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BOOK REVIEW
by Rick Hendershot, The
Weekend Golfer
A-Game Golf
by John Anselmo with
John Adrisani
1997, Doubleday
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Say you coached a young golf phenom for eight years between the ages of 10
and 18. And then a few years later he turned out to be one of the greatest
golfers in history. You'd probably be considered one of the best teachers in the
game. Right?
Well, yes... and no.
By the age of 10 Tiger Woods
was already a national phenomenon, having appeared on national television at age
3 and winning the Junior World Championship by the time he was 8. So when Earl
Woods went looking for a coach to take his son "to the next level", everyone he
talked to recommended John Anselmo.
Why? Over many years of teaching in
Southern California, Anselmo had established a reputation as an outstanding
teacher of young golfers. His approach was simple and "natural" focusing on
common sense down to earth images and explanations rather than "scientific" or
textbook theory. He emphasized insight and imagination, rather than the quest
for perfect mechanics.
Personally I think this contrast between
mechanical and intuitive teaching is usually overstated. Who are these
mechanics-oriented teachers? Butch Harmon? David Leadbetter? Harvey Penick? Jim
Mclean? Not according to them. Virtually every well-known teacher says "I don't
try to confuse a student with lots of theory. I don't change something just
because it doesn't conform to the mechanical model. I don't tinker with
something that isn't broken."
On the other hand, we expect teachers to
actually do something. And most of us are impressed when they confidently tell
us what they are going to do. That usually translates into swing mechanics,
preoccupation with the take away, position at the top, sing path, and so on, and
so on.
This is the dilemma the "natural" teacher
finds him or herself in. It is the reason teachers like Anselmo don't get credit
for the accomplishments of their students. If they are not introducing any
serious adjustments, how can they take credit for any success that might follow?
Didn't it just take place "naturally"?
The
irony is that Anselmo is not as "natural" as he claims. For instance, it is
simply not true that Anselmo did not make major adjustments to Tiger's swing. He
goes to some length describing how he had Tiger change from a classic
flat-planed, around-the-body, hook-waiting-to-happen-at-any-minute "natural"
swing, to a more Nicklaus-like upright swing. Anselmo was following Ben Hogan,
and says as much (page 13). Note the accompanying picture of Anselmo's own
position at the top of the swing, and how much Hogan influence there is in it.
The most interesting parts of the book are where he contrasts
"the Anselmo way" with "the conventional way" of executing shots like a draw, or
a power fade. What is striking about these comparisons is how much simpler "the
Anselmo way" sounds. Again Anselmo has much in common
with Nicklaus. As Nicklaus says in the video Golf My Way "to hit a fade all I do
is open the club face slightly, and aim left of the target". This is virtually
identical to what Anselmo says: "Aim the clubface at your target, and your feet,
knees, hips and shoulders left of it." (p.51). What could be simpler than
that?
There are also some interesting insights into Tiger's swing
"secrets" — although Tiger's swing is obviously not a very well kept secret. And
interesting descriptions of some of the imaginative shots for which Tiger has
become famous — you know, the punch shots, winding draws around trees, and those
200 yard fairway bunker shots.
But all in all this book is less notable
for its insights into Tiger Woods, than it is for its descriptions of the
teaching methods and swing techniques of John Anselmo. If a guy like Tiger could
be subjected to the "simple" approach for 350 or so lessons and come out of it
even more proficient than when he went in, that's good enough for
me.
Tiger swing sequence.
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Rick Hendershot is an avid golfer and student of the game, as well as a writer and internet publisher who lives in Conestogo, Ontario, Canada. He publishes several golf related websites and blogs, including Golf Articles and Reviews, Very Special Golf Travel, and The Weekend Golfer's Blog. He also manages an advertising and link placement service called The LinkNet Network.
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