"A New Way To Better Golf" 1932 MORRISON, Alex J. (SIGNED) (SOLD)

MORRISON, Alex J.

[179] pp.

William Heinemann Ltd.

1932

8 1/2" x 6"

VG

If one phrase was required to sum up Morrison’s teaching, it is to “keep your chin in back of the ball.”

Throughout the book, Morrison stresses this swing key, imploring the reader to start the swing with the chin pointed at a spot behind the ball and to keep it there until the swing is complete. Doing so, he says, will insure that the correct muscles are used at the correct times throughout the golf swing.

Along this line, he informs the reader that the golf swing is a left side (for the right-handed player) dominant stroke. To encourage this dominance, the reader is told to set up with their hips angled slightly forward (towards the target). This serves two functions: It angles the shoulders correctly, and it encourages the back knee to bend in towards the target.

Another way in which left side dominance is encouraged is through the grip. Here, Morrison tells the reader to reduce the right hand’s power by taking the right pinky off of the club and interlocking it with the left hand’s forefinger. To keep the right hand from “fighting” the left, it’s also important that the two hands are angled the same way (“v’s” aligned).

As to the setup, the ball should be approached from behind in order to accurately assess the aim, and the left hand should be the first to grip the club. After the right hand joins the left, the clubface should then be placed behind the ball and in line with the target. Only then should the feet be aligned, with the front heel placed directly opposite the ball, and the back foot placed parallel to the front.

With the weight left & the chin back the takeaway begins. As it does, the weight shifts from the left leg to the right. The arms take the club back, with the cocking of the wrists delayed until the very top of the backswing. From there, the wrists begin to hinge backwards as the hips start to unwind, thus beginning the downswing.

As the downswing continues, the chin continues to point at a spot behind the ball as the weight transfers forward. The left side controls and dominates this forward movement into the ball, and the right-hand delays rolling over the left until after striking the ball, and does so simply as a matter of swing momentum. In fact, controlling the follow through is of no concern to Morrison, as it just represents the completion of the proper winding and unwinding of the swing.

After reading this book, it’s clear how Morrison’s teachings and theories influenced Jack Nicklaus’ first teacher, Jack Grout. Keeping the chin/head back, angling the right knee toward the target, the interlocking group, and the ball forward alignment are just a few of the fundamentals of “The Morrison Swing” that are also evident in “The Nicklaus Swing.”