been immediate.
As you can probably tell, I am very excited about the A Swing. It's my first instruction book for ten years, and I really wanted to wait until I had something profound to present to golfers.
The A Swing may be a little controversial, but as long as one is not scared to change, or stuck in tradition, the benefits that golfers may see using the A Swing, may be quite extraordinary. The book is beautifully presented, simple to follow, with about 200 color illustrations, and is a simple step-by-step approach to creating the A Swing. As I say, if you want to play your A game, you want to try the A Swing.
Source: David Leadbetter Postscript on 'The A Swing'
Q: Please feel free to offer any other comments or thoughts.
DAVID LEADBETTER: I'm excited about presenting the A Swing. I feel there needs to be a shakeup in the way this game is taught. The game proves too difficult for most people to play to a reasonable level.
When I'm doing clinics or presenting seminars to amateurs, my first question to them is this: "How many of you are satisfied with your golf games?" Virtually no one sticks their hands up. So it appears to me that the vast majority of golfers are frustrated and we need to find an easier approach so that golfers with little time to play and practice can go out and enjoy themselves and hit a lot of good shots. Although we are in an age of technology, where we can analyze swings to the nth degree, this does not in most cases, make it easier for most golfers to play better. In fact it complicates things because so much information is being thrown at the golfer. Only a very small percentage of golfers in fact take lessons. How many more would take them if the information was simple and they could see quick improvement?
So in the final analysis, if we are going to grow the game and keep people passionate about playing it, we need to get the message across in a simple, uncomplicated manner. My feeling is that with the A Swing, it's easy to teach, easy to learn, and easy to teach teachers to teach.
There really has not been a change in the approach to golf instruction for many years. There have been the odd methods and wild claims thrown about, but essentially, certainly for the masses, golf instruction remains very complicated. Teaching a tour-player-level golfer is one thing, but teaching recreational players is totally another. The great thing about the A Swing, it does help players of every level. So, my advice to golfers out there, if they have tried a lot of different things, are frustrated with their games, and don't see a lot of improvement, that the A Swing is definitely something to try. All I can say in our testing, is that the benefits have been amazing, and in most cases, have been immediate.
As you can probably tell, I am very excited about the A Swing. It's my first instruction book for ten years, and I really wanted to wait until I had something profound to present to golfers.
The A Swing may be a little controversial, but as long as one is not scared to change, or stuck in tradition, the benefits that golfers may see using the A Swing, may be quite extraordinary. The book is beautifully presented, simple to follow, with about 200 color illustrations, and is a simple step-by-step approach to creating the A Swing. As I say, if you want to play your A game, you want to try the A Swing.
Source: David Leadbetter Postscript on 'The A Swing'