General Books

Golf:: The Best Instruction Book Ever!

Editors of Golf Magazine

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Booklegger Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $16.40

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Features:

• Hard Cover
• GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Teachers show you the fastest way to shoot lower scores

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Subjects -> Sports -> Coaching -> Golf -> General
Subjects -> Sports -> Coaching -> Golf -> General AAS
Subjects -> Sports -> Golf -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Golf, The Best Instruction Book ever 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is complete and easy to read and understand. It also provides photos and diagrams to assist in the understanding of this sport.

Golf: The Best Instruction Book Ever 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Packaged very well upon arrival. Cover is bent and book has a bad odor to it.

Mediocre and not systematic 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is comprised of tips from the top instructors in the country. However, this is a more of an annual for the Golf Magazine by reproducing the 'tips' that were published from the prior year. The title does not live up to its hyper or its name.

It is organized well and the short bullet format and clear illustrations are good.

However, this is not a system upon which you should base your learning. Different 'tips' may not work for a particular style of swing.

If you are one who learns from 'tips' AND you don't subscribe to the magazine, get this book.

If you want to learn something from scratch or are a routine/average hacker, stay away. You should adopt any one of the dozens of 'systems of instruction' and stick with one.

The following is a book of a similar genre covering tips to play better, not a system.

Breaking 100, 90, 80: Taking Your Game to the Next Level with the Best Teachers in Golf

VERDICT:

For most golfers, I do not recommend this book.

Editorial Review:

The best instructors in America give you their best lessons to improve your swing step-by-step, drive the ball farther, chip it closer to the hole, escape bunkers with ease and make the putts you should with easy-to-understand tips and drills accompanied by hundreds of color photographs. Includes a glossary of common terms and the bonus DVD, 12 Ways To Drop 12 Strokes.

The Art of the Short Game: Tour-Tested Secrets for Getting Up and Down

Stan Utley, Matthew Rudy

Amazon Price: $16.50 List Price: $25.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Booklegger Amazon Marketplace: 54 new & used starting at $10.39

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Features:

• Hard Cover
• Stan Utley

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Subjects -> Sports -> Coaching -> Golf -> General
Subjects -> Sports -> Coaching -> Golf -> General AAS
Subjects -> Sports -> Golf -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"The hottest instructor in golf" (Sports Illustrated) takes on old-school gurus with a far more accessible, intuitive, and innovative approach to those essential chip shots, pitches, and bunker rescues. Veteran golfers know that the secret to a lower score is a solid short game, but mastering those small strokes can be maddeningeven for the pros. One of golfs most revered instructors, Stan Utley now reveals the step-by-step tactics behind his revolutionary short-game techniques in The Art of the Short Game. After introducing readers to his groundbreaking philosophy that explains why most players dont see all the shots available to them near the green, Utley moves on to shatter conventional wisdom about stance, grip, and ball position. From choosing the right clubs (including a checklist of must-haves that should always be in your bag) to spin reduction during chipping and fearless sand play, The Art of the Short Game demystifies the most aggravating shots on the links. Though Utleys primer features a full set of drills, accompanied by more than seventy-five photos, his approach is far removed from the monotonous, mechanical instruction of yesteryear. Giving a time-tested secret weapon to every golfer at every level, Utleys short-game methods turn trouble shots into triumph.

How I Play Golf

Tiger Woods

Amazon Price: $13.59 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Booklegger Amazon Marketplace: 161 new & used starting at $4.56

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Features:

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Subjects -> Sports -> Biographies -> Golf
Subjects -> Sports -> Biographies -> General
Subjects -> Sports -> Biographies -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 98 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent Book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent book. Not a how to of golf but rather a how Tiger plays. Helped my game immensely. Espcially my putting. I would recommend this book golfers of all levels.

a great way to lear or improve our golf 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

great book that help us to improve our golf...
and also give us a little taste of what is like been tiger

Tiger Woods - How I Play Golf 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

An exceptional book with good illustrations & bought at a very good price. Postage time was VERY DISAPPOINTING - expected to receive within 3-4 weeks (standard Air Freight) but took 6 weeks!!! This was our 1st purchase on Amazon & we were concerned and had almost given up on it! Expect DELAYS on overseas purchases.

Editorial Review:

For the first time an instructional book that has been fully authorized and written by Tiger Woods himself, where he reveals secrets to his incredible success. The insights Tiger reveals in How I Play Golf are a combination of the physical, metaphysical, and psychological practices that Tiger uses daily to keep his game at the top. For fans and followers of Tiger, these secrets will become the gospel of how to improve one's own game.

Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game

Joseph Parent

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Booklegger Amazon Marketplace: 76 new & used starting at $5.69

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Features:

• Mental Game
• Hard Cover

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Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Buddhism
Subjects -> Sports -> Coaching -> Golf -> Psychology
Subjects -> Sports -> Coaching -> Golf -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Improve my game!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I am a beginner golfer and this book is helpful for the mental part of golf! I would suggest it to anyone that plays golf. I gave to a friend that throws clubs in frustration and she played a round for the first time with no broken clubs and was relaxed, she says the book is helping her too

I am enjoying golf again 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

After being frustrated with myself on the golf course during the past few months I was beginning to wonder if I might stop playing.I have a handicap of 19 and was really struggling to play to it.Once I had a bad hole I would get down on myself and the whole thing would snowball.
After reading Zen Golf and putting into practice some of the techniques I have played two lots of 9 hole stableford competitions and had 23+25 points.
I have played 2 rounds of 18 holes in competition.The first round of our club championship at 85-19-66 (par is 69).In our annual men's tournament 83-19-64.During these rounds I have only had one 7 and nothing higher.
Most importantly I have actually been enjoying myself.
I am certain this booked has really helped me and I will continue to use the techniques that I have learnt.I will probably read this book over and over when I need to as there are several more things I want to try.

Editorial Review:

Clear, concise, and enlightening, this book introduces a unique perspective combing modern psychology, Buddhist wisdom, and professional golf instruction in order to master the mental game. Dr. Parent guides golfers with simple yet powerful techniques to prepare for, execute and respond to the results of any golf shot. By applying classic insights and stories from the Buddhist tradition to the challenges of golf, Zen Golf shows how to make one's mind an ally instead of an enemy: how to stay calm, clear the interference that leads to poor shots, and eliminate bad habits and mental mistakes.

Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible: Master the Finesse Swing and Lower Your Score (Dave Pelz Scoring Game Series)

Dave Pelz

Amazon Price: $23.07 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Golf Smart Amazon Marketplace: 91 new & used starting at $6.94

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Features:

• Short Game
• Hard Cover

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Sports -> Coaching -> Golf -> General
Subjects -> Sports -> Coaching -> Golf -> General AAS
Subjects -> Sports -> Golf -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 123 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

By DAVE PELZ. Daves approach to golf is easy to understand: 80 percent of the strokes golfers lose to par are determined by their play within 100 yards of the green - the crucial scoring game. A former physicist for NASA, Dave brings a scientific rigor to his research and instruction that has made him the top short-game expert in the world. Now Dave shares, for the first time, the understanding and techniques he has taught the pros, including a wide array of innovative tests and exercises for mastering those deceptive and high-pressure shots of the short game. The first book by best-selling author and internationally revered instructor Dave Pelz since Putt Like the Pros, this new offering can show you the way to lower scores by improving your short game. Packed with all the knowledge, charts, and photos needed to learn from the master, Dave Pelzs Short Game Bible is the essential book for every golfer. Covering everything golfers need to know about how to improve their short game, Dave Pelzs Short Game Bible can - and will - help you to consistently shoot lower scores.

How to Hit Every Shot

Editors of Golf Magazine

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Time Inc Home Entertainment Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $17.07

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Subjects -> Sports -> Golf -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

good 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a great book, just the thing i was looking for too learn all the different and deficult shots in golf.

Editorial Review:

The hallmark of any great golfer is versatility--after all, you rarely hit the same shot twice during a round. There are hundreds of different ways to hit the ball where you want it to go, but only one that gives you the best chance for the shot you're facing. In GOLF magazine's How to Hit Every Shot, GOLF's Top 100 Teachers show you how to play 100 different shots from the tee, fairway, trouble areas and around the green. Their simple, step-by-step methods are easy to follow, learn and repeat, so you can use them the next time you play.

Learn how to tackle awkward lies and shape shots and to hit specialty chips and pitches that allow you to get the ball close to the hole every time. Instructional text is paired with hundreds of full-color photos so you can see exactly what you need to do pull off every shot imaginable. How to Hit Every Shot is the ultimate shotmaking primer. You'll always know what shot to play and, more importantly, how to hit it. BONUS: 30-minute DVD!

Golf is Not a Game of Perfect

Dr. Bob Rotella

Amazon Price: $15.61 List Price: $22.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Booklegger Amazon Marketplace: 131 new & used starting at $1.43

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Features:

• Mental Game
• Hard Cover

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Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Contemporary
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> General AAS
Subjects -> Sports -> Coaching -> Golf -> Psychology

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 77 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Far from perfect but a worthwhile cure for insomnia 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Dr Bob Rotella is extremely well known in golf education for his advice on how to train your mind to play your best golf. He has helped some distinguished players including Tom Kite.

His basic philosophy is:
1. Believe you can achieve your golfing dream.
2. Have no swing thoughts or any thoughts about swing mechanics when you play.
3. Focus on a target for the ball: the smaller the better.
4. Stay in the present: forget previous shots (good and bad), don't think about the score for the round (good or bad). This will only distract you.

I have awarded this a one star. This is perhaps harsh, perhaps a three star would be appropriate but here is why I did:

My average handicap is 25 (27 in competition). I have been playing for three years and in the past 7 months as much as 5 or 6 times a week. I eat, sleep and dream golf. I devour new books and DVDs from the big names and some of the less well known.

I regularly watched the golf channel UK (RIP) and read Golf Digest online. My best rounds are around 85. My theoretical best (best scores per hole on different days) is 63.

In spite of starting this great game of golf at the age of 40, I've done well in many other sports and activities (squash, snowboarding, fencing, motorsport, aviation) and believe I should be able to play at a good level: regularly in the 80s and why not, with training and perseverance, in the 70s.

In short, my profile matches that of the target reader for this book. I had high expectations of this book and was hoping to discover new information and techniques on how to train my mind to get the best from my golf.

In reality, I found nothing new here. Most of the advice really is common sense and common place in all the golf related material I've encountered. Bob spends too much time covering what not to think. In the audio version, Bob drones on so much he sent me to sleep. Sadly, I have to say, the book is not worth the money and I can not recommend it.

Editorial Review:

In this extraordinary book and with his clients, Bob Rotella creates an attitude and a mindset about all aspects of a golfer's game, from mental preparation to competitiion.

Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf

Harvey Penick

Amazon Price: $10.40 List Price: $13.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon & Schuster Amazon Marketplace: 121 new & used starting at $0.01

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Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Sports
Subjects -> Sports -> Coaching -> Golf -> General
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 59 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Somewhat disappointing read 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

If I could compare this book to a golf swing, I would say the set-up and approach looked good, but the writing fell apart through the impact zone and follow through.

There is a lot of praise out there for Harvey Penick, and based upon the numerous comments in the book's forward by the well-known golfers he mentored, I have no doubts that the praise is well warranted. Unfortunately, while Penick himself in the book's introduction sets up his "Little Red Book" as a lifetime's masterful compilation of golf wisdom and best kept secrets finally made public, the book fails to live up to the author's own advertising and is a bit disappointing.

A fair amount of down-to-earth tips, techniques, and golfing philosophy that Harvey had applied to his students are shared in the book. And if just one of those tips can improve one's golf game, then I would say the book is worth the price. But too often, the "Little Red Book" comes off as an exercise in name-dropping and rambling golf anecdotes, many of which are not all that interesting nor amusing. It pains me to say that, knowing what a revered figure Harvey Penick has been to some in the golfing community, but that is just my honest assessment.

What also disappointed me about this book was that although Harvey Penick gives a couple of concessions to the virtue of humility, there appears to be a somewhat bragadocious quality to the narrative. That would be more excusable if the "Little Red Book" was in fact packed from cover to cover with the invaluable tips Penick promises in this introductory chapter, but that is not the case. Here is a short example of what I am talking about:

In the chapter titled "First Things First," Harvey writes about a man who came to his country club seeking out "this famous teacher, this Penick fellow." The man says if Harvey is "such a great teacher" perhaps he can give some advice on how to get out of sand traps. Harvey 's response - which abruptly ends the brief chapter - is something to the effect that it is better not to get into sand traps to begin with...a response that is not only rather obvious but neither practically helpful nor particularly clever.

That exemplifies too much of the tone of this book, which is unfortunate, because there are some good down-to-earth visualization techniques and other bits of instruction, which, if solely focused upon, would have made this a far better and more useful read.

Editorial Review:

Harvey Penick's Little Red Golf BookEvery time he found something about the swing stance or the mental approach that proved to be consistently successful Harvey Penick made notes in his notebook. He gathered notes for 60 years and let no one read them except his son Tinsley until the publishing of this bookAuthor: Harvey Penick

The Art of Putting: The Revolutionary Feel-Based System for Improving Your Score

Stan Utley, Matthew Rudy

Amazon Price: $16.50 List Price: $25.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Booklegger Amazon Marketplace: 51 new & used starting at $10.71

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Features:

• Putting
• Hard Cover

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Subjects -> Sports -> Coaching -> Golf -> General
Subjects -> Sports -> Coaching -> Golf -> General AAS
Subjects -> Sports -> Golf -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Simple, natural and powerful! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

First off, I am a 3 handicap that is working hard at trying to get to a 0. My biggest struggle was with my short game, my pitching was decent at best, chipping was pretty steady, but my putting was awful. I was averaging about 33-34 putts per round. I attempted to read both Pelz books but found them extremely dry, poorly written and the methods didn't do anything for me. After reading this book and applying Utley's method, I started getting better and better, now, my last 3 rounds I've had 26, 29 and 31 putts, and shot 75, 73 and 81. My game will never be the same due to this book. I now feel confident over 4 footers whereas last year I dreaded these putts, I'm even dropping some 15 to 25 footers now, which really improves your scores. I highly recommend this book!

Editorial Review:

Stan Utley is the most in-demand short-game teacher in the game. In The Art Of Putting, he outlines his unique approach in putting for golfers of all skill levels. Utley breaks down the putting stroke to a simple, natural motion and describes methods of learning this sure, repeatable stroke.

The Game Before the Game: The Perfect 30-Minute Practice

Lynn Marriott, Pia Nilsson, Ron Sirak

Amazon Price: $5.99 List Price: $22.50 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Gotham Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $4.43

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Subjects -> Sports -> Coaching -> Golf -> General
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The authors of the smash hit Every Shot Must Have a Purpose put the golf back in golf practice, with a revolutionary approach that replaces rote sessions with dynamic, proven drills.

As coaches to golf’s top players, Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson have created brilliant new mind- body strategies for every aspect of the game. With The Game Before the Game, they showcase their unique approach to practice, with winning techniques that ensure those hours on the driving range and practice green aren’t wasted on reinforcing bad habits.

The authors identify three essential types of practice:
• Warm-up: getting not only the muscles but also the mind in gear
• Maintenance: intended to prevent your swing from drifting between rounds
• Preparation: adding numerous new shots to your repertoire

From there, the authors outline pro-tested drills that help you find your swing rhythm, visualize success off the course, simplify putting, break through skill plateaus, and much more. Each chapter concludes with a memorable “swing key” for translating practice into success during the real thing.