GOLF BIBLIOGRAPHY - INSTRUCTION BOOKS
Prepared by Lawrence Martin
Other golf books - by category
Return to Lakeside Press
GOLF INSTRUCTION books are categorized as to my assessment of the intended audience
(i.e., who would get the most out of this book based on general skill level), using
the following terms:
- NOVICES AND HACKERS: For people relatively new to the game, and who have yet to register
a valid handicap (but the number would be high).
- HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER: Someone who has played a while, knows his or her way
about the golf course, but can't seem to break 100 consistently.
- MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER: For that small percentage of people who shoot below 100
consistently, and want to get even better.
I Know Absolutely Nothing About Golf : A New Golfer's Guide to the Game's
Traditions, Rules, Etiquette, Equipment, and Language, by Steve Eubanks and
Whitney Crouse
NOVICES AND HACKERS
Harvey Penick's Little Red book: Lessons and Teachings From a Lifetime in Golf
NOVICES AND HACKERS
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
Golf for Dummies, by Gary McCord
NOVICES AND HACKERS
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of information McCord provides. His humor
and professional experience come through in this excellent all around guide to the game.
The Elements of Scoring : A Master's Guide to the Art of Scoring Your Best
When You're Not Playing Your Best, by Raymond Floyd
NOVICES AND HACKERS
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
Imagine a golf book that teaches and instructs about how to score -- without a single
diagram or picture. This book is so good because it is full of plain common sense about
scoring. Translation: I found myself agreeing with just about everything Floyd - one of
the top golfers of his generation - tries to teach us. Or, to put it another way -- it's
the score, stupid!
The Golf Swing Simplified, by John Jacobs
NOVICES AND HACKERS
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
If you read no other instruction book on the swing, read this one. It is one of the
few 'swing books' that emphasizes the importance of understanding ball flight to
understand your swing. Jacobs points out how swings can differ markedly in their
mechanical aspects; the only thing important is that the club contacts the ball
the way you want it to.
5 Days to Golfing Excellence, by Charles Hogan
NOVICES AND HACKERS
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
The title is presumptious but the author has wide experience as a teacher, so
he must have some good things to say and teach (I have not read this book).
Golf for Women, by Kathy Whitworth
NOVICES AND HACKERS
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
One of several books aimed specifically at women. Has many good photos. One
section I particularly like is "Beware of Golf's Cliches", which
debunks 10 common cliches that inhibit learning.
Putting Secrets for the Weekend Golfer, by Steve Page
NOVICES AND HACKERS
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
The publisher states the book is "tailor made for weekend golfers -- those who usually
shoot more than 90 for a round -- showing them how to knock five strokes
off their game." Like any book on golf, the results only work if you practice what
you learn.
Breaking 80: A Journey Through the 9 Fairways of Hell, by Lee Eisenberg
Breaking 80: A Journey Through the 9 Fairways of Hell, by Lee Eisenberg:
Audio Cassette
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
I could not put this book down. If you have ever struggled with your game you will
appreciate and enjoy Breaking 80. Eisenberg was once editor of Esquire Magazine;
if his golf was as good as his writing, he would be on the PGA Tour.
Break 100 Now! From Hacker to Golfer in Just 90 days, by Mike Adams and T.J. Tomasi
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
Past the hype of the title is an excellent book for the high handicapper. Adams and
Tomasi start with the assumption that you know how to play the game, but that you just
lose strokes because of all the stupid things we do (like not lining up shots). Thus
the book is really focused on its intended audience, and doesn't try to be all things
to all golfers.
Break 100 in 21 days: A How-To Guide for the Weekend Golfer, by Walter Ostroske
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
I like both 'Break 100' books and recommend you read both of them. It can't hurt. And
one of them just might be your ticket.
The Rules of Golf: Through 1999, by Tom Watson
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
How to Feel a Real Golf Swing : Mind-Body Techniques from Two of Golf's
Greatest Teachers, by Bob Toski and Davis Love, Jr.
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
The Inner Game of Golf, by W. Timothy Gallwey
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
(See comment following the next book)
Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect, by Robert J. Rotella
Golf is a Game of Confidence, by Robert J. Rotella
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
First, the good news: Rotella's books are a must read about the
mental side of the game. He has coached several pros on mental attitude,
concentration, etc. Now the 'bad' news: You really have to know how to
hit the ball to get the most out of these books (including the following title).
In my opinion books that stress the mental aspects are not for most hackers,
whose problem is not as much lack of concentration as simply not knowing
how to line up, address and hit the ball, how to manage the course, and what clubs
to use when. The oft-repeated statement that the game is "90% mental"
applies only to experienced players, i.e., those who know how to hit
the ball in the first place. This observation is 'confirmed' by an altogether
different type of book, On Learning Golf (next title).
On Learning Golf, by Percy Boomer
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
In the space of a few months I asked two pros, who I happened to be taking lessons
from (one at a golf school in Florida, the other at my club in Ohio) what
single golf instruction book they most recommended. The first pro came up with a book I
never heard of before -- Percy Boomer's On Learning Golf. Later in the year
the second pro gave me the same answer! I bought the book and can see why. Published
in 1946, On Learning Golf is well written and free of the modern day jargon
cluttering many instruction books. Boomer debunks the emphasis (even then)
on "concentration" and writes that a golfer can only produce his "true
quality when he can play without concentrating." The emphasis
in this book is on feel and skill.
Anatomy of the Perfect Golf Swing : The Surest Way to Better Golf, by Glennon E. Bazzle
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
The Eight-Step Swing: A Revolutionary Golf Technique by a Pro Coach, by Jim McLean
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
Butch Harmon's Playing Lessons, by Butch Harmon, with John Andrisani
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
Private Lessons: Customized and Personalized Instruction Tailored to the Individual
Golfer, by the Editors of Golf Magazine
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
Golf Magazine's Complete Book of Golf Instruction, by the editors of Golf Magazine
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
Getting Up and Down, by Nick Seitz, Tom Watson
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
Putt Like the Pros: Dave Pelz's Scientific Way to Improving Your Stroke,
Reading Greens, and Lowering Your Score, by Dave Pelz with Nick Mastroni
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
The ultimate textbook for putting.
Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible: Master the Finesse Swing and Lower Your Score, by Dave
Pelz
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
This book is aptly titled. It is the bible for the short game. Mr. Pelz
has studied the short game at all levels, and shows statistics on just how important
it is to scoring, as well as the paradox that most amateurs practice the full swing,
not the short game. If you are truly interested in getting better 1) buy this book,
2) read it, and 3) take the playing quiz he provides toward the end. It is a real
eye opener.
The Complete Short Game: The Ultimate Guide to Building and Perfecting
Your Chipping, Pitching, Putting, and Bunker Play Skills. By Ernie Els
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
Pelz's Short Game Bible (above) is the best out there on the short game,
but Els' book is also very good; of course, its author won the U.S. Open twice.
Many pictures help illustrate Els's shots.
Advanced Golf, by Greg Norman
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
The Golf Swing, by David Leadbetter
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
How I Play Golf, by Tiger Woods and Golf Digest Editors
This book is also listed in the Nonfiction section. The blurb for this book
states: "...How I Play Golf is not only a first rate instructional
guide, it also communicates a passion and respect for the game that beginners,
hackers, and low handicappers should find inspiring..."
HIGH HANDICAP GOLFER
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
Ben Hogan's Five Lessons : The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, by Ben Hogan,
Sidney L. James (Illustrator), Herbert Warren Wind (Preface)
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
Written in 1957, and oft-reprinted since, this is probably the first instruction
book many golfers read: it is not only a classic, but is also well-written,
relatively short and inexpensive in paperback. Hogan's 5 Lessons
is one of the most praised of all golf instruction books because of
its simplicity and straightforward manner. However, as good as it is,
I doubt the book will truly help the weak or average golfer.
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
Ben Hogan's Power Golf, by Ben Hogan
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
Bobby Jones on Golf, by Robert Tyre Jones
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
The Physics of Golf, by Theodore P. Jorgensen
Probably the one book least likely to be read by the average golfer, Physics
nonetheless offers fascinating insight into why the ball flies like it does.
Originally published in 1994, and re-issued in paperback in 1999, Physics
actually qualifies as a bestseller among golf books.
MID TO LOW HANDICAP GOLFER
Annotated book categories
FICTION /
GENERAL NONFICTION /
INSTRUCTION /
PERSONAL ACCOUNTS: TRIALS AND TRAVAILS /
TRIVIA, QUOTE BOOKS, AND OTHER GOLF MISCELLANY
Other golf sites by Lawrence Martin
Why Are You
STILL a Hacker? - 9 Steps to Escape Hacker-dom /
Secrets of
the Best Golfers: From a Professional...Golfer
e-mail to Lawrence Martin