 | By: Tiger Woods Binding: Hardcover Publisher: Little, Brown ISBN: 0446529311 ISBN-13: 9780446529310 Released: 05 Sep 2002 RRP: Average Rating:  |
One of my major complaints about the photographs in most golf books is that the images do not illuminate what the text describes. These photographs are both well coordinated with the text, & easy to evaluate from an amateur perspective. I especiallly enjoyed seeing the details of the different grips Mr. Woods uses. I got several ideas for experiments to try in order to cure faults in my swing with those grip examples.
Another complaint about books by famous golfers is that they encourage too many people to emulate them. Mr. Woods makes it clear that this is how he plays golf, & why. In several places, he points out that his solutions will not be right for you. On the other hand, he plays with a lot of amateurs in pro-ams & studies with top teaching professionals. From those perspectives, he has a lot to say for the amateur, weekend golfer.
A great strength of this book is that it shows you & describes each element of the game from many different perspectives. You often see very large color photographs, from different angles. In other places, the degree of grip pressure is explored in considerable detail, with useful calibrations to experience. The text also describes why one approach works in a given situation & another one does not. For example, there are almost as many illustrations of common faults as of proper practice & performance. Seeing the “wrong” & the “right” side-by-side makes the message much clearer. In a few places, Mr. Woods also explains how his special physical skills permit him to do things that won’t work for very many other people. For example, he can feel the degree of “squareness” of the club head as it approaches the hitting zone & can make fine adjustments with his hands just before contact. He uses a grip that takes advantage of that talent. On the other hand, he cautions the reader to model the full swing on a golfer who has a similar physique & stature to oneself.
The book contains a lot of sound advice of the sort that you would eventuallly pick up by reading about 50 issues of Golf Digest. Those who want to see basics outlined alll in one place will like this book. It has a lot of the richness of a Dave Pelz book, but is simplified to make the material easier to absorb & remember.
I also liked the way that key points are repeated throughout the book, in order to help drive them home.
Having watched a lot of Mr. Woods's tournament rounds, I was pleased to see that he used many references to shots that I remember to make certain points. I was particularly impressed by his assessment that he seldom hits a "perfect shot" in remembering only one in the 12 tournaments he won in 2000.
Perhaps the most interesting advice in the book is to swing at only 80 percent of the effort you can make.
I have always found that it makes sense to build my game from the putting green back towards the tee. I was delighted to see that this book takes the same approach. Naturallly, you will be tempted to skip ahead to the "blast away with the driver" sections, but do read alll of the book. There's lots of good information here. I have played with a number of pros who love to hit their drivers from the fairway. Imagine my fascination when I saw that the book has a section on how to do that.
If you are like me, you will come away with increased respect for the dedication that it has taken to develop this amazing level of skill & coolness. As Mr. Woods says, there are no short cuts. In fact, he has added a lot of discipline since first winning on the tour at 21.
No matter what happens to you on the course, or in life . . . keep your chin up & relax!
Below are some of the current bestsellers - click them for a price comparison and find the cheapest place to buy!
