golfrewind.com

I just picked up this book at the bookstore and I hear it is a great read. I just started so I don't have any opinion on it yet. Has anybody read this book and if so, how did it fair for you? Good? Bad?

The book is a lot of pictures and Diagrams with a large font for the text so the length is deceiving. I haven't read the entire thing, but about the only thing Pelz mentions on putting in this book is that putts of 8 feet or less are a lot easier to make than putts from outside 8 feet. This is not a dramatic revelation in itself but lends itself to the 4 wedge system that Pelz outline in the book.

The basic theory in the book is that if you use 4 wedges, you have 12 shots (3 with each wedge). He discusses developing your wedge game and getting your distances dialed in so that you can stick it within 8 feet of the pin and make a 1 putt. This is also handy in case you do not make GIR. With your wedges dialed in, your third shot can be theoretically close enough to the pin to one putt for a par.

For me the book was helpful because it drove home the fact in my mind that I do not have to hit every GIR to play decent golf. I just need to work on my short game so that I can give myself easier putts.

And to further address the comment about 400 pages on putting, Dave even mentions in the early chapters that putting isn't part of the short game - it is putting.

Todd

I found it to be a long read for little bit of information, IMO, Pelz could have made it a lot shorter.

I thought Pelz's instruction on trap play was very helpful. He's also got me carrying 4 wedges. I'm a beliver.

Read most of it in one week...an otherwise dull xmas vacation week. I wish I took at least one club. Very informative book. I learned a lot about the short game that I didn't know, and some stuff about the whole game of golf. My short game is getting a whole lot better (haven't practiced much yet), but my full swing is completely lost...lessons to come.

Take your time to read it - I happened to have nothing but time when I did. It has a whole lot of information, so read a bit, try it out, see if it works for you, then go back and read some more. Good luck!

This is one of the best instructional books in golf. If you follow the advice, you will takes strokes off of your score. Working on your short game will take off more strokes than working on any other part of your game. (Unless you are really terrible at something) This book is not about putting, it is about the short game, and how to hit every possible shot you could need from 100 yards in. Yes it is a long read, but it will help your game if you practice the shots he teaches within.

He also has a putting bible, that is the book you want if you want to improve your putting.

I too have to agree with OSUDAN on this book being a great read. Yes it can be a bit shorter but I carry 3 wedges and have 9 shots. True the 3 smallest swings are hard to keep consistantly clean but it is an awesome theory. Now as for the Putting bible I got very lost and very Confused to where I had to get away from it. I could not really grasp what was being talked or disscussed. If anyone really gotthat light bulb to turn on from the putting bible please let me in on it. Thanks

Speaking of the...anyone think he might put together a full swing bible?

I read the Short Game Bible and it helped my short game immensely. It's a somewhat dry read, but it's pretty straightforward about what to do to improve your short game.

Conversely, I read the Putting Bible and it messed up my putting for most of that golf season. I didn't get straightened around until I abandoned his methods.


I doubt it. I think Pelz is sticking to being a short game guru.

what i think pelz is talking about can be condensed in a few pages actually ..nevertheless, it's a good read.. wat he teaches can be different from what other pros might teach ..but it's HIS bible..not ours.. and we can choose which area to pick up tips from i suppose...

some pts i learnt (to save some of you guys time)
(a) wif a 730 ,900 and 1030 swing (refering to your left arm) , you can have 3 distances with each wedge.. and if you use a "dead hands" approach , the distance is very repeatable ..

(b) ball position is important (between ankles for dead center to prevent misleading due to feet being angled ; also , different positions for different sort of short game play - for sand more forward, for bump and run more backwards)

(c) Sand play is easy if you know how to open the clubface and standing at an angle , take a normal "distance wedge swing " . ..

Plus a whole lot others .....eg , he covers details like how the ball will roll ..how to impart maximum and minumum spin depending on the conditions of the greens and flag position ...etc..

nobody said THE Bible was short anyway ...

It is very dry and he uses a lot of data to convince you that you must work on your short game....Duh! However it is very good to teach you different shots like from a bad lie, hill side lie, flops, etc, and if you don't know the basic chip or pitch shot.

Now that I'm close to 50, I have to count on my short game and putting to keep up with the kids. The Pelz short Game and Putting Bibles have each taken a shot and a half from my game. There are certain situations and rounds where I can say the books have saved me up to 4 shots per round. I think higher handicapers could save 5 or 6 shots per round if they stick to Dave's ideas.

His ideas do take a lot of practice though. A LOT OF PRACTICE!!!


brianf

Nothing beats a little practice every day. Hitting a dozen chips and spending 10 minutes practice putting from 4 to 6 feet before and after rounds has helped my short game over the years. I emphasize the putts of this length, because nothing make a chip, bunker or other approach shot (including long putts) more than knowing I only need to get the ball within a couple of yards of the hole. By the way Dave Pelz doesn't give away all his secrets for the price of a book.