The Golf Instruction Manual

Many books on golf instruction tend to be a long list of instructions. Some are technical ad nauseum, others are general to the point of vagueness. A few, like Hogan's Modern Fundamentals, are just enough info with a step-by-step progression to get one going. This book takes a radically different approach from almost any other book around. Rather than bog the reader down with A-Z lectures, here we have a short introduction to let people know what should be happening with the individual aspects of the game (driving, iron play, pitching, chipping, and putting), and then gives a section of drills for a person to work on at their own pace and according to their level of skill (there are 3 skill levels) in the different areas. Self tests for each area of play help determine where a person should begin. Using myself as an example, I tested to level 2 in iron play, but only one in chipping. Glancing through the level 1 drills in iron play, there were several that are good fundamental exercises (ranging in your irons, etc.), but none that seemed that vital to my development. The level 2 drills, on the other hand, mostly matched the problems I was seeking to correct while building on my current skills (fine tuning the swing plane, eliminating up and down sway). In the chipping section, I found that my lack of skill was, in fact, due to an utter misunderstanding of fundamentals. Square one was indeed where I needed to go from. The drills, it should be noted, are not entirely things that need to be done on a course or that require a special apparatus to perform. In fact, probably half are things a person can do at home, and the ones requiring special gear do not ask you to buy a $100 training club. Rather they are things like a piece of rope to check your swing plane and power, or a piece of tape and a few tees to see if you are hitting your putter on the sweet spot consistently. If ever there was a book for the home learner, this was it. It should also be noted that the drills tell you not only what you should learn from them, but also what potential damage could be wrought on your swing if you do them wrong. This may scare people, but I personally appreciate the honesty. Too many drill books are written from the perspective that any drill can and will help a person 100% of the time. The book is filled with photographs that actually show you what you need to be doing. Many instruction books using photos tend to use snaps just a millisecond too early or late to be of great use, or rely heavily on illustrations that cannot capture all the detail of the human figure. This alone is a good reason to have it on your shelf. The one person I cannot recommend buying this book, or at least buying it as the one book of instruction they will use, is the absolute beginner. The book assumes the reader has held a club before and has hit at least one strait shot in their lifetime. It is therefore perfect for someone who does not have the time or means to get to a pr

This is the best golf self-instruction book that I've ever purchased. It's laid out very logically with self-assessment, than targeted drills and tips to improve based upon your skill level. Basic fundamentals are stressed throughout the text. I refer to this book constantly as the flaws in my golf swing change! Do your game a favor and pick up this book. If you read it, your practice will improve and so will your scores.

I don't know what the first reviewer didn't like about this book. This book is the bible to my second religion called golf. I'm a newbie, and I didn't have the money to spend on expensive lessons; so I'm completely self taught. My first book was Golf for Dummies, and it's ok as an introduction I guess. But the book is overly wordy, and it's hard to describe the motion of golf with words. The Golf Instruction realizes this problem in golf books and focuses mostly on high resolution full page color visuals with just little blurbs explaining the situation. True, none of the information is top secret. There's no silver bullets. No exclusive tips. Golf has been around for many many decades, so there are a number of drills and techniques that have been accumulated in the world of golf. All this book does it compiles all that knowledge into a handy easy to absorb reference that you can immediately implement.Put it this way, I was just at the Tracy Golf Course, ranked one the hardest 9 holes in California. It is EXTREMELY hard. Even experienced people lose 3-4 balls a session. And I drove 275 yards dead center on three holes. And it's all because of this book. When I'm at the driving range, and the ball isn't doing what I want it to do, I go back to the book to recheck the checklist and practice some of the drills.There are a couple of drills though that I wouldn't mind them clarifying on. But I make it a point to just randomly flip to a page and do some refreshers.I still have a long way to go, up till now I've been mostly focusing on my drives - and I think I've gotten that pretty much figured out. It's the short irons and putting I have to focus on now, so it's back to my bible - the golf instruction manual. If you want to ask me any questions feel free to email me at [email protected].

This book is an incredible tool to explore your level and very important, to gain better habits for playing better. Is a must buy it book, really easy to understand and to use for improving your game. I have a year since a started playing golf, and this book helped me to move from 100+ to 90's in this period of time. I play twice a month.

This book is divided into several scetions : on the tee, iron play, pitching, chipping, bunker play, and putting. In each of these sections you have to do an assessment of your skill. Then based on that skill, you are directed to a section to improve. Each section advances from level one to level three. THere is a chapter on faults and fixes, playing the game, and the art of shot making. Many pictures help in the application of the shots. Well organized and a must if you want to improve your score