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"The Little Red Book" (and His Other Books) by Harvey Penick


iacas
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Like any instruction book, I think you have to pick out the points that pertain to you. The Red Book has some things that help my game as well as the Five Fundamentals (Hogan) and I also like the Sam Snead book. How to Play your Best Golf by Tommy Armour is a good one also. I think you read them all and take a the pieces that you need. Like Harvey says "When you have a headache, don't take the whole bottle of aspirin".

My bag:

Taylor Made R7 (x-stiff).
Taylor Made Burner 2 irons (stiff)
Cleveland Wedges (gap and 60)
Odyssey two ball putter (white) 

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  • 3 months later...

Just read this again last night.  I read it before the start of every golf season; it's my favorite golf book of all time.

Still trying to figure out if there's any truth in his "all greens break to the west" theory.  I know it isn't true everywhere, because of mountains, bodies of water on course, but is it generally true?

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Originally Posted by albatross

Still trying to figure out if there's any truth in his "all greens break to the west" theory.  I know it isn't true everywhere, because of mountains, bodies of water on course, but is it generally true?

No.

Why such weird things continue to live on is beyond me.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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  • 3 weeks later...

I really enjoy this book. As someone pointed out in a previous post not every lesson is fit for all golfers but the vignettes are easy to follow.

TaylorMade R11 Driver

X-20 Irons

Fusion FT-3 Driver

White Hot XG 9 Putter

 

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I actually like his second book better, "And If You Play Golf, You're My Friend". Those of you who like the Red Book should definitely check it out.

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Agree with fishinjdb.

I have read 'The Little Red Book' about 10 years ago. A golfing buddy recommended it to me after observing that I was short on confidence and second guessing my swing all the time. It must have been one of the best, if not the best self help book for golfers.

I think it lets you feel better about yourself and at the same time, teaches you something about golf. It doesn't screw your swing in giving you swing instructions but it changes your outlook about golf in a positive way. Golf doesn't have to be complicated and Harvey had managed to conveyed it so effectively.

Highly recommended for any golfer.

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I've read 3 of these books and they are all wonderful. Good to relax with. Some books that deal with golf instruction are irritating, keep you puzzling over what was said. The 5 books with Bud Shrake are not like that at all. But they are not all feel-good pablum; there's good advice among the golf lore.

I don't follow all the advice. For example I do not use a "strong grip" but a completely neutral one, on the basis that fixes like that do not address swing flaws leading to a slice for example.

I like it when Harvey tells a pupil that his job is done, that she is going to be her own coach. So should we all be our own coaches. There's too much relying on experts.

Bud Shrake btw died back in, was it 2010? Pennick and Shrake, two Texans who meshed well. Like to find more of Shrake's sports books.

BTW, another book I ike was one by Arnold Palmer that came out in the 1990s. Liked Palmer's swing advice: Take a good grip and keep your head still, don't worry about anything else.

Carry Bag, experimental mix-- 9* Integra 320, TT X100 Gold shaft
MacGregor Tourney 2-iron circa 1979

High grass club: #5 Ginty
Irons: 3,4,8,9 Cleveland 588P RTG Proforce 95 Gold shafts
Hogan fifty-three Hogan 5612

Ping Kushin

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  • 5 months later...
Just read this again last night.  I read it before the start of every golf season; it's my favorite golf book of all time.

Still trying to figure out if there's any truth in his "all greens break to the west" theory.  I know it isn't true everywhere, because of mountains, bodies of water on course, but is it generally true?


I get a kick out of announcers comments when a player misses a putt on some courses. "he should know that everything breaks towards the green river" or "away from saddle back mountain". Courses usually use the natural contours of the local geography so in a general sense they might be right,  the putts typically will break away from the highest local point towards the lowest local point. But as a fan of physics and a frequent victim of gravity, I can promise you the putt will always break towards the point closer to the center of the earth along the line of the putt. Even if that's towards a mountain or away from a river or lake.

Harvey's point may be more of a homage to the grain of the green leaning towards the setting sun.

I still reread the Little Red Book on occasion, the man was a treasure.

Lee

In My Bag... Driver:Titleist 913D3  3 Wood: Dunlop 16deg railer  Hybr:Titleist 910H 24deg  4-GW:Mizuno JPX825Pros

                        Sand Wedge: Titleist Vokey 256-14  60deg: Mizuno Zoid   Putter: Odyssey WH Rossie (Left handed)

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  • 2 weeks later...

So you've read through five pages of people almost universally saying they love The Little Red Book.  As soon as I hit Submit I'm going to turn around and pull my copy off the book shelf for another read.  If you don't have it, just go buy the darn book!  It'll almost certainly be good for you, and if you like golf you can't hardly avoid enjoying the read.

Driver: Titleist 913 D2 10.5*, Aldila RIP Phenom 50

Fairway 1: Titleist 913F, 17*, Titleist Bassara W55

Fairway 2: Titleist 913F, 21*, Titleist Bassara W55

Irons: Titleist AP1 714 5-PW, Aerotech Steelfiber i95

Wedges: SCOR 4161 48/52/56/60, Genius 9

Grips: GolfPride New Decade Red Mid-size on all of the above.

Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 - Super Stroke Slim 3.0

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I'm reading the green one at the moment. Good stuff. I don't put much stock in the instructional aspects but he has a lot of good anecdotes about the mind set.

Yours in earnest, Jason.
Call me Ernest, or EJ or Ernie.

PSA - "If you find yourself in a hole, STOP DIGGING!"

My Whackin' Sticks: :cleveland: 330cc 2003 Launcher 10.5*  :tmade: RBZ HL 3w  :nickent: 3DX DC 3H, 3DX RC 4H  :callaway: X-22 5-AW  :nike:SV tour 56* SW :mizuno: MP-T11 60* LW :bridgestone: customized TD-03 putter :tmade:Penta TP3   :aimpoint:

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Harvey Penick's books are great.  As a PGA professional, you often times get too wrapped up in the deep details and forget how to clearly communicate the swing to others.  I always find his book as a great reality check and a great way for me to remember to keep it simple with students! If you don't have any of them I strongly suggested getting them.  And if you do have them......pull them out and remember how simple the game can be at times!

See you on the course.
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  • 6 months later...

on chapter 29 now.....disappointed theres no pictures to help. and the chapter on grip was more or less unhelpfull.

The book doesnt really seem to teach things for beginners, its more ramblings from things he taught young pros. Not very impressed at the moment, the first 29 chapters hasnt taught me anything. The book is very vague, and not direct in showing what to do.

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  • 2 years later...

Starting this book right now, should have it done in a couple of days. Anyone else currently reading?

- Mark

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  • Moderator
(edited)

Loved it - read it multiple times over the years and lent it out to several buddies. Most memorable points:

1.Take Dead Aim

2.Don't hit the ball, but rather swing and let the ball get in the way

He will be missed

Edited by woodzie264

Driver: :callaway: Rogue ST  /  Woods: :tmade: Stealth 5W / Hybrid: :tmade: Stealth 25* / Irons: :ping: i500’s /  Wedges: :edel: 54*, 58*; Putter: :scotty_cameron: Futura 5  Ball: image.png Vero X1

 

 -Jonny

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  • 4 months later...

Liked the anecdotal story about hitting different irons/wedges at the same target. Tried that yesterday. Put a whole new perspective on using a 7 iron on a 50 yard target

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  • 4 months later...

I have to say that I'm very surprised by the number of positive reviews on this book, particularly by members of this site.  First I'll say that I'm sure Harvey was a great guy and probably a really good instructor.  But this book?  There is nothing to it.  

It's got tons of outdated conventional wisdom that goes against most of the principles of TST/LSW.  The modern writers (Erik, Broadie, etc) actually have real data on these things whereas folks in Harvey's day relied on feels and guesswork for things like course strategy, relative importance of the short game, and even swing mechanics.  That's fine - Harvey was doing the best he could with the tools at his disposal, but we have better data, better tools, and frankly better books now.  

For 10 bucks and the hour it took me to scan through it, the book didn't cause me much harm. Some of the anecdotes and homespun style can be amusing.  His tales of golf from 30's were interesting to me, as that's not a topic that gets a lot of coverage.  But as a golf improvement book?  I think it's almost a complete waste.  "Take dead aim."  Sure, but that's more of a bumper sticker than a book.   

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