Chipping, pitching, sand shots and putting - the shots from 60 to 100 yards (depending on who is defining it) in - make up the short game. And the short game makes up the majority of strokes for most golfers. It's the area of the game where improvement can most dramatically improve a golfer's scores, yet most of us rarely practice it. These instructional books focus on the short game, and can help shave strokes.
Add your reviews of golf instruction books
Add your reviews of golf instruction books
Tom Watson's "Getting Up and Down"
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Tom Watson is a short game genius, and in this book he shares that genius with us mere mortals. This book is well illustrated, and Watson also gets into subjects such as playing from hardpan and hitting high lob shots.
"Master Your Short Game"
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Coauthor Tony Johnstone is known as one of the best short game practitioners on the European PGA Tour. A more recognizable name, Nick Price, writes the preface for his friend's book. Clearly written, easy to understand tips. This book is particularly strong on bunker play.
Phil Mickelson's "Secrets of the Short Game"
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This book accompanies the DVDs of the same name (compare prices). More then 200 photos illustrate Mickelson's instruction, which blends technique (proper mechanics and setup) with imagination and feel.
"Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible"
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Dave Pelz is a former rocket scientist (literally), and he brings a rocket scientist's discipline and analytical skills to teaching the short game. That means plenty of charts and graphs. But it's also made Pelz the modern short game guru.
Paul Runyan's "The Short Way to Lower Scoring"
Paul Runyan won 29 times on the PGA Tour, including two PGA Championships in the 1930s. Ever since, his reputation is as one of the best golf instructors in the world. His book has been out of print for years and so isn't easy to find, and it's likely to be expensive when you can find it. But Runyan possessed one of the all-time great short games, and his book has earned a reputation for explaining it just as well as Runyan played it."The Art of the Short Game"
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The subtitle is "Tour-Tested Secrets for Getting Up and Down." This book was first published in 2007 and features the instruction of Stan Utley. Utley was a longtime player on and off the PGA Tour who, in the 2000s, started struggling to keep his tour card. But others players respected his putting and short game so much, some started going to him for advice and eventually instruction. And he metamorphosed into one of the top short-game gurus.
"Bunker Play" by Gary Player
Gary Player might just be the best bunker player in the history of golf. Some have made that argument. So when the editors of "The Golf Masters Series" of instructional books went looking for a pro for their book on bunker play, they naturally turned to Player."The Complete Idiot's Guide to Improving Your Short Game"
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Part of the generic "Idiots" series of self-help and how-to books - but don't let that fool you. The author of this one is Jim McLean, long considered one of the best instructors in the business.
"Turning Three Shots Into Two"
Bill Moretti is a perennial selection to Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers in America list. He coauthors this book and covers all the fundamentals in a clear writing style."From 60 Yards In: How to Master Golf's Short Game" by Raymond Floyd
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What Gary Player is to bunker play, Raymond Floyd is to chipping. There's nothing fancy here, nothing revolutionary. Just straightforward and simple advice on improving your short game, with Floyd focusing on telling you how he executes the shots.
