Stan Utley

this was published in 2007 by penguin books and written by stan utley. he's a former pro and since retired has coached a lot of good pros.

it's a short book. it's a bit clunky and overwritten, but the gems in here are shiny and well worth the read. notably:

i like that he starts off by saying that short game is an area where amateurs can do the same thing as the pros. this is true. we may not be able to carry our driver 320 (more like 230 for me), but we can sink a chip or stick a sand shot on the flag whether we are on the tour or playing our yearly round.

i love his distinction between what is a chip and what is a pitch. it's the best i've read because it's right on. it's about the bounce, not the distances or trajectory.

i love how he focuses on bounce. i know single digit handicappers who have no clue about bounce. it's one of those things in golf that is a mystery for most of us, but it is so important.

i love that he advises a square set up on all shots -- even bunker shots!

i love that he teaches techniques that don't rely on spin (this was prophetic since the groove change rule (in 2011?)) because now even pros don't use check-up chips (two bounce and bite) very often.

his sand technique is awesome. i've always questioned the technique of opening up so wide and laying the wedge wide open and swinging across. i've noticed that more pros now, especially lpga, are going to the technique taught in this book and it's certainly easier for the amateur.

it's strange to review a book like this- you don't judge it on the prose or entertainment but on the instructional value ... right???

for me the bottom line is this: i'm about a 10 handicap and i've been even lower, and my short game is my strong suit by far and after reading his book i'm changing quite a few things in my chippping and pitching (mostly squaring up and playing ball in the same place as with irons instead of back and using more body) and completely changing my bunker shot from the standard 45 degree, open face set up to his "square and low" set up and so his teaching has had a profound effect on me, and i've only been practicing it for a week and i can already see it's going to make me better and i was already pretty good.

so, i highly recommend for beginners all the way up to advanced.

now, a word about these books in general. i think the time is coming where e-books like this will have video imbedded in them. it's hard to argue that it's much easier to learn something like this with the added benefit of seeing it done, not just with still photos. that's not a knock on this book, just the genre in general. it's hard to describe this stuff in words.

may you get up and down more often than not!

… (meer)