Book Review
by Mike Stansfield
Mike Stansfield is the Marketing Director of Fairways

Fall - November - 05
Golf Books for all Ages

The 7 Laws of the Golf Swing
by Nick Bradley

We see a number of golf instruction books each year. Many are targeted to specific areas such as putting and chipping. Other books offer advice and tips to women golfers, seniors or junior golfers. However, The 7 Laws of the Golf Swing is one of the best golf instruction books I have read in a very long time. The book is helpful for anyone, regardless of skill level, that wants to become a better golfer. Visually, it is the best instruction book I’ve seen since I was introduced to Hogan’s classic Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf many years ago.

First and foremost, this book is very well written. Author Dick Bradley covers every aspect of the modern golf swing in a clear, detailed, and very concise manner. He covers each and every facet by explaining what a golfer ought to do, why he ought to do it, and how he can develop the ability to do what he should.

The truly unique feature of this book is the art. One particular picture, a laser beam shooting out of the bottom of the club setting the target line aflame, is so visually and mentally powerful that it burns itself into your subconscious. This picture is used by the author to mentally replace Ben Hogan’s famous visual of the “sheet of glass” resting on the shoulders, with outstanding success.

Another photo that leaves an indelible image is where the hands are almost melting into the club as if both were united in metal. There are a number of similar images which will stay with you long after you have put the book aside. Many of the pictures transpose the skeletal structure over the body so that you can see what your joints and bones are doing as you swing.

Another great aspect of the book is that it is filled with practice exercises that you can use to ingrain into your subconscious what he is trying to teach about the swing.

Here are the laws as presented in this book:
• The Grip
• The Geometry of the Setup
• Ground force Dynamics
• Synchronicity
• Swing Plane
• Firing into the Ball
• Dance with the Target

In his introduction Bradley says that he knows quite a few amateurs and professionals who like to “tinker” with their golf game, "These players are constantly experimenting with new thoughts and tips, and tinkering with their technique in the misguided belief that they will eventually stumble across the perfect swing.” That continual flow of information to the brain, according to the author, causes it to “become so cluttered that none of them have the space to grow.”

Even though for most of us the search for the perfect swing never ends, one of the author's stated goals is to help us get beyond the “tinkering,” by understanding the principles of a repeatable swing, and start to enjoy the game.