Monday, November 17, 2008

The Art of the Short Game: Tour-Tested Secrets for Getting Up and Down






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Product Description
“The hottest instructor in golf” (Sports Illustrated) takes on old-school gurus with a far more accessible, intuitive, and innovative approach to those essential chip shots, pitches, and bunker rescues. Veteran golfers know that the secret to a lower score is a solid short game, but mastering those small strokes can be maddening—even for the pros. One of golf’s most revered instructors, Stan Utley now reveals the step-by-step tactics behind his revolutionary short-game techniques in The Art of the Short Game.
After introducing readers to his groundbreaking philosophy that explains why most players don’t see all the shots available to them near the green, Utley moves on to shatter conventional wisdom about stance, grip, and ball position. From choosing the right clubs (including a checklist of must-haves that should always be in your bag) to spin reduction during chipping and fearless sand play, The Art of the Short Game demystifies the most aggravating shots on the links. Though Utley’s primer features a full set of drills, accompanied by more than seventy-five photos, his approach is far removed from the monotonous, mechanical instruction of yesteryear.
Giving a time-tested secret weapon to every golfer at every level, Utley’s short-game methods turn trouble shots into triumph.



Editorial Reviews
Review Stan’s help with my short game was the difference between playing some nice golf and winning again on the PGA Tour and winning majors on the Champions Tour. -- Peter Jacobsen, seven-time PGA Tour winner, and winner of the 2004 Senior U.S. Open 2005 Senior Players Championship
Review Stan’s help with my short game was the difference between playing some nice golf and winning again on the PGA Tour and winning majors on the Champions Tour. (Peter Jacobsen, seven-time PGA Tour winner, and winner of the 2004 Senior U.S. Open 2005 Senior Players Championship)
About the Author Stan Utley has been a professional golfer on the PGATour for nearly two decades, earning more than one million dollars in prize money. He has set records for fewest putts in a PGA round, and has coached many fellow pros, including Peter Jacobsen, Jay Haas, and Darren Clarke. His first book, The Art of Putting, was published by Gotham Books in June 2006 and had a third printing after just two months on sale. H is also a Golf Digest professional advisor and host of the Web site stanutleygolf.com.
Customer Reviews
With practice it's a very effective method Stan Utley's short game method was not really "easy" for me. It was a definite change from my usual short game techniques and initially it felt very awkward. I had one great short game round with a lot of up and down par saves followed by some very frustrating rounds that included score-inflating skulled or stubbed chips and pitches. I am commited to making this work as I trust that Utley knows of what he speaks and since I did have some initial success- far better than my typical short game. I've gone back and reviewed sections of the book and the associated drills and have dedicated some time to practice. I am finally "getting it." I've ordered a 58 deg wedge with 12 deg of bounce as Utley suggested. This will replace my current 56 and 60 deg wedges and will make room for an additional club at the other end of my set. With experimentation I have been able to hit a wide variety of shots with one wedge (either the 56 or 60) and I think the 58 deg wedge will work better for this. It was surprising to me that changing shot trajectory was not really too challenging a skill to pick up and it will come in very handy. Utley's sand shot method is pretty unique but this alone was worth the price of the book for me. I have never been very confident from the sand despite carrying a low single-digit handicap. Once I got the feel for this method I started getting up and down from the sand more regularly and now actually enjoy hitting shots from greenside bunkers. I would recommend the book for this technique alone. I prefer learning golf techniques with personal lessons or from video formats. I was somewhat skeptical about the relative effectiveness of learning golf skills from a book. The illustrations were helpful but not entirely clear. I spent considerable time trying to conceptualize Utley's lessons and would have liked a DVD format but hey, it worked. I can't argue with the results. This is a quick read, but as mentioned I have re-read sections multiple times and will probably continue to do this to compliment my practice and to keep me from drifting back to my old bad habits. The bottom line for me was that this is not a magic fix for the short game but it is solid advice and proven techniques that WILL work with some practice. Good luck.

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