Carlton Archive
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“The Blind Golfer”

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Carlton dissects the long-running "blind golfer" video sales letter where he introduced his famous "four ball guarantee" -- a purely benefit-driven pitch made possible by shunting the expert's credentials into the "Does The Name John Darling Ring A Bell?" lift note.

pp. 97–102sales letter · insert~14 minkiller headline · story hook · guarantee copy · testimonials · scarcity deadline · lift note
The story behind it — John's notes

I believe this is the piece where I introduced the "four ball guarantee". It's very simple: Watch the instructional video, go out to the driving range, line up four balls and hit them... and if you haven't mastered the secret by the fourth ball, we insist you ask for your money back.

It's a powerful way to illustrate the complete faith the mailer has in his product. It drives home the concept that you do not have to practice for a long time. The benefit you receive is immediate, and easy.

Plus... it's guaranteed to please you, or you get all your money back, no questions asked.

This letter has mailed for years, and appeared every year in the major golf magazines. When I wrote it, I was still pretty much guessing at the big "hot buttons" for golfers... but all my hunches paid off. (I must have talked with two dozen golfers to get a "feel" for what tweaked their passion.) On page one, the fifth point is to "go to the clubhouse and gloat". Golf is such a frustrating game, a blatant appeal like this hits home. Golfers would love to be able to gloat. It's rare that you get the chance.

You don't have to gloat, of course... but it sure is nice to have the opportunity.

Notice the increase in the informality of Dr. O'Leary's tone -- he is "Head Golf Nut"... everybody's mad at him... and he went through all the skepticism himself before being convinced this secret was the real thing. His passion and his honest amazement at this secret are clearly evident.

This is also a completely benefit-driven piece -- the opposite of the "22 Minutes and 17 Seconds" golf ad you saw earlier in the collection. That's why -- rather than weave the credentials of the talent into the copy -- I just added the lift note ("Does The Name John Darling Ring A Bell?"). This allowed me to go hog wild on the benefits, without having to detour to explain who the expert is.

It's important to know what's more interesting to the reader -- the benefits he will receive (launching longer and more accurate drives)... or the deal he gets (such as a post-dated check)... or the opportunity available to him (like an "insiders" private lesson with the most sought-after teacher in the world). Even on similar products, the concept you use can -- and should -- be startlingly different each time. You cannot afford to give your audience an excuse to yawn and put your letter aside.

The piece itself
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And it's yours FREE if you want!

"How A Blind Golfer Stumbled Onto The Simple Secret Behind David Duval's Swing That Can Give Anyone Unbelievable Distance With Total Accuracy!"

It took me just FOUR SWINGS to get it down for myself, too.

It's the LAST SECRET to massive pro-level power you'll ever need... and now you can learn the same "smooth as butter" trick, which will instantly add up to 30 miles per hour to your clubhead speed.

Immediately give you the added flexibility to follow-through like a professional... and quickly increase your distance and accuracy beyond anything you've ever dreamed.

Literally in just a couple of practice swings! It's GUARANTEED to work for you, too, or it's FREE...

From: Dr. Mike O'Leary Head Golf Nut, OHP

Dear John Carlton,

Everybody's mad at me again... because I'm about to "give away the farm" with this amazing new golf video. My partners here at OHP just hate the word "free", but I love it. You will, too, when you see the deal I've cooked up for you below.

This is easily the most compact "take a few swings and you've got it" lesson we've ever offered... and yet the result will just curl your toes with pleasure. In fact, here's what I want you to do:

(1) Call my office and tell them to rush you the special video I've set aside in your name.

(2) Watch it. It's only 30 minutes long, but I guarantee you'll be riveted to the tube for every second.

(3) Go out to your favorite range, and place four balls next to your practice tee. Just four balls — that's all you need. Hit them, using the trick you just learned.

(4) Now immediately play a round with the best golfer you know. A single-handicap ex-pro would be perfect. Ignore any comment he makes about your swing. By the fourth hole, he won't be talking much anyway... because you'll be out-driving him, out-finessing him, and (unless you absolutely suck at putting) beating the tar out of him.

(5) When you're finished, go to the clubhouse and gloat.

I'm not kidding, either. I thought it was joke myself, until I did it. The result was an immediate feeling of unbelievable "butter smooth" control... plus the awesome power that comes with accelerating through your swing (instead of jerking to slo-mo like 99% of golfers do at impact)... and the jaw-dropping distance you get when you finally follow through like the professionals.

David Duval uses this trick — and it's the reason he's tearing up the PGA Tour right now. Jack Nicklaus used

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it, too (though he denied it — fortunately, film replays reveal he DID use it). Hal Sutton uses it, Annika Sorenstam uses it... and the list just gets longer every season... as the most outstanding players to ever hit the tour adopt this secret "swing speed accelerator".

But what really convinced me this trick was the real thing was how an old, blind golfer used it to consistently out-drive and out-iron low-handicap guys with 20/20 vision. (Did you know there are over 2,500 blind golfers in the U.S.?) In fact, he made seeing the ball look like a definite handicap to good golf. It changed my game forever.

Now, the reason I refer to this astonishing golf secret as a "trick" is because it acts like a trick. Literally, it's a simple way to:

  • Increase your flexibility 400%, instantly... no matter how stiff or uncoordinated you feel right now.
  • Increase your clubhead speed by up to 30 mph, instantly... bringing you up from the embarrassing 75-85 miles per hour most golfers get, and closer to the 120 mph that Tiger Woods gets with his limber, expert swing. (And you aren't "swinging harder", either... just more efficiently!)
  • Immediately "nail down" your accuracy to professional-like levels... by removing the main obstacle to pinpoint placement in your shots. (You won't believe this until you try it for yourself... and then you won't want anyone else in on the fun!)
  • And actually *accelerate your swing as you blast through the ball — the real key to awesome distance* on every shot... as straight as you can point.

This is the LAST advanced lesson on distance hitting you'll ever need. It's not for everyone... but I think you can be the best judge of that. And you can master it the same day you get the tape in the mail... because the notorious PGA master-teacher John Darling will make SURE you "get it" as fast as humanly possible. This is his most amazing video in years of best selling video-teaching. And we are guaranteeing you will "get it"... or the lesson is free.

The reason it's so simple to learn, says John, is that it involves merely making a SINGLE adjustment to what you do when you swing. Making that single adjustment automatically installs a breathtaking freedom of motion that creates a new flexibility, increased clubhead speed, and makes maximum acceleration of power a "given" in your swing.

The reason it's an advanced SECRET, however, is because it seems to run against everything you've been told about "keeping your eye on the ball" and — worse — "keeping your head down". For the average golfer (and I include myself here), the elusive key to great golf always appeared to be an ability to "anchor" your head inside the arc of your swing. I never questioned this wisdom, because all the golf magazines, all the experts, and every club pro I'd taken lessons from said, over and over, "keep your head down, you idiot!" So I did.

Now I discover that the guys who actually PLAY great golf do nothing of the sort. No, they aren't bobbing their noggins about like one of those ceramic Dodger doll heads you see in car rear windows. But neither are they "anchoring" their head inside their swing. If they did, they would get results like the rest of us... because keeping your head "anchored" actually:

  • Interrupts your swing, so you "bunch up" and constrict the flexibility you need for maximum follow-through (which translates to a significant loss of power and distance)...
  • Slows down your clubhead speed at impact with the ball (thus "pulling your punch" just when you need it the most)...
  • And robs you of accuracy by inhibiting the full-throttle force in your arc (because your head is in the way of your shoulders!).

The blind guy I witnessed never worried about "keeping his eye on the ball", and so didn't fall into the trap of "anchoring" his head. The professionals like David Duval have learned not to do it because...

It Would Rob Them Of Those Gorgeous 300+ Yard Drives That Helps Them Win Tournaments!

Look. I could go on and on about this amazing "trick", but you have to see it firsthand to understand it. Trying to explain it in a letter is like trying to see a painting in a dark room. So let me just tell you what to expect when

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you learn it... and then tell you how you can have it for FREE, if you so choose.

Just like I said at the beginning of this letter, take four balls, get the "trick" down, and it's yours. What you'll discover, instantly, is:

  • A crisper "smack" when you hit the ball... and a feeling like your body is made of silk as you follow through.
  • An increase of 20% in your total power because you won't slow down your clubhead speed just before impact anymore (like 99% of all amateurs do).
  • A further increase of 20% in your total power because you'll be accelerating through the ball into your follow-through. (Your total clubhead speed, if you're currently swinging a very average 85 mph, will shoot up to over 100 miles per hour instantly — a very respectable speed — and could easily approach the professional levels of 120 mph and even 130 mph. Easily.)
  • An immediate — and very consistentincrease in distance on your drives of at least 35-to-45 yards. (Those occasional 250 yard drives you were so proud of will suddenly become regular 300 yard monsters!)
  • An athletic flexibility you never dreamed you were capable of... because you've just removed the "anchor" that's been inhibiting a "butter smooth" swing all this time.
  • And... the amazing accuracy that can only come when you finally stop "aiming" at the ball you've been keeping your eye on... and start allowing your body to swing with a graceful power and consistency that essentially ignores the ball, and simply blows it down the fairway because it "got in the way" of your perfect swing.

Your drives are where you'll see the most dramatic difference... but your fairway woods, your irons, even your wedges will also become newly-friendly tools in your hands with this amazing secret. Instantly.

And it's all yours simply for the asking.

Here's the deal: I've really gone to the wall for you here, against everyone else's advice. (My accountants think I've gone bonkers, and my partners are not speaking with me anymore.) But, you see... this incredible golfing secret just isn't for everyone. It may not be for you — it's advanced, and like I said, it runs completely against all the "advice" you've been given your entire golfing life. For many guys, that's just too much to handle. Never mind the David Duval's and the Jack Nicklaus' who use it... it's not a "safe" secret.

Yes, it's simple to learn and put into use. Yes, the results you see will be dramatic and immediate. But no, it's not something you've ever seen before.

Therefore, I feel I must make this deal as easy to swallow as possible... or I'll never get normal guys like you to try it. (And believe me, it will change your life forever once you see what the fuss is about!) So I've created the best deal I can think of:

(1) Call my office at 1-800-316-5871 (Department FB-17) and tell whoever answers you want "John Darling's Swing Speed Accelerator Video". There's one set aside in your name. It will be rush-mailed to you the same day.

(2) You can use your credit card, or you can mail in the enclosed "Priority Order Form" with your check or money order.

(3) BUT YOU'RE NOT RISKING A PENNY! Because, once you receive your tape, I want you to watch it, take four balls to learn the secret, and then... if you don't go out and start walloping shots further than you ever have before, with more accuracy, and (very important) with more flexibility and vastly-increased clubhead speed... then I INSIST you call us right back and ask for a complete, fast and full refund. But...

I Want You To Keep The Tape

That means you've seen the entire lesson for FREE, if you so choose. And please — take the rest of the season (until October 1st, 1999), once you have the tape, before you decide one way or the other. I want to make this as simple and convenient as possible for you... because it's worth it.

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We stand to lose a bundle on this deal (that's why my partners are so angry)... but I'm more confident than I've EVER been in my life that this is the LAST advanced lesson on distance and accuracy you'll ever need. So confident, in fact, that I'm betting EVERYTHING on the brash concept of inviting you to take just four balls to learn it... or the video is FREE.

If you don't see the immediate results I've talked about, you've wasted nothing but a few moments of your time. That's all. You only pay if you're absolutely convinced.

And I want you to keep the tape, regardless, because... after you've had some time to perhaps watch David Duval and the other pro's who use this trick, you eventuallly will decide to give it another try. I know it will work for you, just as I've said it will... but I am so convinced you can see these results immediately, I'm willing to take all the risk myself with my unprecedented...

"Four Ball" Guarantee!

We've never had a guarantee like this before... and likely never will again. It's more generous than I need to be. But like I said, since you need to SEE this firsthand to understand it, it's my job to get this amazing video into your hands... no matter what. Even if I have to risk going broke.

Of course, I am only making this outrageous offer to guys like you who are on my "Hot List" of favorite customers. No way would I offer this "free if you want it" deal to a stranger — I'd get ripped off for sure. But we trust you here at OHP. I think you'll give this a fair try, and if I'm right — as I'm sure I am — you'll be so happy with the results that the price of the video will be the biggest bargain you've ever had.

But you must call right now. Today, in fact. There's just no way I can hold this offer open for you indefinitely. Therefore, the video with your name on it will only be held for the next 11 days, and if you don't call immediately, it will be returned to the warehouse or given to someone else. Why let that happen? After all...

Your Risk Here Is ZERO!

So call now. I guarantee you're gonna love what you discover!

Sincerely,

[signature: Dr. Mike O'Leary]

Dr. Mike O'Leary

P.S. Want to hear what other guys are saying about this trick? Here's what I've heard from some golfers who've already tried it:

> "Awesome! I've added 35 yards to my tee shots, and I keep adding more all the time... especially with my irons. It's like having a 'sneaky' advantage no one else can figure out." Patrick McKenna, Riverside

> "I never believed it was possible for anything so powerful to be so simple, quick to learn, and so incredibly effective. My swing now feels like butter, I've got clubhead speed to spare, and my accuracy has improved 110%." R.I. Sayegh, Southern California

> "I've always struggled with my mid and low irons (from the 6 to the 3 iron). Yet, in just the shortest time possible, I've doubled my power and accuracy! It's taken all the pressure off the rest of my game." J. Scott Barber, electrical contractor

> "I now have zero fear inside 180 yards, hitting more greens in regulation than I ever dreamed I could. This really works, despite being so darned simple... and has me shooting in the 70s!" Clark Hulbert, Northern California

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Does The Name John Darling Ring A Bell?

It sure does for a long list of PGA professionals. Darling was a pro himself on the Tour not too long ago, but his real "insider" fame came from his teaching ability. That's why this new tape of his on "Swing Speed Accelerators" is so exciting.

Here's just a short list of guys who have sought out Darling for serious advice and skills... many of whom had their biggest years during the time Darling coached them: Steve Haskins ('91 Nike New England Classic winner)... John Flannery ('92 Nike Tour Player Of The Year)... and John Kernohan ('96 Asian Open Winner, against a field of top PGA, Nike and Aussie pro's). Lon Hinkle ('79 World Series Of Golf winner) credited Darling with bringing his swing "back into balance". And Brian Watts, who came in second at the last British Open, first came to Darling as a 12-year-old kid wanting to learn how to golf.

I could go on for another four pages, but you get the idea. A ton of PGA millionaire golfers owe their near-perfect games to John Darling — most of whom, you understand, do not want their names mentioned. Some of them are even now touting themselves as teaching experts, making a bundle with high-profile advertising campaigns... and screwing up guys like you and me with utter nonsense (because the secrets of their own success is still a mystery to them).

John Darling KNOWS the secrets of great golf... he KNOWS how to take any golfer and "load" him up with more power and consistent accuracy than a human should be allowed... and he KNOWS how to teach so you have the shortest learning curve possible. The secrets themselves are simple... but knowing what they are, and knowing how to teach them are the most difficult things in the world! Yet, almost overnight, John Darling can show you how to "download" the skills of the best professionals in the world. He's that good at teaching.

So "sample" this new video with complete confidence... and with absolutely no risk at all. It's the most generous deal we've ever offered... but you must hurry. Call 1-800-316-5871 right now to get the copy we've set aside for you.

The Blind Golfer — original scan, page 98
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The Blind Golfer — original scan, page 99
p. 99restored · verified vs original
The Blind Golfer — original scan, page 100
p. 100restored · verified vs original
The Blind Golfer — original scan, page 101
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The Blind Golfer — original scan, page 102
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