The following reviews are just a few examples of the praise that "The Negotiable Golf Swing" has received, and are copied directly from Amazon's website. 

The Negotiable Golf Swing

The Negotiable Swing is, by far, the most straight-forward and informative golf instruction book I've read to date. The concept of "negotiable" vs. "this way is the only way" is long overdue, particularly because one size does NOT fit all. The illustrations are top notch. For any golfer (even a lefty like me) who wants to think out of the box, this book is for you. It has been said that "tradition is the enemy of progress." The Negotiable Swing is certainly a break with tradition...in a very positive way.

Connecting the dots

What so impressive about this book is its ability to help me link the dots in my golf swing. More amazingly, it allows me to choose my own dots and connect them as I see fit; as long as I adhere to some governing rules that are non-negotiable.

Non-negotiable rules related to club face, club path, and swing path, cannot be bent. Hence, you MUST adhere to them in order to improve your ball flight. As I become more aware of them during my practice, I see my ball flight begins to take a gradual ascending shape - this is what I was looking for :). My short and mid iron play is getting sharper. I can't wait to work on my longer irons to make the ball flights more predictable as well.

What this book tells me to do is; as long as I adhere to these simple rules that govern the ball flight, I can keep my own unique swing, even if I don't swing like a pro, and still manage to hit great shots.

This book will pass the test of time and remains as one of the greatest books ever written. It humbly unravels the mysteries behind your unique golf swing and convinces you that; it's ok to swing the way you swing; as long as you adhere to some basic rules of a good golf swing to maximize your ball-striking ability.

Excellent Book on the Golf Swing

In a market awash in swing books, The Negotiable Golf Swing stands out. This title details not just what is negotiable, but what is not negotiable and why. The author approaches teaching the golf swing as an exercise in teaching the reader/student a method of how to study the golf swing so that the golfer can diagnose their own problems, try solutions, and be able to read the result or feedback. While I found the negotiable elements intriguing, the presentation on the non-negotiable elements was exceptional. This is a book to come back to and read time and time again. Having read a half dozen golf books and being a relatively new golfer, this book is one of the few that will receive many rereads and not be kicked to the curb or sold after only one reading. The pictures are excellent and the drawings are amazing. Solid writing in a book genre that often does not have very good words to detail the substance. This book is a sensational value and a must read for anyone that is struggling with any part of their golf swing or the results it creates.

Very nice!

I have been playing golf off and on for over 20 years, and like most of us, I've read countless golf books and magazine tips. Some of the books I've read over the years have been good, but not enough to keep me consistent.

The Negotiable Golf Swing is a refreshing look at golf instruction. I've had this book for over a month now. I read through it fairly quickly the first time, and now I'm on my second reading. After reading it the first time, my iron play improved. All the chapters in this book are excellent and well written, but the chapter that helped me the most so far is chapter 5: Elements of the Right Side. Among other things, the author talks about moving the right shoulder down instead of out. I took this to the range and my iron play improved dramatically. By concentrating on making sure my right shoulder went down instead of out, I started to have a slight draw to my iron shots, whereas before I was hitting pushes and slices. My swing was on plane for once instead of being all over the place!

I can't say enough good things about this book. It is extremely well written, and the author's concepts make a lot of sense! Give it a try. You will not be disappointed

Objective Views of the Full Golf Swing and How to Make Simple Adjustments

Since I started playing golf 30 years ago, I have taken lots of lessons from four different professionals. Each one taught me a different swing, and those swings produced vastly different results on the course. Only one of the professionals taught me a swing that was very repeatable and reliable. That professional spent a lot of time letting me see what the swing was supposed to look like and then giving me lots of objective information on how my swing was different.

With the other three professionals, my game always got a lot worse after taking a lesson . . . even if I hit the ball well during the lesson. I also found that I was confused . . . because these professionals had told me things that contradicted one another.

As a student of how people learn, I'm a big believer in using feedback from experience to spot errors and correct them. But none of the four professionals ever taught me to how take information from ball flight and use that to make adjustments. As a result, I learned relatively little about how to hit the ball well.

I found that The Negotiable Golf Swing was like a breath of fresh air because Joseph Laurentino shows what must happen in a swing . . . and where you have room for personal preferences. After 30 years of confusion, I found that he demonstrated objectively three things that I do wrong in my swing that account for most of my current problems . . . all of which are based on my misunderstanding of what is supposed to happen during a swing.

Without picking on any of the professionals who confused me, it's clear that they demonstrated those three points in ways that included errors . . . errors that I memorized and struggled to repeat. It's clear that the professionals could have used access to this book's fine photographs and analyses.

Before you take any lessons, read this book. I was also impressed that the book referred to the most helpful other golf books that I've read over the years. If I had read this book 30 years ago, I would have been a better golfer and saved a fortune in lost balls and unnecessary lessons for the full swing.

The book is, however, not as complete as the Pelz books on short game and putting. For those important subjects, rely on Pelz . . . as Mr. Laurentino also suggests.

Hit 'em where you want to!

Who Knew The Golf Swing is Negotiable?

I had never really thought about it before picking up this book, but nobody really has a perfect, text book swing. The best of the best in any sport seem to have their unique idiosyncrasies, and yet they make it work...for them.

Really. I have been golfing off and on for 30 years. For 30 years I have worked to keep the left arm straight, head still, legs proper width apart, grip perfect, etc., etc. And yet, for 30 years I have a natural tendency to fall into old ways that feel more comfortable to me than the "perfect swing".

After reading this book, I have learned that I don't have to beat my head against a brick wall trying to perfect a text book swing. Laurentino showed me how to take what feels natural to me, and tweak it to make it work. It feels much better to work from my natural comfort zone, and modify those parts of the swing that are "negotiable" to achieve my goals, rather than trying to execute a completely unnatural swing in the name of "perfection".

The lessons I learned in this book have helped me get more distance and accuracy and have definitely improved my game. More importantly though, they have made the game more fun. I can play better with less frustration because I "negotiated" a swing that works with my natural habits. Thanks Joseph.

Simplify how to learn the golf swing

I have read numerous books such as "Search for the Perfect Golf Swing", "Understanding the Golf Swing" and "7 Laws of the Golf Swing" that break down the golf swing in terms of its essential elements. However, for most people, these books are highly detailed and only interest academics or purists. The classic book on the modern swing such as Hogan's "Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf" and more recently, "The Eight Step Swing" by Jim McLean, cover the full swing in a clear manner. However, many golfers come in various shapes, sizes, abilities, and flexibility. This book helps you succeed with what you have.

For many golfers, they have neither the time or desire to focus on so many mechanical or technical details. The essence of many golf experts have been addressed (including the latest 'vogue' styles, like the One Plane /Two Plane method or the Arc Putting Stroke) and this is a holistic approach to the various teaching styles. He covers commonly taught 'tips' that have hurt a golfer's game, more often than help, and gives guidance what is really important for consistency. The author covers major topics such as how we learn a new skill, learning models, the form and function of style of a swing, the full swing, pitching, chipping and putting. The perspective on the proper methods of practice and how to choose an instructor is covered. The pitfalls and main limitations of golf training aids are covered - which is a valuable point for many, like myself. How to analyze your own swing and understand what dictates the ball flight is empowering. This is a comprehensive book on what is most important with regards to the golf swing.

Areas not covered, in detail, are course management, choosing equipment and the mental game. With regards to the mental game he refers to Bob Rotella's book "Golf is not a game of Perfect".

The book is well written and has many helpful illustrations and photographs that communicate his points. The writing style flows well. The author covers at times, his own struggles in the game, but speaks about he was able to overcome them. Each chapter is well organized and easy to follow. This is not a book where a reader can just read a chapter and understand the entire message. You can; however, refer to certain chapters to review a specific point. One of the most valuable areas of the book is the section on understanding ball flight. I have seen similar depictions of the analysis of ball flight from writers like Manuel de la Torre but Mr. Laurentino's explanations are more practical and concise. The author not only has a mastery of the golf swing, but the gift of communicating and teaching it to his students. What has never been covered in any book is what factors dictate direction and what factors dictates speed in a golf swing. He gives the reader the tools to critically examine 'golf tips' from various sources.

The author, Mr. Laurentino, breaks down the full swing into what is negotiable and not negotiable in a full golf swing. Rather that revealing specifics to you, I would prefer if you read this book yourself. This book truly simplifies the golf swing in what is essential and gets away from following a 'specific technique' that many other books try to prescribe. This is a great book, and it ranks up there with other 'classics' of golf instruction.

With regards to an update in the future, I would like to see 'bullet points' or 'summary boxes' for a quick reference. I would also like to see illustrations of some of the techniques or drills described in the book.

VERDICT:

I highly recommend this book.