From the author of five books and numerous articles on the subject of learning golf comes a comprehensive study of how people learn the necessary motor skills plus a wealth of information on keeping the mind centered on the task at hand.

In Extreme Fitness for Golf, PGA Professional and American College of Sports Medicine Health Fitness Instructor Jon Corliss shows and explains in detail how to exercise for golf. Corliss follows accepted exercise principals which make Extreme Fitness for Golf adaptable to all fitness levels. Following his tenet to "live the message," Corliss combines the best strength building exercises and the best golf specific exercises into his own workout program that carried him to the winner's circle of the 2003 Virginia State Open Championship. Extreme Fitness for Golf gives specific routines to help you play the best golf of your career. Corliss found an ally in Joni DeSmet, Master of Exercise Science from Old Dominion University, and owner of Pungo Personal Training to handle the photography and confirm the validity of the exercises principles.

How did Jack Nicklaus become a legend?
Nicklaus's life is one of extraordinary achievement: Not only did Jack Nicklaus win eighteen PGA Tour Majors, and eight Senior PGA Tour Majors during his one hundred victories worldwide, but he also gained fame as a golf course designer and goodwill ambassador.
Internationally acclaimed speaker and specialist medical practitioner Dr. John Tickell was one of millions in awe of the achievements of Jack Nicklaus. He wanted to know the secrets of the great man's enormous success in golf and life. When Dr. Tickell met Jack Nicklaus, he was given many insights into both the physical and mental demands of Nickalus's accomplishments. In this book Dr. Tickell interviews Jack Nicklaus about his remarable success and illustrates the "how" and the "why" of that success.
Dr. Tickell asked Jack Nicklaus to help him design a golf course. They combined their talents to build a championship course at the Heritage Golf and Country Club in Melbourne, Australia. During their time together, Nicklaus shared with Dr. Tickell the Four Principles of Greatness and other pointers to success. They spent many hours together discussing life and golf, golf and life, and now share with you those lessons on how to become a better golfer and, more important, a better human being.
This book presents seventy-two lessons on golf and life from a man who has consistently reached the top of the mountain in all aspects of life. It will motivate and uplift you--and quite possibly shave a few strokes off your game as well.

Every golfer alive knows that he or she has two ancestral homes: one's own, and Scotland. On her rolling shores the game of golf had its origins, and to walk the links of St. Andrews is to feel at one with the shepherd who decided one day to see how far he could whack a stone with his crook. Most serious golfers will make the pilgrimage to Scotland, to try to hit the Postage Stamp green at Troon, to trace the footsteps of Ben Hogan at Carnoustie, and to brave the challenge of the Road Hole at St. Andrews; all golfers dream of taking such a trip.
For the tourist or the dreamer, there can be no better guide than James W. Finegan. A passionate advocate of the game that's played on the links between land and sea, Finegan combines a writer's eye, a historian's knowledge, and a golfer's sense of wonder and apprehension to provide an impossibly ambitious grand tour of golf's native land.
In a loop of a thousand miles that begins in Edinburgh and ends across the Firth of Forth in St. Andrews, Finegan covers some sixty courses, visiting the true shrines of the game, the courses that are well known and respected, and the little-known gems you might otherwise pass right by. He shares the history of the courses, both of their creation and of the most famous matches played there; he also writes marvelously about the scenic and strategic charms to be found as you play them yourself. And he provides all the information you need to make your arrangements to do just that -- because, unlike most championship courses in the United States, the great courses of Scotland are available to the public.
In addition to his delightful descriptions of the golf to be found there, Finegan gives us his recommendations for places to stay, ranging from the most modest bed-and-breakfast to the most magnificent castle hotel. He describes the pleasures to be found off the beaten track: the spectacular views from a country road, or the ancient cathedral that's worth a stop on the way to the first tee. And because all the travel within the country is done by car, he spells out the actual routes from town to town and course to course.
"Blasted Heaths and Blessed Greens" is a book to be read, to be savored, and to be tucked away in your suitcase when you finally undertake the journey of your dreams.

Ben Hogan's former ball shagger recounts firsthand stories of the golf legend--andreveals, for the first time, Hogan's Swing Secret, a source of mystery to golfers for more than fifty years.

Ben Hogan's pro golf record is legendary. A four-time PGA Player of the Year, he celebrated sixty-three tournament wins and became known as a man of few words and fewer close friends. Most of what we know about Hogan has been based on myth and speculation. Until now.

In the 1960s, though Hogan's competitive career was over, he kept the practice habits that made him famous and remade modern competitive golf. He hired seventeen-year-old Jody Vasquez to help. Each day, after driving to a remote part of the course at Shady Oaks Country Club, Hogan would spend hours hitting balls and Vasquez would retrieve them. There, and over the course of their twenty-year friendship, Hogan taught Jody the mechanics of his famous swing and shared his thoughts on playing, practicing, and course management--unknowingly revealing much about his character, values, and beliefs, and the events that shaped them.

In "Afternoons with Mr. Hogan," Jody Vasquez shares dozens of stories about Hogan, from the way he practiced, selected his clubs, and interacted with other star players to his little-known humor and generosity. Combining the gentle insight of Tom Kite's "A Fairway to Heaven" (which recalls Kite's golf education under Harvey Penick) with the sage perspective of Penick's own "Little Red Book," Vasquez's tribute is funny, poignant, and full of advice for golfers of all levels.

Bill Spiller was forty-seven when he was forced by desperate finances to caddie at the Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles. One day Spiller was caddying for a member who became outraged by Spiller's stories of inequities and suffering during his golfing career. The golfer urged Spiller to write California's attorney general, who later ordered the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) to cease its discrimination. In 1961 the "Caucasian race" clause was deleted from the PGA constitution. This was an historic decision that gave black golfers the chance to compete at the highest level in the sport. Golf has long been the domain of white men. During the twentieth century, however, African American pioneers such as Lee Elder, Howard Wheeler, and Charlie Sifford broke down the barriers for black golfers who wanted to play, and win, as equals with white golfers. "A Course of Their Own" looks at golf from the perspectives of these men, who had courage as well as remarkable skills. It tells the stories of their struggles, their bravery, and their passion for the game and puts their lives and contributions into historical perspective.

"Authorized, intimate, and definitive, Ben Hogan: A Life is the long-awaited biography of one of golf's greatest, most enigmatic legends, narrated with the unique eloquence that has made author James Dodson a critically acclaimed national bestseller.
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One man is often credited with shaping the landscape of modern golf. Ben Hogan was a short, trim, impeccably dressed Texan whose fierce work ethic, legendary steel nerves, and astonishing triumph over personal disaster earned him not only an army of adoring fans, but one of the finest careers in the history of the sport. Hogan captured a record-tying four U.S. Opens, won five of six major tournaments in a single season, and inspired future generations of professional golfers from Palmer to Norman to Woods.
Yet for all his brilliance, Ben Hogan was an enigma. He was an American hero whose personal life, inner motivation, and famed "secret" were the source of great public mystery. As Hogan grew into a giant on the pro tour, the combination of his cool outward demeanor and invincible, laser-guided accuracy on the golf course froze formidable opponents in their tracks. In 1949, at the peak of his career, Hogan's mystique was reinforced by a catastrophic automobile accident in which he and his wife, Valerie, were nearly killed after being hit head-on by a Greyhound bus. Doctors predicted Hogan might never walk again - let alone set foot on another golf course. But his miraculous three-year recovery and comeback led to one of the greatest performances in golf history when in 1953 he won the Masters, the U.S. Open, and the British Open (something that's never been repeated).
In this first-ever family-authorized biography, renowned author James Dodson expertly and emotionally reconstructs Hogan's complicated life. He discovers an intensely honest man handicapped by self-doubt, buoyed by the determination to prove his own abilities, and unable to escape a long-buried childhood tragedy - the core of the Hogan "secret." Dodson also reveals both the legendary devotion and eventual strain in Hogan's sixty-two-year marriage, and a Hogan rarely seen by the public: a warm, jovial man whose charitable spirit and sharp business sense enabled him to build the powerful golf equipment company bearing his name to this day. Ben Hogan: A Life is the authoritative inside portrait golf fans have long awaited.

The British Open, or the Open Championship as it's known outside the United States, is believed to be the most challenging tournament in professional golf. There was no greater Open than in 1977 at Turnberry on Scotland's southwest coast, when Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus battled over the last thirty-six holes with Watson winning with a closing birdie. Drawing on interviews with participants, caddies, journalists, and spectators, Michael Corcoran brings the drama of this historic Open Championship to vivid life. Along with a revealing retelling of the '77 Open, Corcoran delivers an evocative historical overview of the Open and the tradition it represents.

In 1999, the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament - known to many as Q School - will find itself sitting on 35 years of unique history. Q School Confidential chronicles this tournament's deep, dense story of heartbreak, black humor, back-room politics and magnificent golf under dire circumstances.

Using the 1998 PGA TOUR Qualifying School finals as his backdrop, golf writer David Gould recounts for the first time ever the history of the pro tour’s annual qualifier, with revealing anecdotes about raw rookies, aging veterans and every dreamer in between. The vintage stories in the Q School's near and distant past tell of emotional and physical breakdown -- and courage, as well -- under pressure: Jim Carter’s self-confessed “choke stories” of 1990 and 1992; Mark McCumber’s recurring lost-scorecard nightmare; Peter Jacobsen’s ordeal with a cheater on the Mexican border; Jim McLean’s bizarre arrest on the qualifier’s eve; and Mac O’Grady’s violent celebration of his long-awaited Q School success. The players captured in these pages turn white with panic, vomit their breakfast, sleep in their cars, practice on interstate ranges, lose golf shoes, forget contact lenses and make fateful decisions based on faulty information.

Sifting back through several eras, Gould explains the innocent aims of the first Q Schools and uncovers the tournament’s pivotal role in the momentous split-up of the PGA and the PGA TOUR. He examines the difficult question of how professional golf should go about bringing in new players and letting former players regain their privileges. In the voices of forgotten or never-known tour pros from the 1970s, he narrates the frustrating “rabbit era” that Q School helped create, and revisits the infamous “breakaway Q School” of 1968. In notes that accompany this book’s exclusive year-by-year scoring records, the author picks out hidden turning points, bits of trivia and strange coincidences in the lives of tour players past and present.

These profiles and snapshots of the earliest Q School survivors and the most recent graduates, as well, are woven together in a warm, engaging and insightful narrative. Q School Confidential, sometimes bleak, sometimes triumphant, provides the first and only inside look at a cruel and unusual tournament that many consider golf’s toughest test of all.

Danny O'Malley, a fairly decent amateur golfer, is tricked into selling his soul to the devil in exchange for a promise of winning the richest prize ever offered in a professional tournament: Five million dollars A history of the game and many of its greatest players is interspersed throughout the story. Why do people from every culture attempt to master this cruel game when there is so little chance of success? For example, can you name a great Italian golfer? Trust me, my friends. There are no great Italian golfers. In the spring, when the first bold blossoms of bougainvillea splash down the hillsides of Sicily in a glorious crimson tide and gondoliers ply their trade along the romantic canals of Venice, a young man is more intrigued by the upward slash of a signorina's skirt than the downward slope of a green, and more beguiled by the lie that rests on her lips than the lie of a dimpled white ball in the fairway. The English, self-deprecating and stoical, are as emotionally suited for golf as they are for espionage. They know the fairways and greens are as duplicitous as any double agent and will ultimately betray them. It is not a question of if, but a matter of when. For years, Nick Faldo was the personification of a golfing machine, an assassin of par whose deadly game struck fear in the hearts of opponents. His sponsors tried to humanize him to enhance the sale of their products. On rare occasions, an involuntary twitch in the shadowy recesses of his stiff upper lip created the fleeting illusion of a smile. But their feeble attempt to cast the dour Brit as Prince Charming fooled no one and was as futile an exercise as painting a happy face on the Sphinx in order to alter its enigmatic essence. Still, in fairness to "Sir" Nick-recently knighted by Queen Elizabeth-it should be noted that as tournament prize money has escalated to astronomical levels, the Americans and Europeans have also developed a decent impersonation of Faldo's English sc

Golf is a powerful strategy for learning, playing and enjoying golf. The programme is developmental, as opposed to clinical or problem solving in nature. You learn about and develop your inner mental skills, skills which require you to 'go inside yourself' to that part of your mind where you foster behaviours which promote good performance. Creative use of imagery makes it possible to re-program the software of your brain and rid yourself of unwanted behaviours and beliefs, which get in the way of good performance. Discover how easy it is to: Achieve active relaxation Use mental imagery to learn and improve your game Develop positive thoughts and behaviour patterns Focus completely on the shot you are about to make Increase your chances of having and then sustaining peak performance This book will give you the tools to create peak performance in golf and in other sports you play. It has a parallel and perhaps a more important goal: to help you develop a lifestyle that is healthy, and behaviours which lead to peak wellness. Includes a link to free audio download of exercises.

The legendary golfer combines straightforward instruction and advice for golfers of all skill levels with behind-the-scenes anecdotes and photographs to provide a thorough introduction to the rules of golf. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

The Weekend Golfer's Handbook is written with the average, hardworking golfer at heart. Most do not have the time to devote to improving their golf game. This book provides its readers with information intended to maximize their enjoyment of golf.

Some students of the presidency say that we can learn the most about the men who've occupied the Oval Office by studying their ideology. Others say political savvy or family background or regional influences are paramount. But Don Van Natta argues for another standard,by observing the way they play golf. Fourteen of the last seventeen presidents have been golfers, and Van Natta explores two questions: Why is the game of golf so attractive to the men who occupy the Oval Office? And what do their golf games reveal about their characters? Some presidents relied on golf to escape the burdens of office, while others brought those burdens with them. And few have been able to resist the perks of high office, bending the rules and freely taking mulligans. Is it really surprising to learn that the section called "Hail to the Cheats" features the golfing escapades of Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, and Warren Harding? Not content to rely solely on the history books, Van Natta takes the reader on a round of golf he recently played with Bill Clinton and draws on extensive interviews with the golfing ex-presidents about what the game means to them. For history buffs and golf aficionados alike, First Off the Tee is a cheerful romp and a unique way to share the links with America's duffers-in-chief.

The "Simple Golf" Swing is a complete and easy to understand explanation of the golf swing written for the recreational golfer. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced golfer "Simple Golf" will make you a better player. You will understand the four things you must do in order to consistently hit the ball well. You will discover how you can find your own unique golf swing. You will develop the ability to find your ideal tension level, rhythm and swing speed. "Simple Golf" gives you an 8-week program that will change your game forever. "Simple Golf" is the key to unlock your best golf game.

I EAT, BREATHE & SLEEP GOLF, is a true story about how Mike Kemper got started in the game of golf, his experiences, and his love for the game. Two former colleagues who knew his passion to chase that "little white ball" inspired him to write the book. The reading should be easy and quite enjoyable. Credit was given to his wife for the title of the book.

Tiger Woods has called the U.S. Open "the most difficult national championship." With Open, John Feinstein goes behind the scenes to tell for the first time the full story of how the 2002 U.S. Open Championship came into being-how a public course was transformed into one of the most difficult and surprising in the tournament's history, and how the greatest golfers in the world rose to its almost insurmountable challenges. The Black course at the public golf club in Bethpage, New York, has long had a mythic status among golfers. Designed by legendary course architect A. W. Tillinghast in 1936, it is known as a work of genius-with long fairways, gorgeous vistas, and roughs and bunkers that stymie all but the very best golfers. It is a course where any player can compete, but its cult reputation means that golfers often have to camp overnight in the parking lot to get a tee time the next day. The 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black was the first time in history that golf's greatest championship had been held at a true public course. Open is the full drama of that championship, from the moment that officials first considered holding it there until the last putt rolled in at dusk on Sunday. Along the way, John Feinstein reveals the full glory of golf as it's never been explored before. He digs deep to find out what it really takes to make golf's most famous event worthy of the champions who compete in it. He tells the remarkable story of the artisans who transformed the Black from a downtrodden and rough-around-the-edges public course to one that top pros hailed as "unbelievable" and "the toughest par-70 I've ever played in my life." He also tracks the drama of the masters who battled for supremacy at the Black-Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Nick Faldo, Phil Mickelson, Jeff Maggert-to show how true champions respond to the toughest conditions.Open is the story of people who devote their entire lives to golf, both behind the scenes and inside the ropes. Their struggles and exhilarations as they master the monster known as Bethpage Black make for a story every golf lover will want to read again and again.

Do it the golden way. The Nicklaus Way.

Jack Nicklaus set a record for most career victories in major championships, capturing a total of 18 between 1962 and 1986, including six Masters wins. In 1988 "Golf" magazine named the "Golden Bear" Golfer of the Century by recognizing his exceptional swing and shotmaking game, his strength as a golf ambassador, and his contributions to the game, including ushering in power-hitting.

Acclaimed golf writer John Andrisani analyzes how Nicklaus created such a powerful swing and developed near perfect shot selection. Andrisani also reveals the secrets to Nicklaus's mental and course-management games and shows golfers how to prepare thoroughly for a round of golf -- Nicklaus style. With easy-to-follow instruction, golfers will have no excuse for not being able to hit everything from a power-fade drive to a biting short iron to a long putt.

GOLF COURSE TURF MANAGEMENT FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

Master the mental aspects of golf with these ten easy-to-follow principles

How often have you heard that a golfer "has a good head for the game" or that a player is "a mental case"? Anyone who's ever set foot on the links knows that the game of golf is psychological--a contest of wit and willpower. It is at its core a mental game, and to play well you need to have tremendous concentration, focus, and emotional control--mind skills that even the most technically proficient golfers must learn along the way.

For decades, Robert K. Winters, Ph.D., affectionately known as "Dr. Bob," has been teaching these skills to players at all levels of the sport--touring professionals, top amateurs, collegiate players, and junior golfers alike. In "The Ten Commandments of Mindpower Golf," Dr. Bob brings his years of expertise to you.

In easy-to-follow prose, free of philosophical jargon, Dr. Bob outlines his proven action plan for success--ten ironclad strategies for winning the battle within yourself and mastering the mental game. By following these ten commandments and adhering to their simple lessons, you'll be able to show up at the golf course armed with a clear understanding of how to plan your strategy and think effectively, from the first tee to the eighteenth green.