The Anatomy of Greatness: Lessons from the Best Golf Swings in History - Hardcover

"Brandel Chamblee, Golf Channel's astute analyst and a former Tour pro, doesn't shy from controversy. He mercilessly criticized Tiger Woods's swing changes after Woods stopped working with coach Butch Harmon in 2003, and in 2013 wrote that the then-world No. 1 was 'a little cavalier with the rules.' Chamblee has now written a book, The Anatomy of Greatness: Lessons from the Best Golf Swings in History, that takes on the golf swing teaching establishment. . . . The concisely written volume (Chamblee said he tried to mimic the brevity of Harvey Penick's Little Red Book) is loaded with photographs."
--John Paul Newport, Wall Street Journal

"It's illuminating and it's going to be provocative--in a good way--provoking discussion. It should start debate about where teaching has been, well, moving."
--Lorne Rubenstein, SCOREGolf

"Chamblee has found his niche as the Golf Channel's resident scholar and critic . . . [and] has an artist's way with words."
--The New York Times

"One of the reasons Chamblee has become golf's best studio analyst is because he's a golf geek, but with the ability to convey piles of data in a compelling, and sometimes controversial, manner. . . . Chamblee proves to be as provocative in print as he is on TV."
--Golfweek

Praise for Brandel Chamblee and The Anatomy of Greatness

"The Holy Grail of the swing."
--GOLF magazine

In the first book from popular Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee, the network’s “resident scholar and critic” (TheNew York Times) explores the common swing positions of the greatest players throughout history—and reveals how those commonalities can help players of every skill level improve our own games.

Every golf game begins with the swing, and no two are identical. Years ago, however, Brandel Chamblee, the highly regarded Golf Channel analyst and former PGA Tour professional, noticed that the best players of all time have shared similar positions in each part of the swing, from the grip and setup to the footwork, backswing, and follow-through. Since then, Chamblee, a student of game’s history, has used scientific precision and thoroughness to make a study of the common swing positions of the greats. Now, inThe Anatomy of Greatness, he reveals what he has learned, offers hundreds of photographs as his proof, to show us how we can easily incorporate his findings into our own swings to hit the ball farther, straighter, and more consistently.

What does it tell us that the majority of the greats—from Jack Nicklaus and Byron Nelson to modern masters like Tiger Woods—employ a “strong” grip on the club? How did legends like Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Mickey Wright, and Gary Player unlock hidden power and control by “turning in” the right knee at address? Why are some modern teachers preaching “quiet” footwork when forty-eight of the top fifty golfers of all time lifted their left heels on the backswing, allowing them to build power? At the same time that Chamblee is extolling certain swing virtues, he also debunks a number of popular—but misguided—swing philosophies that have been hindering golfers for years.

The result is perhaps the best and clearest explanation of how to hit a golf ball ever published.The Anatomy of Greatness is a book that golfers can take to the driving range and use Chamblee’s clear explanations to build better swings—and get more speed and consistency into their swings—immediately. It is like having a series of private lessons from the best golfers of all time, and it will help golfers build swings that make the game easier and more fun.