5 Simple Keys - REVIEW

[Matt Saternus]

5 Simple Keys DVD - REVIEW

 

 

Introduction

 

If I told you there were just 5 things you had to do to become a consistent, high level ball striker, is that something you'd be interested in? Yeah, you and every other person who has ever picked up a golf club, which is probably why that's the premise behind a new series of DVDs. By now you've probably seen the commercials on The Golf Channel, so I'm here to let you know whether you should be plunking down your hard earned money to learn these secrets or if these DVDs would be more useful as coasters.

What You Get

 

Now 5 discs sounds like a lot of material. Let me start by breaking down what you get on each disc:

 

Disc 1 - Introduction (51 minutes) On this disc they break down what the 5 keys are, and they give their explanations of why they are important.

 

Disc 2 - Swings (15 minutes) This disc, the shortest of the group, shows the application of the 5 keys to chipping, pitching, and the full swing. The whole disc boils down to this: until you can do these five things with a chip, don't try them with pitches. Until you can do them with pitches, don't try them with the full swing. I've just saved you 15 minutes. You're welcome.

 

Disc 3 - Speed and Setup (20 minutes) Here they cover grip, set up, and posture, and they have a new instructor talk about why these 5 keys will help you to hit the ball farther.

 

Disc 4 - Drills (24 minutes) As the title implies, you get 2-3 drills for each of the keys. Most of the drills are things you can do in your house, and a lot of them are just rehearsing and feeling out the positions that they want you to get into.

 

Disc 5 - Lessons (21 minutes) This disc shows the two teachers giving quick lessons to four different golfers using the 5 keys.

 

 

 

My Take

 

The first thing that struck me when I watched these discs is how short they are (excepting the first). The total amount of content is roughly 130 minutes, just over 2 hours. Did it really need to be spread out over 5 discs? I get the symmetry of 5 keys and 5 discs, and it's a nice way to justify the cost ($100), but I feel like I spent more time changing DVDs than I did watching them. Anyway, that's my first beef. On to more substantive things...

 

The 5 Keys that are being touted by this series are:

 

1 - Steady Head

2 - Weight Forward

3 - Flat Left Wrist

4 - Sweet Spot Path

5 - Club Face Control

 

Nothing terribly controversial or revolutionary there. So what are they really getting at?

 

In essence, what they're teaching here is a variation on the centered pivot swing that is en vogue right now. You can look at it as a variation on Stack and Tilt, and it's akin to what Sean Foley teaches.

 

As an instructor, I have no problem with a centered pivot if it works for the student in front of me. There are plenty of guys who will hit it great following this system. Some won't. One thing I can say with certainty is that if you follow these instructions, you will be hitting draws and hooks. Hitting down as much as they prescribe, with the path they recommend, can have no other result (ok, you could also hit enormous blocks to the right, but you'd need a WIDE OPEN club face). There's nothing wrong with lots of draws, I just want you to know what you're getting into.

 

Overall, the thing that bothers me about this DVD is not the material but the marketing. As I said, this pattern will work well for some people, but not everyone. To sell the idea that every great player did these things is simply dishonest. Tiger did not have a centered pivot before going to Foley. Would someone like to argue that Harmon-era (or Haney-era) Tiger wasn't great? Unfortunately, "This DVD will suggest changes that you may or may not benefit from" is not a tagline that is going to move units. Until it is, I guess I'll continue tilting at windmills.

 

One last thing: I am troubled by the "Lessons" DVD because it gives the impression that these are the only 5 things that can be wrong with the swing. There are other possible problems, and there is a possibility that something else (an open club face at the top, for example) is causing the player to fail at one of the 5 keys. In the case of the open club face, you can scream at the player to shift their weight left, but it will be a much more arduous process than simply fixing the root cause.

Conclusion

 

You've probably read through this and have come to the conclusion that I hate this set of DVDs. You'd be wrong, I don't hate it at all, in fact, I like it. If you look at my complaints, they'd probably apply to just about any golf DVD you can find.

 

"5 Simple Keys" has some valuable stuff, and there are things I have taken from it that I will add to my instructional bag of tricks. I think the idea of teaching golf through a DVD is damned difficult, and I think these gentlemen do a good job at it. If you're looking for a swing makeover, or you want to see what the centered pivot is all about, this is a great place to start. Frankly, with the money-back guarantee, I would check it out even if you're only slightly curious.

 

[EdGolf]

Great write-up.... i did ponder if I should be getting those DVDs and your write-up did help me understand what I can expect from each disk.

[revkev]

It is amazing Richard - I see this all the time - brilliant person, put a golf club in his hand and all sense disappears.

 

I'm not a lover of these things for all the reasons that would be sighted here - This would probably be great for me because it's essentially a review of how I swing the club. Are you going to tell me that Jack Nicklaus played this style of golf? I'm not buying.

 

Save the money, find a good pro and go take some lessons would always be my suggestion.

[Matt Saternus]

Well, my dad got 'em. He's who they had in mind when they came up with the golf infomercial and "bullet-point" selling when it comes to golf. And the amazing thing is he's not an idiot. I mean, he's a transplant surgeon, so along with some raw intelectual muscle, he has a pretty good thought process. Except when it comes to golf. He's a lifetime 12 hdcper(This is why..lol) searching for the holy grail..lol.

 

It's like he goes brain dead. Oh well, at least I'll get to watch 'em for free..lol.

 

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever

 

Classic...I deal with types like your dad every day: smart guys who just don't get golf. No sin in that, most people don't.

 

I hope you'll let us know what you think of the DVDs after you've watched them.

[Lonnie96]

Bought DVDs.....honestly..this relates to all golf methods. If you follow a method correctly, you will achieve the 5 keys. Not sure what the purpose of these videos really were. They seem to pushing a "system" or " one way type of golf" ..but in reality ..they opened the door to all golf methods.. Kinda like this series failed in convincing people to'purse the 5 key program.

 

Good commentary.,and some good tips..just want for me

[vertigo88]

Weight forward? Isn't that stack and tilt?

[Lonnie96]

As usual with Medicus..they returned 0 of my emails asking questions about this. But a return policy..

 

Everything they make is so suspect..for real..( junk) ..IMO

 

They tried to,convince that 5 sk was the only 5 things needed in a good swing. Boy I wish this was true, in reality it could be 5000 things,,

 

Lol

[Lonnie96]

I almost sensed Medicus thinks we are all idiot hacks.. And how dare we question them

 

I bought the hinge driver a few years back.,than the power meter..now these videos

 

I never learn.,sucker born every day

[GolfSpy WD]

I won these DVDs a while ago. I liked the host and asked him to keep them as a donation. This wasn't entirely selfless on my part...last thing I want is a video screwing up my already screwed up swing.

[Lonnie96]

I won these DVDs a while ago. I liked the host and asked him to keep them as a donation. This wasn't entirely selfless on my part...last thing I want is a video screwing up my already screwed up swing.

It does sound like crap..and it was,,just trying to be nice with this