The Art of the Short Game: Tour-Tested Secrets for Getting Up and Down
"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.
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The Art of the Short Game: Tour-Tested Secrets for Getting Up and Down Reviews
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 prefer learning golf techniques with personal lessons or from video formats. It was a definite change from my usual short game techniques and initially it felt very awkward. 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. I spent considerable time trying to conceptualize Utley's lessons and would have liked a DVD format but hey, it worked.
I was somewhat skeptical about the relative effectiveness of learning golf skills from a book. I have never been very confident from the sand despite carrying a low single-digit handicap. 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. Stan Utley's short game method was not really "easy" for me. The illustrations were helpful but not entirely clear. 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've gone back and reviewed sections of the book and the associated drills and have dedicated some time to practice. 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. 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. I would recommend the book for this technique alone.
I am finally "getting it." I've ordered a 58 deg wedge with 12 deg of bounce as Utley suggested. I can't argue with the results. Utley's sand shot method is pretty unique but this alone was worth the price of the book for me. Good luck. 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.
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.
will see some tie-ins to the 'stack & tilt' concepts. simple effective explanations regarding the short game 'swing'.
The author presents a method to improve your short game that truley works. The more you apply the method on and around the practice green the greated the amount of improvent in chipping, pitching and bunker play will improve on the course.
The instructions are clear and the illustrations are very helpful. I have read the book and am currently applying some of the concepts within my golf game. This book was delivered promptly and as advertised. I recommend it to any golfer wanting to improve thier game.
Strongly recommended. Bunker game has improved too although implementation is harder. Within a couple of weeks, with meaningful practice, the methods taught in the book significantly improved my chipping and pitching.
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