Good books or training aids

[Noncenx]

I have all Dave Pelz's books but especially use the Short Game Bible...Laugh but I got a Medicus driver online and it's done just what the infomercial say, cured my slice and really helped my distance. I use it 2-3 times a week, 5 minutes or so each to keep tweeked.

The most recent book I would recommend is Tour Tempo. It just makes sense when you begin swinging the club using it. It keeps me from trying to smash the ball and results in a much better swing which in turn give me more distance.

[Xt1ncT]

Every Shot Must Have a Purpose and The Plane Truth for Golfers arrived today, will post my thoughts on them once I've had a good chance to read and digest.

[iacas]

Every Shot Must Have a Purpose and The Plane Truth for Golfers arrived today, will post my thoughts on them once I've had a good chance to read and digest.

I'll be the first one here to say that I thought the Vision 54 book was one of the lamest mental game books I've read in the past, oh, ever. I liked the little practice drills, but that was all I got out of the book (and even they were nothing new).

Perhaps it's simply because the mental game in golf is largely recycled stuff - if you've read one Rotella book or one Valiente book or one Vision 54 book, you've read 'em all. I've read Rotella, so the entire V54 book was rehashed retreaded stuff with a lot of filler (like any Rotella book, despite the fact that they're only, what, 100 pages long?). I am reading The Plane Truth, though. I didn't particularly care for how he set up the two swings: 1) one-plane swing: good for athletic people and super-accurate, requires no timing, just the ability to rotate through quickly 2) two-plane swing: good for people who aren't flexible, and not very accurate - requires too much timing Gee, which one sounds better? This despite him saying repeatly that both are good swings and that you just have to pick one.

[rodneylips]

I wonder if any of you have even heard of this guy. His name is Dalton McCrary and his Video is call "Straight Shootin' Golf". He has some training videos. I borrowed them from a friend because he swore by the information that he gave in the lessons. His whole philosophy is based on keeping the club square and hitting the ball as straight as possible. I was super suspicious but I'll tell you what, the is on to something because I have been hitting a lot straighter and my slice is virtually gone. I hope to see my numbers improve once I get my short game in order.

[Xt1ncT]

I wonder if any of you have even heard of this guy. His name is Dalton McCrary and his Video is call "Straight Shootin' Golf". He has some training videos. I borrowed them from a friend because he swore by the information that he gave in the lessons. His whole philosophy is based on keeping the club square and hitting the ball as straight as possible. I was super suspicious but I'll tell you what, the is on to something because I have been hitting a lot straighter and my slice is virtually gone. I hope to see my numbers improve once I get my short game in order.

Haha - yeah I've watched his videos - my step dad had them - but I didn't like his way of swinging.

It felt to me like I was manipulating the club too much. Having said that I didn't really stick with it after trying his drills.

[gas_can]

Every Shot Must Have a Purpose and The Plane Truth for Golfers arrived today, will post my thoughts on them once I've had a good chance to read and digest.

Xt1ncT,

Be careful with "Plane Truth." The book has good intentions, but the execution was a little less than perfect. It's a fantastic accompaniment to some solid instruction, but I don't think you will be able to make the transition with the book alone. There are some feelings, especially release and early backswing which were not emphasized nearly enough in the book. Jim's DVD does a much better job of illustrating things. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message, I'll try and clear things up in any way possible.

[Xt1ncT]

Xt1ncT,

THanks mate

I've had a bit of a read of that one and it didn't really hit the spot with me. Having said that, I like some of the 2-plane swing-drills, especially the release drill as I struggle with releasing the club properly. So far, I quite like "Every Shot...", mainly because the mental side of the game REALLY lets me down. I know it but haven't conquered it as yet. "The Art of Putting" arrived today and I've started reading that, so far so good. Looks very interesting - although I won't read too much this weekend as I have my semi-final tomorrow and I don't want to mess things up until Club Champs is over. For my long game, I'm seeing another guy at the moment and that's going well, I've started hitting this lovely little draw when I get it right - but that will be about 3 months work to get it ingrained.......

[Xt1ncT]

Hmmm, I've been readin these books.

I'm not too keen on the "Plane Truth For GOlfers" - well, apart from some of the drills for the 2 plane swing. Other than that I'm not too keen.

"Every Shot..." is a bit better, similar thoughts to Rotella etc, and I for one can't get enough of thoughts on the mental side of the game as that lets me down big time.

Lastly, "The Art of Putting" - I am reading it still, and will re-read it. But to me it's not really very clear. And I find the photos of the grip poor - I can't really tell what he's trying to get across. I'm sure his advice and tips must be very sound, they just don't really make much sense to me the way he tries to explain them - especially the stuff about the grip.

Will read it again to see if it makes any more sense. If not, it'll just go on Trademe (New Zealand's version of ebay) along with "Plane Truth..."

[iammike]

Good books help me.

[Xt1ncT]

This is the final verdict on the 3 books I bought.

"The Plane Truth for Golfers" - interesting stuff, but not for me. I couldn't really get my head around the 2 plane swing he talked about, and my swing and body shape definately doesn't fit the one plane swing. The drills for release and a couple of others were good and I'll utilise them. Other than that I didn't get anything from it.

"Every Shot Must Have a Purpose" - this one was good, and will be a keeper. I like books on the mental side like Rotella's, and this one was in the same veign. The practise thoughts were of definate interest.

"The Art of Putting" - all I can say to this is YUCK. This is definately not for me. Now I know and realise some people advocate in-square-in for the putting stroke. But not me. Turns out I am a definate Pelz advocate. I tried this way for a couple of rounds and for some practise and it totally messed up my stroke. I then went back to my Pelz stroke and was stroking it better than I had for months.

On a positive note, at least this taught me a couple of lessons:

• Putting for me is definately square back and square through - it just feels more natural for me.
• Work on the mental side a lot more, as a lot of improvement can be made there.
• Lessons from qualified reputable pros are far better value than books* - at least for me

Others may well find these books very useful, unfortunately that person is not me.

*I still read and recomend Dave Pelz SHort Game Bible, Bob Rotella's Putting Out of Your Mind and Golf is not a Game of Perfect. Other than those I'll not be reading any more from now on.

[SubPar]

...Lessons from qualified reputable pros are far better value than books* - at least for me ...

When it comes to the mechanics of your swing, a teaching pro is the best thing. As you have suggested, books about the mental side of the game, like emotional control, mindset, value judgments and so on, can be very helpful. Especially books with lots of personal stories and anecdotes which you can relate to will help you make better choices on the course.

I regularly call upon the advice of Love, Player, Floyd, "Jack" and others when I am on the course, all of which comes from articles, interviews and books.

[DavidNJ]

This is a slightly old thread, and I'm a rapidly learning high handicapper (5 of 10 fairways today on 13 holes). This is what I've found helpful:

Books:

Swing Like a Pro by Ralph Mann. A thorough analysis of the full swing, supported by the ModelGolf.com site, with some useful insights and drills.
Short Game Bible by Dave Pelz. I don't think I can add much to what has already been said.
Tour Tempo by John Novosel. I'm not sure is measurements, based on a 30-frame/sec camera are that accurate, however the analysis is. Moreover, the Y-drill and L-drill in his book really help mapping the feel through impact.

I also have books by Hogan, Nicklaus, and Watson, which were not as helpful as Swing Like a Pro . I have recently bought Pelz's Putting Bible , Utley's Art of Putting , and Jacobson's Practical Golf . However, I haven't read them yet!

On training aids I've been less successful. One thing that has helped a lot is an electronic device called 'PinShot'. It reports putting distance (not aim) and had various games and drills that bring you from 4 to 40'. It allows you to set the green speed (fast/medium/slow or in stimps), and has a mirror like the EyeLine device.

The EyeLine full swing and putting alignment aids help also. Using the full swing aid, on the driving range, my aim is significantly better. However, I haven't been able to fully transfer that to the course yet. The long putt alighment tool was also helpful. I find the metronome helps keep putts more consistent.

The Medicus clubs (I have the 5-iron and driver) help practicing a one-piece take-away and smooth transitition. For me, they hit most of the time like a regular club (a least they new now).

Lessons have been a mixed bag. I was killing a few hours at a driving range on a trip to Virginia, and saw a pro who seemed to be giving effective lessons. I got a 30-minute lesson from him (and we talked for another 30 afterwards). He showed me ModelGolf.com. Later I took a lesson from an affiliated training facility in NJ. Those were far and away the best lessons I've had.

I've also started building my own clubs. Hitting wiffel balls with the ungripped clubs, I decided on a length and cut to that length. The resulting clubs dramatically improved my consistency, reduced bad shots, and reduced my dispersion. BTW, the lengths seem to be 1-1.5" longer than standard; equivalent to a 2-3° upright lie change).

David

[wachesawgolfer]

I like the Plane truth DVDs. Best book on golf to me was Nicklaus's book. He really explains why swing flaws happen and how to avoid them. The medicus driver and 5 iron are good. Too bad none of this stuff, including lessons, can substitute for timing, tempo and balance and just plane old athletic talent.

[GreensDruid]

I like many of the same books mentioned here: Dave Pelz Short Game Bible is certainly helpful. But here's an off the wall book that really helped: "On Learning Golf" by Percy Boomer. This book was written in 1946. Boomer was a sometime tournament player in Europe but most of his career was spent as head pro at St. Cloud, just outside Paris. He stayed there until the Nazis invaded, and spent the rest of his years at Sunningdale in England.

For some reason, I love his book and refer to it often. He has a marvelous sense of humor that comes through in the book and his way of explaining and teaching the golf swing just seems to work with me. When I'm having trouble, I'll pick out a few choice passages and it always seems to help. Very old school but amazingly effective, even in this day and age.

[1puttit]

Books:
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book - a classic! I keep a copy in the washroom for a quick bit of golf wisdom during my pensive moments.

Shortgame Bible by Pelz - the 3x or 4x wedge system is definately worth your time learning. Great bunker info. A must read.

The LAWS of the Golf Swing by Dr. Jim Suttie - based on the premise that people with different body types will swing the club differently - what a revolutionary concept! Saved me a ton of grief as I finally learned that I have to swing a certain way because of my body type. I completely screwed myself up for an entire season trying to swing like someone I'm not. If you look like Craig Stadler you aint gonna swin like Ernie Els no matter what you do!

Tour Tempo - like the concept and have just started applying it. Hitting my irons much more solidly and consistently.

Zen Golf - good mental approach book with some great excercises to put your game in a different perspective.

Golf at the Top by Steve Williams - yep, that Steve Williams. Mental game advice from Tiger's Caddy. Only half way through but a good read and some good concepts.

Butch Harmon's Playing Lesson's - Butch guides an A, B, and C level player through 18 of the best golf holes in the world and shows how to think your way around the course. Plus some good tips on specific shots.

The Search for the Perfect Golf Club by Tom Wishon - Learn all about golf clubs from one of the industry's top club designers. A must read for non-club builders before buying more clubs. All about getting clubs that fit you and your game.

Putting:
Putting out of your mind by rotella

Geoff Mangum's Putting Zone TONS of info about putting. Better than Pelz or Utley in my opinion. Read these articles http://puttingzone.com/MyTips/tempo.html and http://puttingzone.com/MyTips/core.html - it might just change your putting forever.

[DavidNJ]

One book I left out: The Only Golf Lesson You'll Ever Need: Easy Solutions to Problem Golf Swings by Hank Haney I've seen mixed reviews, but don't know why. It is the most methodical book I've seen to diagnosing problems and finding ways to fix them. And it concentrates on fixing them, not silly drills.

David

[barrettbonden]

I am really surprised that no one mentioned John Jacobs.

After reading trousands of golf books, I find GOLF DOCTOR to be the best instructional book I've read by far. American greats like Harmon reckon that he has been the most influential teacher in the game, and surpringsingly, it is even difficult to find his books.

His video series (also difficult to find) are a gem also.

Golf Doctor teaches you how to read your ball flight and suggests drills to solve any problem. There is another book (Practical Golf) that is more than a convecntional manual, but is also based in Jacobs' teaching principle: your shots are the only truth in golf.

Many other famous teachers are nothing but Jacobs followers with a better marketing.

[Patch]

I am bring this thread out of hiding. Not so much for the books listed, but because it came up when I search "yard stick training aids". This after reading a post about a golfer missing putts to the right.

Imho, every golfer would do well to have at least two metal yard sticks in their practice gear. Three would be even better.

I say metal because they won't warp like a wooden one will. Plus, with the metal ones, you can mark referance points on them, that can be permanent, or cleaned off as needed. If the yard stick does not come with pre drilled holes in each end, do it yourself. The holes should be large enough to use tees as a stability measure. 

Yard sticks allow for fine tuning stuff like stance width, ball position in the stance, toe/heel lines, club path, and anything else you can think of to use them for.

I keep three to use as needed. Last I saw, they were $1.99 each at a hardware store. Probably $2.99 each by now. Still a bargain as a training aid.