Bobby Jones built on Vardon's techniques and was the ultimate swinger of the club for his times.  His timing and tempo were superb, and he was also a good teacher.  In the 1930's after he retired, he made a series of instructional films for Warner Brothers that are still classics, and have been aired on the Golf Channel.  Jones wrote a book called Bobby Jones on Golf in 1966, which summed up his life experiences with the game.  He was able to convey the methods well, without a lot of technical mumbo jumbo.  He also spoke to the mental side of the game and something called “courageous  timidity” (a term he borrowed from Harry Vardon's contemporary, J.H. Taylor) which is the courage to keep trying in the face of bad luck and disappointment, and the timidity to appreciate and appraise the dangers of each stroke and to make wise decisions.

In the 1930's and 40's Percy Boomer brought more great insight into the golf swing.  He said that “Every good shot is the outcome of a satisfactory psychological-physical relationship.  It is this relationship that gives control and consistency."  He also said that "You must me mindful but not thoughtful as you swing," which means when you are playing have one simple thought in mind, like "Tempo" or "Turn" and not a million things at once.  The practice range is the place to be "thoughtful" - not the course.  He also said that a "good golfer feels his shot through his address,” meaning that when you place your feet on the ground in preparation for the shot, your body settles into place as well, and you are getting ready to "go," like a boxer having the proper footwork necessary to throw a powerful punch.  Boomer was famous also for his image of swinging inside a barrel to create the sensation of the proper body and shoulder turn.

Ernest Jones was another teacher of that era, who preached "swinging the clubhead."  What he meant by this is to concentrate on the clubhead itself, since it is what actually makes the ball go anywhere.  Thinking of swinging the clubhead rather than worrying about what all the body parts are supposed to do provides the simplest and fastest way for a golfer to reach his or her potential.  Brute strength means nothing if the club cannot be delivered to the ball in the proper way.  Modern teachers such as Jim Flick advocate the same message - concentrating on the clubhead as the instrument that makes the ball go where we want it to.  Ernest Jones also proved that two healthy legs are not mandatory for playing good golf.  After losing a leg in World War I, he was able to shoot in the 70's with an artificial leg.

In the 1940's and '50's came Ben Hogan, one of the greatest ball strikers the game has ever known. His books Power Golf (1948) and Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf (1957) were highly successful, if perhaps too technical for the average golfer to grasp and use productively.  From Hogan we got the idea of "swing plane" being so important to a golf motion. That is, the angle in which the club goes backwards and then forward through the ball should be almost identical if the golfer is to find consistent success.  To quote Mr. Hogan, "It is utterly impossible for any golfer to play good golf without a swing that will repeat."  He also believed that there is no reason why any golfer with reasonable physical coordination can't shoot in the 70's if he or she only practices the proper golf moves.

Jack Nicklaus wrote his book Golf My Way in 1974 and stressed many of the fundamentals his own teacher, Jack Grout, engrained in him:  1) the grip, 2) the set up (for example, with a 5-iron stand 20 inches from ball with a 12 inch wide stance, with a driver 30 inches, 15 inch stance), 3) steady head 4) proper footwork 5) full extension back and through the ball, and 6) quiet hands.  Jack also said that tempo + rhythm = timing, and that this creates good shots because your sequencing of movements has to be correct.  He also covers physical conditioning in the book, the short game, and the aspect of how to practice properly.

Tiger Woods, perhaps the best who has ever played the game, authored his own book, How I Play Golf, in 2001.  It covers all aspects of the game - full swing, short game, and mental approach.  It also has wonderful full swing shots of Tiger that people 100 years from now will study the way we study the swings of Bobby Jones or Harry Vardon today.

There are other theories to playing the game.  One you may or may not have heard of is the "Natural golf" system, which was a creation of the late Moe Norman.  He was one of the purest ball strikers the game has ever known, but he was an eccentric, and from Canada, so most people have never heard of him.  He spoke of “feeling” the swing, and "owning" it.  This aspect of "feel" is a common thread with most teachers, and no better examples of them can be found than Bob Toksi (a member of the USGTF, by the way), Jim Flick, and the late Davis Love, Jr., who all talk about "feel" as one of golf's bedrock truisms, but one most golfers don't really grasp fully.

There is also a philosophy of making mechanics the keystone of the swing, which is absolutely essential, but I believe sometimes players pursue this at the expense of feel and the intuition required to play half shots and creative shots.  Check out the Model Golf.com website for more information.

For the particular needs of women, Annika Sorenstam, Nancy Lopez, Judy Rankin, and Vivien Saunders all offer good instructional books.  Women can achieve just as much success playing golf as men can, but there are general differences in strength and physique that cannot be dismissed lightly.  I also believe women are generally more open to suggestions for improving their game, whereas "machismo" and stubbornness prevent a lot of men from realizing their potential. 

For my ideas for teaching young children, click here