This book has tips for your swing

I’ve always believed that you can’t learn the game of golf out of a book.

But there are a lot of things about the game of golf that you can learn from books.

Golf professional Joe Laurentino from Long Island, N.Y., has a book out that falls right in that category. It’s titled “The Negotiable Golf Swing: How to Improve Your Game without Picture-Perfect Form.”

First of all, what is a negotiable golf swing?

A negotiable golf swing, according to Laurentino, is a compatible arrangement of the many permissible alternatives that, while not conforming to the computer models of the perfect golf swing, can still function very well to get the job done. By identifying and organizing these negotiable swing components, The Negotiable Golf Swing will show you how you can use basic swing components and their permissible permutations to negotiate a better game of golf.

In other words, you can learn how to play a better game of golf with a lot of what you’re already bringing to the table.

Few swings need a complete overhaul, a total retooling from setup to finish position. It’s more likely that you, like thousands of erstwhile golfers, just need to learn what’s negotiable with the golf swing and what’s not.

Laws of ball flight

“The Negotiable Golf Swing” covers the non-negotiable as well, that is, all those immutable laws of ball flight, which are determined as the clubhead moves through the impact area making contact with the ball.

“The Negotiable Golf Swing” will provide you with an understanding of how basic human skills are learned and how to apply them to your game, how to grasp and meld the negotiable with the non-negotiable, all of which will help you build an effective golf swing, and ultimately, improve your game.

To better understand what negotiable means, look no further than the swings of the best players in the world today. Tiger Woods plays with a neutral grip and a model backswing, whereas Jim Furyk plays with a double-overlap grip and a very steep backswing.

Fred Couples plays with a strong, closed-faced grip, and Charles Howell with a weaker open-face one.

Daly’s long swing

John Daly launches 300-yard drives with an overly long backswing and Allen Doyle successfully plays with a very short backswing.

Ernie Els and Retief Goosen swing with a slower tempo than Nick Price and Lanny Wadkins, who swing with a faster one.

Many swing concepts focus on trying to convince golfers that they must have perfect form — even a model swing — in order to play better. This is simply not true, and in this book you won’t find any “one size fits all.” Rather, with “The Negotiable Golf Swing” you will learn not only how a negotiable golf swing can work for you, but also why it’s the best and fastest route to success.

Laurentino is the Head Golf Professional at Indian Hills Country Club on Long Island.

He has been a member of the Professional Golf Association of America since 1997, and has studied the mechanics of the golf swing under the tutelage of Top 100 PGA teachers such as Mike Hebron, David Glenz, Tom Patri, Darell Kestner, Ben Doyle, Martin Hall and Dr. Jim Suttie as well as the mental game under Dr. Bob Rotella, the renowned author of “Golf Isn’t a Game of Perfect.”

The book is available on-line at www.joelaurentino.com, and every book sold at this website is a personally autographed copy. Cost is $20. If you’re a cheapskate like me, you can read the book on line.

Shenango grad excels

Butler County Community College golfer Michael Cuscino, a graduate of Shenango High School in New Castle, Pa., recently competed in the 2008 NJCAA Division III National Championship at Chautauqua Golf Club in Chautauqua, New York.

Out of 97 golfers nationwide, Cuscino finished in 15th place and achieved All-American status. At the four-day championship event, Cuscino’s scores were 78, 76, 73, and 76 over the par-72 course.

Cuscino was previously named to the All Region XX Team and finished 4th out of 30 golfers at the NJCAA Region XX Tournament in May in Latrobe, Pa. He also was awarded Conference Academic Achievement Honors for 2007-2008.

XPete Mollica covers golf for The Vindicator. Write him at mollica@vindy.com.