good first golf book

[jamesj]

im going on a 15 hour plane right next week and might read a book or 4...

i just started playing golf last summer but am addicted now and im sure theres some good golf books out there.

please recommend your top 3 or so. im not sure if i want a purely instructional book or just some nice golf anecdotes by famous golfers. hopefully there are some books that are a nice mixture of both?

the one book that came to mind was tiger's book "how i play" or something along those lines. i saw it at a proshop not too long ago and i thumbed through it and it seemed interesting. any opinions on this book?

[warbirdlover]

Wishon's "the Search for the Perfect Golf Club". You'll learn more about equipment faster from reading that then you would ever imagine possible.

[BStone]

Harvey Penick books, he has several out, but The Little Red Book is my favorite. A very offbeat approach to golf and how to approach it, won't take long to read. Also anything by Feherty is good especially Somewhere in Ireland a Village is Missing An Idiot.

[gwlee7]

One very good and easy read that has instruction and stories is Harvey Penick's Little Red Book. Maybe a good historical type book would be Tour '72 about the summer of 1972 and the great golf being played simultaneously by Nicklaus, Trevino, Player, Watson, among others.

Edit: tmag and I posted at the same time so you know that book is good.

[Sandpiper3]

Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect by Dr. Bob Rotella

Tiger Virtues by Alex Tresniowski

Both great books. The Rotella book is a must read, best book ive ever read about the mental side of golf.

Personally I read Pelz's short game book and i really wasnt a fan of it at all, he seemed to brag too much about what he's done and found and blah blah... Every other word he says is I...

[Shea_Butler]

good bounces and bad lies by Ben Wright... hes the guy who got in trouble for saying how, lets say a top heavy, woman golfers b@@bs got in her way of a better swing its funny and a great autobiography too.

[SilverUberXeno]

"The Hogan Way" is a short read. It's instructional to some extent, but the anecdotes about Hogan himself are really worthwhile. Stunning stuff. I'll mail you mine to read and return if you like. PM me your address.

[gunning4u]

1. Little Red Book by Harvey Penick, short read and keeps it simple

2. Hogan's 5 lessons, Technical but breaks down the swing very well

3. My golden lessons by Nicklaus, He gives 100 short tips good pictures.

[Sandy]

"Who's Your Caddy?" by Rick Reilly - a sports journo learns how to be a caddy by going out with pros, celebrities and various other notable golfers. Very funny, and gives a different perspective on the game and the people involved in it - especially his experiences with tour Pros and then with Donald Trump!

[ualtim]

Some of the best ones are already mentioned. A couple others to try out, "Golf My Way" by Jack Nicklaus and "Tom Watson's Strategic Golf" by (of course) Tom Watson. The Watson book does not get a lot of publicity, but it is one of the finer golf books out there as it does not get into how to swing the club. It is purely a strategy guide that I have found helpful over the past 10 years or so. I read it a few times a year.

[The Salt Vampire]

For fun #1. David Owen's, "My Usual Game". It is a bunch of his columns from Golf Digest and some other short stories.

For fun #2. "A Good Walk Spoiled" by John Feinstein. His others are good too, but cover some of the same material.

Instruction #1. Either of Stan Utley's books, "The Art of Putting" or "The Art of the Short Game".

Instruction #2. I am reading Bobby Clampett's, "The Impact Zone", right now and enjoying it. It can be heavy and if you are new to the game, it might not be what you are looking for.

Instruction #3. Bob Rotella's, "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect".

[The Salt Vampire]

Originally Posted by Sandpiper3

Personally I read Pelz's short game book and i really wasnt a fan of it at all, he seemed to brag too much about what he's done and found and blah blah... Every other word he says is I...

His first book was the best. I think it was called "Putt Like The Pros", it is hard to find now. Less confident, more to the point.

I agree about the others, the Bibles. Too much about I, I, I. His findings are interesting, but he goes into so much detail.

I do like to watch him on the Golf Channel from the Majors. He always shows some interesting things about the course setup.

[Sandpiper3]

I've really got to pickup the little red book, and hogan's five lessons...

off topic- SV, who is Gainer the gopher?

[Augster]

George Knudson's "The Natural Golf Swing."

Game transforming book right there.

[The Salt Vampire]

Originally Posted by Sandpiper3

off topic- SV, who is Gainer the gopher?

Posted it somewhere else, but he is the mascot for the Saskatchewan Rough Riders of the CFL. Rock's local team. Great mascot, very funny.