aThe hottest instructor in golfa ("Sports Illustrated") takes on old-school gurus with a far more accessible, intuitive, and innovative approach to those essential chip shots, pitches, and bunker rescues.
Veteran golfers know that the secret to a lower score is a solid short game, but mastering those small strokes can be maddeningaeven for the pros. One of golfas most revered instructors, Stan Utley now reveals the step-by-step tactics behind his revolutionary short-game techniques in "The Art of the Short Game."

After introducing readers to his groundbreaking philosophy that explains why most players donat see all the shots available to them near the green, Utley moves on to shatter conventional wisdom about stance, grip, and ball position. From choosing the right clubs (including a checklist of must-haves that should always be in your bag) to spin reduction during chipping and fearless sand play, "The Art of the Short Game" demystifies the most aggravating shots on the links. Though Utleyas primer features a full set of drills, accompanied by more than seventy-five photos, his approach is far removed from the monotonous, mechanical instruction of yesteryear.

Giving a time-tested secret weapon to every golfer at every level, Utleyas short-game methods turn trouble shots into triumph.

Every player has beaten balls on the driving range working on his or her game, either alone or with a teacher. Everyone has paged through a copy of Golf Digest looking for the latest tip. Or watched an instructional video looking for the easiest way to lower scores. But all of that access to top-tier instruction, video swing analysis and game improving equipment hasn't made golfers any better as a group. The average handicap hasn't budged in 30 years. It's still the same 19.1. Why? Because the information is being delivered inefficiently-even if it's ideally suited to the player. Any player from beginner to aspiring tour player can improve in a much more direct and enjoyable way using a time-tested and results-proven method backed by cutting-edge research in human learning and brain function. It's a technique used by the Marine Corps, Harvard Business School and the NBA. Unlike the dozens of other instruction books that come out every year, Real Golf isn't a collection of mechanical adjustments, tips and drills. It is a complete guide to sorting, evaluating and successfully integrating the instruction players are already receiving from a teacher, magazine, book or a video. It is instruction on how to use instruction. Using the sophisticated, personalized self-scrimmage strategies detailed in the book, players can make dramatic scoring breakthroughs immediately, and see massive handicap improvement in eight to 10 weeks. Most players improve their game to a point, then stall at a certain handicap. The scores they shoot stubbornly cluster in five or six shot comfort zone. Real Golf is rooted in cutting edge research on human behavior and learning, but the results aren't theoretical. Joe Bosco has been developing these techniques for nearly 20 years as an award-winning golf instructor in the Chicagoland area. Trained by a high-level management consultant, Bosco has built his reputation as a complete game teacher. In addition to teaching alongside Stan Utley-who will write the foreword to the book-Hank Haney and Mike Adams, Bosco has helped dozens of competitive players earn club championships and Division I scholarships. A nominee for Golf Magazine's 2012 Top 100 Teachers list, Bosco has led the North Shore Country Day Raiders boys' golf team to the last two state championships, and has personally coached seven individual high school state champions in the state of Illinois. Many of the techniques shared in Real Golf have been incubated in Bosco's high-performance "golf classroom" for junior players. He is also a regional board member of the Positive Coaching Alliance-a non-profit organization dedicated to helping youth and high school athletes receive a character-building and positive sports experience.