Golf All-in-One For Dummies®
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Table of Contents
About This BookConventions Used in This BookWhat You’re Not to ReadFoolish AssumptionsHow This Book Is OrganizedBook I: Getting Started with GolfBook II: Focusing on Fairway FitnessBook III: Playing Golf: The Swing and the Short GameBook IV: Rules and EtiquetteBook V: Hitting the CourseBook VI: Easy Fixes for Common FaultsIcons Used in This BookWhere to Go from Here
Chapter 1: Choosing Your Golf GearGetting a Handle on CostGoing the budget routeMoving on up: Upscale equipmentKnowing Which Clubs to PackFind an interim set of clubsConsider getting fitted for clubsBuild your own set of clubsGiving Loft a LookSorting Through the Short-Game SticksPumping ironsWeighing wedgesCalling all puttersMatching Your Clubs to Your GameCaring for Your ClubsHandle with careCover it upGive your putter a home of its ownKeep them clean and dryGet a gripChecking out Golf BallsAll golf balls are created equalWho do I take to the ball? Choosing the best beginner’s golf ballDebating the Technological Advances of Golf GearTesting out high-tech clubs and ballsLooking to the futureDressing the Part: Golf ClothesAccessorizing Like a ProBuying Golf Gear OnlineChapter 2: Looking into Golf LessonsDoing a Pre-Lesson EvaluationDeciding Where to Go for LessonsGolf schoolsCountry clubsDriving rangesGroup clinicsA playing lessonMaximizing Your LessonsBe honestListen carefullyKeep an open mindAsk questionsKeep your coolTurning to Other SourcesGolf booksGolf magazinesInstructional gadgetsDVDs: A visual approachOnline golf wisdom (now available in the palm of your hand)Knowing What to Watch for on TVCatching what most viewers missTaking notes from the starsChapter 3: Exploring the World of Golf CoursesBreaking Down a Typical CourseKnowing the distanceChoosing your starting teeCourse Insight: Planning a Smart GameLooking Into Your Course OptionsDriving rangesPublic coursesCountry clubsResort coursesLet’s Make a Deal: Lowering Membership and Green FeesSaving at public courses and resortsMaking the club scene more affordableFitting In on the CoursePerusing Some Great CoursesGary’s ten favorite coursesTen great short-game golf coursesSurveying online course guides
Chapter 1: Figuring Out Your Fitness LevelUnderstanding the Five Elements for SuccessFiguring Out the Keys to Golf FitnessStructure governs functionPhysical training improves structureExercise programs must be golf-specific and, ideally, customizedTests and Simple Exercises to Improve Your Golf FitnessTest 1: Club behind the spineTest 2: Standing balance swayTest 3: Seated trunk rotationTest 4: Seated hip rotationChapter 2: Stretching: Flexibility and the GolferKnowing the Benefits of StretchingYou have better posture and alignmentYou feel looser and improve range of motionYou help nip injuries in the budYou keep stress at bayYou keep the aches and pains awayStretching Correctly to Prevent InjuryWarm upGo slowlyDon’t bounceProgress through the stretchRemember to breatheRecognize your limitsRounding out your stretching regimenTesting Your FlexibilityPreparing to test yourselfNeckShouldersChestTrunkQuadricepsHamstringsGroinButtocksCalvesFlexibility Self-Evaluation WorksheetStretching Moves for SuccessWorking on the upper bodyLimbering up your lower backLoosening up your lower bodyChapter 3: Core Strength for a Better Golf GameKnowing the Benefits of Core TrainingLocating Your CoreTesting Your Core StrengthGetting ready to test your coreTaking the test: From the topCovering Core-Training FAQsDipping into Beginner Core ExercisesLying pelvic tiltsHip lifts with knees togetherCrunchesSide crunchSide planksBicyclesPush-ups on kneesBack extensionsPlankCore Exercises for More PowerDownward belly burnersSupermanRussian twistsSeated torso rotationsBow-and-arrow twisterMedicine ball twistsTaking the Senior Core ChallengeGoing about core exercises safelyCore routine to help maintain balanceSeated core routine for strong absChapter 4: Weight Training for GolfersMinimizing Post-Workout SorenessWarming up before you liftStarting with lighter weightsBreathing properlyUsing proper formCooling downResting your musclesConsidering Weight Training InjuriesBuilding a Routine that WorksWorking all your major muscle groupsDoing exercises in the right orderFollowing instructionsFocusing on Your Upper BackOne-arm dumbbell rowDumbbell pulloverDumbbell shrugGetting a Lower-Back WorkoutWorking Out Your ChestDumbbell chest pressIncline chest flyGetting a Great Shoulder WorkoutDumbbell shoulder pressLateral raiseFront raiseBack delt flyExternal rotationTargeting Your ArmsConcentration curlTriceps kickbackBench dipWrist curl and reverse wrist curlWorking Out the Lower BodySquatLungeStanding calf raiseChapter 5: Calming Your Mind and Body for Better GolfUsing Yoga for Mental BalanceDeep relaxation: The corpse postureAfternoon delightMagic trianglesBreathing Your Way to a Better Mental StateReaping the benefits of high-quality breathsRelaxing with a couple of deep breathsBreathing through your noseAppreciating the complete yogic breathAlternate nostril breathing
Chapter 1: Understanding Swing BasicsMaking Sense of the Golf SwingLooking at Different StrokesGetting the Ball in the AirHitting the ballGetting the ball airborneGenerating powerBuilding Your SwingGetting a gripCompleting the gripAimingNailing down the stanceConsidering knee flexDeciding on ball positionMaximizing the bottom of the swingKeeping your eyes on the ballObserving the one-hand-away ruleUnleashing Your SwingMaking miniswingsTesting your rhythmUnwindingGetting yourself togetherSelecting swing triggers: What’s a waggle?Visualizing shotsWatching a near-perfect swingChapter 2: Refining Your SwingRecognizing the Type of Golfer You AreEstablishing Your Swing PlaneMastering checkpointsTaking it from the topMirroring Great Swings and MindsetsChapter 3: Defining the Art of the Short GameExploring the Short GameRespecting the short gameStatistically speakingSingling out short-game shotsGiving yourself the best shotPracticing for Short-Game SuccessRecognizing the importance of practiceDeveloping a short-game practice planKeeping practice funFacing the Peril and the OpportunityReevaluating the easyDissecting the difficultTackling Variables: Terrain and ConditionsAccounting for the obviousSensing the subtletiesThinking through (But Not Overthinking) Your PlayUnderstanding your optionsManaging your goals and expectationsPlaying in the subconsciousFocusing on the Target LineVisualizing the target lineStanding close to the target lineGetting a Handle on Grip and StanceGrasping the importance of feelAllowing your front hand to leadCentering on ball positionCoping With Common MisfiresPlaying without purposeBeing underpreparedUsing the wrong clubAiming to displease: Shooting for the hole regardless of the conditionsIgnoring textbook techniqueGetting too far from your workExperiencing death by decelerationChapter 4: Chipping Away at the Short GameDiscovering the ChipLooking at the characteristics of chip shotsChoosing the chip over the puttChoosing Your Chipping ToolContemplating the ChipChipping goals and expectationsMapping out a chip-shot strategyHitting a Solid Chip ShotTaking aimLies and secrets: Consider your ball placementSetting up your stanceMaking your moveToo Close for Comfort: Paul Runyan’s Greenside Chip TrickChapter 5: Making the PitchPicking out the Pitch ShotPinning down the traits of a pitch shotKnowing when to use a pitch shotChoosing the Pitching ClubThinking through the PitchSetting goals and expectationsPlanning your pitch-shot strategyHitting a Solid Pitch ShotDetermining your flight plan and velocitySetting up your stanceTaking a swingMaking adjustmentsRelax — and practice!Pitching a Fit: ComplicationsPitching over water hazards and bunkersPitching high and lowPitching from a bare, tight liePitching from deep grassPitching from uneven liesChapter 6: Putting: The Final FrontierAppreciating the PuttDoing the mathPreparing for putting’s mind gamesGetting in your opponent’s headSetting Putting Goals and ExpectationsHoling putts in two: A good goalMeeting your expectationsLetting go of the missesPicking Your Perfect PutterYour stroke shape dictates your putterThinking about fitMeeting MOIBuilding Your Putting StrokeGetting a putting gripPutting posture: Stand and deliverPerfecting Your PuttMatching your putt to your full swingGetting up to speedTargeting a lineSwinging the flatstickAddressing the Art of AimingThe eyes like linesThe need for speedPoints of the rollReading the Break of the GreensExamining all anglesClosing your eyesSpilling a bucket of waterLooking into the holeWatching other players’ puttsSidesaddling Up: Face-on PuttingChapter 7: Bunkers: Playing in Golf’s SandboxTackling the BunkerGetting your mind out of the bunkerBuilding a better bunker shotSetting your bunker goalsExploring the Sand Wedge’s Bounce EffectHitting Effective Bunker ShotsAssessing the sand variablesChoosing your clubRaising clubface awarenessTaking your stancePicking a target and taking aimTaking a sand-sweeping swingCoping with Troubled LiesNegotiating uphill and downhill liesExtracting the fried egg: Buried liesFacing steep situationsChapter 8: Short-Game StrategiesWaging a Ground CampaignKnowing when to go lowChoking down for a knockout knock-downStaying Low: Pitching and RunningTaking aimSelecting your clubGetting into your stanceTaking your swingDiscovering the Famed Texas WedgeHolding the GreenPulling the Pin . . . or Leaving It In?From off the greenFrom on the greenPulling Out Your Putting StrategiesSettling on a styleMake it or break itLag it or flag itWatching your speedConquering speedy breaksDefeating the yipsFlipping the FlopChoosing to hit a flop shotPlaying a flop shotSeeing the flop shot’s dark sideConsidering your other optionsGoing With an Unconventional StrategyChipping with a 3-woodPutting from bunkersPutting without a putterPlaying from a cart pathBellying the wedgeSplishing after you splashHitting lefty (or righty)Rehearsing the unconventional
Chapter 1: Understanding Penalties, Handicaps, and ScorekeepingDealing with Penalty ShotsTaking a dropOut of boundsUnplayable liesWater hazardsLateral water hazardsStrike one! The dreaded whiffMaking Sense of Golf’s Handicap SystemGetting a handicapCalculating your handicapUnderstanding what your handicap meansKeeping Score Without FearMarking a scorecardMatch playStroke playChapter 2: Comprehending Course EtiquetteUsing Your Manners: Knowing the Right Way to PlayMinding your mouth and your movements with your foursomeShowing courtesy to other playersRespecting the pros and course staffPlaying It SafeTiming Is EverythingCaring for the CoursePlaying Well with OthersWhen you’re the worst in your groupWhen you’re not the worstWhen you’re stuck with a jerkKnowing How to Play Different CoursesMastering municipal course basicsPlaying at a high-end courseTeeing it up at a private clubDoing it right at driving rangesStaying on course at putting greensVisiting other practice facilitiesTaking Part in TournamentsGoing with Tradition: Utilizing CaddiesMore than a strong back: Respecting the caddie’s roleFollowing the trendsTipping GracefullyChapter 3: Gamesmanship, Sportsmanship, and Special Golf OutingsYou Bet: Gambling on Your Golf MatchKnowing common bets and how to win themNegotiating strokes at the first teeConceding putts: “That one’s good”Showing Off Your Match-Play SmartsMinding Your Manners When Golf is All BusinessPlaying golf with your clientsPlaying golf with your bossPlaying golf with your coworkersSurviving a Pro-AmChapter 4: Fan EtiquetteSearching for Live GolfHigh school golfCollege tournamentsUSGA eventsProfessional toursThe PGA TourBehaving Appropriately at Golf TournamentsMaking the Most of Tour SpectatingDeciding what day (or days) to attend the eventKnowing how to interact with playersActively seeking autographsAvoiding fan faux pas
Chapter 1: Step Right Up: Prepare to Play!Limbering Up Before You PlayLoosening the legsWorking the upper arms and shouldersStretching out your back and torsoReadying your wrists and forearmsPreparing before a RoundWarming up your swingWarming up under the gunTrying Out First-Tee TacticsTactic 1: Don’t be a suckerTactic 2: Think before you driveTactic 3: It’s easy as one, two, threeBeating the first-tee jittersDeciding which Format You Should PlayChapter 2: Keeping Your Head in the GameRegrouping When the Wheels Come Off Your GameRegaining your tempoOvercoming analysis paralysisGetting out of the blame gameCoping With the PressureAccepting the fearIgnoring the resultPacing your swing with a phraseVisualizing the ShotStaying PositiveDon’t be too hard on yourselfKeep your confidenceChapter 3: Finding Creative Ways to Practice GolfUnderstanding the Importance of PracticeFitting your life into your busy practice schedulePracticing like you playShoring Up Your Short GameHaving a game plan for your short-game practiceSpending time on the greenRiding the RangeStanding up for balanceBecoming a one-armed banditTuning your swing with musicSurf and Turf: Practicing in the Sand and on the GreenBunker boardChalk talkTrench warfareDowel drillHome Improvement: Working on Your Game off the CourseStretching your putting skillWeighing in on weightsMirror, mirror: Checking your alignmentThe Games People Play: Keeping Practice InterestingPitching for DollarsHorse-ing aroundBingo Bango Bongo (Jingles)SnakeEight in a RowFirst to Make FiveChapter 4: Stepping Up Your GameShifting from Novice to GreatnessSurveying Strategic Stroke-SaversMinimizing troubleKnowing when to be a heroTaking one more clubSeeking help from the prosChanneling the Golf Champions
Chapter 1: Solving Common ProblemsUsing Your Head for Better GolfSwinging Into Action: Swing FaultsSlicing and hookingHitting from the topThe reverse pivotSwaying off the ballThe belly-button twistA swing that’s too shortA swing that’s too longTackling Tee TroublePopping up your tee shotsSuffering from a power outageGetting Solid Ball ContactTopping the ballAvoiding the worm burnerDuffing and thinning chip shotsWorrying about backspinMissing the TargetPushingPullingSpraying the ballAvoiding Shanks and Point-Blank MissesShankingMissing too many short puttsChapter 2: Recovering from Bad Breaks and Bad WeatherOvercoming the SceneryGetting out of a rough spotTackling tree troubleMaking Special ShotsAltitude adjustmentUneven liesDigging out of divotsHang Onto Your Hat: Handling High WindsSwingin’ in the RainPacking the right equipmentWet course conditionsWeathering the Seasonal ElementsSwinging into springHeading into hot summer swingsHaving a ball in the fallWinterizing your game
Golf All-in-One For Dummies®
Golf All-in-One For Dummies®
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2012930550
ISBN 978-1-118-11504-6 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-20632-4 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-20633-1 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-20634-8 (ebk)
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About the Authors
Gary McCord: McCord is a player, television announcer, instructor, author, and speaker. He’s well known for enduring 23 years and 422 tournaments on the PGA Tour without nabbing a single victory. For 25 years, McCord has provided color commentary for CBS golf events. When he isn’t broadcasting or playing golf, McCord keeps busy with myriad other projects. He portrayed himself in and served as technical director for the golf movie Tin Cup, starring Kevin Costner. In addition to writing Golf For Dummies (Wiley), he’s the author of a collection of essays about his life on tour, Just a Range Ball in a Box of Titleists. His bestselling Golf For Dummies was released in DVD form in 2004. Gary brings a sense of fun to everything he does and never takes himself too seriously. He and his wife, Diane, share the “ups and downs” of a busy life together at their homes in Scottsdale and Denver.
Shirley Archer: Archer is a former New York City attorney who traded the fast life for the fit life. A survivor of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from stress and overworking, her recovery helped her become a champion of fitness for health and to live fully in body, mind, and spirit. A coauthor of Weight Training For Dummies (Wiley), she is a health educator and fitness specialist at the Health Improvement Program at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, the author of ten fitness and wellness books, an international trainer of fitness instructors, and a frequently quoted media spokesperson worldwide. Archer believes that healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes, and that you can live a longer, happier, and better life by choosing fitness every day.
LaReine Chabut: A fitness and lifestyle expert, model, and mom, Chabut is also the author of Exercise Balls For Dummies (Wiley), Core Strength For Dummies (Wiley), Stretching For Dummies (Wiley), and Lose That Baby Fat! (M.Evans). Chabut is a leading contributing fitness expert for Shape and Fit Pregnancy magazines and is most recognized as the lead instructor for America’s popular exercise video series, The Firm (with more than three million copies sold worldwide). She has appeared on Dr. Phil, Chelsea Lately on E!, CNN, ABC, FOX News, EXTRA, Access Hollywood, Good Day LA, and KABC. To read more about LaReine Chabut, log on to her website at www.lareine chabut.com
.
Georg Feuerstein, PhD: A practitioner of Buddhist Yoga, Feuerstein has been studying and practicing Yoga since his early teens. He is internationally respected for his contribution to Yoga research and the history of consciousness and has been featured in many national magazines both in the United States and abroad. The coauthor of Yoga For Dummies (Wiley), Feuerstein has authored over 40 books, including The Yoga Tradition, The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga, and Yoga Morality. Since his retirement in 2004, he has designed and tutored several distance-learning courses on Yoga philosophy for Traditional Yoga Studies, a Canadian company founded and directed by his wife, Brenda (visit www.traditionalyogastudies.com
).
Michael Kernicki: A PGA member for over 25 years, Kernicki has spent most of his career as a Head Golf Professional and General Manager at some of America’s finest golf clubs. He has served as a member of the PGA of America National Board of Directors and on the Rules of Golf Committee, where he has administered the rules at 13 PGA Championships, and he is a coauthor of Golf’s Short Game For Dummies (Wiley). Today, Kernicki is the Head Golf Professional at one of the nation’s most prominent country clubs, Indian Creek Country Club in Miami Beach, Florida. His primary objective is for his students to enjoy the game while they improve and make golf a game for a lifetime.
Liz Neporent: Before becoming a well-known corporate fitness consultant, designing and managing fitness centers worldwide, Neporent was a personal trainer, received a master’s degree in exercise physiology, and was certified by the American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association, American Council of Exercise, and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She was named Club Industry Magazine’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year and was appointed to the board of directors and faculty of the American Council on Exercise. She is coauthor and author of several books, including Weight Training For Dummies (Wiley), Fitness For Dummies (Wiley), and Fitness Walking For Dummies (Wiley), and writes frequently for the New York Times, Family Circle, Shape, and others.
Larry Payne, PhD: Payne is an internationally prominent Yoga teacher, author, workshop leader, and pioneer in the field of Yoga therapy since 1980. He is co-founder of the Yoga curriculum at the UCLA School of Medicine. Payne was named “One of America’s most respected Yoga teachers” by the Los Angeles Times, and was selected as a leading Yoga expert by Dr. Mehmet Oz, Reader’s Digest, Web-MD, Rodale Press, and the Yoga Journal. In Los Angeles, Payne is founding director of the Yoga Therapy Rx and Prime of Life Yoga certification programs at Loyola Marymount University. He is coauthor of five books, including Yoga For Dummies (Wiley), and is featured in the DVD series Yoga Therapy Rx and Prime of Life Yoga. His website is www.samata.com
.
Suzanne Schlosberg: A contributing editor to Shape and Health magazine, Schlosberg is the coauthor of Weight Training For Dummies (Wiley) and Fitness For Dummies (Wiley) and the author of The Ultimate Workout Log. She is also an instructor in the UCLA Extension Certificate in Journalism program. Always happy when she has a barbell in hand, Schlosberg has lifted weights in Zimbabwe, Morocco, Iceland, and Micronesia, among other locales. She is the women’s record holder in the Great American Sack Race, a quadrennial event held in Yerington, Nevada, in which competitors must run 5 miles while carrying a 50-pound sack of chicken feed. Schlosberg also has bicycled across the United States twice and cycles about 200 miles a week near her home in Los Angeles.
Michael Patrick Shiels: Golf’s Short Game For Dummies (Wiley) was Shiels’ fifth book. The Los Angeles Times called his Good Bounces & Bad Lies, written with Emmy Award-winning golf announcer Ben Wright, “perhaps the best sports book ever,” and a Washington Times review sardonically compared Shiels and Wright to Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. His travel articles have appeared in publications such as Golf Magazine, Travel + Leisure Golf, www.pgatour.com
, and Sports Illustrated, and he’s written scripts for The Golf Channel and ESPN. Shiels has traveled the world — from Thailand to the Middle East to his beloved ancestral Republic of Ireland — in search of rich stories to tell. You can contact Shiels at Mshiels@aol.com
.
John Steinbreder: A senior writer for Golfweek magazine, Steinbreder is the author of six books, including Golf Rules & Etiquette For Dummies (Wiley). A former reporter for Fortune magazine and writer/reporter for Sports Illustrated, he has been honored by the Golf Writers Association of America for his work and has had his writing published in a number of top periodicals, including The New York Times Magazine, Forbes FYI, Time, The Wall Street Journal, and Sky. Steinbreder also served for a time as a special contributor to ESPN Television and is a contributing editor to Met Golfer, Sporting Classics, and Chief Executive magazines. An avid golfer who carries a 5 handicap (most of the time), he lives in Easton, Connecticut, with his daughter, Exa.
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Introduction
Welcome to Golf All-in-One For Dummies, your guide to everything you need to know to be a great golfer. If you’re simply thinking about embarking on your journey into the world of golf, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re one of the millions and millions of people who play golf but can’t quite master the game, you’ve also come to the right place. (You folks know who you are — the type who throws clubs and/or tantrums after a bad moment or day on the course.)
Although we’ve written this book for beginners, we’ve made sure that the chapters within offer something for golfers at every level. From expert tips on technique and form to anecdotes from veterans such as Gary McCord, this book has something for everyone.
About This Book
Golf All-in-One For Dummies isn’t your average book about golf. We go beyond the mechanics of the swing to present the big picture of golf. Read the chapters on fitness to get yourself in shape and not only improve your swing and your score but also keep your body from falling prey to pain and injury. Check out the chapters on gear, lessons, and course choices to save yourself from wasting time and money on clubs, instruction, and green fees you don’t need. And because a good portion of the game of golf is played in your head, we offer solid guidance about keeping your nerves calm and your mental game strong.
Of course, the way you swing a club is important, so we dissect and highlight the grips, stances, and strokes you need to get started. But we also go farther and cover the finer points of the short game — strokes and strategies that help keep your scores down and your opponents impressed. Plagued by slices, shanks, and hooks? No worries. This book also offers fixes and solutions to those and many of the other common problems faced by frustrated golfers.
The exercises, tips, drills, games, and other tidbits of advice in Golf All-in-One For Dummies get you started on the path to great golf and also bring you back for quick refreshers along the way on your journey to golf greatness.
Conventions Used in This Book
To make the text even more accessible, we’ve used some handy conventions throughout the book:
New words or terms are formatted in italics and accompanied by a definition.
Bold text denotes the specific steps of processes that we’ve spelled out. It also highlights keywords in bulleted lists.
We’ve used
monofont
for web addresses. When this book was printed, some web addresses may have needed to break across two lines of text. If that happened, rest assured that we didn’t put in any extra characters (like a hyphen) to indicate the break. When using one of these web addresses, type exactly what you see on the page, pretending that the line break doesn’t exist.
What You’re Not to Read
We’ve put this book together with your convenience in mind, including highlighting the stuff you don’t have to read to understand golf. These sidebars, which are shaded boxes of text, are added attractions. We’ve tried to make them fun and informative, but they aren’t crucial to the rest of the book. Feel free to skip them.
Foolish Assumptions
In writing this book, we have made some assumptions about you, the reader:
You’re interested in golf.
You’re not already a great golfer.
You’ve played golf before, but you’re looking for ways to improve your game.
You prefer straight talk over jargon.
If any or all of these statements describe you, keep reading!
How This Book Is Organized
Golf All-in-One For Dummies is organized into six books that lead you through the process of becoming a golfer. Beginners need many questions answered as they navigate through the steps of preparing for and learning the game. These divisions help you take those steps one at a time and let you flip to them anytime for quick reference. Here are the books and what you can find in them.
Book I: Getting Started with Golf
You say you’re ready for tee time? Stop and think about that for a minute. First you need clubs and gear. Then you need to know how to swing those clubs. You may want to take a lesson to see whether you really like the game and then find golf clubs that fit you. In this book, we sort through the choices in clubs and give you helpful tips on the questions to ask before you make a purchase. We also give you the lowdown on the types of golf courses and ways to save money on green fees. If you’re embarking on your golf journey, this book is a good place to start.
Book II: Focusing on Fairway Fitness
This book explains how to tune your most important piece of golf equipment: your body. In this book, we cover the keys to getting into shape for golf, with chapters on stretching, core strength, and weight training. Whether you’re a fitness freak, a bit out of shape, or a lot out of shape, this book is an important stop along your journey. In it, you find exercises that improve your swing, help prevent injury, and may help you avoid the aches and pains that come when you’re hitting the course.
Golfers are crazy about golf, but a bad day on the course can also make a golfer crazy. This book also covers some exercises, visualization methods, and breathing tips to help with your mental game.
Book III: Playing Golf: The Swing and the Short Game
This book gets right to the point: We present you with a close look at the workings of the golf swing: the grip, the strokes, the stance, all of it. You also get a good look at the short game (everything within 70 yards of the hole), where most of your scoring takes place. We show you how to refine your pitch shot and your chip shot. We outline techniques for blasting your way out of bunkers, and we show you how to develop a sound putting stroke.
Book IV: Rules and Etiquette
In this book, we offer some great insider information about the rules of the game. You discover how to conduct yourself on the golf course, cope with penalty shots, and handle the fine art of betting. You even get the do’s and don’ts of golf-course etiquette, both for players and for fans. With the info in this book under your belt, you can walk onto any golf course and look like you know what you’re doing — because you do.
Book V: Hitting the Course
Okay, now you’re ready to hit the course. Get started on the right foot by following our routine for limbering up before that first swing. Check out tactics for teeing off like a pro, and do it all without losing your composure along the way. Think you don’t need to practice? Think again. This book outlines the importance of practicing; we even provide you with some great games that make practicing less of a chore.
Book VI: Easy Fixes for Common Faults
In this book, we tackle the tough shots — the terrible tees, slices, hooks, and more — and offer advice to help you deal with bad luck, bad moods, and bad weather. You’ll develop many faults during your golfing life, and this book tells you how to fix most of them. You also find a glossary of golf terms in this book to help you decipher any jargon you may not be familiar with yet.
Icons Used in This Book
The following icons appear throughout this book and point you toward valuable advice and hazards to watch out for.
Where to Go from Here
Feel free to flip through this book. It isn’t designed to be read like a novel from cover to cover. If you’re a complete novice, you may want to start at the very beginning. If you’re a little more advanced and need help with a specific aspect of your game or swing, you can find that information in Book III. Have some skills but need help navigating the social nuances of the game? Head to Book IV, which covers the rules of the game and the finer points of etiquette. The rest of the book helps you make that vital jump from golf novice to savvy golfer.
Book I
Getting Started with Golf
In this book . . .
Book I explores the basics of golf. We show you how to buy clubs and accessories that can help make you play and look like a pro. We take a look at the many options for learning the game of golf, from evaluating your beginner skills and making the most of your lessons to using books, magazines, and technology to improve your game. We describe a typical golf course and give you a whirlwind tour of playing space options, from the driving range all the way up to a full 18-hole course, including the penthouse of golf: the private country club.
Here are the contents of Book I at a glance.
Chapter 1: Choosing Your Golf Gear
Chapter 2: Looking into Golf Lessons
Chapter 3: Exploring the World of Golf Courses