"The Short Game Bible" by Dave Pelz

[iacas]

Discuss "The Short Game Bible" by Dave Pelz.

[Eore]

i bought it and read it.

some of it was decent, but i thought that it was a waste of money overall

[iacas]

i bought it and read it.

I'd agree with that. I took one thing from the book: the 3x4 wedge system. Three wedges, four swings with each, covers all my carry yardages from 25 yards to 115 yards pretty evenly.

I didn't pay attention to the rest of the book, but the rest of the book struck me as: Here's a unique short game shot, and here's how to play it. Repeat 25 times. I don't know about you, but I don't want to try to memorize 25 different kinds of shots. I'll stick with the Stan Utley style I've recently adopted for those.

[doublesuited77]

I'd agree with that. I took one thing from the book: the 3x4 wedge system. Three wedges, four swings with each, covers all my carry yardages from 25 yards to 115 yards pretty evenly.

agree with most of the above, the approach to the short game is a bit spastic, with lots of different shots all over the place. I still like the book overall. I would compare it to a good cookbook. You may not use all of the shots (recipes), but it is a great reference guide if you ever need it for the basics. I will still go back to it ever now and then in case I am have trouble with an aspect of my short game (sand shots, chipping, etc.)

[23Rounder]

It was the most expensive book I have bought in a while and I think a lot of it was too technical but the best idea in it was the 3x4 wedge system as others have mentioned as well. Personaly I think 4 wedges it too many but the clocking idea is great. Now I just need the time to practise my clocked swings more to get more accurate distances.

[rudygu]

I'd agree with that. I took one thing from the book: the 3x4 wedge system. Three wedges, four swings with each, covers all my carry yardages from 25 yards to 115 yards pretty evenly.

That's pretty much my take on this book as well. Though I did find some of the discussions of how the ball will react to different types of greens, slopes, etc. interesting, it was all pretty much common sense. Really no reason to pay for this book since the 3x4 system is so universally known.

[MPS67]

That's pretty much my take on this book as well. Though I did find some of the discussions of how the ball will react to different types of greens, slopes, etc. interesting,

I guess you guys in Tennessee are the smart ones.

I've always heard from golfers and read in Pelz's Bible that for putts, chip, or pitch shots, the ball's path is more accurate when rolling versus bouncing. But I never understood why until I read his book. Before, I used the 56° pitching wedge for all of my short game shots under 100 yards. Recently though, I've started to add in the some additional irons (from 6i up to the 56°W) on my chips in order to get the ball to roll sooner. I agree that his book may be a little long, repetitive, and technical. But committing to and adapting some of his ideas may shave off a couple strokes per round.

[Harold]

I think one of the books' strengths is the discussion of the non-swing technical stuff like how ball loft can affect roll or bounce on clubs. Of course none of this info is any good if you don't practice or play with these things in mind. There is something in the book for everyone and I still refer to parts of it.

[cubfanbob]

IMHO, a common trait to all of Pelz's books is his tendency to take a good idea founded on sound scientific theory and data collection, and then pad out the discussion of said idea so that what could have been a 50 page book becomes a 350 page one.

[MrSandman]

I don't really remember anything other than the 3x5 system, but I thought that part was worth the read.

[rudygu]

IMHO, a common trait to all of Pelz's books is his tendency to take a good idea founded on sound scientific theory and data collection, and then pad out the discussion of said idea so that what could have been a 50 page book becomes a 350 page one.

Well said. I agree.

[titaniummd]

Well said. I agree.

+1

Fluff makes up 40% of his books. The concept of analysis of professionals, his history in NASA, blah Blah Blah. The main value is the concept of mapping out your distances based upon the backswing and 4 wedges. I have 3 wedges: PW, SW, LW. If I went with one more, I would have done a GW not the 64 degree.

[Anand]

While I've only read selected chapters so far, I've learned a great deal from this book. I have gained tremendous confidence and feel using his pitch shot technique. Not just distance control with the clock, 3x4, etc. but simply the fundementals. I've followed his tuition on setup, ball placement, rotation, backswing, throughswing, the 'world-class finish', etc., etc and can honestly say, my pitching is immesureably better. Of course I've spent hours practicing and developing the stroke, but it has all stemmed from Pelz's book.

Sure, it's written by a scientist and is very technical and dull in parts -- but it's worked well for me.

//Anand

[catfell]

As I have been re-learning the game as an adult, the inner science geek in me appreciates the physics behind the system. I understand better what I am supposed to be doing because it makes sense (to me).

The Pelz short game book has helped my game from inside 100 yards, but like anything, it takes committed practice. I'm not completely dialed in at every distance, but there are definitely some distances that I have complete confidence in, like 30, and 50 yards. But that has come from hours at the range and hundreds of balls at very specific targets. And clearly I still need more practice.

Admittedly I can be exceptionally motivated/obsessed with achieving a goal. While working on my 3/4 1/2 and 1/4 swings I was averaging at least 300 balls for each short game practice session. Good thing my local range has an "early bird all you can hit" deal.

But I can see how someone who is more of a feel player would be annoyed with how technical Pelz's writing and system is. I think it's too much book to read all at once.

Too many voices in my head vying for my attention.

Like the lessons many of us take with golf pros, nothing will come of your new knowledge unless you practice a lot. After enough work, hopefully what you have learned becomes second nature and you will overflow with confidence that you can play the shot you want, when you want.

[m11]

I plug the book whenever I can. some people dont like it because he includes his history and spends a good amount of time explaining why you should take his advice...however...i feel what he says works. I noticed improvements in my pitching and chipping right away the next day, and i've been improving very much in my wedge play.

i highly recommend it

[Richie3Jack]

I like the book a lot. It tells you techniques and basics and goes above and beyond to explain why they work or why flaws don't work. I don't believe in a 4 wedge system because the set of clubs I take depends on the course and usually I never find a course that is designed where I really need 4 wedges.

As far as the different type of shots, it's a bit too much to learn at once, but you can learn them over time and it's always useful to at least know how to hit certain shots.




3JACK

[localhawaii]

I actually stumbled upon this book when i first started playing golf 4 months ago. Coming from a tech background, I actually enjoyed the statistical information provided by the book as well as the repetitiveness of the concepts through each chapter to help reinforce the concepts.

I really immersed myself in the "3x4" wedge system and actually gone out and purchased four wedges. It may seem counter-intuitive for a newb to throw four wedges in his bag, but I think it has actually helped me to focus my energy on my short game. After four months of play (6-8 times a month) I actually am hitting a constant 101 to 105 and usually on track to break a 100 but due to nerves and being tired, I screw up on the last few holes.

The book provides good direction for all golfers, but I think the following takeaways have helped me tremendously:

1. Know the distances you hit with each club and be honest with yourself about it. I am not a long distance hitter. I hit my 9i 110 yards and increment 10 yards for each iron there after. But I know the exact distance each club goes and thats the club I play when I am far away from the cup.

2. Using the 3x4 systems helps to create 12 known distances (like having 12 more clubs in your bag) based off of the 3 constant swings and the 4 different wedges. Writing these down and marking my clubs accordingly helps me to hit the green the majority of the time when I am within 100 yards out.

There is a lot of info in this book and find myself constantly going back to reread certain concepts. Just my two cent....

[Robiola the Monster]

All i know is that my short game is sh-t, if i'm hitting full shots thats easy enough like full shot, pitch, flop etc. But when it comes down to putting and chipping im hopeless, i'll make a fair few putts, but i'll miss a few that i think that i should hole, with chipping now i just get out 9iron or 8iron and just bump and run constantley, its a bit better than my chipping with my 56* or 52*.

Practice, thats what i need.