Fix It Yourself Book Review

Fix It Yourself Book Review

Fix It Yourself
by David Leadbetter with Ron Kaspriske
Grade: A
Teachers’ Comments: An owner’s manual for the golf swing.

on Amazon

Fix It Yourself is, in essence, an owner’s manual for the golf swing. When something goes wrong with my car the first thing I do is check the owner’s manual. Going forward, as things go wrong with my swing, I will first check Fix It Yourself.

Written by notable golf instructor David Leadbetter, the lavishy illustrated volume addresses 72 common swing problems. If you are having issues with losing connection, turn to “Fault No. 12” and see what Leadbetter has to say. Poor contact while chipping? Check “Fault No. 51.”

Each fault is diagnosed with probable cause, and advice on steps to address it. Leadbetter offers a drill, and a swing thought for each fault.

The book addreses setup, backswing, downswing, rhythym and balance, driving, puttiing, chipping, pithing, sand play and the mental approach.

For my part the thing I’m working on is overswinging (Fault No. 19). Leadbetter discusses how an overly long swing makes it much more difficult to synch everything on the way back down. He suggests an exercise that involves rasing the club at address in front of you to a preslotted position, and then simply rotating the torso. From there, you unwind and swing.

It makes sense to me, and I’ve been trying it.

Fix It Yourself is an update of Leadbetter’s 1993 Faults and Fixes. I am not familiar with that one, so I am unsure as to the extent to which Fix It Yourself represents a rewriting or improvement.

All that said, as we know, it is often the case that what is wrong with your car can’t be fixed at home with the owner’s manual. Major or consistent problems need to be resolved by a professional. The same is true of the golf swing. While Leadbetter’s book may set you on the correct path, there is absolutely no substitute for the tutelage of a PGA Professional.