My Golden Lessons : 100-Plus Ways to Improve Your Shots, Lower Your Scores and Enjoy Golf Much, Much More

by Jack Nicklaus; Ken Bowden; Jim McQueen

• ISBN13: 9780743241076
• ISBN10: 074324107X
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781439108253
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-10-22
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

He made his first cut in a professional major championship in the 1958 U.S. Open, at age eighteen. Forty years later, he had his most recent top-10 finish in a major at the Masters. In between, he won eighteen professional majors, a hundred tournaments worldwide, and provided countless thrills along the road to being named "Golfer of the Century" by his peers and by publications from America to Antarctica.In his unprecedented run at the top of the game, Jack Nicklaus has seen the importance of constant learning and constant refinement. Your game at age sixty cannot be the same as your game at age twenty; where you were once able to overpower the golf course, with time and wisdom you discover new ways to approach the challenges of the game that depend less on physical ability and more on mental agility. Along the way, you learn which fundamentals will always put you in good stead, and you see what advice has stood the test of time.InMy Golden Lessons,the greatest golfer of them all takes the best from his many years of playing, practicing, and studying the game, and distills it into over 120 pieces of priceless instruction. Drawn from his immensely popular columns inGolf DigestandGolf Magazine,the topics cover the full spectrum of the game, from choosing the right equipment, on through the fundamentals of stance, grip, and setup, to the pursuit of power and the subtleties of the short game and putting. These techniques helped Nicklaus set the marks that future generations will strive to match, but it was his mastery of the mental side of golf that truly set him apart from his peers and his predecessors -- and he shares his advice on the mind game as well. In addition, the book presents a beautifully drawn sequence of the Nicklaus swing at its peak, alongside advice tailored to the needs of the better players who want to be better still.My Golden Lessonsis a book that took a lifetime to prepare, but one that will improve your game from the first few minutes it spends in your hands. These are the techniques that made Jack Nicklaus the golfer he is, and his clear, bite-sized pointers will show you the path to hitting better shots, shooting lower scores, and enjoying the game more every time you play.

Author Biography

My Golden Lessons was written with the assistance of Ken Bowden, a former editorial director of premier golf magazines in both Europe and America and a low-handicap amateur player. Since first watching Nicklaus compete in 1959, Bowden has witnessed a great many of Nicklaus's achievements firsthand. This is the eleventh book on which the two have collaborated since 1972.

Table of Contents

Preface	13	(19)
FUNDAMENTALS - Equipment
Introduction	19	(1)
Play the Ideal Ball for You	20	(1)
Fit Your Grips to Your Shot Pattern	21	(1)
Find the Right Driver	22	(1)
Make a Friend of Your Sand Wedge	23	(1)
Start Youngsters with the Correct Clubs	24	(1)
Take Good Care of Your Tools	25	(5)
FUNDAMENTALS - Before You Swing
Introduction	29	(1)
Prepare Your Body Before You Begin	30	(1)
Stay with Fundamentals Regardless of Height	31	(1)
Make Your Grip Harmonize Your Hands	32	(1)
Find the Link that Works Best for You	33	(1)
Always Follow this Set-up Procedure	34	(1)
Keep a Steady Head	35	(1)
...But Position Your Head Naturally	36	(1)
Tilt the Triangle for Correct Shoulder Slant	37	(1)
Check and Recheck Your Alignment	38	(1)
Let Buttons Guide Your Shoulder Alignment	39	(1)
Line `Em Up to Keep Your Hands Leading	40	(1)
Relax Shoulders to Ease Elbows	41	(1)
Set Up ``At Ease'' For Free Arm Swing	42	(4)
FUNDAMENTALS - The Full Swing
Introduction	45	(1)
Take a Lesson Before Restarting the Game	46	(1)
Always Play to Your Strengths	47	(1)
Forget Trying to Hit Dead Straight Shots	48	(1)
Know Your Impact Goal	49	(1)
Work with Motion Over Mechanics	50	(1)
First, ``See'' All Your Shots	51	(1)
Find Your Best Starting Move	52	(1)
Start Back Ridiculously Slowly	53	(1)
Paint a Picture for Perfect Tempo	54	(1)
Smooth Your Takeaway with this Drill	55	(1)
Waltz Your Way to a Better Swing	56	(1)
Visualize Razor Blade Wall for Inside Path	57	(1)
Swing Within Your Feet	58	(1)
Set Your Back Knee Like a Sprinter's	59	(1)
Use Arm Pictures for a Two-Sided Swing	60	(1)
Let the Elbow Go	61	(1)
Shove Your Butt Out for a Better Turn	62	(1)
Think Right Side for Correct Hip Action	63	(1)
Don't Force Your Torso Turn	64	(1)
...But Extend Those Arms Fully	65	(1)
Build Maximum Spring into Your Swing	66	(1)
Make a Smooth Transition	67	(1)
Move Body Around---Not Forward---at Impact	68	(1)
Pull the Clubhead Through	69	(1)
Restore the Radius for Proper ``Release''	70	(1)
Think ``Toe'' for a Controlled Fade	71	(1)
Sweep Long-Irons with Your Driver Swing	72	(1)
Always ``Feel'' that Clubhead	73	(1)
Pay Attention to Your Follow-Through	74	(1)
Understand the ``Release''	75	(1)
Live with Shorter But Not with Faster	76	(1)
Encourage Your Kids to ``Whale'' It	77	(1)
Try My Lifelong Full-Swing Basics	78	(4)
POWER
Introduction	81	(1)
Get Your Tee Height Right	82	(1)
Look to Your Feet to Plug Power Leak	83	(1)
Open Your Back Foot for More Windup	84	(1)
Adjust Your Left Foot for Stronger Uncoil	85	(1)
Make Your Arc Wide, Wide, Wide	86	(1)
Wedge a Ball to Coil Your Spring Tighter	87	(1)
Anchor Yourself	88	(1)
Drive the Ball Forward, Not Down	89	(1)
Strike Squarely for Maximizing Distance	90	(1)
Swing Through, Not To, The Ball	91	(1)
Hit Hard with the Clubhead	92	(4)
FAULTS and FIXES
Introduction	95	(1)
Think ``Deep'' To Fight ``Steep''	96	(1)
Use Mind-Pictures to Cultivate Draw	97	(1)
Lighten Grip Pressure to Cure a Slice	98	(1)
Use Clubface Images to Help ``Work'' Shots	99	(1)
Fix the ``Fats''	100	(1)
For a Steady Head, Imagine a Wheel	101	(1)
Move the Ball Back to Beat Pulling	102	(1)
Diagnose with Divots and Ball Flight	103	(1)
Stop Being a ``Loser''	104	(1)
Beware of ``Flash Speed''	105	(1)
When a Problem Arises, Get to Its Root	106	(4)
THE SHORT GAME AND SPECIAL SHOTS
Introduction	109	(1)
Choose the Correct Chip	110	(1)
Think of Limber Shaft for Chipping Consistency	111	(1)
Use Your Left Arm to Firm Up Your Pitching	112	(1)
``Toss a Softball'' to Beat Scooping Motion	113	(1)
Try the Pitch-and-Run	114	(1)
Work ``Right Palm Under'' for Soft Lobs	115	(1)
Try This Figure-Eight Technique	116	(1)
In Bunkers, Change Set-up, Use Normal Swing	117	(1)
Visualize Removing a Rectangle of Sand	118	(1)
Pitch from the Rough with Your Right Hand	119	(1)
Learn the Late Riser	120	(1)
Try the Woodcutter Shot	121	(1)
Skip It Up There	122	(1)
Get Down Low	123	(1)
Use Same Technique for All Loose Materials	124	(1)
Accept Your Punishment to Avoid Disaster	125	(5)
PUTTING
Introduction	129	(1)
Weight Your Choice of Putters	130	(1)
Work Hardest on Speed	131	(1)
See Distances in Increments	132	(1)
Aim for a Six-Foot Circle	133	(1)
Try ``Spot'' Putting on Shorties	134	(1)
``Unweight'' Your Putter for Smooth Takeaway	135	(1)
Match Heel and Toe for Squarest Stroking	136	(1)
Improve Balance to Stop Body Movement	137	(1)
Pretend Your Puttershaft Is Glass	138	(1)
Putt Like a Piston	139	(1)
Stroke Slightly Upward on Bumpy Greens	140	(1)
Quit the ``Flick'' to Beat the Yips	141	(1)
Beware of Over-Practicing Putting	142	(1)
Try My Putting ``Musts''	143	(5)
THE MIND GAME
Introduction	147	(1)
Know Your Yardages	148	(1)
Make First-Tee Nerves Work for You	149	(1)
Prepare for Longer Courses	150	(1)
Don't Swing ``Easy''	151	(1)
Club Yourself for Safety First	152	(1)
Use a ``Funnel'' to Beat Severe Cross-Slopes	153	(1)
Handle Doglegs with Your Head	154	(1)
Experiment with Clubbing Up	155	(1)
Beware of Over-Aggression	156	(1)
Learn All You Can about Backspin	157	(1)
Pick Your Spot on the Tees	158	(1)
Go For It When Conditions Are Favorable	159	(1)
Make Your Mind Minimize Tension	160	(1)
Listen Carefully to Sound Advice	161	(1)
Find Balance Between Focused and Friendly	162	(3)
FOR BETTER PLAYERS
Some Extra Advice for Better Players (and those who'd like to be)	165