SWING THEORIES OLDER THAN STOCKTON, HARMON AND THE CAST OF THOUSANDS!

by Doug McAllister

I'm sure that you've seen the recent avalanche of name-brand golf instruction that has saturated the game of late. It seems that you can't swing a pitching wedge without hitting Dave Stockton or Butch Harmon or Hank Haney or Sean Foley or some other notable in golf instruction squarely in the face. With all the hoopla, I found myself asking, is it really all THAT?


Let's take Eldrick for a case study.

Starts out with the venerable Butch Harmon. The whole world flocks to Butch as a result. Tiger's game flourishes. Eldrick wins majors. Everyone is happy! Then something goes wrong. Eldrick's game fizzles. A drought begins. Can't be that Tiger is to blame. Must be Butch's fault. Out with Butch! Bad, bad Butch!

In with Hank...for awhile.

Haney quits. Global golf disappointment abounds. Next Eldrick strikes out on his own. No coaches needed. After all, how can the greatest ever learn anything from anybody?

But, surprise! Suddenly Sean Foley is seen sniffing around Tiger on the practice tee. Eureka! A swing change is implemented that, we are told, will take months and months to groove! But, hallelujah! Eldrick will be back soon!

Now, the question. If Butch Harmon was the best teacher for Tiger then, why not now? Is it that Harmon underwent a questionable neuro-medical procedure — like Ernest Hemingway — and has now lost IT? The same might be asked about Haney. Why not ask that about Tiger?

And a peripheral question: what ever came of Tiger switching putters back and forth and back, again, at St. Andrews? Hmmm! Kind of smacks of the "musical chairs" game being played with his coaches. But, we'll get back to that...in a future post!

And then there's the strange case of Dave Stockton.

Stockton works with Phil. Long made putts are the result. Stockton appears in every golf periodical under the sun and there is much rejoicing! The golfing gospel has a new messiah—Dave Stockton!

But wait! Funny! It's as if I've heard it before. Golf déjà vu? Why is that? Because I have heard it all before. From my golf class teacher, Jay Naylor, from my university days to lessons with my friend Brent Wade to studying books by Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus.

You mean Stockton isn't preaching anything new in the golf instruction game? Absolutely not. And the really sad thing is that when the winds of changes blow in a different direction, Stockton will like be yesterday's golfing fad. His "original theories" about putting, however, will remain in the lexicon of golf fundamentals for everyone to pick up and try.

What am I driving at here? Quite simply the fundamentals of good golf are probably older than Old Tom. And, as it probably was in the old days at the Old Course, golf is the king of the head games.

In the end, it isn't who teaches you that matters. Unless bragging about designer golf lessons and paying the price for them is what "floats your boat!" It's who you choose to believe that shaves strokes. And, hopefully, that who is you!

Hit 'em Long and Straight
...and you don't need a teacher with a brand name to accomplish that!