Australian teaching professional Peter Croker, director of instruction at Belfair Learning Center in Bluffton, S.C., and founder of Golf The Natural Way, believes he's identified the "cause points" of the golf swing. Though his swing "ideal" looks conventional, he believes his teaching method is revolutionary. In conflict with the modern theory of a big muscle, body-controlled swing. Croker insists the hands control the entire process. "The hands are the source of motion, power, control and consistency," says Croker, and their performance is characterized by pushing, never pulling, the clubhead throughout the swing.

Weight shift, coil and a firm left side at impact occur in response to this pushing of the hands. From a conventional address position, the hands press against each other and begin the backswing with the left exerting slightly more pressure against the right. A pulling motion, especially with the right hand, results in the club being dragged inside, ruining the chances for a good backswing.

Croker teaches a "backswing", not an upswing" that reaches completion at a three-quarter position. The hands stay more or less in front of the chest, level with the right shoulder, and the club shaft is well short of parallel. But since a pushing motion is the guiding force of this golf swing, the hands, working in Croker's style, can only "push" to this shortened but efficient position.

From here, Croker severs ties with conventional golf instruction by encouraging, in essence, an early hit. the late hit has many theories, but most teachers agree that "hitting from the top" insures the angle of power will be lost. In direct opposition, Croker's formula is to "throw the clubhead at the ball."

Croker prevents his students from translating "throw the clubhead" into an over-the-top move by prescribing a series of drills for a proper release. The most significant is the "hit drill." From the top of the backswing, the student uncocks his wrists by pushing the clubhead down on a slow motion path to the ball. Done correctly, Croker explains, "the club shaft aligns with the left arm and promotes an on-line hit of the golf ball."

Like every good teacher, Croker understands that knowledge is not easily transferred from the intellect to the muscles. Therefore, his program is built on learning in gradient steps. Each element of the swing has an accompanying drill so that the student not only understands the skill, but repeats it until it

The entire philosophy of Golf The Natural Way is dedicated to making the student understand that golf is a hitting game. Thinking about concepts such as holding the angle prevents students from making solid contact. Croker says, "Golf is a hitting game just like any stick and ball game. Focusing on positions and mechanics shuts off your natural ability."

Like the other elements, impact through finish is properly executed by the hands continuing their pushing motion from the top. Croker describes the sequence as "a sense that the body remains quiet and acts as a solid base when the club starts down. the left hip and shoulders are pushed through by the clubhead as it hits the ball. The right hip and shoulder are then pulled through by the clubhead."

To summarize his concept, Croker says, "the feeling of the swing should be one of pushing the clubhead down through the ball." In its simplest form, Croker's method encourages throwing the clubhead from A to B, as illustrated by the accompanying diagram. Though this direct route is physically impossible to achieve, it must be the golfer's intention for consistent ball-striking.

Croker offers schools for teaching professionals who want to learn and adopt his methods. In doing so, they are eligible to become certified Golf The Natural Way instructors and participate in what Croker calls the "Ideal Scene," three key ingredients to enhancing their success: Golf Technology, a simple method of hitting a golf ball; Instructional Technology, a way to communicate the technology; and Marketing Technology, a way to promote this technology.

Croker's emphasis on the use of the hands is, to some degree, a revisiting of more traditional instructional theories such as those espoused by Henry Cotton and Tommy Armour. But to these historic teachers, the hands were only a piece of the puzzle; to Croker they are the centerpiece. His teaching style is organized around this one concept and in doing so, he offers a simple method, with clear definitions of each element of his swing theory and a uni- fied structure of communicating this message. Perhaps his most powerful tool is instilling one priority in his students "hit that ball" and allowing swing mechanics to fall in line as a result. No doubt a welcome change for the golfer bogged down in technical thoughts.