Study the masters! Improve your handicap, swing, and technique. Move from Saturday-golfer to amateur extraordinaire. Packed with everything golfing - from the history of golf, key players, and famous courses to insightful tips on how to step up your own game and master key shots. Learn golf as a beginner or improve your game through tried and tested tips, a look into the most common mistakes and how to fix them, and how to perfect every swing. Inside, you'll find: - Practical instructions about every aspect of golf - 1,500 photos, illustrations, maps, and diagrams to develop correct, consistent technique - Performance charts to assess your progress - Chapters to help you "read" the course, deal with different situations, learn the all-important etiquette, terms and rules, and make decisions about choosing equipment - Recent changes to the official rules of golf and the latest clubs, kit, and accessories Authored by award-winning golf writer, Nick Bradley, this golf book engages keen golfers from start to finish. There is little about golf left untouched and the pages of this exciting book. It explores the game from its ancient origins to where it stands today, profiles great golfers, women's golf, competitions, and key moments in golfing history. Brimming with detail and superbly illustrated, The Golf Book is the ultimate golfing gift and definitive guide to the famous game for players and fans alike. Bringing you face-to-face with stars such as Tiger Woods, Gary Player, and Nancy Lopez - golf courses like Augusta National USA and prolific competitions such as The Open, The Ryder Cup, and the Curtis Cup. You'll be inspired to book your time on the green and master your chip, pitch, and hybrid shots.

Forever remembered as one of the most dramatic storylines in the history of golf, Payne Stewart's phenomenal career was bookended by a brass and colorful start and an inspired comeback with a shocking, tragic end. Written off as a pompous showman past the prime of his career, Stewart emerged from a long slump in the unforgettable season of 1999 to capture the U.S. Open and play on the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team. He appeared to be a new man that summer: wiser, deeper, and on the verge of a new level of greatness. Then his journey to redemption ended in October, when his chartered Learjet flew aimlessly for more than a thousand miles, ran out of fuel, and fell to earth in a prairie in South Dakota. His death marked the end of an era, one made up of "shotmakers" who played the game with artistry, guile, finesse, and heart. Behind them were Tiger Woods, David Duval, Phil Mickelson, and other young players whose power and strength changed the PGA Tour forever. With exclusive access to Stewart's friends, family, and onetime colleagues, Kevin Robbins provides a long-overdue portrait of one of golf's greats in one of golf's greatest seasons

This is the extraordinary story of a nearly forgotten American superstar athlete.
Texas girl Babe Didrikson never tried a sport too tough and never met a hurdle too high. Despite attempts to keep women from competing, Babe achieved All-American status in basketball and won gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Olympics.
Then Babe attempted to conquer golf.
One of the founders of the LPGA, Babe won more consecutive tournaments than any golfer in history. At the height of her fame, she was diagnosed with cancer. Babe would then take her most daring step of all: go public and try to win again with the hope of inspiring the world.
A rollicking saga, stretching across the first half of the 20th century, WONDER GIRL is as fresh, heartfelt, and graceful as Babe herself.

Was there ever a year in golf like 1960?
        It was the year that the sport and its vivid personalities exploded on the consciousness of the nation, when the past, present, and future of the sport collided. Here was Arnold Palmer, the workingman's hero, "sweating, chain-smoking, shirt-tail flying"; Ben Hogan, the greatest player of the fifties, a perfectionist battling twin demons of age and nerves; and, making his big-time debut, a crew-cut college kid who seemed to have the makings of a champion: twenty-year-old Jack Nicklaus.
        And of course, the rest: Ken Venturi, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Doug Sanders, Gary Player, and the many other colorful characters who chased around a little white ball--and a dream.
        Would Palmer win the mythical Grand Slam of golf? Could Hogan win one more major tournament? Was Nicklaus the real thing? Even more than an intimate portrait of these men and their exciting times, The Eternal Summer is also an entertaining, perceptive, and hypnotically readable exploration of professional golf in America.

The most definitive and personal answer ever written to the question, "What is Arnold Palmer really like?" A warm, often humorous, look at one of the most popular figures in modern sports.

This book is an revision and expansion of the best selling AIP Press title, Physics of Golf. It includes a new chapter on putting, a new appendix on the fundamental physics covered in the book, increased coverage of modern club design, and an updated reference section. As in the previous book, most of the mathematics is relegated to a technical appendix. The first edition of this book sold 8500 units USP and was reviewed enthusiastically by the both the sciece press in Physics Today, IEEE Spectrum, and Nature and the golf world in American Golf Pro and Golf Week. Excerpts from reviews: "Jorgensen's book may be about the last word on the golf swing... for anyone who has swung a golf club, the book is fun to read." Physics Today, 6/94, by Bob Adair, author of Physics of Baseball."...(book) gives us new insights and precise views into the forces and torques developed in the downswing...Thank you, Dr. Jorgensen. We will all treasure your book." American Golf Pro, winter 1996 "Jorgensen writes for a wide readership ranging from nongolfing fellow physicists... to nonscientific golfers..." Nature, 1994 "Daly's book is in the bucket; my sporting future is assured due to the Physics of Golf". Contemporary Physics, 1994

"I wish I had this book over thirty years ago--I genuinely believe it would have prolonged my career at the highest level." --Tony Jacklin Imagine being able to achieve the perfect mental state to make your best possible swing over every shot? Being fearless at critical putts and stepping up with an inner calm that allows you to play your best golf, every time you stand over the ball. "Silent Mind Golf" removes the mystery behind the mental mastery that lies at the heart of peak performance. A lifelong golfer and one of the world's leading motivational speakers, Robin Sieger has developed a practical guide to mental conditioning that will enable any golfer, amateur or professional, to get to grips with the dynamics crucial to getting into the zone. Too often golfers concentrate all their efforts on technique, in the belief it is only the mechanics of the game they have to master. Instead, free of jargon, with easy-to-follow examples, personal anecdotes from the world's most successful players, and a CD of mental conditioning exercises specifically tailored to golfers, this unique book will be your guide to developing the single most neglected, least understood, and ultimately decisive area of the game: mental strength.

Revered as the most prestigious tournament in golf, the Masters commands international attention, even among nongolfers. The first and second editions of The Masters: A Hole-by-Hole History of America's Golf Classic took the unique approach of tackling Augusta National hole by hole. Each hole had its own chapter, with colorful stories on the greatest shots, biggest disasters, and most amazing events that took place on each. David Sowell returns to Augusta now with the third edition of The Masters, adding more history and updating each hole with additional stories of greatness and tales of woe for a new generation of golfers led by Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, and Patrick Reed, as well as from an older guard represented by Bubba Watson, Adam Scott, and Sergio Garcia. The legends of the Masters are in full force in this lively look at America's golf classic. From Bobby Jones and Gene Sarazen to Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to Bubba Watson and Jordan Spieth, all the greatest Masters moments of the greatest-and not so great-golfers are here in one book. This third edition provides a rich historical view of the course where success breeds legends and where failure can haunt even the most brilliant golfer's career. Purchase the audio edition.

Mind Over Golf Whether you struggle to break 100 or consistently break par, you've already discovered that golf is the most mentally demanding of all sports. Dr. Richard Coop, one of the foremost sports psychologists in the country, has developed a unique mental approach to the game, helping both skilled pros and beginning amateurs alike to play better. Mind Over Golf examines all the demanding psychological challenges of golf and explains in detail how to conquer them. Golfers have discovered that there are ways to lower their scores that go beyond getting tips on their swing and stance. In order to play better, you have to find the key that allows your natural athletic ability to come to the fore, without being impeded by anxiety about making a poor shot. By following Dr. Coop's principles and ideas you'll be in the strongest possible position, both physically and mentally, to put your best swing on each shot. As Payne Stewart says in his foreword to Mind Over Golf, ""Not everyone can swing like a tour pro, but most everyone has it within himself or herself to think like one, and Dr. Coop lays the foundation for that within these pages."" Visit us online at http: //www.mcp.com/mgr/macmillan

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900's and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

The U.S. Open in June 2008 produced one of the most unexpected, dramatic, and memorable showdowns in golf history. Day after day, Rocco Mediate, a respected journeyman whose career had been dogged by injuries pushed the seemingly invincible Tiger Woods to his physical and mental limits. Not even Mediate would ever have predicted that for five days, he would match the unbeaten world number one, explosive shot for explosive shot.
The first 72 holes ended with Mediate and Woods locked in a dead heat, and an 18-hole Monday playoff was required to decide a winner. When this was still not enough to break the tie, the two men went into a sudden death round before a champion was finally crowned. Through every stage, the irrepressible Rocco rose to the ever-escalating pressure with clutch shots, grace, and humor, emerging as one of the most likable and intriguing golfers of our time.
Now, at last, Rocco Mediate tells his own story: his life on tour, the battles to stay healthy enough to play, the everyday struggles of a Tour player. It all leads up to his story of the Open, and the joy he felt as he seized the challenge he'd dreamed of and trained for his entire life. In this intimate collaboration with bestselling author John Feinstein, Rocco Mediate looks back at his life through the prism of the 2008 season and the life-changing tournament. And through interviews with Rocco's family, friends, and other top golfers, Feinstein vividly brings to life one of the most heroic golfing battles of all time.

Great pro golfers, says the adage, "drive for show and putt for dough." Though you may not be able to drive like a pro, you can lower your golf score by sharpening your game around the pin. In this book, noted pro golfer, John Garrity provides lucid, practical instruction for any golfer seeking to improve his or her short game. With this book you'll learn: What factors to consider when choosing a putter Three critical keys to a neutral grip Ten special drills that can shave strokes off your game How to use the long putter When to chip, when to pitch or when to putt

As a teenager, Cox dreamed of sporting immortality. For four years he devoted himself to the game of golf. And then, one day, he walked away. But as he got older, those dreams kept coming back. Perhaps it was turning thirty, perhaps it was having his first hole in one, but he decided it was time to start again, to live the dream for real. So he switched off his computer, grabbed his checked trouser and headed for the golf course. To turn pro. The Open Championship was only five of the best rounds of his life away, and given a few warm-up tournaments, how hard could it be?

From the author of Raise a Fist, Take a Knee and A Good Walk Spoiled, this "must-read" national bestseller takes you inside the dramatic world of the highest-pressure golf tournament in the world (Tampa Tribune). 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 six-day 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-or-nothing competition.

The Sunshine Boys is the story of the amazing achievements of South African professional golfers. Edited and written by Dan Retief with contributions from many journalists who have chronicled the game, this book pays tribute to and records the feats of the golfers who made South Africa arguably the world’s most successful golfing nation given its relative lack of numbers and remote location on the globe.

The triumphs of Bobby Locke, Gary Player, Ernie Els, Nick Price, Sally Little, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and the many other excellent golfers emanating from the southern tip of Africa are recorded for posterity while the many feats, failures, fables and foibles will provide amusement and amazement. South Africa has fewer golfers than many American states yet its players have punched way above their weight:

• 9 Players won 27 Major championships
• 6 Players won 14 Senior Majors
• 125 US PGA Tour titles
• 150 European Tour titles (189 including Zimbabweans)
• 5 World Cups
• 4 Players inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame
• 2 Alfred Dunhill Cups

The Sunshine Tour, and the pioneering tournaments that preceded it, provided the springboard for not only the exceptional international success of South African golfers but also many Europeans and Americans who took important steps in Africa.

Untold anecdotes and humorous incidents, photographs of South African golf pros sourced from golfing archives, family albums, scrapbooks and private collections, unique artworks from renowned artist Harold Riley and a foreword from Jack Nicklaus make this large-format coffee-table book a must-have for South African golfers and sports fans – an classic treasure trove to be returned to time and again.

The Sunshine Boys is an official publication of the Sunshine Tour. All proceeds from sales will be paid to the National Junior Development Centre, the fund established by Johann Rupert to assist youth and sports development and which is the chief benefactor of the South African Golf Development Board.

From the tee to the greens, improve all aspects of your game with "Complete Conditioning for Golf," a book and DVD package that presents the programs the pros use.

Golfers at all levels benefit from golf-specific training. This expert program begins with evaluation and moves through targeted strength, power, core, and flexibility exercises. Pete Draovitch, personal trainer and physical therapist to PGA star Greg Norman, and Ralph Simpson, former physical therapist and trainer on the PGA Tour fitness van, have teamed up to create a comprehensive program to help you in these areas:

-Generate explosive power for increased driving distances.

-Improve flexibility for a more fluid and precise swing.

-Build muscular endurance for greater shot control through the final hole.

-Maintain strength and flexibility from round to round and throughout the year.

-Prevent common injuries.

-Return to the course quickly with modified rehab exercises.

In addition, the 90-minute DVD takes you onto the course and into the gym to demonstrate the drills and exercises used by the pros.

"Complete Conditioning for Golf" is simply the best guide to preparing your body for success on the links.