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Breakthrough in Golf: Building a Winning Golf Swing with the Hip to Hip Method
Curtis Elliot
Reviewed by: Mihir Shah, The US Review of Books
“The only swing mechanic that works is open hips at impact, and it is the only swing mechanic that ‘guarantees’ good timing at impact.”
The perception on the outside is that golf is an easy sport, particularly for those who have never attempted to drive a golf ball a hundred-plus yards with both accuracy and range. This myth is quickly shattered once the club is in hand, and repeated whiffs ensure. However, Elliot’s work intends to instill confidence into the amateur that golf is not just a feasible sport but one that can be mastered using the Hip to Hip Method. At the core of this manual is a focus on conveniently disseminating valuable tips and providing easily digestible guidelines on efficiently perfecting one’s swing.
Elliot’s passion for golf and professional background as an attorney make him the ideal candidate to scrutinize the process of the swing and continue to iterate until the process is effective. What begins as casual weekend trips to the range to teach his eleven-year-old son the game evolves into something far more meaningful. It is an opportunity for Elliot to impart what he has discovered with his tinkering: the hips are what matter most, and all other things from the hands to the club shaft that are typically viewed as integral in golf literature need to be de-emphasized.
Above all else, Elliot acknowledges that he is not an expert, and the content consists merely of his observations of the game from direct experience. This level of humility adds a refreshing angle to the work and caters to audiences who are just getting started. Terms like “over the top with arms” and “rolling wrists” are dissected in detail and allow the audience to avoid common golf pitfalls as they focus on the fundamentals. Breaking it down to an anatomical level, Elliot shows how, in spite of all the swing theory content available, there are three primary muscles at work: the hips, the shoulders, and the trio of hands, wrists, and arms. As such, what is most intriguing is his ability to help the reader conceptualize the hip turns and the various movements using examples of torque and angles.
While the language and structure of the text lend themselves with ease to all audiences, the element-by-element breakdown of the anatomy of the swing is front and center. As the work progresses, Elliot delves into the pre-swing fundamentals, including graphics that demonstrate proper posture and initial grip. The attention to detail in every aspect is next level, but it is most noticeable in the portion where he discusses the hip snap and the immediate shifting of weight and balance. At the same time, these discussions of execution are accompanied by helpful conditioning drills that indicate just how mentally and physically demanding the sport is and how each aspect of the body must be utilized to produce consistent results. For a sport of such great complexity, Elliot proves himself a master teacher, giving audiences an easy pathway by which they can begin their golf journey with the right mindset and skillset to marginalize the “luck” aspect of the game. When it boils down to it, Elliot’s combination of teaching through words and graphics is graceful and is sure to come through to audiences with ease.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review
