Top 5 Golf Instructional Books of All Time
The discovery of outstanding golf books has always been one of my favorite things about learning the game of golf. Even though I don’t always follow each book’s instructions to their exact specifications, it’s important to me, as an instructor and a player, to understand all the different ways great golfers and teachers have viewed the proper way to swing a club.
For the average golfer trying to expand his or her knowledge of the game, it can be a bit overwhelming trying find a quality instructional book. There are literally hundreds of books on the golf swing and even more being written every year. Many of these new books claim to teach you how to hit the ball 20 yards further, fix your slice, or cut 10 strokes off of your handicap. In reality, these are just marketing tactics used to get you to buy their product, which is usually just regurgitated information from other sources or even just complete garbage. If you’re going to learn how to play the game of golf, why not start with the best of the best?
Among the plethora of golf books available, there are 5 classics that have stood the test of time. The ideas and practices in these books are used by players and teachers across the globe.
Harvey Penick’s The Little Red Book – Harvey Penick
As far as I am aware, this is the most successful sports book ever written. Not only that, it’s written by arguably the greatest golf instructor of all time. This book is pure golf wisdom in small, easy-to-digest chapters. Every serious golfer should own this book and read it once a year. You can find this book used on Amazon for a couple bucks, and it is well worth it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0671759922/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used
Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons – Ben Hogan
This is probably my favorite instructional book of all time. Many of Hogan’s lessons are still taught today, and for good reason. Ben Hogan is considered to be one of the best ball strikers to ever play the game. When I seriously decided to start learning about the golf swing, I borrowed this book from a friend, and I have yet to give it back to him (sorry Ali!). The drawings in “Five Lessons” are outstanding and Hogan explains the concepts of the swing very well. He dedicated his life to discovering the best way to swing a golf club, and this book is the product of years of hard work. If you had to choose one resource from which to study the golf swing for the rest of your life, this would be as good a choice as any.
The Natural Golf Swing – George Knudson
While we’re on the topic of good ball-strikers, George Knudson is right up there with Ben Hogan. Jack Nicklaus was even quoted as saying Knudson had the smoothest swing he had ever seen- not a bad compliment from the greatest golfer of all time. “The Natural Golf Swing” is an extremely underrated book, in my opinion. The concepts of swinging the club are very easy to understand, as Knudson does not like to break the swing down into individual parts, but instead focuses on the motion of the swing as a whole. Those who discover this book swear by it, as the reviews on Amazon will show. A very worthy selection for my 5 Greatest.
The Golfing Machine – Homer Kelley
This might be the most controversial book on my list, as teachers and players either feel this is the greatest instructional book of all time, or a big load of bologna. Knudson looked at the swing as one smooth motion, but Homer Kelley looked at the swing as 24 individual pieces. This book is extremely technical and, to be perfectly honest, very difficult to understand without the help of someone who has a thorough grasp of the concepts, but the scientific value of this book is priceless. Mr. Kelley was the first person to truly take the golf swing and analyze it from a mechanical standpoint, so as to understand exactly what the pieces of the golf swing are, how they come together, and how they can be used most efficiently. There are players on tour who keep this book in their bag at all times and refer to it as their golf bible. That being said, this is not a book for beginners, but there are certified Golfing Machine instructors around the country who can teach you the concepts from this book. It’s hard find a cheap copy of “The Golfing Machine” on Amazon, but you can purchase it directly from the TGM web site that is listed below.
http://www.thegolfingmachine.com/
Golf My Way – Jack Nicklaus
How could I not put this book on my list? It’s Jack Nicklaus, after all. I don’t think he had the best looking swing by any means, but the man could hit amazing shots under pressure and is the most prolific champion of our time (or at least until Tiger breaks his records). This book really dives into Nicklaus’s mindset for the game of golf, and that alone is invaluable information. Some of the material is a bit outdated, but there are still lots of great gems of golf knowledge in this book. Unlike Hogan’s “Five Lessons,” Nicklaus focuses on the short game and, as one of the most clutch putters of his time, those chapters should be read carefully. This book can be picked up for a bargain on Amazon, so it’s a no-brainer to have in your golf book collection.
Although this list is based purely on my own opinion, I’m willing to bet you’d find a majority of instructors and players feel that all of these books hold great significance for the game. If you’re just starting your golf library, or you already have an extensive collection, there is no doubt that all 5 of these books should be on your book shelf.
-Parker