CEgolf.com

Casey Eberting Golf Schools and Private Golf Instruction
In Texas Hill Country between San Antonio and Austin, Texas
(35 minutes north of San Antonio International Airport)

What I Teach

What I teach is different from just about everything you've ever heard about the golf swing, and I do this for very good reason. Ben Hogan knew a little about the golf swing and possibly the most important thing he knew was that a fundamentally correct swing was far different from what everyone else thought it was. He gave a clue to his thinking when he wrote that a golfer's first instinct is wrong (see first instinct, which should open in a new window).

In the past sixty years, things still haven't changed. Rather than take heed of Hogan's direction, just about every golfer and golf instructor in the world continue to focus on the first instincts Hogan mentioned as being absolutely wrong. It's no wonder that after about three years of playing, most golfers reach a point where no matter what they do, they just can't improve beyond that level. Basically, their physical ability has taken them as far as they can possibly go with their faulty swing and no matter how much they practice and play, that's likely to be as good as they're going to get for the rest of their lives!

Many instructors feel Hogan's swing was unique to Hogan, and that it was a swing no one else could ever learn or use. This is so very wrong and the reason it is so wrong is because golf instructors don't have the slightest clue what Hogan really did with his swing. Because they don't understand it, they can't teach it, and if they can't teach it, how is anyone going to learn it?

Why don't golfers and instructors understand the best swing of all time? Well, there are three problems. One is that everyone is looking in the wrong direction—using the wrong paradigm, or perspective, based on our first instincts. Two is that everyone relies on one or both of Hogan's two books: Power Golf and, more likely, Five Lessons. Unfortunately for those who use Hogan's books to learn about his swing, they give you very little that will lead you in the right direction. Hogan worked much too hard to develop his swing and there was no way he was going to just give it away to anyone who paid a few bucks to buy his books. Three is that video is not a good tool for understanding Hogan's, or any golfer's, swing—video is two dimensional, which means anyone using it is only seeing a small part of the real swing!

Regarding the books, they can be of help if used correctly. What they do is provide guide posts that one can use to verify their theories. In other words, Hogan wasn't telling you what to do, he was telling you where to look. You still have to do the work to figure it out!

As a final point, Hogan was not saying that his golf swing was unnatural. Quite the contrary. Hogan's swing was more natural, in a biomechanically correct sense, than that of any other golfer who has ever played the game. If you look at how the body works in other sports where correct biomechanics come more naturally, and apply those motions to the golf swing, you'll probably be heading in the right direction.

One question golfers might have about learning Hogan fundamentals is: is it difficult? Of course it is. But so is learning any type of golf swing! Since golf is difficult no matter what, why not put in some extra effort and learn correct fundamentals so that you ultimately become a much better golfer than you would otherwise? One caveat, modifying a bad swing, which means a person alters, but still essentially retains the bad swing, is what almost everyone does and is easier and quicker than trying to develop a fundamentally sound swing. Of course, you reap what you sow, so this path usually doesn't accomplish much in terms of improvement. Real improvement takes effort and time and if you're willing to work, you can become a much better golfer.

Now that you know that what I teach (Hogan fundamentals) is different, it shouldn't be a surprise that how I teach is different as well—I've adapted my teaching method to enhance your understanding of the golf swing as much as possible. I give much more information on how I teach over the next few pages, but let me give you a brief explanation.

The one thing about my instruction that initially surprises people is that students do not hit balls during instruction, at least not during the initial instruction at a CE Golf School (in follow-up instruction, hitting balls into a net is an important aspect of the lesson). As radical as this idea may seem, it makes perfect sense. While most golfers prefer that an instructor watch them hit balls and fix any problems right there on the range, this is band-aid instruction, and much of it is not likely to have any lasting beneficial effects on one's golf swing.

For true swing improvement to occur, you have to forget about what the ball is doing and focus on teaching your body the key fundamental movements of a biomechanically correct golf swing. Of course, you first have to develop an understanding of what a correct swing is. Once you've done this, then you go out and practice...and practice...and practice, in order to get the results you desire!

Next Page—prerequisites for getting instruction from me

Contents—descriptions and links to the varied topics at CEgolf.com

CE Golf Schools—Casey Eberting's San Antonio CE Golf Schools and Private San Antonio CE Golf Schools