Interview with Joseph Laurentino, author of “The Negotiable Golf Swing”
If you haven’t been able to tell, I love golf books. When I finally made the decision to become a student of the golf swing, I went on a mission to buy up every good golf book that I thought could help me become a better teacher. One book that grabbed my attention while browsing on Amazon one day was “The Negotiable Golf Swing: How To Improve Your Game Without Picture-Perfect Form,” by Joseph Laurentino. After reading all the good reviews, I decided to pull the trigger and give the book a shot.
“The Negotiable Golf Swing” turned out to be a great read. I really enjoyed Mr. Laurentino’s outlook on teaching, as he really focused the book towards those golfers wanting to teach themselves how to play the game. Instead of just spouting off as much information on the golf swing as he could muster up, he brings to light the aspects of the golf swing that a self taught golfer needs to focus on when practicing. That being said, it’s easy to assume this is a book only for those just starting to play the game, but I feel it also offers a lot of great advice and information for advanced players as well. It’s very easy for low handicap players to forget that they don’t need to have a picture perfect swing to shoot low scores, and Mr. Laurentino’s books is a reminder of that.
I was lucky enough to get in contact with Joseph Laurentino, and ask him a few questions about the golf swing, his outlook on teaching, and his favorite golf instructional book.
Parker: As a golf instructor, who have your biggest influences been?
Joseph Laurentino: There have been many along the way. Since I became a pro I took lessons from many pros and I read pretty much most of what there is to read about the golf swing, so I have been influenced by many; Leadbetter, Ballard, Haney, Cook, Pelz, Glenz, Rotella, and the list goes on and on. I’ve learned something from every lesson I took and every book I’ve read. But by far my biggest influence is Michael Hebron. His influence took me in an entirely different direction. In the ‘90s I believed that everyone needed to have a perfect swing and I would break each golfer’s swing down and try to get them to do just that. After meeting Hebron, taking lessons with him, and studying his work and influences, the light bulb went off for me and I realized that my methodology was not the most effective way to help golfers with their games. At that point I really started to focus on how humans learn physical motor skills.
Parker: What are the top 3 swing-related issues you have seen most frequently with your students over the years?
JL: Posture would be first. Golfer bend their knees too much and have too little spine angle (their upper bodies are too vertical). This causes the shoulders to move too horizontally, along with other things, and it makes it difficult for golfers to swing the club on an effective swing path. Second, most golfers grips are too weak (open-faced), making it difficult to square the club through impact. And third, most golfers come “over the top” with an outside-in swing path and slice the ball, which is the most common ball flight. Of course all of these three things I mentioned are interrelated.
Parker: What is your biggest pet peeve about the way golf is taught today?
JL: That the approach is similar to the one I used to use – trying to get golfers to swing with picture-perfect form, like Tiger, or a computer model. Some instructors are now taking it to another level and using motion capture sensors, like the ones they use to make video games, to help golfers. They are breaking the swing down into the smallest parts possible then trying to put it together piece by piece with each golfer. The problem is golf is a physical skill, like walking, riding a bike, and throwing a ball. The approach to learning golf should not be like assembling a model airplane. And while you may get some results with this methodology, it will be limited. And I’m not against using technology, in fact I have a lot the “tech” toys in my life (DVRs, Blackberry, satellite radio, Ipod touch, etc), and I do use video in my lessons, but when it comes to learning golf I think technology is making things worse.
When it comes to present-day golf instruction, I think if humans learned to walk the way the current community teaches golf, we would still be walking on all fours!
Parker: What do you feel separates you from the pack as a golf instructor?
JL: My approach is different than some other coaches in that the first thing I do is to understand the resources that each golfer has, which is basically time and money (to play, practice, take lessons, etc), their inherent physical ability, and of course, their personal goals. Then I try to find out as much about them and how they think and learn and come up with a plan. So every lesson I give is quite different. I can have a 70 year-old woman who’s goal is to hit her 7 wood straight and carry it 80 yards in the air, and my next lesson might be a fellow golf pro or top level amateur, so the lessons will be quite different. Also, my philosophy is strongly rooted in ball flight and getting my students to understand what they see. Ball flight is non-negotiable – the ball does something as a result of what the club did – period. When golfers truly understand that relationship they can then start to work on making the club do what they need to correct their ball flight or to learn how to produce certain ball flights. Understanding feedback is how humans learn physical skills and golf is no different, so in my opinion, understanding ball flight is absolutely necessary to a golfer’s improvement. The other elements; grip, stance, backswing, etc. – the things I call “negotiable elements” need to be understood in relationship to how they influence the movement of the golf club, which in turn influences the flight of the ball. But you shouldn’t have a certain backswing swing because some book or instructor tells you that’s what’s needed; it’s only a helpful idea if it gets you to move the club more effectively through impact. One way can’t work for everyone, everyone is different, which is why there have been so many great players with different style swings. My focus is on getting golfers to find their own effective golf swing – the one that works for them – regardless of what it looks like compared to a computer model.
Parker: If you could only read one golf instructional book (not written by you) for the rest of your life, which book would you choose?
JL: Wow Parker, that’s a tough question! If I had to choose just one I would probably choose Mike Hebron’s book, “Golf Swing Secrets and Lies: Six Timeless Lessons”. The book never really took off in sales, and was criticized by some for its lack of organizational structure and writing style, which I understand, but there are some really great insights in that book.
Parker: What is the worst swing tip you hear players giving to each other on the range and on the course?
JL: The worst tip, and it keeps getting passed on from generation to generation is to “keep your head down and your eye on the ball”. This tip is so bad that I actually dedicated a couple of pages in my book to explain why.
Parker: Ben Hogan said in his book, “Five Lessons,” that he thought anyone in good health and with average physical ability could break 80. Do you think that’s true?
JL: My question would be was Hogan referring to a family person with a full-time job and four kids, with only time to play on the weekend? Or are we talking about someone with plenty of time, focus and dedication? Again, the resources that individual has would have to be taken into account. But even so, I would have to disagree with Hogan (as potentially dangerous as that might be to my reputation!) because some individuals, while being of average physical ability, may not have the inherent skills to play golf in the 70s. For example, there are many professional athletes who have obviously excelled to the highest level in their sports, yet struggle when they play golf – and they can’t break 80. In my opinion we are all born with inherent physical skills, some for golf, some for basketball, and others for playing a musical instrument – we’re all very different in what gifts we were given at birth.
Parker: What has been the most rewarding aspect of being a golf instructor?
JL: The most rewarding thing is watching how excited students get when they start to realize their golfing potential which could be breaking a personal goal, liking breaking 80 or 90, or to hit shots, whether it’s learning to draw the ball, or to hit a simple bunker shot, in a way that they only dreamed was possible, and I got to be a part of helping make it a reality. The look on their face, and the excitement and fun they experience is absolutely priceless. It’s the driving force, in my lifelong journey, which keeps me striving to realize my own potential as a golf coach.
Download Joe’s FREE eBook, “Unraveling Golf’s Greatest Mystery” at:
http://joelaurentino.com/laurentino-ebook.htm
You can learn more about Joe by visiting his website at:
Check out his blog at:
To purchase an autographed, personalized copy of
“The Negotiable Golf Swing: How To Improve Your Game
Without Picture-Perfect Form”, please visit:
You can also find the book on Amazon.com, Borders.com,
BarnesandNoble.com, and in local bookstores.
-Parker