Golf Digest's® Ultimate Drill Book : Over 120 Drills That Are Guaranteed to Improve Every Aspect of Your Game and Lower Your Handicap

by McLean, Jim

• ISBN13: 9781592400188
• ISBN10: 1592400183
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-10-27
• Publisher: Gotham

Summary

One of America's leading golf teachers-and star instructor from the Golf Channel-teams up with Golf Digest(over 1.5 million circulation) for a breakthrough book that is sure to help everyone from low handicappers to weekend duffers lower their score. To golfers of all proficiency levels, skills and drills go hand in hand. Taking that concept to an exciting new level, one of the greatest living teachers of the game has collected 140 precision exercises to address a wide array of golfer's concerns. From tee shots to the short game, Golf Digest's Ultimate Drill Bookallows readers to customize practice sessions depending on their unique trouble spots. Revealing his time-tested tactics for overcoming pitfalls, golf guru Jim McLean revolutionizes the learning process with strategies for every aspect of the game. Novice golfers will discover how to avoid bad habits from the start, and veterans will discover how to diagnose and overcome ingrained aspects of their swings, grips, stances, or even mindsets that may interfere with achieving a superior score. With over 200 step-by-step photographs and proven advice, Golf Digest's Ultimate Drill Bookwill help ensure you make those hours on the driving range and putting green time well spent.

Author Biography

Jim McLean is director of golf at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, home of the legendary Blue Monster course; a regular contributor to Golf Digest; and a featured instructor on the Golf Channel's popular Golf Channel Academy show. U.S. News and World Report rated the Jim McLean Golf Schools as the best in the nation, and McLean has been named PGA Teacher of the Year, training top golfers including Tom Kite, Gary Player, Len Mattiace, and Christine Kerr.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Introduction	p. xi
Timeless Winners	p. 1
Home-Schooling	p. 29
Body Drills	p. 45
Power Ploys	p. 61
Working the Ball	p. 123
Sure Ways to Perfect Your Pitching Game	p. 133
Chip Like a Pro	p. 145
Sand Secrets	p. 159
Curing Putting Woes	p. 169
Trouble-Shooter Drills	p. 191
Mind Games	p. 231
Acknowledgments	p. 267
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Introduction into one complete reference resource. So, during the winter of 1984, I wrote that first book in Orlando, Florida, in my spare time when not playing in tournaments. I?ll never forget that experience. My wife Justine allowed me to use the living room of our apartment, where I had the full manuscript laid out on the floor. And it took that entire off-season for me to organize things.Later that winter, I shot accompanying photographs. There was a chapter for each part of the game; the idea was that readers could find several good drills for whatever problem they had and solve their swing and shot-making problems through intelligent, honest practice. The beauty of that book was that everybody could find something productive in it, no matter what they thought about swing technique. Back then, drills were not nearly as popular as they are now. I found that out when I pounded the streets of New York City looking for a publisher. No one bought the idea. It was not until the 1987 Orlando Golf Show that I found someone who liked my book? Jack McDermott of Golf Digest magazine. But it was not until 1990 that the book finally came out. That was because so much additional work had to be done, including reshooting the photographs and then having an artist do drawings based on them. Thankfully, the brutal work paid off. The original Golf Digest?s Book of Drills was an immediate success and, to this day, is still in hardback and has been reprinted fourteen times. The response was tremendous: Not only did average golfers offer accolades, so did top tour pros and teachers. In the years following the publication of that book, I learned or invented many more drills, and in 2001 I came to another crossroads in my career. After wondering why no new drills book had been written, I decided to ask Golf Digest to step up to the plate once again. What you now hold in your hands is a guidebook to golf improvement, since drills or practice exercises serve as a catalyst to learning, allow you to correct faults that sneak into every player?s swing from time to time, and learn new tee-to-green scoring shots. All of my instructors, at each and every school site, use drills to teach what I consider are the eight vital steps in a good golf swing, inclusive of what I call the Corridors of Success and the critical X-Factor positions. Let me explain, so that you are very clear about these instructional points. The eight most logical steps of the swing, as determined by the study of top golf professionals and amateurs, are as follows: Step One: The first move in the backswing. Step Two: Halfway back. Step Three: The three-quarter position of the backswing. Step Four: The top of the backswing. Step Five: The move down to the ball. Step Six: Impact. Step Seven: The early follow-through. Step Eight: The finish and rebound. I believe that learning to groove these ideal positions through drills is the true shortcut to good golf. However, there are not eight exact positions you must achieve. The ideal swing patterns must require allowances for your own personal differences, since there are always differences in great golf swings. To represent this, I came up with the Corridors of Success?parameters within which I like to see any swing fall. For example, on the backswing, I might prefer that the left wrist be flat, although small variations are okay. A flat left wrist at the top is nice, but it is not a fundamental. Whatever area of the swing needs work, you can improve and groove it by working on drills, all designed to help you learn a new action or correct a faulty one in your technique. I have a detailed system for teaching the game, and I do stress the importance of the X- Factor to many students working to improve through drills. The X-Factor is a proven concept that first takes into account the differential between the turn of the hi