The Magical Mystery Tour, Part 2
© Bill Howard
Before we resume the site by site critique, I have a general observation. In researching this week's article, I strayed away from the "big" golf sites and tried to focus on offbeat and hard to find instruction. By doing so I was subjected to dozens of sites that exist solely for the purpose of selling golf instruction books. They are all the same.
These promotional sites begin by telling you how frustrated you are with your golf (duh). They then promise "guaranteed" improvement in all facets of your game if only you'll fork over the cash for the book that explains the true secrets of the swing. If you encounter one of these, I beg you to be wary. Any "teacher" who talks about instant dramatic improvement is lying to you. Similarly, if a teacher fails to mention that getting good at golf takes some work, he's selling snake oil.
I have two reviews this week. Only one of them approaches snake oil status.
Wizard Golf, which can be found at http://www.wizardgolf.com is our first stop. There is obviously a great deal of time and effort invested in producing this site. Lots of graphics and a roster of video clips separate Wizardgolf.com from the usual breathless, hyperbolic, text only "buy me" site. I will admit that I stayed for a little while.
I had two big problems with Wizard Golf. Like many web sites that try to sell you a system, they never describe their general philosophy on the golf swing. Second, they pepper you with phrases like "finding your own 'Magic Circle' " and "the Wizard Ladder of Shot Mastery". I kept thinking about Mickey Mouse cleaning up the kitchen in Fantasia. Frankly, after a while it began to be insulting. There didn't seem to be much here but catch phrases.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I highly recommend CEGolf.com. You can find it at http://www.cegolf.com . The site is authored by Casey Eberting. I taught golf with Casey for a few years. I know for a fact that he understands the golf swing. After thoroughly investigating his web site, I was pleased to find that he also has some very interesting opinions on the process of learning the game. Sections you shouldn't miss include "Feel vs. Reality", "The Golf Instructors Secret", and "Golf Schools - What You Should Know". Trust me on this one. Go, and be better for it.
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