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.
1. "Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible"
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.
2. "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.3. "Getting Up and Down"
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.4. "Master Your Short Game"
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.5. "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.