“What are the best books about Golf?” We looked at 209 of the top Golf books (nonfiction & fiction), aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

The top 48 titles, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Golf” book lists, are ranked below by how many lists they appear on. The remaining 150+ titles, as well as the lists we used, are in alphabetical order at the bottom of the page.

Happy Scrolling!

Top 48 Golf Books

48 .) A Course Called Ireland: A Long Walk in Search of a Country, a Pint, and the Next Tee by Tom Coyne

Lists It Appears On:

• Breaking Eighty
• Goodreads

In his thirties, married, and staring down impending fatherhood, Tom Coyne was well familiar with the last refuge of the adult male: the golfing trip. Intent on designing a golf trip to end all others, Coyne looked to Ireland, the place where his father had taught him to love the game years before. As he studied a map of the island and plotted his itinerary, it dawned on Coyne that Ireland was ringed with golf holes. The country began to look like one giant round of golf, so Coyne packed up his clubs and set off to play all of it. And since Irish golfers didn’t take golf carts, neither would he. He would walk the entire way.

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47 .) Caddy for Life: The Bruce Edwards Story by John Feinstein

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• PGA

Beyond golf’s polished surface there lies a world not often seen by the average fan. The caddy sees everything – the ambition, the strategy, the rivalries, the jealousies – that occurs behind the scenes. Award-winning John Feinstein, America’s favourite sportswriter, got one of golf’s legendary caddies to reveal the secrets behind the most popular sport of our time. Bruce Edwards was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in January 2003, a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, but he dominated coverage of the 2003 US Open. This is a position not usually bestowed on a caddy, but Edwards was no ordinary caddy. In 1973, after forgoing college, Edwards walked on the course behind a young Tom Watson and never looked back. Watson would go on to win eight major titles with Bruce Edwards by his side.

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46 .) Dave Pelz’s Putting Bible: The Complete Guide to Mastering the Green by Dave Pelz

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Workout Program
• Goodreads

Dave Pelz looks at putting, golf’s least-understood skill, as no one has ever approached it before. Because a putt is the terminal shot on every hole and there is no possibility of recovery from short misses, putts count almost a disproportionate amount. Every golfer knows a 2-foot putt counts the same as a 300-yard drive–one stroke. And while the putting stroke is only one of several types of swings golfers make, it accounts for nearly half of all the swings made–43 percent–and perhaps as much as 80 percent of all the anguish and frustration involved in the game. These are some of the reasons every golfer needs Dave’s insights into the putting game and the simplicity he brings to improving their ability to putt.

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45 .) Every Shot Must Have a Purpose by Pia Nilsson

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Monthly
• Goodreads

By Pia Nilsson & Lynn Marriott with Ron Sirak. Every Shot Must Have a Purpose lays out an integrated approach to the game that allows players to lose the frustration, find the fun, and achieve their ultimate potential. Nilsson and Marriott’s VISION54 method is based upon the theory that it’s possible to shoot a 54 if only you use the right mind-set and intuitive power, breaking golf down into five elements: Physical, Technical, Mental, Emotional, and Social, and using exercises and cutting-edge techniques to integrate these elements and create a climate for peak performance.

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44 .) Final Rounds: A Father, A Son, The Golf Journey of a Lifetime by James Dodson

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf
• Goodreads

James Dodson always felt closest to his father while they were on the links. So it seemed only appropriate when his father learned he had two months to live that they would set off on the golf journey of their dreams to play the most famous courses in the world. Final Rounds takes us to the historic courses of Royal Lytham and Royal Birkdale, to the windswept undulations of Carnoustie, where Hogan played peerlessly in ’53, and the legendary St. Andrews, whose hallowed course reveals something of the eternal secret of the game’s mysterious allure over pros and hackers alike. Throughout their poignant journey, the Dodsons humorously reminisce and reaffirm their love for each other, as the younger Dodson finds out what it means to have his father also be his best friend. Final Rounds is a book never to be forgotten, a book about fathers and sons, long-held secrets, and the lessons a middle-aged man can still learn from his dad about life, love, and family. Final Rounds is a tribute to a very special game and the fathers and sons who make it so.

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43 .) Golf Dreams: Writings on Golf by John Updike

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Digest
• Goodreads

rare and wonderful coming together of author and subject, Golf Dreams includes 30 pieces by bestselling author John Updike, culled from various sources–The New Yorker, Golf Digest, and his own fiction–which knowingly cover everything from the peculiar charms of bad golf to the camaraderie of good golf and the perils of its present boom. Line drawings.

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42 .) Greatest Game Ever Played by Mark Frost.

Lists It Appears On:

• PGA
• Thought Co.

Ouimet and Vardon were two men from different generations and vastly different corners of the world whose lives, unbeknownst to them at the time, bore remarkable similarities, setting them on parallel paths that led with a kind of fated inevitability to their epic battle at Brookline years in the future. This collision resulted in the big bang’ that gave rise to the sport of golf as we know it today.

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41 .) Missing Links by Rick Reilly

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• Thought Co.

Missing Links is the story of four middle-class buddies who live outside Boston and for years have been 1) utterly obsessed with golf and 2) a regular foursome at Ponkaquoque Municipal Course and Deli, not so fondly known as Ponky, the single worst golf course in America. Just adjacent to the municipal course lies the Mayflower Country Club, the most exclusive private course in all of Boston and a major thorn in their collective sides. Frustrated by the Mayflower’s finely manicured greens and snooty members, three of Ponky’s most courageous–Two Down, Dannie, and Stick–set up a bet: $1,000 apiece, and the first man to finagle his way onto the Mayflower takes all. One of the three will eventually play the course, but their friendships–and everything else–change as various truths unravel and the old Ponky starts looking like the home they never should have left.

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40 .) My Life in and out of the Rough: The Truth Behind All That Bull**** You Think You Know About Me by John Daly

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf
• Goodreads

Ever since his astonishing victory in the 1991 PGA Championship, John Daly has enthralled fans with his big drives, bigger personality, and his “grip it and rip it” approach to golf . . . and to life. Usually seen with a cigarette dangling from his lip, Long John is the unchained, unpredictable, unapologetic bad boy of professional golf.

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39 .) Paper Tiger: An Obsessed Golfer’s Quest to Play with the Pros by Tom Coyne

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• My Golf Spy

A lifelong golfer and former caddy, Tom Coyne could drive the ball 300 yards but always struggled against stiff competition; he had often wondered whether the pros won because they were more innately talented or just because they were more obsessed. On the cusp of turning thirty, overweight, and saddled with a 14 handicap, Coyne embarked on a yearlong quest to do everything he could to lift his game—and find out if he could make it through the PGA Tour Qualifying School.

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38 .) Power Golf by Ben Hogan

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Workout Program
• Goodreads

You’ll see a difference the next time you pick up a club after you’ve read “Ben Hogan’s Power Golf” – one of the best golf instruction books ever written. Here the master shares a lifetime of championship secrets to help you improve every phase of your game.

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37 .) Practical Golf by John Jacobs

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Digest
• Golf Workout Program

He is also a renowned telecaster on the game, but his greatest claim to fame is as a teacher. “Doctor Golf,” as Jacobs is known around the world, is the number-one golf instructor in Europe, and is becoming ever more highly regarded in the U.S.A. where he operates a growing number of golf schools each year. Practical Golf-the all-time best selling golf instruction in Great Britian–is the distillation of this master teacher’s knowledge, drawn from his work with all grades of golfer from Jack Nicklaus down to the raw beginner. KEN BOWDEN was the foundling editor of Golf World (U.K.) and editorial director of Golf Digest. A low-handicap player, since 1972 he has managed the communications activities of Jack Nicklaus, with whom he has written seven books. ANTHONY RAVIELLI is one of the finest artists ever to illustrate golf. A frequent contributor to Golf Digest, he has illustrated books by, among others, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Bryon Nelson. His ability to depict the key elements of golf technique in a way that no photographer can do adds mightily to the instructional value of this exceptional book.

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36 .) Putting Bible by Dave Pelz

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Monthly
• Jacks Golfing Solution

Dave Pelz’s Putting Bible is the second book in a four-book series, the Dave Pelz Scoring Game Series. Over 150,000 readers have purchased Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible after just its first year of release publication, making the book an instant classic. Now, let Dave help you shape up your game on the greens with his new Putting Bible, which is sure to make all other putting manuals obsolete. Dave Pelz looks at putting, golf’s least-understood skill, as no one has ever approached it before. Because a putt is the terminal shot on every hole and there is no possibility of recovery from short misses, putts count almost a disproportionate amount. Every golfer knows a 2-foot putt counts the same as a 300-yard drive–one stroke. And while the putting stroke is only one of several types of swings golfers make, it accounts for nearly half of all the swings made–43 percent–and perhaps as much as 80 percent of all the anguish and frustration involved in the game. These are some of the reasons every golfer needs Dave’s insights into the putting game and the simplicity he brings to improving their ability to putt. Putting is also different in another way: It is one of the few skills in all of sport in which any player, regardless of size, strength, speed, gender, or education, can compete equally with–and have a realistic chance to surpass the skills of–the best professionals in the world. As Dave explains, putting is actually simple to understand and do.

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35 .) Tales from Q School by John Feinstein

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• Vox Golf

It is the tournament that separates champions from mortals. It is the starting point for the careers of future legends and can be the final stop on the down escalator for fading stars. The annual PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament is one of the most grueling competitions in any sport. Every fall, veterans and talented hopefuls sweat through six rounds of hell at Q school, as the tournament is universally known, to get a shot at the PGA Tour, vying for the 30 slots available. The grim reality: If you don’t make it through Q school, you’re not on the PGA tour. You’re out. And those who make it to the sixday finals are the lucky ones: hundreds more players fail to get through the equally grueling first two stages of the event. John Feinstein tells the story of the players who compete for these coveted positions in the 2005 Q school as only he can. With arresting accounts from the players, established winners, rising stars, the defeated, and the endlessly hopeful, America’s favorite sportswriter unearths the inside story behind the PGA Tour’s brutal all-ornothing competition.

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34 .) The 7 Laws of the Golf Swing by

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Dash Blog
• My Golf Spy

Using groundbreaking imagery, Nick Bradley’s The 7 Laws of the Golf Swing gives readers an incredibly practical blueprint for golf success by giving them the ability to build and maintain their own winning technique.

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33 .) The Anatomy of Greatness by Brandel Chamblee

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Dash Blog
• Golf Monthly

Every golf game begins with the swing. While no two are identical, Brandel Chamblee, the highly regarded television analyst and former PGA Tour professional, once noticed that the best players of all time have shared similar positions in each part of the swing, from the grip and setup to the footwork, backswing, and follow-through. Since then, Chamblee, a student of the game’s history, has used scientific precision and thoroughness to make a study of the common swing positions of the greats. Now, in The Anatomy of Greatness, he shares what he has learned, offering hundreds of photographs as proof, to show us how we can easily incorporate his findings into our own swings to hit the ball farther, straighter, and more consistently. What does it tell us that the majority of the greats—from Jack Nicklaus and Byron Nelson to modern masters like Tiger Woods—employ a “strong” grip on the club? How did legends like Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Mickey Wright, and Gary Player unlock hidden power and control by turning in the right knee at address? Why are some modern teachers preaching quiet footwork when forty-eight of the top fifty golfers of all time lifted their left heels on the backswing, allowing them to build power? At the same time that Chamblee is encouraging certain swing virtues, he also debunks a number of popular—but misguided—swing philosophies that have been hindering golfers for years. The result is perhaps the best and clearest explanation of how to hit a golf ball ever published.

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32 .) The Dogged Victims of Inexorable Fate by

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf
• Golf Digest

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31 .) The Golf Omnibus by P.G. Wodehouse

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Digest
• Goodreads

31 perfect golf shots from the pen of P.G. Wodehouse.

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30 .) The Historical Dictionary of Golfing Terms from 1500 to present by

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Digest
• Scottish Golf History

No game has a richer array of terms than golf. As new golfing terms have accumulated, old ones have changed or faded away. This concise yet informative dictionary provides definitions and the etymologies for the extraordinary vocabulary of golf, built up over its five-hundred-year history. To discover the origins of golf and its special language, Peter Davies combed little-known archives on two continents. As his unique contribution to the game, Davies’s enthusiasm and enjoyment of golf are stamped on every page of this authoritative book.

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29 .) The Inner Game of Golf by W. Timothy Gallwey

Lists It Appears On:

• Breaking Eighty
• Goodreads

W. Timothy Gallwey’s bestselling Inner Game books–with over one million copies sold–have revolutionized the way we think about sports. And now, after twenty years of applying his Inner Game methods to the royal and ancient sport of golf, Gallwey brings us this completely revised edition of his classic The Inner Game of Golf, nearly half of which is new material, published here for the first time. Even the masters of the game, from the venerable Jack Nicklaus to the wunderkind Tiger Woods, must battle their mental demons to excel in the crucible of competition. How do they maintain concentration under pressure? How do they avoid the mental and physical tensions that can sabotage any shot, from the simplest putt to a demanding drive? And how do they contend with the nagging inner voice that says, “You haven’t been playing your best today. How will you keep from messing up on this shot?” Here, Gallwey provides specific ways for you to improve the concentration and confidence that keep your insecurities from hijacking your best instincts, your score, and your enjoyment of the game. In addition to the specifics of Inner chipping, Inner swinging, and Inner putting, Gallwey explains why the art of “relaxed concentration” is the fundamental skill for improving every aspect of your game. It may seem like common sense nowadays to say that mental approaches are as crucial as physical skills in a good game of golf. But Gallwey was among the first to say it, and he is a pioneer of the modern sports psychology movement.

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28 .) The Putting Prescription: The Putt Doctor’s Proven Method for a Better Stroke by

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Workout Program
• My Golf Spy

The Putting Prescription The Putt Doctor’s Proven Method for a Better Stroke Dr. Craig L. Farnsworth Author of See It & Sink It The doctor is on the golf course! Dr. Craig Farnsworth has helped more than 125 Tour pros improve their putting games from good to outstanding. Now, you can raise the level of your game using the same innovative techniques that have helped Nick Faldo, Annika Sörenstam, Bernhard Langer, and many others become masters of the green. Whether you suffer from sloppy setup, tight grip, pushing, pulling, or “the yips,” The Putting Prescription will cure what ails you! “I have worked with Craig over the years and have used and applied his prescriptions and drills myself.

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27 .) The Seven Laws of the Golf Swing by Nick Bradley

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Monthly
• Golf Workout Program

Leading tour coach Nick Bradley shows you how to build a powerful and consistent golf swing with his revolutionary approach, which distills the swing into seven laws to help golfers develop a greater awareness of the correct swing motion.

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26 .) Training a Tiger: A Father’s Guide to Raising a Winner in Both Golf and Life by Earl Woods

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Workout Program
• My Golf Spy

An educator, top-ranked college ball player and Green Beret who served in Vietnam, Earl Woods reveals the instruction and training secrets that went into raising a child who might be the greatest golfer ever. His teaching method starts with the simplest swings: Putting, chipping and pitching, and doesn’t introduce the full swing until the basics have been mastered. The book includes dozens of games and competitions to make golf fun and interesting, teaches mental toughness and emphasizes skills, posture, balance, set-up and grip. There are also some subtler points for parents to consider: when and how to introduce golf (or any sport) to their child; how to lay the groundwork for open communication; and how to cultivate the right attitude toward competition. Through an intelligent mix of instruction, humor and common sense, Training a Tiger helps parents everywhere lead their kids to love the game, and to play it with confidence, patience, proficiency and passion.

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25 .) Uneven Lies: The Heroic Story of African-Americans in Golf by Pete McDaniel

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Advisor
• Golf Digest

A fast-moving heart-warming narrative on the history of African-Americans in golf. Beginning with the 1896 U.S. Open where blacks first played in national competition, to the invention of the golf tee by an African-American dentist in 1899, to the early clubs and facilities open to people of color, to the service roles that served as an introduction to the game.

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24 .) Who’s Your Caddy?: Looping for the Great, Near Great, and Reprobates of Golf by Rick Reilly

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• My Golf Spy

The funniest and most popular sportswriter in America abandons his desk to caddy for some of the world’s most famous golfers–and some celebrity duffers–with hilarious results in this New York Times bestseller. Who knows a golfer best? Who’s with them every minute of every round, hears their muttering, knows whether they cheat? Their caddies, of course. So sportswriter Rick Reilly figured that he could learn a lot about the players and their game by caddying, even though he had absolutely no idea how to do it. Amazingly, some of the best golfers in the world–including Jack Nicklaus, David Duval, Tom Lehman, John Daly, Jill McGill of the LPGA tour, and Casey Martin–agreed to let Reilly carry their bags at actual PGA and LPGA Tour events. To round out his portrait of the golfing life, Reilly also persuaded Deepak Chopra and Donald Trump to take him on as a caddy, accompanied the four highest-rolling golf hustlers in Las Vegas around the course, and carried the bag for a blind golfer. Between his hilarious descriptions of his own ineptitude as a caddy and his insight into what makes the greats of golf so great, Reilly’s wicked wit and an expert’s eye provide readers with the next best thing to a great round of golf.

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23 .) Dead Solid Perfect by Dan Jenkins

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Advisor
• Golf Digest
• Goodreads

The legendary golf novel, rereleased in a special edition with a new foreword by the author. Don Imus said it best: “Dan Jenkins is a comic genius.” And nowhere is that genius more evident than in Dead Solid Perfect, his uproarious 1974 novel about life on the PGA Tour. To some, Kenny Lee Puckett, the star of Jenkins’s ribald saga, is a more important figure in the history of golf than Bobby Jones himself.

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22 .) Golf For Dummies by Gary McCord

Lists It Appears On:

• American Golf
• Golf Workout Program
• My Golf Spy

Tee Up with this Fun and Easy Guide to a Better Golf Game! Inside, You’ll Discover How to: Keep your cool on the course by knowing the rules — and etiquette — of golf Master the Name of the Game: stroke play, match play, scramble, Nassau Get a grip, a stance, and a swing that will really work for you Create your own routine before you tee off — from a wigggle to a waggle Correct your slice, blast out of a bunker, and two-putt on every green Manage the elements: rainy weather, crosswinds, and the four seasons — also known as “Swinging in the Rain” Choose an instructor, buy the right gear, and keep yourself from getting thrown out of the country club Understand “golfspeak”

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21 .) Secrets of the Short Game by Phil Mickelson

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Monthly
• Golf Workout Program
• My Golf Spy

From 50 yards and in, no golfer in history has demonstrated more talent, flair, creativity and precision, or generated more raw excitement, than Phil Mickelson. His ability with the sand wedge and putter are legendary not only among fans but his peers as well, and it is his skill with those clubs that is primarily responsible for his winning 34 tournaments on the PGA Tour, including three major championships. In his first-ever instruction book, Mickelson explains in detail how to master every phase of the short game. Mickelson maintains that any golfer of average ability can become a deadly short-game player by approaching the subject with a blend of science (proper mechanics and setup) and art (imagination and feel). Mickelson does a fine job explaining both; combining the wisdom of his great teachers with his own fertile imagination, cultivated from 34 years of experimentation, trial and error.

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20 .) Slaying the Tiger: A Year Inside the Ropes of the PGA Tour by Shane Ryan

Lists It Appears On:

• Breaking Eighty
• Goodreads
• Orlando Sentinel

In Slaying the Tiger, one of today’s boldest young sportswriters spends a season inside the ropes alongside the rising stars who are transforming the game of golf. For more than a decade, golf was dominated by one galvanizing figure: Eldrick “Tiger” Woods. But as his star has fallen, a new, ambitious generation has stepped up to claim the crown. Once the domain of veterans, golf saw a youth revolution in 2014. In Slaying the Tiger, Shane Ryan introduces us to the volatile, colorful crop of heirs apparent who are storming the barricades of this traditionally old-fashioned sport. As the golf writer for Bill Simmons’s Grantland, Shane Ryan is the perfect herald for the sport’s new age. In Slaying the Tiger, he embeds himself for a season on the PGA Tour, where he finds the game far removed from the genteel rhythms of yesteryear. Instead, he discovers a group of mercurial talents driven to greatness by their fear of failure and their relentless perfectionism. From Augusta to Scotland, with an irreverent and energetic voice, Ryan documents every transcendent moment, every press tent tirade, and every controversy that made the 2014 Tour one of the most exciting and unpredictable in recent memory. Here are indelibly drawn profiles of the game’s young guns: Rory McIlroy, the Northern Irish ace who stepped forward as the game’s next superstar; Patrick Reed, a brash, boastful competitor with a warrior’s mentality; Dustin Johnson, the brilliant natural talent whose private habits sabotage his potential; and Jason Day, a resilient Aussie whose hardscrabble beginnings make him the Tour’s ultimate longshot.

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19 .) The Bogey Man: A Month On The PGA Tour by

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf
• Golf Digest
• Golf Monthly

George Plimpton here joins the pro golf circuit for a month of self-imposed torture in the name of bringing professional sport to the sphere of the average man. Arnold Palmer, Dow Finsterwald, Wlater Hagan, and others populate this intriguing, classic, candid view from the first tee.

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18 .) Your 15th Club: The Inner Secret to Great Golf by Bob Rotella

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Workout Program
• Goodreads
• My Golf Spy

All golfers have fourteen clubs in their bag, but the real winners have a little something extra—that mental attitude that puts their game above the others. Dr. Bob Rotella, author of the bestselling book Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect, brings together his skills and years of experience as a golf psychologist to give readers the insight they need to improve their game—before they ever step up to the tee. The 15th Club is the tool that golf stars like Tiger Woods use to block out negative thoughts, doubt, and fear. It is what allows champions to perform at their peak both in practice and during the game. Golfers who lack it find the game elusive and frustrating. Confident golfers play the game as they have always sensed they could play it. Now, one of the most renowned golf writers offers up the foolproof methods that will allow golfers at any skill level to give their game that extra boost. Dr. Rotella provides tips and techniques for how to learn from better golfers, overcome fear in pressure situations, and keep a clear mind, no matter what. He tells golfers that inner arrogance is not a negative trait, but instead is something that can improve performance on and off the course. In order to perform at peak levels and achieve your goals, you must believe that you can win. Positive thinking is an incredibly powerful tool, and it can change the way a player approaches the game. Knowing how to focus on the challenge at hand and understanding your own talent are crucial parts of becoming a confident golfer. Dr. Rotella provides a detailed plan that anyone can use to build the self-image of a winner.

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17 .) A Life Well Played: My Stories by Arnold Palmer

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Advisor
• Golf Monthly
• Thought Co.
• WSJ

This book is Palmer’s parting gift to the world―a treasure trove of entertaining anecdotes and timeless wisdom that readers, golfers and non-golfers alike, will celebrate and cherish. No one has won more fans around the world and no player has had a bigger impact on the sport of golf than Arnold Palmer. In fact, Palmer is considered by many to be the most important professional golfer in history, an American icon. In A Life Well Played, Palmer takes stock of the many experiences of his life, bringing new details and insights to some familiar stories and sharing new ones. This book is for Arnie’s Army and all golf fans but it is more than just a golf book; Palmer had tremendous success off the course as well and is most notable for his exemplary sportsmanship and business success, while always giving back to the fans who made it all possible. Gracious, fair, and a true gentleman, “Arnie” was the gold standard of how to conduct yourself in your career, life, and relationships. Perfect for men and women of all ages, his final book offers advice and guidance, sharing personal stories of his career on the course, success in business, and the great relationships that gave meaning to his life.

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16 .) Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible: Master the Finesse Swing and Lower Your Score by Dave Pelz

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Advisor
• Golf Workout Program
• Goodreads
• My Golf Spy

Fed up with trying to imitate the pros, buying the latest expensive equipment, and seeing your handicap stay the same? The first book by bestselling author and internationally revered golf instructor Dave Pelz since Putt Like the Pros, his bestselling classic, Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible can show you the way to lower scores by improving your short game. The result of decades of scientific research studying thousands of golfers, Dave’s philosophy is as simple as it is revolutionary and groundbreaking: Instead of practicing the wrong things the right way, or the right things the wrong way, Pelz shows you how to find your own personal weaknesses and how to improve them to efficiently lower your scores. Packed with all the knowledge, charts, and photos needed to learn from the master, Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible is the essential book for every golfer who’s looking to improve his or her game.

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15 .) Every Shot Counts: Using the Revolutionary Strokes Gained Approach by Mark Broadie

Lists It Appears On:

• Breaking Eighty
• Golf Workout Program
• Goodreads
• Practical Golf

Columbia Business School professor Mark Broadie’s paradigm-shifting approach that uses statistics and golf analytics to transform the game. Mark Broadie is at the forefront of a revolutionary new approach to the game of golf. What does it take to drop ten strokes from your golf score? What part of Tiger Woods’ game makes him a winner? Traditional golf stats can’t answer these questions. Broadie, a professor at Columbia Business School, helped the PGA Tour develop its cutting-edge strokes gained putting stat. In this eye-opening new book, Broadie uses analytics from the financial world to uncover the secrets of the game of golf. He crunches mountains of data to show both professional and amateur golfers how to make better decisions on the course. This eagerly awaited resource is for any player who wants to understand the pros, improve golf skills, and make every shot count.

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14 .) Golf is a Game of Confidence by Bob Retalla

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Monthly
• Golf Workout Program
• Goodreads
• Thought Co. 2

From the author of the bestselling Golf is Not a Game of Perfect comes a masterly illumination of golf’s mental game. When that book was published, Dr Bob Rotella made accessible for the first time what he had learned from working with the best golfers in the world. Dr Rotella follows up the success of Golf is Not a Game of Perfect with a book filled with anecdotes and motivational instruction focusing on the most important skill a golfer can have: the ability to think confidently. Filled with inspirational stories about the great players, great courses and great tournaments, Golf Is a Game of Confidence encourages golfers, no matter what their level, to reach new heights in their games and their lives.

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13 .) Putting Out Of Your Mind by Bob Rotella

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Monthly
• Goodreads
• Jacks Golfing Solution
• Thought Co. 2

You drive for show, you putt for dough’. This old saying is familiar to all golfers and Bob Rotella, one of the foremost authorities on golf today, is a firm believer in its truth. In PUTTING OUT OF YOUR MIND he reveals the unique mental approach that great putting requires and helps golfers of all levels master this essential skill. Much like GOLF IS NOT A GAME OF PERFECT and GOLF IS A GAME OF CONFIDENCE, PUTTING OUT OF YOUR MIND is a resonant and informative guide to achieving a better golf game. While most golfers spend their time trying to perfect their swing so they can hit the ball farther, Rotella encourages them to concentrate on their putting, the most crucial yet overlooked aspect of the game. Great players are not only aware of the importance of putting, they go out of their way to master it. And of course mastery begins with an understanding of the attitude needed to be a better putter. Rotella’s mental rules, which have helped some of the greatest golfers in the world to become champion putters can now work for golfers everywhere. game-changing practice drills, PUTTING OUT OF YOUR MIND is the new bible of putting, and is sure to bring about immediate results for anyone who plays the game.

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12 .) Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game by Gio Valiante

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Workout Program
• Golftec
• My Golf Spy
• Practical Golf
• Thought Co. 2

A detailed plan for conquering the FEAR that sabotages swings and ruins psyches, from the pioneering psychologist whose techniques have benefited Davis Love III, Justin Leonard, and numerous other world-class golfers. As Jack Nicklaus once observed, fear is the golfer’s greatest enemy, inspiring Tiger Woods to “refuse” to give in to this debilitating emotion. It can turn professionals into jelly and dominate the games of most amateurs. It alters swing paths, causes “tap-in” putts to go awry, and transforms a golfer from a brilliant shot-maker on the practice range into an incompetent hack on the course. Most golfers understand this, but do not have the tools to overcome it. That’s where Dr. Gio Valiante comes in. A pioneering sports psychologist, Valiante has studied the sources of an athlete’s fear, investigated the physiological and neurological impact of fear on performance, and, most important of all, developed a groundbreaking program for conquering it. With Valiante’s help and by applying Fearless Golf, Justin Leonard went from three consecutive missed cuts to three consecutive top tens, and Chad Campbell recently moved from 98th in the world to 7th. Davis Love III went from zero wins in 2002 to four wins in 2003, and Chris DiMarco made the 2004 Ryder Cup Team. Emphasizing the need to replace a fixation-on-results with a commitment to mastery of one’s body and one’s mind, Valiante’s approach will not only help golfers reach their true potential, it will make playing every round fun again.

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11 .) How I Play Golf by Tiger Woods

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Advisor
• Golf Digest
• Golf Monthly
• Goodreads
• My Golf Spy

For the first time, champion Tiger Woods reveals the five secrets to his amazing success–a combination of physical, metaphysical and psychological practices he uses daily to keep his game in top shape. Photos.

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10 .) A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour by John Feinstein

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Digest
• Golf Workout Program
• Golftec
• Goodreads
• My Golf Spy
• PGA

In the highly acclaimed bestseller A Good Walk Spoiled, John Feinstein captures the world of professional golf as it has never been captured before. Traveling with the golfers on the PGA Tour, Feinstein gets inside the heads of the game’s greatest players as well as its struggling wannabes. Meet superstars like Nick Price, who nailed a fifty-foot putt at the seventeenth to win the British Open, and Paul Azinger, who marked his return from a bout with cancer with an emotional appearance at the Buick Open. Go behind the scenes for Davis Love III’s unforgettable come-from-behind victory in the Ryder Cup. In golf, Feinstein eloquently relates, the line that separates triumph from disappointment is incredibly fine. “One week you’ve discovered the secret to the game; the next week you never want to play it again”.

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9 .) The Greatest Game Ever Played by Mark Frost

Lists It Appears On:

• Early Bird Books
• Golf
• Golf Digest
• Golf Workout Program
• Goodreads
• My Golf Spy

Ouimet and Vardon were two men from different generations and vastly different corners of the world whose lives, unbeknownst to them at the time, bore remarkable similarities, setting them on parallel paths that led with a kind of fated inevitability to their epic battle at Brookline years in the future. This collision resulted in the big bang’ that gave rise to the sport of golf as we know it today. For Mark Frost, Francis Ouimet and Harry Vardon represent everything that’s right about sports in general and sportsmen in particular; gentlemen, champions, teachers, leaders, and each in their own quiet way, heroes. In THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED, Frost attempts to create penetrating studies of both of these men, along with over dozens of the game’s seminal figures, within the dramatic framework offered by the tournament when they finally met, one of the most thrilling sports events in history, the 1913 U.S. Open.

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8 .) Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game by Joseph Parent

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Monthly
• Golf Workout Program
• Goodreads
• PGA
• Practical Golf
• Thought Co. 2

The best players know that golf is a game of confidence, and most important, concentration–the ability to focus and block out distraction. The goal of achieving clear thought is also at the heart of Buddhist teachings. In his highly original and groundbreaking book, noted PGA coach and Buddhist instructor, Dr. Joseph Parent, draws on this natural connection and teaches golfers how to clear their minds, achieve ultimate focus, and play in the moment for each shot. Zen Golf presents a simple system for building “mental game mastery.” Dr Parent’s unique PAR Approach (focusing on Preparation, Action, and Response to Results) guides golfers with specific techniques for each aspect of their games. In chapters such as “How to Get From the Practice Tee to the First Tee”, “You Produce What You Fear”, and “How to Enjoy a Bad Round of Golf”, the author shares a personal teaching regimen that has helped improve the games of professionals and amateurs alike. By combining classic insights and stories from Zen tradition, Zen Golf helps eliminate the mental distractions that routinely cause poor shots and loss of concentration, allowing golfers to feel in “the zone” that professionals have learned to master. Clear, concise, and enlightening, Zen Golf shows golfers how to prepare for, execute, and equally important, respond the results of any golf shot.

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7 .) Golf My Way by Jack Nicklaus

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf Advisor
• Golf Dash Blog
• Golf Digest
• Golf Monthly
• Golf Workout Program
• Goodreads
• My Golf Spy

In print for over 20 years, this book gives players advice on both the physical and mental aspects of golf.From grips, swings, and fairway play to the many psychological aspects of the game, Nicklaus brings to Golf My Way the same devotion and insight that have made him golf’s greatest legend.

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6 .) Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy

Lists It Appears On:

• Early Bird Books
• Golf
• Golf Advisor
• Golf Digest
• Golf Workout Program
• Goodreads
• My Golf Spy
• PGA

Since its first publication, Golf in the Kingdom has been recognized as a classic work on the deeper mysteries of golf—a gospel of those who suspect, or know, that golf is more than a mere pastime.A young man en route to India stops in Scotland to play at the legendary Burningbush golf club and in twenty-four hours, his life is transformed. Paired with a mysterious teacher named Shivas Irons, he is led through a round of phenomenal golf, swept into a world where extraordinary powers are unleashed in a a backswing governed by true gravity. A night of adventure and revelation follow, and lead to a glimpse of Seamus MacDuff, the holy man who haunts a ravine off Burningbush’s thirteenth fairway—one they call Lucifer’s Rug.Murphy’s account reveals the possibilities for transcendence that resides in the human soul, and through mystic-philosopher Shivas Irons, the reader, like Murphy, becomes drawn into new worlds by this ancient and haunting game.

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5 .) The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods by Hank Haney

Lists It Appears On:

• Golf
• Golf Monthly
• Golf Workout Program
• Goodreads
• Orlando Sentinel
• PGA
• Practical Golf
• Thought Co.

The Big Miss is Hank Haney’s candid and surprisingly insightful account of his tumultuous six-year journey with Tiger Woods, during which the supremely gifted golfer collected six major championships and rewrote golf history. Hank was one of the very few people allowed behind the curtain. He was with Tiger 110 days a year, spoke to him over 200 days a year, and stayed at his home up to 30 days a year, observing him in nearly every circumstance: at tournaments, on the practice range, over meals, with his wife, Elin, and relaxing with friends. The relationship between the two men began in March 2004 when Hank received a call from Tiger in which the golf champion asked him to be his coach. It was a call that would change both men’s lives. Tiger—only 28 at the time—was by then already an icon, judged by the sporting press as not only one of the best golfers ever, but possibly the best athlete ever. Already he was among the world’s highest paid celebrities. There was an air of mystery surrounding him, an aura of invincibility. Unique among athletes, Tiger seemed to be able to shrug off any level of pressure and find a way to win. But Tiger was always looking to improve, and he wanted Hank’s help. What Hank soon came to appreciate was that Tiger was one of the most complicated individuals he’d ever met, let alone coached. Although Hank had worked with hundreds of elite golfers and was not easily impressed, there were days watching Tiger on the range when Hank couldn’t believe what he was witnessing. On those days, it was impossible to imagine another human playing golf so perfectly.

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4 .) The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever by Mark Frost

Lists It Appears On:

• American Golf
• Breaking Eighty
• Golf
• Golf Advisor
• Golf Workout Program
• Goodreads
• My Golf Spy
• Orlando Sentinel

The year: 1956. Four decades have passed since Eddie Lowery came to fame as the ten-year-old caddie to U.S. Open Champion Francis Ouimet. Now a wealthy car dealer and avid supporter of amateur golf, Lowery has just made a bet with fellow millionaire George Coleman. Lowery claims that two of his employees, amateur golfers Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi, cannot be beaten in a best-ball match. Lowery challenges Coleman to bring any two golfers of his choice to the course at 10 a.m. the next day to settle the issue. Coleman accepts the challenge and shows up with his own power team: Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson, the game’s greatest living professionals, with fourteen major championships between them. In Mark Frost’s peerless hands, complete with the recollections of all the participants, the story of this immortal foursome and the game they played that day–legendarily known in golf circles as the greatest private match ever played–comes to life with powerful, emotional impact and edge-of-your-seat suspense.

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3 .) Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf by Ben Hogan

Lists It Appears On:

• Early Bird Books
• Golf
• Golf Advisor
• Golf Dash Blog
• Golf Digest
• Golf Monthly
• Golf Workout Program
• Goodreads
• PGA
• Practical Golf
• Thought Co.

A timeless classic with nearly one million copies in print, Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons outlines the building blocks of winning golf from one of the all-time masters of the sport—fully illustrated with drawings and diagrams to improve your game instantly. Ben Hogan, one of the greatest golfers in the history of the sport, believed that any golfer with average coordination can learn to break eighty—if one applies oneself patiently and intelligently. With the techniques revealed in this classic book, you can learn how to make your game work from tee to green, step-by-step and stroke by stroke. In each chapter, a different experience-tested fundamental is explained and demonstrated with clear illustrations—as though Hogan were giving you a personal lesson with the same skill and precision that made him a legend. Whether you’re a novice player or an experienced pro, Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons is a must-have reference for anyone who knows that fundamentals are where champions begin.

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2 .) Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book by Harvey Penick

Lists It Appears On:

• American Golf
• Breaking Eighty
• Golf
• Golf Advisor
• Golf Dash Blog
• Golf Digest
• Golf Workout Program
• Goodreads
• My Golf Spy
• PGA
• Practical Golf
• Thought Co.

The “Little Red Book” has become required reading for all players and fans of the game of golf, from beginners to seasoned pros. The legendary Harvey Penick, who began his golfing career as a caddie in Austria, Texas, at the age of eight, worked with an amazing array of champions over the course of nearly a century, dispensing invaluable wisdom to golfers of every level. Penick simplifies the technical jargon of other instructional books and communicates the very essence of the game, and his “Little Red Book” is full of inspiration and homespun wisdom that reflects at once his great love of golf as well as his great talent for teaching.

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1 .) Golf is Not a Game of Perfect by Bob Rotella

Lists It Appears On:

• American Golf
• Early Bird Books
• Golf
• Golf Advisor
• Golf Digest
• Golf Monthly
• Golf Workout Program
• Golftec
• Goodreads
• My Golf Spy
• PGA
• Practical Golf
• Thought Co.
• Thought Co. 2
• Vox Golf

Filled with insightful stories about golf, Dr. Bob Rotella’s delightful book will improve the game of even the most casual weekend player. Dr. Bob Rotella is one of the hottest performance consultants in America today. Among his many professional clients are Nick Price (last year’s Player of the Year), Tom Kite, Davis Love III, Pat Bradley, Brad Faxon, John Daly, and many others. Rotella, or “Doc,” as most players refer to him, goes beyond just the usual mental aspects of the game and the reliance on specific techniques. What Rotella does here in this extraordinary book, and with his clients, is to create an attitude and a mindset about all aspects of a golfer’s game, from mental preparation to competition. The most wonderful aspect of it all is that it is done in a conversational fashion, in a dynamic blend of anecdote and lesson. And, as some of the world’s greatest golfers will attest, the results are spectacular. Golfers will improve their golf game and have more fun playing. Some of Rotella’s maxims include: -On the first tee, a golfer must expect only two things of himself: to have fun, and to focus his mind properly on every shot. -Golfers must learn to love ‘the challenge when they hit a ball into the rough, trees, or sand. The alternatives—anger, fear, whining, and cheating—do no good. -Confidence is crucial to good golf. Confidence is simply the aggregate of the thoughts you have about yourself. -It is more important to be decisive than to be correct when preparing to play any golf shot or putt.

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The 150+ Additional Best Books About Golf

22 Best Golf Book Sources/Lists