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Pelz is a man after my heart with his physics degree and his geeky study of the short game. a little too much and seems to think Phil is a lot better than Eldrick (not much empirical data to back this up). It is nice to see actual empirical data used to support his methods instead of the usual "develop a feel for this shot" crap you see in most golf instruction books (if I could develop a feel, I would not need your book). Granted, he likes Phil M. None the less, this is the best short game book I have seen. Buy It, Learn It, Do It
This book has had a profound affect on the way I think course management. I've read quite a few self-help golf books in my days, but this one is really different. I'm no longer concerned about how far I drive the ball anymore. The most important thing that Dave achieves in this book is the importance of approaching the game where it really counts (The Short Game) based on facts. So many of us spend time learning how to drive the ball as far as we can to satisfy our egos, but the scores are really based on how well we play the short game and the putting game. For me, it's all about getting it safely within 100 yards and employing the "3x4" system Dave talks about in his book. As a result, I enjoy the challenge of the game far more than ever before.
The book is the basis for what most tour pros use for their short game and we amateurs can use these techniques as well.The book was in better condition than advertised and was shipped and received quickly.
The book can be thinner and more readable if he had just set out his principles and rationale, without the detailed history of the process he went through. Pelz's approach is to make the short game as mechanical as possible, as opposed to the "feel" or "touch" approach that many amateur golfers use. I do think though that he goes overboard in explaining the trials and experiments he undertook. For that you have to buy (you got it) Dave Pelz's Putting Bible.Pelz is a scientist who takes a highly analytical and measured approach to the golf game.
Of course, the book is about more than the 4x3 system. I am glad that I bought this book and read it beforehand. A point of clarification, this book does not cover putting, which most of us would define as part of the short game. However, the book fits people like me who need to understand the "whys", more than just simply the "hows" that you get from coaches and many of the practical books out there. His rationale is that whiles "feel" works fine in practice, adrenalin makes it go haywire.
I rationalize that the small wagers I was playing for does not generate that much stress and adrenalin, as the difficulties I was having trying out 12 different club/backswing strokes. I do not think it was necessary for him to explain his own evolution of understanding to arrive at his theories and conclusions. For me, it was a revelation that it's the shot before the putt (chip, pitch, bunker shot, etc) which counts most to lower your golf score (I used to think that it was the putting game). Much of his book need to be read, reflected on and assimilated in good time.But reading the book by itself is not as effective as also having an instructor actually show and coach you on how it works.
This book is probably the most complete and insightful book I have read on golf's short game to date. Unfortunately, it takes a great deal of time and practice to consistenize and to calibrate the 4 different clubs and 3 backswing positions. In the end, after having tried his 4x3 system for more than a year, I went back to "feel" with one single club around the green. I benefited from the other advice and techniques, especially the reasoning behind them.I went for a Dave Pelz 3-day short-game course a year ago. In effect, he is following the approach used in the long game where there is a club for every distance. So, I would advise attending Pelz's short game practical course as it is pretty consistent with what is taught in the book. He painstakingly explains each and every principle and technique.
And if you do attend his 3-day short game course which includes putting, you should buy his Putting Bible beforehand too. And as I learnt, to score better, we should seek to hit the long irons straighter and the short game wedges closer to the right distance.What is perhaps revolutionary is Pelz's "3x4 system" in which he proposes three backswing positions (quarter, half and three-quarter backswing) with four wedges of different lofts. With his system, there are (3x4=) 12 different clubs/backswings for the short game from 80 metres in, which gives you very granular distances. Many of the principles and mechanics of Pelz's approach were not covered in the class, partly because it would otherwise be like drinking from a fire hose.
This book is like going to school. I am a 15 Hadicap and I hope to get down to a ten by the end of the summer. The book is a little long but if you love golf it is the one for you. It's a no bull book and if he does not have stats to back up what he is saying he'll let you know. I belive this book will do it. Buy it-
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