Buying Golf Books

Zak Flaps

Hi. I want to buy some (not too many) golf books to help me learn more about the game. I'm getting back into playing after many years of not playing. My handicap would be late 20's. I went round a course recently in approx 100 shots.

Got 3 lessons in the past few months and would like to read a few books also.

I inherited "Ben Hogan's The Modern Fundamentals Of Golf" from my (dearly departed) Dad. My Mum told me it was his favourite. Online reviews for it are fantastic, so I'm glad I have that one.

Would like to get a few more.

From doing a bit of online research,I have narrowed my choice down to these titles:

1. The Fundamentals of Hogan (Leadbetter)
2. Swing Like a Pro: The Breakthrough Scientific Method of Perfecting Your Golf Swing (Ralph Mann)
3. Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf
4. The Swing Factory (Steve Gould, David Wilkinson, and William Sieghart)
5. The Eight Step Swing (McClean)
6.Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible
7.Getting Up and Down (Tom Watson)

For the short game,Pelz's book may be a little complex for me,so may just get Watson's instead.
Would like to purchase some of these.
Anybody any comments on any of them? Any of them too complex for a relative(but not total) beginner?
Which few would you recommend?

Zak.

Sandwich

Very good list. I regard them all highly , and between them cover a good range.

You could substitute Getting Up and Down, with The Art of The Short Game, by Stan Utley.
The Fundamentals of Hogan is a companion book to and analysis of Modern Fundamentals and very theoretical. Very interesting, but would read it last of the ones you have picked.

The 'Mind' side of golf has been a growth area in golf literature in recent years. Golf is Not a Game of Perfect by Rotella is the urtext and worth getting.

Russman

All good books I'm sure, and probably any one of them would be a good read. I've only read two of them, Hogan's one is pretty much regarded as a bible from what I've heard. Leadbetter's one is interesting in that he critiques Hogan's ideas and says where he agrees or not with them.

Harvey Penick's Little Red Book would be worth a buy - its very entertaining and uses anecdotes rather than too much technical info which is always good. Its very much old school, which is coming back into vogue after the "one swing fits all" approach many teachers took in the last 10-15 years.

Definitely buy Bob Rotella's Golf is Not a Game of Perfect (its around €15 in Easons) - worth much more to you than any of the others in my humble opinion. Any of Rotella's books would be good but that one is his best, closely followed by Golf is a Game of Confidence.

2 big things to be wary of when buying books are:
1) many authors will have differing opinions on the swing and there is a danger you could be reading 2 conflicting approaches and tie yourself up in knots. Apologies if that comes across as condescending, its not meant that way at all.
2) make sure the book you buy is consistent with what your teaching pro wants you to do and/or what you're trying to do. If you're happy with your pro chat to him and ask which one he'd recommend.

Alternatively if you're purely buying for reading alone as opposed to trying to learn golf from a book then any of them would be good. Montgomorie has one also, can't remember the name, something like "Thinking man's guide to golf" (?), its worth checking out.

This turned into a much longer reply than intended, hope I haven't bored you !! Happy reading

Kevinmarkham

Russman is spot on when he says you could end up with two books that might contradict each other, so try one first and see how you get on. And don't exclude DVDs from your list - the new short game DVD by Mickleson is supposed to be brilliant.

Something else that might be of interest is John Richardson's 'Dream On'. It's not instructional but he uses a lot of the books you've mentioned, as well as DVDs, in his quest and he gives a good assessment of them.

And as Sandwich pointed out, Bob Rotella may be a big help too.

Grey Fox

Zak I would highly recommend Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible, especially if you are a high 20's handicapper his chipping and pitching teachings could help you knock a good few shots off your handicap. Certainly helped my own short game.

G1032

Zak Flaps wrote: »

I inherited "Ben Hogan's The Modern Fundamentals Of Golf" from my (dearly departed) Dad. My Mum told me it was his favourite. Online reviews for it are fantastic, so I'm glad I have that one.

This is the only one you need!! If you can implement what he teaches in that book then you'll not go too far wrong. A brilliant book.

Zak Flaps

Sandwich wrote: »

You could substitute Getting Up and Down, with The Art of The Short Game, by Stan Utley.
The 'Mind' side of golf has been a growth area in golf literature in recent years. Golf is Not a Game of Perfect by Rotella is the urtext and worth getting.

I read positive reviews of Utley's book also so it's worth considering. I already purchased Watson's book online as it was only a couple of euros.

Russman wrote: »

Definitely buy Bob Rotella's Golf is Not a Game of Perfect (its around €15 in Easons) - worth much more to you than any of the others in my humble opinion. Any of Rotella's books would be good but that one is his best, closely followed by Golf is a Game of Confidence.

I was thinking of downloading Rotella's audiobook from itunes as i listen to my ipod a lot. Sandwich and kevinmarkham recommended Rotella also.

Russman wrote: »

Apologies if that comes across as condescending, its not meant that way at all.
This turned into a much longer reply than intended, hope I haven't bored you !! Happy reading

Didn't come across condescending at all.
You didn't bore me,I appreciate the detailed message. Thanks a mill.

Kevinmarkham wrote: »

And don't exclude DVDs from your list - the new short game DVD by Mickleson is supposed to be brilliant.

Cheers Kevin. That has received some good reviews also. It's only available as a region 1 dvd i think but i don't have multiregion player.Maybe it'll be released here soon. I like the idea of a dvd.

Grey Fox wrote: »

Zak I would highly recommend Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible, especially if you are a high 20's handicapper his chipping and pitching teachings could help you knock a good few shots off your handicap. Certainly helped my own short game.

Cheers Grey Fox. You don't think it would be a bit detailed and complicated for me,being a relative beginner?

ronaldochokes wrote: »

This is the only one you need!! If you can implement what he teaches in that book then you'll not go too far wrong. A brilliant book.

Nice one. This book seems to be the best rated of them all.

kagni

Zak Flaps wrote: »

I read positive reviews of Utley's book also so it's worth considering. I already purchased Watson's book online as it was only a couple of euros.

I've read both of these and Pelz too, they were all decent but out of the three I preferred Utley's book. There is also a book called "Precision Wedge and Bunker shots" that I bought on Amazon for a couple of euros that I think is good.

Zak Flaps wrote: »

I was thinking of downloading Rotella's audiobook from itunes as i listen to my ipod a lot. Sandwich and kevinmarkham recommended Rotella also.

I have one of his books on CD that you can have cheap if interested, the audio books are abridged versions though, so it might be worth getting the actual book too. I also have the swing factory book you mentioned in the original post, PM me if you are interested in either or both.

The_Kew_Tour

I have just read Bob Rotella "Golf of your dreams" and think its great book, first of his books I have read and would advise on buying it for the mental side of golf.(sure you can buy for great price on ebay or amazon)

I have read Dave Pelz Short game and Putting Bibile as well as new book Damage Control. All good books but would only recommend them after you have went through a more easy to undersdtand book first.

I would advise on getting Hogans book taught it helped me greatly if im honest.

PhilipMarlowe

Lots of online instruction out there too, some of it quite good.
Shawn Clement gets some good mentions on here - http://www.shawnclementgolf.com
Lot of youtube videos on every aspect of the game... he also sells a DVD too.
In one of his videos, he shows a 6 handicapper who apparently learned almost all to date from the youtube videos - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8jsPJHeojE

Anyway, every now and again I will check him out if I need help with something because I find he is very good with visualisation and you won't get bogged down with technique - he's very "target" focused and uses good analogies to explain.

On the book side, the only ones I've read are a few of the Rotella ones and this side of it is really common sense but so important... recommended.

Grey Fox

Zak Flaps wrote: »

Cheers Grey Fox. You don't think it would be a bit detailed and complicated for me,being a relative beginner?quote]

I think it would be ok for a relative beginner, he usually starts the chapter with simple instruction on how to play a basic shot and then elaborates more as the chapter goes on. You could just ignore anything that gets too detailed.

Zak Flaps

adrian280582 wrote: »

I have read Dave Pelz Short game and Putting Bibile as well as new book Damage Control. All good books but would only recommend them after you have went through a more easy to undersdtand book first.

Yeah,I think Watson's Up and Down book may be that easier read.

adrian280582 wrote: »

I would advise on getting Hogans book taught it helped me greatly if im honest.

I have it already. Looking forward to starting it. It's so highly regarded.

Licksy wrote: »

Shawn Clement gets some good mentions on here - http://www.shawnclementgolf.com
Lot of youtube videos on every aspect of the game... he also sells a DVD too.

I've seen his stuff on youtube but never really watched as there is so much instruction stuff on youtube. At my stage,I wouldn't know what's good or not.
But I'll have a proper look as you've recommended him. Cheers Licksy.

Licksy wrote: »

On the book side, the only ones I've read are a few of the Rotella ones and this side of it is really common sense but so important... recommended.

He has a few,any you'd recommend reading first? Is it too early for me to be reading this type of book?

Grey Fox wrote: »

I think it would be ok for a relative beginner, he usually starts the chapter with simple instruction on how to play a basic shot and then elaborates more as the chapter goes on. You could just ignore anything that gets too detailed.

Ok. Thanks again Grey Fox

Zak Flaps

Sandwich wrote: »

You could substitute Getting Up and Down, with The Art of The Short Game, by Stan Utley.

Actually, from more online research, I think I'd prefer Utley's book to Pelz's book. Seems like it's an easier read and easier to understand. Especially for the beginner/high handicaper.

PhilipMarlowe

Zak Flaps wrote: »

He has a few,any you'd recommend reading first? Is it too early for me to be reading this type of book?

He has a few alright... I've only read "Putting out of your mind" and "Golf is not a game of perfect". You'll see plenty of mentions for GINAGOP and it's certainly not too early to read it as a beginner.
It mostly deals with your attitude, your thought process, your routine.... it looks to establish a good routine where you train yourself properly in practice and this allows you to focus properly on the course. Basically if you are properly focused, you have a great chance of being able to execute the shot like you know you can do but if you are not tuned in properly then you are much more likely to screw it up (shining example of that right here).
He tries to instill a kind of confidence and belief in you... encourages most of your practice on the short game with just enough on the long game that you can get the ball off the tee into play.
Most of what he writes is pure common sense but it's packaged nicely... only about €10 I'd say and it's a quick read, but one you should probably return to often.

The putting one I read is more of the same I felt... obviously goes a bit deeper than GINAGOP but I felt I'd read plenty of it before

ShriekingSheet

Yeah they're good books but it's hard to know where to start. The good thing is, nearly all the advice is conveyed in the form of an anicdote, either about a top player Rotella worked with, or a regular hacker who he met.

GINAGOP is probably worth a flick through as a starting point, but after you've played the game for a bit longer, read it again and it'll become much clearer. My favourite of them all is the lesser-celebrated Golf is a Game of Confidence. It's a pretty light read but I always find something new, or something I'd forgotten about.

You're probably at a bit of a loss as to what the books are about. One example I like, that highlights the practical common sense he uses is not dwelling over the ball before putting. So when you square the putter behind the ball you look at the hole, look back to the ball and take the putter back. There's no tense pause where you second guess the line or think about stroke mechanics, it's rythmic- click... click... click... target... ball... swing.

Zak Flaps

Licksy wrote: »

it's certainly not too early to read it as a beginner.......Most of what he writes is pure common sense but it's packaged nicely... only about €10 I'd say and it's a quick read, but one you should probably return to often.
The putting one I read is more of the same I felt... obviously goes a bit deeper than GINAGOP but I felt I'd read plenty of it before

Cheers Licksy. I'll give one of them a go so. I suppose it's a good idea to get a good attitude happening sooner rather than later!
As he has a few books, I kinda thought a lot of his ideas may be repeated. But I suppose it's no harm as it'll hammer home his points.

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

GINAGOP is probably worth a flick through as a starting point, but after you've played the game for a bit longer, read it again and it'll become much clearer. My favourite of them all is the lesser-celebrated Golf is a Game of Confidence. It's a pretty light read but I always find something new, or something I'd forgotten about.

Ok, GINAGOP is where I'll start Shrieking Sheet. If it helps, I'll move onto GIAGOC. Thanks for your help.

stockdam

My opinions....


Ben Hogan's The Modern Fundamentals Of Golf.........I'd stick with this for now as it will give you all the basics. However I would also check maybe Shawn Clements to ensure your setup is correct (the ideas and setup have changed a bit since Hogan's days........however you won't be far wrong if you can swing like Ben).

The Fundamentals of Hogan (Leadbetter)........haven't read it. Probably similar to the above book. Leadbetter's stuff is usually quite good.


Swing Like a Pro: The Breakthrough Scientific Method of Perfecting Your Golf Swing (Ralph Mann)..........far too technical for a beginner. Ok when you have the basics ingrained. If you want to bamboozle yourself then get the LAWS of golf of the Golfing Machine (err no).



Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf......... a super book but it doesn't take you through the fundamentals.......it has tips and tweaks so is more for the mid to low handicapper.


The Swing Factory (Steve Gould, David Wilkinson, and William Sieghart).....haven't read it.


The Eight Step Swing (McClean)........i haven't read this book but McClean has a simple and clear approach. It would be an alternative to the Hogan one.


Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible.......very good but only covers chipping and pitching. Get it as a specialist book.


Getting Up and Down (Tom Watson)........I haven't read it.



So to sum up........I'd get a good general book that takes you through the basics of grip, setup, swing etc. Stick to one book otherwise you'll get conflicting and confusing information. You can then read alternatives later and experiment when you are more confident. Don't fill your head up with all the different ideas........one way of swinging is enough.

I started off with Hogan and added some ideas from a guy called Mr X. It's important to keep things simple at the start and not get wrapped up in detail.

ShriekingSheet

Would you not just be massively confused having read all them?

stumpypeeps

Ben Hogans 5 Lessons. The Modern Fundamentals of Golf.

That's the book I refer to. I don't believe any of it has become outdated. If you follow the 5 lessons you'll have a simple, repeatable and powerful swing.

Just ignore people who tell you your swinging the club too flat. He's the greatest ball striker of all time, he's written the most important instructional book of all time. Trust his advice and get practising.

Its not too technical which in my opinion is the way things should be. As it says in the book, if you want to teach a child to open a door you don't take images of the door at various stages of its transition and discuss endlessly the reasons for its position at a certain point, you get them to twist the knob and pull the door back and repeat that til they get the feel for what they'r doing. The golf swing is a feeling and not a technical piece of mechanical trigonometry.

Russman

Important to ensure that you don't fall into the trap of "paralysis by analysis" - all of the books mentioned will have their value, some more than others but remember you can't learn the game from a book.
Obviously you can pick up certains tips and, most importantly, the basics of set-up (grip, stance, alignment) but I'm always wary of books with a title something like "Swing like a pro" - which pro ?? No two pros swing the same and few, if any of them, would have a textbook swing. Go onto swing vision on YouTube and you'll see hundreds of different swings from the tour, all of them class players. Sure, they'll have similar impact positions but that's about it.
No point in trying to swing like, say, Ernie Els if you're built like, say, Mike Weir if you follow me. I've no idea what your build is like, but you get the point.
My advice would be to stick with your teacher if you're happy with what he's telling you and buy the "lighter" books to read. Certainly consult your teacher to ensure that any instruction book is not contracting his/her method of teaching.
Might be stating the obvious but remember the idea of the swing is to hit the ball, not to get into certain positions, and the idea of golf is to get the ball into the hole, not swing the club.

All of the above said with the intention of helping the Op Poster, not criticising anyone else's point of view !;)

stockdam

stumpypeeps wrote: »

Ben Hogans 5 Lessons. The Modern Fundamentals of Golf.

That's what I used and it is easy to follow.

I hate books like The Golfing Machine that tell you what your little finger should be doing. I've had many a heated debate with those who think that there is only one way to swing.

Remember that impact is King ..... period. Look at Trevino, Darcy, Sergio.......all fantastic players but none had perfect swings.

Mo Norman.........not many have really heard about him but he was a very natural player who had one of the weirdest looking swings. Don't try to copy him. His swing thoughts are here.....


http://www.caddybytes.com/Moe_Norman_swing_thoughts.htm


See how simple they are.......he didn't get himself tied up in knots........he just hit the ball.

Sandwich

Just a word of caution - 5 Lessons is a key book and well worth a read, but I would be wary of it as a one and only swing book. Swing Like a Pro or The Swing Factory are probably better 'modern orthodox' general guides. 5 Lessons is a bit idiosincratic, or not that well explained on some aspects. Leadbetter's book is really a critique of 5 Lessons and would strongly recommend reading it if you are going to following 5 Lessons : it adds explanation and warns of potential misunderstandings you could make.

On the topic of getting confused from reading too many. Am sure I have read over 100 instruction books of some form or another : hasnt helped me get beyond bouncing around my 12 handicap for the last 10 years - but its an entertaining neverending hunt for 'The Secret'!

The_Kew_Tour

Licksy wrote: »

Lots of online instruction out there too, some of it quite good.
Shawn Clement gets some good mentions on here - http://www.shawnclementgolf.com
Lot of youtube videos on every aspect of the game... he also sells a DVD too.
In one of his videos, he shows a 6 handicapper who apparently learned almost all to date from the youtube videos - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8jsPJHeojE

Anyway, every now and again I will check him out if I need help with something because I find he is very good with visualisation and you won't get bogged down with technique - he's very "target" focused and uses good analogies to explain.

On the book side, the only ones I've read are a few of the Rotella ones and this side of it is really common sense but so important... recommended.

have just browsed through some of his videos and they seem excellent.

simple but effective..cheers for that

stumpypeeps

Sandwich wrote: »

Just a word of caution - 5 Lessons is a key book and well worth a read, but I would be wary of it as a one and only swing book. Swing Like a Pro or The Swing Factory are probably better 'modern orthodox' general guides. 5 Lessons is a bit idiosincratic, or not that well explained on some aspects. Leadbetter's book is really a critique of 5 Lessons and would strongly recommend reading it if you are going to following 5 Lessons : it adds explanation and warns of potential misunderstandings you could make.

The worst thing you could possibly do is follow more than one books advice. 5 Lessons allows for your own particular idiosyncrasies provided you adhere to the basic 5 fundamentals. What I've always failed to understand is the "modern" golf swing. Too complicated for me.

With a Hogan type of swing I stand over the ball and get ready to hit it. The modern swing seems to emphasise the swing as opposed to a strike. Never made sense to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL_6M_xZvq0

Adiaga 2

It might not be that popular or renowned but I picked up a book recently for €6 called "The Encyclopedia of Golf". It's very well put together with some excellent photography and covers most aspects of the game from etiquette to golf course achitecture to equipment as well as a tonne of stuff on technique. I bought it in Books Unlimited in Blanchardstown but have seen it elsewhere for around the same price. Might be worth keeping an eye out for it.

kagni

The Swing Factory book is based on what was originally taught by Leslie King -
you can have a look at a complete book of his for free on this site -- http://golfpro-online.com/tuition/lking/index.html

Zak Flaps

Thanks everyone for all their help and advice.
For my swing, I have decided that Ben Hogan's The Modern Fundamentals Of Golf will be my main book.Will also read The Fundamentals of Hogan (Leadbetter) as it would be a good accompaniment.

I will also purchase Harvey Penick's Little Red Book and will read at a later date. It's just so well thought of, I had to make the purchase!

For my short game :
The Art of the Short Game (Stan Utley)

For my putting :
The Art of Putting (Stan Utley)

The two Utley books seem like they'd be easier reads for me than Pelz's books.

I have downloaded the audiobook of Bob Rotella's Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect.
I shall also look at some of Shawn Clement's videos on youtube.

These should keep me going for quite a while.;)

Thanks again everyone for pitching in(no pun intended). Greatly appreciated.

Zak.

PS : feel free to agree/disagree with my choices!

Russman

All entirely your choice Zak, thats the beauty of the game, there are literally a thousand different thoughts / ways / methods and part of the fun is the journey to find the one that works for you. What other sport can people of such different styles and physiques as Tiger, Ernie, Vijay, Cabrera to McGinley, Langer, Sergio compete with each other on the same playing field ??

The_Kew_Tour

Russman wrote: »

All entirely your choice Zak, thats the beauty of the game, there are literally a thousand different thoughts / ways / methods and part of the fun is the journey to find the one that works for you. What other sport can people of such different styles and physiques as Tiger, Ernie, Vijay, Cabrera to McGinley, Langer, Sergio compete with each other on the same playing field ??

Very true.

Everybody is different and its really a matter of what suits everybody. Just look at Jim Furyk his swing might not be a thing of beauty but i sure would not mind doing as well in the game as he has. (and money;))