Five Fundamentals: Steve Elkington Reveals the Secrets of the Best Swing in Golf - Hardcover

Steve Elkington; Curt Sampson

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0345421523 ISBN 13: 9780345421524

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 1998

Synopsis

If you've watched PGA champion Steve Elkington play golf, you know what the perfect swing looks like in action: an elegant, apparently effortless stroke with stunningly accurate force. Now in this instructive book, Elkington shares the techniques and strategies behind that trademark swing, which his colleagues have named Best on Tour five years running. The secret is mastering the Five Fundamentals--the grip, the setup, the backswing, the downswing, and tempo.

"My aim is to provide a benchmark, a basis on which any player can build his own, authentic swing," Elkington writes. "I won't discuss faults or fixes. Golf is a series of linked fundamentals; let's eliminate your faults from the moment you pick up the club."

Applying the "flicker" or "flip book" technique in swing sequences with the driver, six-iron, and sand wedge, Five Fundamentals shows the rhythm and balance of Elkington's motion better than any still photograph could convey. Combining these swing sequences with lively text, breezy personal anecdotes, and special sections addressed to the advanced player, Elkington takes you step-by-step through the five fundamentals, providing a program to improve your game notably.

Practical, straightforward, and specific, Five Fundamentals uncovers profound and often unexpected insights from the owner of the best swing in golf. It's destined to become a fundamental part of every golfer's library.

About this title

Review:

Ask any foursome of professional golfers who possesses the most sound swing on tour, and the response will be a gimme: Australian Steve Elkington. In Fundamentals, the PGA champ tees up his secrets, breaking down the essentials into pretty much the same pentathlon--grip, set-up, backswing, downswing, and tempo--as the great Ben Hogan did in his '50s classic, Five Lessons.

Elkington's style is anecdotal, personal, conversational, and friendly; he talks you through his methods and thinking, with an emphasis on getting things right from the start rather than fixing faults acquired along the way. Throughout, he offers particular tips for advanced players, and he ends with useful advice on equipment, a section geared specifically to shoring up the short game, and an excellent series of exercises geared to keep golfing muscles loose and limber. Where Five Fundamentals really scores is in its ability to show as well as tell. It is peppered with helpful still photographs. Better yet, the top and bottom corners of the pages use the old flicker technique; flip them quickly and you'll be able to see Elk's sweet swing in action whacking a driver, a six-iron, and a wedge from the sand. In his hands, it looks so easy; the challenge is making yours look the same. --Jeff Silverman

About the Author:

Steve Elkington has won the best and biggest tournaments in golf: the NCAA (twice, with the University of Houston); the Tournament of Champions (twice); the Players Championship (again, twice); and the PGA Championship. In 1995 he won the Vardon Trophy for lowest stroke average on the Tour, averaging 69.62 for the entire year.

Coauthor Curt Sampson, himself a former club and touring professional, has written five other books, including Hogan and The Masters.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0345421523
• ISBN 13: 9780345421524
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 174