Ernest Jones' Swing The Clubhead

Get off of the swindlers YouTube pages and grab this book. This man could shoot better golf on the one leg he was blessed enough to keep after fighting in WW1. I wasted years contorting my body and leveraging my club. This book teaches a true swing in a way a child could comprehend. Grab it and cherish it. I fully expect to see you all at the US Am this year. Let the real practice begin.

What does my title to this review mean? Well, my journey to find the correct way to swing the club (like many of you) has taken me on many different paths over the years. From reading Hogan's 5 lessons book, to surfing the endless sea of internet information (blogs, forums, etc.), I've seen and tried it all. I've become so frustrated with how to swing the club correctly - as Hogan said, "lost in a labyrinth of my own making". The proper "positions" in the swing sequence (which everyone seems to have differing opinions about) drive me nuts and confuse me and others I'm sure. Then I come across this book; basically because it was about the only thing I hadn't read! There is a frustratingly easy drill in this book that I want to share here. Jones uses the example of a pocketknife tied to the end of a hankerchief to illustrate a pendulum motion. The knife builds speed as it travels along the swing arc. The thing is, DON"T STOP THERE! People just read it and move on thinking "ok, makes sense, but that doesn't help me physically swing my golf club" - WRONG! I took an old shoestring and tied my car keys to the end and tried to swing it like I would a club. The results were surprisingly disasterous; I would swing it back and then when trying to swing it forward, the string would go slack and the keys would either drop to the ground (due to too much slack in the string) or would swing back and almost hit my legs. After initially getting frustrated by this, I kept at it and started swinging it more delicatly and thought less about my body motion and more about getting those keys to swing smoothly (until about eye level) backward and forward. After a few more tries I mastered swinging with the string staying taught back and through, back and through...it felt much more natural and freeflowing than my initial attempts. I "felt" like I was swaying a bit, but that's what it took to keep the weight swinging and the string staying taught. I next grabbed my driver and pretended it was the same simple device..making sure I retained that delicate, gentle feel. Still felt really good and repeatable. I went out the next day and shot an 84, and I normally shoot in the low to mid 90's. My shots were straight and distance was better than ever...AND I wasn't thinking nearly as much. Absolutely amazing! You've got to trust me, this book is easy to understand and really exploits the current-day theories and how they target people like you and me. They have a great revenue model: Adults, particularly men, thrive on details and information. They keep throwing us more "swing secrets" and gadgets and we keep asking for more - when does it end? Swings come in all shapes and sizes - stop chasing that "perfect swing" and go back to the true roots of the golf swing...swing that clubhead!

This review is in response to another reviewer's comments that this book, 1937 copyright edition, is not any different than the later 1952 copyright edition republished by Golf Digest, and, that it is a beginners book and one needs to go further than the techniques and principles advocated by Jones in order to develop a sound golf swing. Said reviewer needs to go back and read both books again. Although the 1937 edition adequately describes the Jones' theory and is recommended, the 1952 edition is a rewrite which incorporates the results of another 15 years of instruction experience by Jones. A discerning reader will find it to be better organized and more thorough, particulary the chapter on obstacles to the swing. As far as the reviewer's comments that one needs to go further, this person has missed the whole point of the Jones' technique. When I was first introduced to "Swing the Clubheas" I was told that "if it is not in there, you don't need to know it." Today, more than 20 years later, I teach via the Jones' method and can say that if one truly applies oneself, all that needs be done in the swing will be done; you need do nothing else but "swing the clubhead." A true understanding of the technique, however, is not obtained by a casual reading of the book and an impotent effort to understand and apply the idea; it requires some time and a sincere effort. Fine wine is not produced by crushing some grapes and dumping them into a vat for ten minutes. It takes time to mature. The Jones' technique is infallible and complete if diligently applied, and, if it is not in there, you truly don't need to know it.

This book changed my thinking on the Golf Swing. For many years the swing seemed so complicated. After reading this book I was amazed at how simple the swing is. I started hitting the ball much better and enjoying the game more after finishing this book.

I can't say enough about what this book did for my golf game. I've been struggling in the in the mid 80's for years and finally broke the 80 barrier with a 78! Bought the book about 3 1/2 months ago and have been working with the idea of just focusing on the drills and thinking of swinging the clubhead - leaving mechanics to take care of themselves. All I can say is what Ernest Jones teaches works! And it works for the average player who hasn't spent 5 hours a day for ten years working on his swing. Give this book a try and really try to implement what it teaches and you will get better. The lesson it contains is subtle, but when you get it, you'll only be thinking of where you want the ball to go and swinging the clubhead.

Considering all of the books that have been written about golf, it is rare to find one that is so concise and clear. This book is all anyone will need to start learning golf. For those of us who have cluttered our minds with technical golf garbage over the years, this book is a great start to taking out the trash!