By Dick Aultman and Ken Bowden

This is a puzzling book to categorize. While not exactly a book of instruction, you will learn more about the golf swing digesting Ken Bowden and Dick Aultman’s The Methods of Golf’s Masters than you will at the practice tee. It is a unique blend of astute analysis and historical exactitude, probing the origins and evolution of the modern swing, using 16-famous players, each emblematic of a particular nuance of style, for demonstrative purposes. The authors also have an exciting new premise: “A recurring theme in this book is the influence the master golfer’s personalities have had on their playing methods.” It is a curious viewpoint that can ultimately assist us in our own development. The authors’ theory is that the most influential factor determining both a golfer’s swing and his style of play is his temperament and that forcing technique outside of a natural comfort zone can only end in disaster. That personality should be so dominant a component is surprising, but the evidence they present is convincing.