Manuel de la Torre (golfer) facts for kids
Manuel de la Torre (born October 6, 1921 – died April 24, 2016) was known as one of the best golf teachers ever. He had a long career playing golf in tournaments, working as a head golf professional at the Milwaukee Country Club, and teaching many golfers. He taught famous players like Masters champion Tommy Aaron and U.S. Women's Open champion Carol Mann.
Manuel de la Torre was the first person in the PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) to win their Teacher of the Year Award in 1986. He is also one of the few golf teachers to be honored in both the World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame and the PGA Hall of Fame. When he was in college at Northwestern University, he was the captain of the golf team. He even finished second in the 1942 NCAA Championship. Manuel de la Torre won many golf tournaments, including the Wisconsin State Open five times. He was added to the Wisconsin Golf Hall of Fame in 1975 and the Northwestern University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
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How Manuel de la Torre Started Teaching Golf
Manuel de la Torre was born in Madrid, Spain. His home was right above the golf shop at the Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro. His father, Ángel de la Torre, was the head golf professional there and won the Spanish National Golf Championship five times. Manuel learned a lot from his father and his father's friend, Ernest Jones. Their ideas about teaching golf became the foundation for Manuel's own methods.
His teaching ideas have been successful for over 60 years. Many golf instructors still use them today. Manuel de la Torre retired as the head golf professional at Milwaukee Country Club, but he kept teaching golfers of all levels.
A Different Way to Learn Golf
There are two main ways to teach golf. Most golf lessons today focus on the body. This means teachers try to show golfers how to move their hips, legs, and shoulders correctly. The idea is that if your body moves right, the golf club will also move right, leading to good shots.
The other way to teach golf, which Manuel de la Torre used, focuses on the club. This method teaches golfers to think about how the golf club itself should move during a swing. Manuel de la Torre spent his career improving and teaching this club-focused approach.
At first, these two ways might seem similar. But anyone who has tried both will see how simple Manuel de la Torre's teaching is. He believed it was silly to think that a bad shot was caused by something your body did. He said that if the club moves correctly, your body can't really mess up the shot. And if the club moves wrong, no matter what your body does, the shot will still be bad.
Think of it like this: A shooter aims a rifle. If they handle the rifle correctly, the bullet will hit the target, no matter how they stand. In golf, if you handle the club correctly, the ball will go where you want it to.
This club-focused method makes learning golf much easier. For beginners, golf becomes simpler to understand and achieve. For experienced golfers, it takes away the stress of trying to control too many body parts. For professional golfers, this simple swing helps them play better under pressure. Manuel de la Torre helped many people by focusing on how the golf club moves.
The body-focused way of teaching golf can be tricky because:
- No two golfers' bodies are exactly the same.
- It asks golfers to think about body movements that usually happen without thinking.
- Golfers have to remember too many things during a very fast golf swing (about 2.5 seconds).
- All body movements must be perfect to get a good shot.
In contrast, club-focused teaching shows:
- How the club should move for a good swing.
- The club's movement is the same for every player and every club.
- The lesson is simple enough to use during that quick 2.5-second swing.
New studies by Dr. Gabriele Wulf and Dr. Bob Christina have shown that the club-focused teaching method, used by Manuel de la Torre and Ernest Jones, really works. Their research found that golfers of all skill levels improved faster with club-focused lessons. They noted that a golf club is a tool, like a hammer or scissors. When you use a tool, you focus on the tool itself, not on how your body moves. Your body naturally adjusts to help you use the tool correctly.
Manuel de la Torre's Passing
Manuel de la Torre passed away on April 24, 2016, at his home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was 94 years old and died from problems after a stroke.
Books and DVDs
Manuel de la Torre shared his knowledge in these publications:
- De la Torre, Manuel (September 2001). Understanding the Golf Swing. Warde Publishers, Inc.. ISBN 1-886346-51-8.
- De la Torre, Manuel (September 2003). Understanding the Golf Swing-DVD. Warde Publishers, Inc.. ISBN 1-886346-52-6.
Tournament Wins
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Before he became a professional, Manuel de la Torre played for Highland Park High School in 1940. He won the individual state golf championship and helped his team win their first state title. In 1942, while playing for Northwestern University, he was the runner-up in the NCAA Championship.
Manuel de la Torre won many professional tournaments while working full-time as a club professional. This meant he could only play in tournaments scheduled between October and April, during his club's off-season. He competed in both the U.S. tour and the Caribbean tour.
- 1952 Wisconsin State Open
- 1953 Wisconsin State Open, Wisconsin PGA Championship
- 1954 Capital Times Invitational
- 1955 Wisconsin State Open, Wisconsin PGA Championship
- 1957 Wisconsin PGA Championship
- 1959 Wisconsin PGA Championship
- 1961 Wisconsin State Open
- 1963 Cherryland Open Championship
- 1964 Cherryland Open Championship
- 1965 Hope of Tomorrow Championship
- 1968 Wisconsin State Open
- 1970 Wisconsin PGA Championship
- 1972 Westview Invitational
- 1973 National Open Seniors Classic
- 1976 Wisconsin PGA Match Play Championship
- 1987 Wisconsin PGA Senior Championship
