Count Yogi

The chapter on Count Yogi in George Peper's The Secret of Golf contains a full overview of the pre-swing set up routine and full swing, but does not explain Yogi's short game and putting methods. The putting technique might not work as well on today's faster, closely-shaven greens. Peper's book is sold in stores and for less than retail on web merchant sites.
The Count Yogi website sells an authorized hardcover edition of Yogi's Five Steps to Perfect Golf for $35. You can obtain it separately without buying the videos or platform mat. The later paperback edition that I own has a few extra photos, but no additional instruction material.
Thank you for keeping an open mind on all this. The premise of Peper's book is that there are many "secrets" for playing golf; the book chronicles four dozen different innovators. Yogi believed that his way was THE correct way, period. Anything that can achieve results for you is your own personal secret, I believe.

Count Yogi taught that the width of the stance is dictated by the length of a person's legs, leaving room for individual variations. His full swing finish position called for the knees to wind up even in the follow through, with the the back foot balanced on the big toe.
There was no love lost between Count Yogi and Mike Austin. They knew each other dating back to Depression-era Chicago.

Count Yogi used a lot of forward wrist action in putting. The amount of forward wrist travel could be adjusted for today's faster greens, I suppose.
Yogi's method was anti-weight shift during the full swing, using instead a lot of shoulder coil and hip turn with the forward heel remaining on the ground. He deemphasized physical aspects of the golf swing, but this was one instance where he did analyze physical motion. The backward pointing of the front knee downward toward the ball enables the back knee to straighten up, allowing the hips to turn without causing bodily sway.
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Getting back to Joe D's question about Count Yogi's wrist position at the top of the swing, I just discussed this by phone with a former CY pupil who played golf with the Count many times. This man played golf competively while in high school, but said he improved his all-around game 20 years after that through lessons from Count Yogi and observing him on the course.

Yogi kept things simple. He taught to set up with the hands behind the ball, which is positioned slightly behind the front heel, the better to optimize the full loft angle of the clubface at impact. The front foot is angled out toward the target for better follow through balance. Count Yogi wanted the club taken back low and slightly inside, then up to a point in the backswing where a golfer still maintains balanced control, which can differ greatly among individuals. "Pull to Control" was a catchphrase of his. In his book, Yogi wrote that all swing arcs vary because of each individual's physical differences.

Happy New Year and good golfing to all.

Would like to correspond with the member who was advocating Count Yogi's method. Have some experience and have also spent the funds to get the private lessons in CA. There's nothing on the planet like Yogi's system, primarily because it's a mental approach, as opposed to an assembled sequence of physical positions. Looking forward to future discussion. MC

The method itself is far better than the way it has been presented and marketed.

I couldn't agree more. I was in CA about 3 years ago, and without going into details, suffice to say I went away with the distinct impression that passing on Yogi's method was of secondary importance. A recent visit to the website confirmed my suspicion. New price is about $10,000.00 for a set of clubs and private lessons. At least I got in before the price increase. All that being said, I've never come across a more complete system than Yogi's, which allows any person to find their 'authentic swing', if you want to say it that way. I have a few videos and books (paid $10 for a new paperback in a Toledo OH bookstore). Yogi was an amazing phenom, truly gifted.

There are many stumbling blocks that have prevented this method from gaining wider acceptance. Many golfers will balk at and not want to go through the Count Yogi-prescribed stance and alignment routine, not realizing that this pre-shot routine saves time by eliminating indecision and will eventually promote relaxation and consistency. They would rather have fidgety feet, wiggle and waggle, and hope for the best. In basketball, the best free throw shooters almost always are taught to have or develop their own set routine of movements before taking foul shots. It's the same with baseball pitchers, field goal kickers, etc.

I can't imagine an easier pre-shot routine than Yogi's. He even suggests using it on putts, only in miniature. It's quick, and simple, and like any pre-shot routine, takes the stress and guess-work out of setting up to the ball and the shot. I had a little troulbe getting used to the foot placement technique, but have managed to hold onto the same routine for about ten years. I also notice when my routine gets sloppy, everything goes downhill from there.

I too am a new Yogi student. I can honestly say that my friends are impressed with my golf, even if they are not impressed with the system...(There is a story there too.)
Anyway suffice to say that I have now decided that all of my other secrets and golf systems will now be put up for sale on e-bay.
And for those none believers...take a look at Stewart Appleby and a couple of others and watch how they finish a golf shot.
Wonder where they learned that style???? Hmmmmmm.

Learning and applying this system is what has built up your skills and confidence, so don't fret over how others react to the Count Yogi saga or his golf method itself. Don't waste too much time or energy trying to convince skeptics. Better to enjoy yourself and your improved golf game.

I know nothing about CY other than what I've read on here so can't comment but coincidentally have just come across this review which Ithought I'd share.

http://consistentgolf.com/blog/?p=66

Some of his guy's stuff is quite interesting but for the sake of balance you should rememember that he too has a "system" to sell.

Agree completely that "Golf 1-2" -- mentioned in the link you sent -- is not very good and was really (and even more so today with the new advertising for the current website added) more of a promotional souvenir pamphlet than an instructional book. I am glad I bought the more comprehensive "5 Simple Steps to Perfect Golf" for its original paperback list price when it was available in regular bookstores.

hello: i have studied the methods of the above person and find his methods to be an excellent way to learn golf. it took me many readings to understand what he was talking about. i did not adopt all of his methods but i find that the general principles he talks about are valid today and are good to learn. the trouble with the pga teaching, perhaps i do the organization an injustice as i do not know whether they are the main proponents of this, is that you cannot put together the best swing by learning body movements. as count yogi in the book states to do so is paralysis by analysis. trying to step up to the ball and think about where your arms legs etc are is impossible. the pga pro bob toski said it right when he said follow the swinging motion of the club. by concentrating on body movements eventually u loose the "swing" characteristic of y our swing. i think the guy never made it because the pga at the time had a caucasian only clause in its membership. the words in the book are deceptively simple and ambiguous but if you think about it more there is substance there.

I'm going to comment on Count Yogi for possibly the last time. My right thumb was nearly chopped off 4 years ago and recovering from that has been challenging, keeping me away golf, for the most part. Some days my thumb moves and feels almost normal, other days it barely moves while throbbing from nerve damage. But I do vividly remember when I played and practiced golf almost daily using the CY method. There are indeed physical aspects to this system. Grip and where to place and align the body, feet, and especially the clubface are all dealt with. And it is not nearly so radical in approach as it may have once seemed. Tiger Woods and many highly skilled golfers today finish their full swings with the club wrapped around their necks, pointing forward, which is what CY advocated decades ago!!! That was believed to be dead wrong for a long time, with a "high finish" or "reverse C finish" considered much more acceptable. In "5 Simple Steps to Perfect Golf" and the excerpt from it in the more recent "The Secret of Golf" anthology, specific physical motions are described by CY as being optimal to a good swing. However, CY also stated that no two people can ever have the exact same backswing and swing arc, simply because of physical differences between us all. There is more common sense and much less mysticism to all of this than skeptics and detractors would have you believe.