Paul Runyan-the Arkansas farm boy who stood five feet, six inches and weighed 130 pounds-shocked the golf world by defeating long and lean, sweet-swinging Sam Snead in the finals of the 1938 PGA Championship, thus earning the nickname "Little Poison." Runyan did more than beat Snead: he shellacked him as decisively as David toppled mighty Goliath. His resounding victory was so convincing, so dominant, that even Snead had to shake his head when it was finished and wonder how the porkpie-wearing, pint-sized golf pro had gotten the better of him in the thirty-six-hole final. One bookmaker made Snead a 10-to-1 favorite before the match. Despite Snead's physical gifts-he routinely outdrove Runyan by fifty yards or more-Snead was no match for Runyan, the underdog victor in one of golf's four major championships. Little Poison is the story of a man who made a career out of punching above his weight on the golf course. Runyan won twenty-nine PGA tournaments between 1930 and 1941, as well as another major championship in 1934. Runyan served in the navy during World War II, joining Snead and other prominent professionals who played exhibition matches to entertain troops and help raise money. After the war he played sparingly-but successfully-and focused on his career as an instructor, teaching his revolutionary short-game techniques. Little Poison follows Runyan throughout these stages of his life, from anonymity to stardom and into golf mythology. At the heart of Runyan's story is his Depression-era grit. He believed passionately that proper technique and relentless hard work would outlast talent and brawn. Americans who emerged from the Great Depression likely had a little Runyan in them, too, making him the perfect sports hero for the era. His story began not on the immaculate fairways of a country club but on a farm in Hot Springs, Arkansas, near a golf course with oiled sand greens. A disadvantage, some would say-but not Runyan. On those sand surfaces he developed a sustainable technique that became the bedrock of his hall of fame career.

Fire-up your swing with the hottest new technique to hit the fairway!

If your shots are off target and your swing needs improving, you simply won't find a better fix than the powerful breakthrough techniques of Jim Hardy. Jim's smash bestseller, "The Plane Truth for Golfers," introduced the revolutionary one-plane and two-plane swings to golfers and teaching pros around the world. It changed how players think about golf and how the game is taught.

In this exciting master class follow-up, he takes your swing to the next level, giving you in-depth instruction in how to execute both of these swings perfectly for on-target shots every time.

Jim shows you how to: Assume the proper stance and posture for each style Position and move your hips, shoulders, and torso correctly "Feel" the difference when you correct the faults in your swing Gain proficiency in your swing with detailed drills for both styles

He begins by giving you a review of the basics, outlining the one-plane and two-plane swings as he emphasizes his most crucial lesson: " All swings are either one- or two-plane actions, and to become good at golf you must work towards being a fundamental purist, only learning and employing those elements relative to your swing type." With Jim's guidance, you'll first determine which swing type is right for you, then master your specialized swing. It's a powerful feeling when your body and arms are moving in total coordination with the club, and it can only happen once you master the art of the swing.

Improve your swing with the teacher the pros trust:

"(Jim Hardy) was the one person who really had the greatest influence on me in terms of my teaching. Jim hadsuch an incredible mind for the game of golf."
--From "The Only Golf Lesson You'll Ever Need" by Hank Haney, Tiger Woods' golf coach

"Jim Hardy is the most knowledgeable teacher in golf. No other instructor has his understanding of golf swing techniques and what makes them work."
--Peter Jacobsen, Champions Tour player and winner of seven PGA Tour championships

"Jim Hardy's theories and explanation of the two distinct swing planes used in golf are perhaps the most important instructional book any golfer could ever own."
--"Inside Golf"

" In my book, Jim Hardy is at the top. His information is the best. His presentation is logical and unique. He has discovered, through original thought, new information that will help every golfer. I have seen it at work and the results are amazing."
--Carol Mann, LPGA Hall of Fame member

Ever wonder whether Tiger Woods in his prime would have beaten Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, or Jack Nicklaus in their primes? And could any of them have beaten Babe Zaharias? Obviously, if Bobby Jones were returned to life and health and then given his old hickory-shafted mashie, persimmon-headed driver, and rubber-core ball in a match against Jordan Spieth, the outcome would be foreordained. But what if the impact of the training, equipment, courses, and traveling conditions could be neutralized in order to create a measurement? Now for the first time, questions are answered about the relative abilities of the greatest players in the history of professional golf. In The Hole Truth Bill Felber provides a relativistic approach for evaluating and comparing the performance of golfers while acknowledging the game's changing nature. The Hole Truth analyzes the performances of players relative to their peers, creating an index of exceptionality that automatically factors the changing nature of the game through time. That index is based on the standard deviation of the performances of players in golf's recognized major championships dating back to 1860. More than two hundred players are rated in comparison with one another, more than sixty of them in detail with profiles providing context on their ranking. For the dedicated golf fan, The Hole Truth is an engaging way to see in the numbers where their favorite golfers rank across eras and where current players like Rory McIlroy and Inbee Park compare to the game's greats.

John Montague was a boisterous enigma. In the 1930s, he was called "the world's greatest golfer" by famed sportswriter Grantland Rice. He could drive the ball 300 yards and more, or he could chip it across a room into a highball glass. He played golf with everyone from Howard Hughes and W. C. Fields to Babe Ruth and Bing Crosby. Yet strangely, he never entered a professional tournament or allowed himself to be photographed. Then, a" Time" magazine photographer snapped his picture with a telephoto lens and police quickly recognized Montague as a fugitive with a dark secret.
From the glamour of 1930s Hollywood, to John Montague's extraordinary skill and triumphs on the golf course, to the shady world of Adirondack rumrunners and the most controversial, star-studded court trial of its day, " "The Mysterious Montague captures a man and an era with extraordinary color, verve, and energy.

While golf has a popular following among casual fans, it has become popular among another passionate yet unlikely group: scientists. Beyond the caddies, carts, and clubs, the game of golf is an applied science. The seemingly simple act of striking a golf ball invokes a wide range of processes, including physics principles such as energy transfer, kinetics, launch angles, spin, and momentum. However, in spite of the growing interest in the fledgling field of "golf science," few books thus far have provided a comprehensive introduction of the subject. In The Science of the Perfect Swing, mechanical engineer Peter Dewhurst offers a full treatment of the science of modern golf. Based on three decades of experience in the physics of golf, Dewhurst examines topics such as the interaction between club face and ball, various aspects of trajectory and impact, and the physics of putting. Rich in illustrations, graphs, and charts, Dewhurst presents physics-based discussions in an accessible format. Each chapter also contains a substantial "Findings and Consequences" section, which draws conclusions based on the science, and makes recommendations on ball-striking and other facets of the game. From the mechanics of club design to modeling the trajectory of the ball once it leaves the club face, The Science of the Perfect Swing unravels some of the elusive mysteries about what it takes to play a great game of golf. Interesting and informative, The Science of the Perfect Swing strikes a perfect balance between hard science and an accessible tone that will appeal to golf enthusiasts, engineers, and general readers of sports science.

In this riveting account of the 1975 Masters Tournament, acclaimed golf television veteran Gil Capps of NBC Sports and Golf Channel recaptures the thrilling excitement when three iconic heavyweights,Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, and Tom Weiskopf,battled back and forth, riveting the sports world and dramatically culminating in one of the greatest finishes in golf history.

A golfer loved for his courage and charisma, Darren Clarke has the crowds behind him. They know he is a warm, funny raconteur who likes a Guinness, who both works hard and plays hard. More important, they know that this man pulled himself up by his bootstraps, having lost his wife Heather to cancer, to triumph at the 2006 Ryder Cup. Just days before the start of the 2011 Open at Royal St George's, Darren's game had once again deserted him, leaving him 'putting like a man with blurred vision'. A month before his 43rd birthday he was not in a good place. But Heather was 'watching from above', the crowd were roaring him on, golf guru Dr Bob Rotella was telling him to 'go unconscious' - and something sparked inside him. The rest is golfing history. Born in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, Darren caddied for his golf course greenkeeper father, turning pro in 1990. He has played in four victorious Ryder Cup sides and beat his close friend Tiger Woods in the 36-hole final of the 2000 WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play. In 2002 he became the only player to win the English Open three times. In An Open Book he speaks candidly about fellow-players, coaches and golfing psychologists; about how he was bullied at school, narrowly missed and IRA bomb and eventually set up a foundation to develop junior golf in Ireland; and about how he found personal happiness again, marrying Alison Campbell in April 2012. Most vividly of all, he takes the reader down those rainswept fairways to the ecstasy of that final putt when, at his 20th attempt, he lifted the silver claret jug.