One Best-seller of Golf Instruction Books for Lefthanders

Saron Press, Ltd. goes into second printing of new book, On the Other Hand.

Hilton Head Island, SC -- Before it began to work its way through traditional distribution channels, publisher Saron Press, Ltd. knew that its new title, On the Other Hand, was a hit. Written by Steve Anderson, PGA, with golf writer Paul deVere, the book is the first ever instruction manual by a Certified PGA teaching professional for left-handed hitters. There are approximately 3 million lefty golfers in the U.S. and one-half million in Canada. And they truly have a "grapevine." The book, now in its second printing, is now in the top 10 most popular golf instruction books at Amazon.com and is the number one best-seller of instruction books for left-handed golfers in the world.

"Steve told us there is a very strong network of left-handed golfers and that once word got out, orders would come pouring in," said Nora Coleman, marketing director for the small, South Carolina publisher. "We now know that network definitely exists. Virtually all first-printing sales were due to word-of-mouth," Coleman said. "Then, with a full-page feature in PGA Magazine, sales shot through the roof."

Anderson, who is Director of Instruction at Eastwood Golf Course in Ft. Myers, Florida, is one of only 43 teaching professionals to have achieved the PGA's "Advanced Certification in Instruction," and the only lefthander in the bunch. "It took golf equipment manufacturers about 100 years to think there was enough of a market for left-handed clubs. But when one of my students shyly came up to me with a dog-eared teaching manual that had all references to 'right' crossed out and replaced with 'left,' it took me about ten seconds to figure out something had to be done," said southpaw Anderson.

What had to be done, Anderson surmised, was an honest-to-goodness lefthander's instruction book. "Right-handed golfers often ask me if there's a big difference in the swing for lefties. I tell them that other than the jokes about being on 'the wrong' side of the ball, lefties have just about the same number of problems, and successes, as right-handed golfers," Anderson explained.

On the Other Hand includes over 85 action-photos of Anderson and a few of his students. It covers every aspect of the swing and provides solid course and game management advice. Of particular interest are Anderson's "Three Fundamentals." In the book he writes, "In nearly 100 of the greatest players' swings, there seemed to be three positions they all shared. Not 100: THREE. While there may have been a few dozen points in their swings that half of them did the same, those three magic positions always seemed to be there with every successful shot."

There is also a chapter on club-fitting which can be appreciated by every golfer. Anderson knows club-fitting. For the past three years, he has been listed as one of Titleist's "Top 100" club fitters.

Anderson readily admits he is not a high-profile teaching guru and does not have any Tour players running to him for help. "This book isn't meant for Tour pros. It is meant for amateur golfers of just about every handicap. That's who I've been teaching and helping for over 20 years," Anderson said. In April, 2002, he logged his 37,000th lesson. Anderson averages over 2,200 lessons a year.

A professional golfer who has had the greatest influence on Anderson as a teacher is former US Open champion and noted CBS golf analyst, Ken Venturi. "I had the privilege of heading up the Ken Venturi Golf Training Center on Hilton Head Island several years ago. The experience of working with Mr. Venturi was invaluable."

Anderson may claim he is not famous, but he's far from unknown. He is the resident head instructor for Left-teegolf.com, the only instructional web site for left-handed golfers on the Internet. He has had dozens of articles appear in publications like USA Today, Golf Digest and PGA Magazine, and is an "on-line" professional at pga.com. He was awarded the 2000 Teacher of the Year by the Southwest Florida Chapter of the PGA, and hosted a golf show for the Southwest Florida NBC affiliate.

On the Other Hand (ISBN 0-9650791-4-7) is a 6" x 9" paperback and is 154 pages long. It is available at select booksellers nationwide and on the Internet at amazon.com, left-teegolf.com and saronpress.com. It retails for $15.95. For more information contact Saron Press, Ltd., a "golf-only" publishing company located on Hilton Head Island, SC.

Other titles include I Golf, Therefore I Am, by Paul deVere; Lessons That Rhyme ... Stay in the Mind, by PGA Teacher of the Year Charlie Sorrell, Straight Golf (book, videos and audio), by PGA Master Professional Don Trahan, and the soon to be released (January, 2003), "Golf in the Lowcountry," by Joel Zuckerman.

For a review copy of On the Other Hand and other inquiries, e-mail Saron Press, Ltd. at info@saronpress.com, or write: Saron Press, Ltd., P.O. Box 4990, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938. Baker and Taylor is the publisher's national distributor.