Golf Books

This is an amazing book. For golfers with even the slightest of philosophical bents, this is a must read. If your bookshelves contain books like Michael Murphy's Golf in the Kingdom, Timothy Gallwey's The Inner Game of Golf, Fred Shoemaker's Extraordinary Golf, and Joseph Parent's Zen Golf, then Golf's Three Noble Truths: The Fine Art of Playing Awake should be on your bookshelf as well.

I'm finding so much in it that I've almost discovered before... it reads, in that sense, a little like memory. We golfers need more books like this! How can it be that with instruction book after instruction book after instruction book, we don't seem to be getting better at this game? How can it be that the average handicap stays about the same, regardless of technological improvements, countless rounds, golf pro lessons, and bookshelves full of "tips" books dissecting the swing? What is missing?

Ragonnet has an intriguing answer. Drawing on Eastern philosophy, primarily Buddhism, Ragonnet suggests that we golfers are simply not awake to what is really happening right now, right here, before our very eyes. Rather, we are trapped in the "monkey mind." Endless internal chatter about previous shots, what we might shoot today, technical swing thoughts, doubts, fears, anxiety, etc., etc., ad infinitum. No wonder we're not improving!

Ragonnet offers wise words on how we can stop the chatter and return to the moment. He encourages us to appreciate the wonder of everyday existence... the wind through the trees, the shadows on the greens, the wondrous flight of the ball, the butterfly that lands on your golf shoe. But be not deceived... this is no hokey New Agey gimmick schtick. James Ragonnet is heavy duty scholar, thinker, and engaging writer. I dare say he is a real life Shivas Irons. This is a book that can improve not only your golf game... but your life as well.

James Ragonnet's book "Golf's Three Noble Truths-The Fine Art of Playing Awake, enables me to be myself, stay in the moment and to enjoy golf and all the wonderful things that if offers. Additionally, approaching golf by calmly abiding with the The Three Noble Truths and their related benefits, your game does improve. I'm going a step further and applying this philosphy in other parts of my life. I do believe I might just get to be a better person. Both golf and my life have moved up a few pegs. My thanks to Mr Ragonnet for this wonderful book. A job well done.

Walter Kelley

Dr. James Ragonnet's book, Golf's Three Noble Truths: The Fine Art of Playing Awake, is a requirement for every golfer, every level and--in all fairness--for non-golfers as well. The concepts and exercises described within can be applied to any sport or life experience. The principles of "the fine art of playing awake" demonstrate the spiritual/physical link between golf technique and Eastern inspired practices of awareness, balance, and unity (i.e. a connection with and respect for the world surrounding and interacitng with one's golf game). James Ragonnet illustrates numerous examples of how to develop awareness and become more centered--everything from standing meditations to visualizing with the ready made environment, such as trees on the golf course. This book is broken up into concise, clear cut chapters that are chock full of tips on improving one's golf experience and overall life! The sketch of a typical foursome, each representing differing degrees of consciousness and competence are absolutely hilarious. The minute you figure out which character most closely resembles yourself, you will want to implement every suggestion in this book. One of the over-riding themes in Golf's Three Noble Truths, is the importance of dropping one's ego and, instead, embrace the knowledge of one's shortcomings. Ragonnet describes this formula as "Doubt + Self-Awareness = Growth". Ragonnet speaks as a golf buddy who happens to be enlightened and interested in sharing his discoveries. Listen to him and apply some of the prescribed exercises and practices. You will grow and expand in your golf skills, increase your golf enjoyment, and markedly improve your overall life. ~Kellie Young

Jim Ragonnet has penned a primer on living - and being - a meaningful life. Its origin was the author's sense that his life was missing important things - bliss, contentment, inner satisfaction, peace of mind. The grace and beauty of a single butterfly laid bare for him (and through him for all of us) the universal truths that can awaken us all - whether on the golf course or in the board room.

This book enabled me to understand that I've learned some of these truths the hard way over my 32-year business career. ("When you're willing to face the truth, you'll find out who you really are.") Only when I got laid off from my job did it force me to find a far better one. Only when the wheels came off did I find my true perspective and inner strength. I no longer view the "missed" and "made" deals of my vocational life as separate episodes; I realize they form the continuous thread of my collective experience. My good days have taught me things; but my bad days have taught me far more. I now know that an "acceptable score" may be the ultimate illusion in a person's business life. Our ultimate reconciliation with ourselves and with each other doesn't involve scorecards. It consists of truth, gratitude, and forgiveness, in that order.

Ragonnet inspires us to decide for ourselves what golf means - what life means. He enables us to realize that we don't really need a great drive down the fairway. What we really need is the mindfulness and composure to hit a great drive - and to realize that it's not about what we get - it's about who we become.

This book is not just for golfers. Even though I am an avid golfer, I found myself relating pieces of the book to my own personal life and career. As a former athletic director and coach, I found the chapter on The Need to Win to be quite interesting and true. The entire book from cover to cover will keep you wanting to read more each time. Jim has a great ability to relate Eastern thinking to golf and life. To me, a must read.

Golf books get alot of criticism and I was skeptical when I bought it but I approve of the authors writing ability and applying his concepts on how to diagnose and correct a major flaw in your swing realy helped me.

It's geared more toward the frustrated golfer but there is some practical knowledge advanced players may find useful as well.

I purchased this book because it had several reviews with 5 stars. I have to agree with them! Joseph Laurentino does a marvelous job in breaking down the swing into negotiable and non-negotiable details. He writes in an easy to read manner and I have already benefited from his book in my iron play from one chapter in the book. Finally my iron shots have stopped pulling left of the target and I am more able to hit greens for GIR's and thus pars and maybe birdies. I was able to shoot a career best round of 90 at a local course two weeks ago (I am a 44 year old, 20 handicapper). I highly recommend this book for any golf nut, 5-35 hndcp.

What so impressive about this book is its ability to help me link the dots in my golf swing. More amazingly, it allows me to choose my own dots and connect them as I see fit; as long as I adhere to some governing rules that are non-negotiable.

Non-negotiable rules related to club face, club path, and swing path, cannot be bent. Hence, you MUST adhere to them in order to improve your ball flight. As I become more aware of them during my practice, I see my ball flight begins to take a gradual ascending shape - this is what I was looking for :). My short and mid iron play is getting sharper. I can't wait to work on my longer irons to make the ball flights more predictable as well.

What this book tells me to do is; as long as I adhere to these simple rules that govern the ball flight, I can keep my own unique swing, even if I don't swing like a pro, and still manage to hit great shots.

This book will pass the test of time and remains as one of the greatest books ever written. It humbly unravels the mysteries behind your unique golf swing and convinces you that; it's ok to swing the way you swing; as long as you adhere to some basic rules of a good golf swing to maximize your ball-striking ability.

I had never really thought about it before picking up this book, but nobody really has a perfect, text book swing. The best of the best in any sport seem to have their unique idiosyncracies, and yet they make it work...for them.

Really. I have been golfing off and on for 30 years. For 30 years I have worked to keep the left arm straight, head still, legs proper width apart, grip perfect, etc., etc. And yet, for 30 years I have a natural tendency to fall into old ways that feel more comfortable to me than the "perfect swing".

After reading this book, I have learned that I don't have to beat my head against a brick wall trying to perfect a text book swing. Laurentino showed me how to take what feels natural to me, and tweak it to make it work. It feels much better to work from my natural comfort zone, and modify those parts of the swing that are "negotiable" to achieve my goals, rather than trying to execute a completely unnatural swing in the name of "perfection".

The lessons I learned in this book have helped me get more distance and accuracy and have definitely improved my game. More importanly though, they have made the game more fun. I can play better with less frustration because I "negotiated" a swing that works with my natural habits. Thanks Joseph.

Since I started playing golf 30 years ago, I have taken lots of lessons from four different professionals. Each one taught me a different swing, and those swings produced vastly different results on the course. Only one of the professionals taught me a swing that was very repeatable and reliable. That professional spent a lot of time letting me see what the swing was supposed to look like and then giving me lots of objective information on how my swing was different.

With the other three professionals, my game always got a lot worse after taking a lesson . . . even if I hit the ball well during the lesson. I also found that I was confused . . . because these professionals had told me things that contradicted one another.

As a student of how people learn, I'm a big believer in using feedback from experience to spot errors and correct them. But none of the four professionals ever taught me to how take information from ball flight and use that to make adjustments. As a result, I learned relatively little about how to hit the ball well.

I found that The Negotiable Golf Swing was like a breath of fresh air because Joseph Laurentino shows what must happen in a swing . . . and where you have room for personal preferences. After 30 years of confusion, I found that he demonstrated objectively three things that I do wrong in my swing that account for most of my current problems . . . all of which are based on my misunderstanding of what is supposed to happen during a swing.

Without picking on any of the professionals who confused me, it's clear that they demonstrated those three points in ways that included errors . . . errors that I memorized and struggled to repeat. It's clear that the professionals could have used access to this book's fine photographs and analyses.

Before you take any lessons, read this book. I was also impressed that the book referred to the most helpful other golf books that I've read over the years. If I had read this book 30 years ago, I would have been a better golfer and saved a fortune in lost balls and unnecessary lessons for the full swing.

The book is, however, not as complete as the Pelz books on short game and putting. For those important subjects, rely on Pelz . . . as Mr. Laurentino also suggests.

Hit 'em where you want to!

Trust your first instinct when you hit the green, and learn to keep those negative thoughts at bay. This mental and technical guide to putting will help you improve your form.

Very straightforward and comensensical. Seems everything we read these days is about positive thinking. And it does work along with a good basic set up. I especially like his instruction that once you are over the ball, don't wait there and let negative thoughts sneak in. Go ahead and hit the ball. He says to trust your first instinct when you read a putt and I have always found that to be true. Can't wait to put his recommendations into play.

After reading Golf is Not a Game of Perfect by the same author I got this one and found it to be just as good which I rate as 5 stars *****

Any golfer (including disc golfers) would benefit from this book. It's a very good book!

So much of golf and golf instruction is mechanical, and justly so. Technique is very important in a complex action such as the full swing, and improper form can lead to both bad shots and injury.

In contrast, we have putting. The action on the ball is so slight and simple, mechanics themselves are important only at a very rudimentary level. Technique has more to do with guaging individual variances for a particular situation than it does moving from positions A to B to C.

This is why putting is called the "game within a game". It resembles so little of the rest of golf. It also makes it one of the most difficult for the mechanics oriented golfer to master.

What Rotella has done here is to lay out his observations of what the best putters in the game think and do, not with their stroke, but with their minds. Using examples of unusual putters like Locke, he points out that it is not the stroke itself that counts, but your confidence in it. Locke believed he was hooking the ball into the hole, when this was likely not the case. Still, his stroke, which cut across the ball, made him one of the best putters ever because he believed in it.

Rotella goes further, discussing people with more "technically sound" strokes, such as Faxon and Crenshaw. Crenshaw, in particular, is an interesting case. Rotella introduces a story in which Crenshaw, in one sentence, completely turns putting instruction on its head, much to the horror of a professional golf instructor. Again, what is important is what was in his mind, not what a slow-motion camera might reveal.

People frustrated with their putting may find good, solid information here on how to improve. The biggest test will be trying to apply it, which may be harder than any swing change you could imagine.

When you see on the cover of a book testimonials by James Patterson, Clive Cussler, Tim Green, and other big hitters, you pay attention.
Reid Clark is named by the press as 'The Bad Boy of Golf'. Think John McEnroe only more volatile! He is a brilliant player on the PGA, but shoots himself in the foot with his temper. He has made some enemies, but never would he have thought that someone wanted to kill him.
He plays The Masters under death threats, and he continues on toward The Classic where the threats escalate: if Reid wins the tournament, he will die.
Reid is surrounded by security and family, and starts transforming from 'Bad Boy' into a well rounded man who happens to be one of the top golf players in the world. He learns it isn't 'all about him' and starts to understand what the truly important things in life are.
It is all about golf - the play, the endorsements, the risks, but also is about Reid's progression to see what is truly most important in his life.
Balkind writes with amazing clarity that puts you there in the middle of the action of play on the greens - We come to like Reid, and Balkind's character portrayals are eloquent in their execution.
You will learn a lot about golf reading this book. You will also be in for a great treat as it is a top notch mystery too.
It will make one heck of a movie -
Think you'll have fun with this one too.
Those of us who are terrible golfers, but think we are much better, and those who truly know the game and do well at it, will love this book equally - I usually get relegated to driving the cart!! But know it takes lots of skill to play the game, and to play under more pressure than just winning the tournament takes more than determination - focus focus focus.
Excellent read!

Reid Clark, the "Bad Boy of Golf" has just received a death threat- DO NOT WIN or YOU WILL DIE. They are referring to the biggest golf tournament in his life. The suspects are numerous because, after all, he IS the "bad boy", having assaulted reporters and their photographers on numerous occasions who all seem obsessed with the golf star.
Reid and his agent Buck make a great winning team and after landing a million dollar endorsement they should be very happy sportsmen, but how can they be with these threats hanging over their lives? Reid's mother Joan, his two sisters and girlfriend Shane are his cheering section as the excitement builds.
Surrounded by bodyguards, Reid plays the final round of golf in the Masters, but will that be enough to save his life? This reader does not play golf, but as the tension builds, became highly involved with the game and the characters in Mr. Balkind's book. Very much recommended for sports fans and everyone else who loves a good mystery!

Imagine this; you are an athlete, born with a gift. You work hard to improve and better yourself in what you love and crave to do, and when you finally get to live your dream, someone spoils it with a threat of `simply' taking your life if you - win.
Reid Clark, a professional golfer, has a rude awakening as he receives such a threat during the tournament of tournaments; the Masters.
Not a stranger to challenging situations he finds himself just a bid over his head and has no choice but to surround himself with a colorful team of bodyguards and investigating cops, because he surely is not going to easily give in.
What follows is a well written tale of a cat and mouse game on a different level. Intrigue and suspense can be painted in many vivid colors, but spinning them into the `game of kings' is certainly a new twist author Michael Balkind has discovered.

Though I play a little golf myself, I'm not a huge fan and certainly don't watch it on TV. However; ever since I read this story I find myself taking a glimpse at the tellie whenever I catch a game and I wonder - what would it be like to perform at such level if indeed one would encounter a death threat.

To me, Balkind made the story believable and I enjoyed the read through out. There were just a few instances where I would have liked to see a lesser degree of explanation of the physiological pressure of the game. I also wondered about a scenario where Reid, while still under extreme stress due to his threats, takes his family on a shopping spree.
All in all however, I recommend Sudden Death to anyone who seeks a satisfying thrill ride down the fairway and I will be looking for more sport related mystery from this new, exciting author.

Rebecca Lerwill, author of Relocating Mia.
Relocating Mia

Reid Clark, an angry, rude PGA touring pro enters the Masters with a death threat hanging over his performance there. The 'Bad Boy of Golf' mellows somewhat when the fear of his death lingers over the fairways and greens of that cherished magnolia lined golf course. He even lets loose some of his millions won on tour and through sponsorships to buy his mom a house and the sport car she desires. The would-be killers suspected are many because of Reid's past 'bad boy' reputation in golf and business. But it's the one on the bottom of that long list who plans and executes the threat.
Reid ties for the lead and The Masters goes into sudden death and fearing it could be his own quick demise, he putts for the win...a gun-shot is heard. Did the putt drop in or did Reid drop before the ball missed the cup? Reid doesn't know and the reader will find out later when the book concludes.

Don't read Sudden Death on an empty stomach you'll crave for such as Tarragon Lobster, Salad Nicoise and then wish for the libation offered by a cognac infused with vinilla accompanied by a good cigar. Michael Balkind knows the good life and writes with an excellent knowledge of the game of golf. If you love a mystery and/or exciting golf-play read Sudden Death. It's all there.

Sudden Death is a fast paced page burner. The characters are personable, and realistic as our hero struggles to win the elusive "Green Jacket" at the Masters, while trying to avoid an assasin. The writing is smooth while the plot is pockmarked with exciting twists. This is a great read whether you like golf or not. Everyone likes a good whodunit, and this is a good one.

If you want to test Ballard's theories, try the drill on
page 60: "Another way to get a feel for [connection] is to
hit some medium or short irons with a handkerchief under
your left shoulder. If you drop the handkerchief, you've
unplugged, or disconnected, allowing the arms to work
independently of the body." You may have seen Vijay Singh
hit practice shots with a headcover under his left arm
and wonder what he was doing. That's what he's doing.

I've played 40 years, including college golf, and have a
single digit handicap. I am 5'8", small framed, under 150
lbs. Without the big muscle approach, I'm toast. His
common misconceptions alone will help you.

This title should be put back in production. It would
eliminate a lot of human suffering.

In my humble opinion based on reading perhaps 1,000 books on golf over the past 40+ years, this may be the single best golf instructional book ever written. It's short, it's clear, it's well-illustrated, and it's an approach to instruction that WORKS. As I recall, Ballard was selected as the "teacher of the decade" for the 1980's by Golf Magazine, and with good reason. His fundamental principle of "connection" is, as he says, not merely the key to golf but to any number of sports. He has identified the fundamental principle that distinguishes the great ball-strikers from the hacks and also-rans. Regardless of what they may SAY they do, or FEEL they do, Ballard has identified what the great ball-strikers really DO. I recently took some lessons at the Kapalua Golf Academy and came home thinking "That sounds just like what Jimmy Ballard was saying 20 years ago." I picked up a copy of this book and confirmed that it indeed was what Ballard was saying 20 years ago. You may need some professional guidance to confirm that you are grasping what Ballard is saying, but I'm convinced that what he is saying is pretty much the one overriding key to the golf swing. I'm astounded that this book is out of print because it deserves to live alongside of Hogan's Five Lessons and a handful of other indisputable classics.

I'm an older golfer (70+) and I found this the best golf swing instruction book I've ever read. The illustrations were of players I remember idolizing when I was a younger player, the concepts logically defined & metaphores easy to remember when practising, the drills constructive & productive. His use of concepts like "connections" and "swinging from the ground up" have stayed with me throughout the season. In some instances he told me things about the act of swinging the club that had never occurred to me before. In short he must have been a great teacher as my golf instructor told me when he recommended it.

From taking up golf at age 10 until I was 18 I was a hacker - and I so desperately wanted to be good that practiced every day on the range. I took lessons from many local Club pros but never improved. My swing felt ungainly and awkward and I found golf so frustrating and depressing. Then by accident I bought Jimmy's first video - 'The Jimmy Ballard Golf Connection'. Soon after I bought this book. I was completely amazed. He was telling me exactly the OPPOSITE of what I had always been taught by all these different pros, as well as many well meaning amateurs at my club. It was almost an evangelical experience. I felt as if a huge cloud had been lifted. I read and re-read his book and immediately began to practice, disgard all the classical 'sacred' swing rules I had ever learnt that had prevented me from making any natural, athletic moves and ignore all the teaching I had ever had. What a transformation. Within 12 months my handicap had reduced from 18 to 6 and then shortly after to 3. I was picked for my University first team for 3 straight years and won the vast majority of my matches. I hit the ball so consitently and straight whilst my opponents were in the trees/rough/undergrowth. Best of all, my golf swing FELT so perfect, natural, effortless, balanced and perectly repetitive. Everyone commented about it enviously. I had so many comments that my swing looked exactly like Curtis Strange. (He should have known better than to listen to any other teacher and fiddle with a perfect swing). Now several years later, my busy career has meant that I only played golf once last year. But I stood on the first tee having not hit a ball for many months and after I few practice swings, my swing felt perfect, natural and easy. Perfect contact and the ball went straight down the middle as if I had never been off the golf course. That is the proof that Jimmy Ballard is right and everyone else is wrong. Before if I didn't hit a ball for 2 days I just couldn't make contact.
What more can I say? This man has given me a perfect golf swing for a lifetime. He is God when it comes to golf. He may not be anywhere near as good at promoting himself and using the media as David Leadbeader (who stole a few of Jimmy's ideas when he came to prominence - and then added some flawed ideas of his own) but listen to no one else and read nothing else unless it's by Jimmy Ballard. This book is the Bible.

It's a real shame that this book is out of print. This is the best book I've read on the golf swing. Applying concepts learned in just the first few chapters, I saw immediate improvement.

This is the man that flew to South Africa on the same plane as Bill Clinton, plays golf with the world's best players, was runner up in the world putting championships.... and .... took my money at Sun City.

Great book Michael... must be due another one soon? PW

Michael Konik writes about golf as Emily Dickinson might have: with terse tenderness, through a quill of pliant steel. She would have noted the beetle scrambling out of the cup before her ball rattled in. She would have seen, in a five iron flying from the hands of the angry golfer on the south fairway, a metaphor of death in life or triumph in defeat. She would have asked if winning were "the only thing" decades before Red Sanders uttered the words or Vince Lombardi borrowed them, but without ever asking the question itself except through implication and indirection. She would have noted everything noteworthy in the only nine holes she ever played, and then reduced it to a phrase that floated up like monarch butterflies on a June thermal. She would have seen how one fine game--or one bad one--played with an old friend is a mirror held up to the world.

Dickinson was that good when the winds stirred the grass behind her home in Amherst, Massachusetts. Konik is that good when he totes a golf bag, heavy as a side of beef, for Jack Nicklaus, and then puzzles out nuanced truths of the experience for those of us who will never meet Nicklaus, or any of the golfing greats, except through a television screen.

I don't golf. It is a game of multiple demanding skills and attributes, of which I have none. "Nice Shot, Mr. Nicklaus" is, at least in part, a book for non golfers, such as the man with the physique of the skeleton hanging from a hook in the university's gross-anatomy class. I have that: the apparent lack of muscle, tendon, ligament or properly soldered nerves. My golf swing, as unpredictable as dice thrown on a fieldstone floor, makes dogs howl and Presbyterian caddies cross themselves. When my Titleist balls slice off the tee, men dive for the bunkers. As a teenager, I threw a driver through a plate glass window. I wasn't angry. I just didn't understand the grip. "Nice Shot" is for non golfers what Jon Krakauer's books on Mt. Everest are for flatlanders. Konik takes you there, be it a glorious course in Scotland or a cow-pie laden field in Wyoming. He stands behind you and wraps his arms around you and corrects your grip, stance, and balance. Mostly, though, he corrects your attitude. He whispers, "This is a lordly game, for ladies and gents. Be here now in body and soul. Smell the air and feel the smack at the end of the stick reverberate throughout the universe. Set an example of decorum for your children, and thereby teach them the essence of championship. Play in the Zen Master's Open, for it is open to all. Embrace your opponent whether you win or lose, as if they were the same event." And he spends much of the book explaining how they very nearly are. And the thing is, you come to believe it might even be true.

Konik has the ability to make a non golfer--and maybe even a golfer--believe he could actually discuss with Greg Norman, over a pint of Fosters lager, the advantages of graphite over steel. He worms his way into the hearts of those he interviews, and he permits a reader to imagine that his own heart might be shaped from the same warm clay. And be this the truth or merely the grand illusion of an extraordinarily deft writer really doesn't matter when you finally set the book on the nightstand, turn off the light, and dream of the skies over Augusta.

What a fun book to read and what great little insights into the game and some of the people involved. The author did a great job in his "little stories" of some of the unusual things of golf - from the cow pasture open in Montana to golf in the Arctic Circle. This book is a keeper (as if I didn't have enough golf books).

Particularly nice is that the book it can be read story by story, so that you can enjoy each one separately from the rest. It's like a tapas lunch: accompanied by a nice glass of white wine, you can sip and enjoy the full flavor of each course. Get this book and enjoy.

Michael Konik weaves humor, insight, golf trivia, travel adventure and philosophy into a wonderful set of short stories. You don't have to play or even like golf to enjoy this collection of clever and witty observations about the game of golf and the people who play it. The "hero" of each story might be a world class pro, or a caddie. Konik's ability to capture the moment makes this book a joy to read.

Thanks Mike. Waiting for more.

Very enjoyable to read one chapter at a time. Like one nice golf hole after another. Funny, touching, educational. Any golfer you know will love this book. Looking forward to more.

This is a very helpfull read. In fact I have purchased three additional copies as presents for my playing partners. One has already told me it has straightened out his thinking on the game. I love it because of its straight up no bull dust approach. It is the best of my lavish collection of how to play or not to golf.

My pro told me he met Mr J. Flick during his stay in the U.S. and was immediately a fan of him. So if he thinks he's a wonderful teacher, why should I doubt?

I'm glad I bought the book for I went to the golfcourse to do my best, even better if possible. But it went all wrong. I read a lot about the golfswing, practised a lot of techniques and my play went down a bit every round I played.
Mr. Flick made me look with different eyes: first of all, it is a game, so play! Enjoy the game. How you played yesterday is not relevant and tomorrow is still to come. Concentrate on the next shot, forget the previous and don't worry what might happen on the next hole.

Practice with mechanics, do you exercises at the practiceground. Engrain you technique there. Let your body, muscles and mind experience how to move, to act and to react.
But on the playground you play by feel. Be yourself. Be your own driver and don't let someone else take the driver's seat of your mind. If you are wrong you will learn to do it better next time. If you are right, the great feeling is yours.

This book is not written as a teaching method. Of course there are hints, tips on how to practice. But not under pressure. It is up to the reader to react if he/she wants to do what he/she thinks is relevant to improve his/her game.
Only a man with a lot of experience can write a book like this. It reads like a fairy-tale or a book about a great adventure. I found a lot of things I already knew, but told so explicitly made me feel more confident and improved my game.

Peter van Wijck
vanwijckpj@zeelandnet.nl
332 CHurchilll Av
4532 ME Terneuzen
Holland

This book by Jim Flick puts the whole attitude of golfing in the right context. It's not about the perfect swing based on fundemantals we've heard about, read about, and seen forever, but rather finding the perfect swing -- the one most comfortable -- for you. No pressure of finding your game, it's about having fun at it, and working through your stumbling blocks. His approach is quite good. I can honestly say the recommendations I've incorporated have improved my game.

As someone only just starting out in the game, I found Jim Flick's book to be full of the kind of practical tips that you don't find in your typical golf magazine. Written in an easy-to-read engaging style, the book will be helpful to both the beginning and advanced golfer. Instructions are easy to understand. My only criticisim is that at the start of the book, he goes on a bit about "feel" and it gets a bit repetitive. Other than that, it'll be one of the best books you can buy on the subject of golf.

The other reviewers are full of it when they say no mechanics are in here. They're in here, but they are presented simply, so you will understand them. The vast majority of golfers need to get their bodies to calm down so they're arms and hands can swing the club. Go to any driving range in the world and you will see that most people heave, twist, turn, and flop all over the place with there bodies. Except on the PGA tour driving range. There you see economy of effort and very easy looking golf swings. Jim gives great drills for getting the body to calm down and feeling great mechanics. DO THEM and you will get better.

Jeff Richardson

There is a real scarcity of instructional golf books for lefties. I bought this book for my lefty wife and she loves it. The only thing that could be better would be a lefty golf book for women.

The book really helped me understand what is right about my golf swing and I like his simple teaching methods as I read through the rest of the book. I now take lessons from Steve which has really given me the correct foundaion to build a proper swing on. I have given this book as gifts and even though I am left handed (which less than 8% are, he can work his magic on the right hander also.) I highly recommend the book and if you live in the area go get some lessons.

Being a left-hander and a begining golfer, this book taught me several things to do to improve my game the first time I read it.

My husband who is right handed and an experienced golfer also improved his golf game. He passed on some of the information to his friend who is also a right handed golfer.

Received this book on a Monday and had to play in a tournament the very next day. After reading just the first 40 pages it became clear the mistakes I was making. Before the tournament I went to the driving range and practiced what I had read and just like that I was hitting the straightest shots I've ever hit. I can't wait to read the rest of it and watch the strokes disappear!! I applaud Steve Anderson for writing a book for lefties and I agree with him that lefties are still being left behind in the area of equipment. The golf stores around here offer very little in the way of equipment for us.

I have just recently completed 8 lessons with Steve Anderson and as part of his instrucution I was given his book. Steve
could not be any clearer about the golf swing than he is
within "On the Other Hand". This book shows you everything that is needed to build a solid golf swing. I am a 16 handicap and after being down in Flordia the last 5 weeks and studying under
Steve, I have had the 2 best rounds of my career in tournaments
82 - 86 . I have no one other than Steve to thank fo that. Buy the book, and more importantly get down here and take a lesson with him !!! The great thing is that Steve's instruction follows the book word for word, so even if you don't get a chance to come down and work on your swing in person, you can be guaranteed to feel like you're "almost there" when reading his book. THANKS STEVE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I read the description on the jacket I thought, "No way will this work. He's going to tell us about the 60 rounds he shot, stroke by stroke, such as.... and on the seventh, a tough par five, I got out my trusty three wood etc., etc., etc." It is that but it is more. Slack shares with us the feeling of what it is like to stand at the first tee of a course you have never played on a beautiful spring morning in New England. He introduces us to the people he meets on the course, from the potato farmers of Maine to the Florida "snowbirds" who flew South to escape the Northern winters. Did the book work? I'm getting my clubs ready to try a West Coast version.

Great book on golf. Gives a great look at courses up and down the east coast. There was, however, too much on the history of the towns instead of more on the history of the course and more on the actual rounds he was playing. Was "On The Road" for the golfing enthusiast.

A perfect blend of of travel journal and salute to public golf. Anyone with a high handicap, who has played with bare-chested strangers with even higher handicaps, on crowded bald fairways with bumpy greens, will appreciate this book.

Blue Fairways is thoroughly enjoyable. Slack's sense of humor, coupled with his self-deprecating writing style, make this a must read -- golfer or not. I laughed out loud and also cringed as he described some less-than-stellar golf moments. For those of us who do golf, who couldn't identify with The Look of Pity? Non-golfers will enjoy the way Slack captures what most of us will never have a chance to witness first hand -- the essence of what remains of small towns and hospitality as they teeter on the brink of chain restaurants and cynicism.

If you've ever topped a drive off the first tee or missed a three-footer on 18 while trying record your career low round, you'll be able to identify with Charles Slack's golf game. When it comes to writing, though, he's scratch. One brief example will suffice. Describing the contrast between the front and back nines at the Ponce De Leon course in St. Augustine Florida, he says, "The back nine plunges into the jungle with the suddenness of a Disney ride, into a lush, dark, secretive world of mangrove swamps and ponds curving tantalizingly like lost lagoons. Moving from the ninght to the tenth holes is like putting down a volume of P.G. Wodehouse and picking up Heart of Darkness, all in one morning."

The book is filled with wonderful insights like that one and reminds us on nearly every page of the real reasons why golfers love this sometimes maddening, often magical, game. For those of us who never will have the pleasure of sharing a round with Charles Slack, this book is a delightful substitute.

I received this book in excellent condition at a good deal. This a great book that shows a sensible and easy way to improve your swing. This is one book I always recommend for those asking for help.

I have read many books and taken many lessons, but this is the first book on the golf swing that finally has made sense. Although taking a personal lesson would be best, this book explains in plain English what the golf swing is about. Study it and it should help your golf game.

I started playing golf 2 years ago and have spent a lot of money trying to learn from local pros and on other books. I bought John Redman's book and a couple of months later I spent a rainy Saturday reading this book and practicing in my den. You wouldn't believe how it change my swing. It is SIMPLE and PURE! Went to the range on the following Sunday and practiced John's techniques. I hit the ball straighter and longer than I ever have. Buy it and read it.

Great book! Very simple and easy to understand. Redman teaches a relatively strong grip which will help you SQUARE the club face effortlessly and stop slicing. He will also teach you to become tension-free and SWING the club instead of hitting at the ball. This will help you avoid coming over the top so your previous slilce does not turn into a pull. I play way to little to be really consistent but on good days - and using 'the Redman swing' - I hit the ball squarely, cleanly and with a fairly low, penetrating trajectory.

I happened to catch about 10 minutes of Mr. Redman on the Golf Channel. Every word he spoke rang true. After reading his book I rediscovered many of the swing feels I had accidentally discovered during my first three months playing but could never consistantly replicate. Three years and many lessons involving "modern" swing theory later, I have come home. This is the simplest and least physically demanding swing out there and Mr. Redman explains it in a way that any duffer can understand and quickly implement. I also appreciate the fact that he steered me towards Percy Boomer's book. The only drawback is that I can't find a golf pro locally who teaches this method. Right now I don't feel like I need a pro. This book is like having a teaching pro on my bookshelf. BUY THIS BOOK. It will take a few weeks to "unlearn" all the modern crap you've learned, but you'll end up with a more consistant, powerful, and easily repeatable swing. I'd give it six stars if they'd let me.