The Complete Idiot's Guide to Improving Your Short Game

by McLean, Jim; Andrisani, John

• ISBN13: 9780028638898
• ISBN10: 0028638891
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-03-10
• Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.

Summary

Yours"re no idiot, of course. You know golf can be infuriating one minute and exhilarating the next. But when it comes to keeping your cool on the course during your short game, you feel like yours"re pitching with a pick-ax and putting with pick-up sticks. Donrs"t clobber your clubs just yet! The Complete Idiotrs"s Guidereg; to Improving Your Short Game shows you how to lower your score-and your blood pressure-by getting into the swing of getting on the green. In this Complete Idiotrs"s Guidereg;, you get: The preliminaries for improvement in pitching, chipping, and putting. The lowdown on building up a solid, shot-making game. Tips, techniques, and drills for taking your short game to the next level. Troubleshooting to triumph over hazards, traps, and awkward lies.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Early Short-Game Steps	1	(53)
What Is the Short Game	3	(14)
Defining the elements of shots around and near the green
How to Get Started	17	(16)
The fundamentals and how to practice them
Building Blocks	33	(20)
Learning in a sequential manner
Part 2: Building a Solid Shot-Making Game	53	(62)
Different Strokes	55	(10)
Dealing with ``snakes'' and other situations
Common Trouble Shots	65	(16)
Secrets of escaping from jail lies
Wild Shots	81	(14)
Impossible shots made easy
The Power-Wedge Formula	95	(10)
Playing your strong suit when your need to
Power-Swing Drills	105	(10)
Developing your strengths
Part 3: Taking Your Short Game to the Next Level	115	(64)
Fixing Faults	117	(10)
Troubleshooting with sure-fire cures
Management Skills	127	(10)
Thinking your way to lower scores
Healthy Habits	137	(8)
Shape up or ship out
TV Tips	145	(12)
A couch potato's guide to improvement
Short-Game Swing Myths	157	(12)
Separating fact from fiction
Distance Control	169	(10)
The best way to get from Point A to Point B
Part 4: Dealing with Different Types of Trouble	179	(32)
Rough and Ready	181	(10)
Preparing for the worst
Rainy Day Golf	191	(10)
Don't let yourself get all washed up
Grass Bunkers	201	(10)
How to handle these nasty hazards
Part 5: Rounding Out Your Short Game	211	(54)
You Got That Swing	213	(12)
The importance of tempo, timing, and rhythm
Spin It!	225	(10)
The art of imparting ``action'' on the ball
Pre-Round Practice	235	(10)
Simulating the course experience
Post-Round Practice	245	(10)
What to work on after the round
At-Home Practice	255	(10)
A golfer's work is never done
Part 6: Perfect Examples	265	(64)
The Pitching Supermodel	267	(10)
Learn from Tiger Woods's pitching technique
The Chipping Supermodel	277	(10)
David Duval chips the ball better than any other golfer
The Bunker Play Supermodel	287	(10)
Learn from Sergio Garcia's bunker play swing
The Putting Supermodel	297	(10)
Justin Leonard---master of the ``flat stick''
Ode to Payne Stewart	307	(22)
Stewart was great for a lot of reasons
Appendixes
A Glossary	315	(10)
Words to the wise
B Golf Schools	325	(4)
School yourself
Index	329