Putting books

[caviar]

Your favorite and why

What is your favorite putting instruction book and why?

[titaniummd]

The Putting Bible - since I use a Pendulum Stroke. I like the extensive detail that he outlines in the book.

 

Putt Perfect - it is just an introductory book but I find it helpful for a quick reference for fundamentals when I feel like I am breaking down.

 

The Art of Putting is more empirical and Utley's style of forearm rotation does not help me, personally, with distance control.

[hoganfan924]

Optimal Putting by Geoff Mangum. The most comprehensive putting book ever written. Covers every aspect of putting - Reading putts, aiming your putter, stroke mechanics & speed control. Brilliant book IMO. Just came out this year.

 

Geoff quit his Law career and spent the last 20 years researching putting. He read every book ever written on putting and every Golf Digest & Golf Magazine article on putting. He's studied the neuroscience of putting and he put together a method that addresses all 4 key aspects of putting. His book, and what he teaches is a great blend of science and art.

[shepdog]

I actually got more out of Rotellas "Putting out of Your Mind" than any of the putting instruction in books, because for me putting is 100% between the ears. It was a refreshing way to look at putting without worrying about mechanics. If your convinced you are a good putter then you can get better.

[atlanta golfer]

I actually got more out of Rotellas "Putting out of Your Mind" than any of the putting instruction in books, because for me putting is 100% between the ears. It was a refreshing way to look at putting without worrying about mechanics. If your convinced you are a good putter then you can get better.

 

Ditto on your vote for "Putting out of your mind". Fantastic book. I took one lesson to fine tune my basic mechanics, then read the book at the recommendation of the teaching pro who gave me the lesson, and this turned my putting game around completely. Still took some work and practice of course.

[MSaternus]

Putting Out of Your Mind + 1

[wishbone]

I just read Utley's Art of Putting, incorporated some (not all) of his principals, and just had one of my best putting rounds. Almost made up for one of my worst ball striking ones. We'll see if it sticks!

[txhacker]

Utley's "The Art of Putting" helped me a lot with set-up/stance/grip, for me that cleared up about 99% of my mechanical problems right there. As far as his ideas on the putting stroke being on an arc that's OK but if I try to think about swinging on an arc instead of concentrating on the target then there's no way I make anything. And Rotella's "Putting Out of Your Mind" is really good. He lays out what every good putter does and thinks about while they are on the green, and more importantly shows you how you can do the same things when you putt. He places high importance on trying to hole every putt, having a specific target, and swinging freely. And Raymond Floyd's "The Elements of Scoring", while not a book specifically about putting, has a lot of good ideas on how to look at putting and having the proper attitude on putting (it's also IMO one the most underrated golf books ever because the main point of it is scoring, and isn't that the whole point of golf?). I read a lot of books but those 3 stand out.

 

I haven't looked at anything from Pelz, it seems like most of the SBST putters gravitate to his theories.

[Ghost_Orchid]

Zen Putting by Dr. Joe Parent.

 

This year, I acutally get a lot of compliments on my putting.

 

I can actually putt now.

[caviar]

What I read on Geoff Mangums site made sense to me, have ordered the book today. Thanks for the input.

[cheeser]

Utley's Art of Putting has simplified my technique and made me more consistent, esp. distance control. His philosophy is that everyone has the ability to naturally gauge distance using sound mechanics. So far, so good. I will echo txhacker's comment about arc putting. I cannot concentrate on purposely swinging on an arc or it screws me up. So, I set up the way he teaches, trust my distance control and let my forearms swing the putter.

[sheldonjhacker]

Utley book trashed my putting-way too technical for me...but thanks to Rotella's "putting out of your mind", I am now lights-out again on the greens.

 

:swoon2:

[pirettigolf]

Rotella's "Putting out of your mind". Best book on putting out there.

[caviar]

I am now halfway through Optimal Putting by Geoff Magnum and I am seriously impressed. Fully agree with the comments above on this book. May be too detailed on neurophysiology for some, but it is no problem to skip some of that.

[MMB1500]

As have been mentioned above

 

1) Stan Utley - The Art of Putting - For the mechanics.

 

2) Bob Rotella - Putting out of your mind - For the head.

 

Both superb books which I use as reference tools, often dipping in an out of them.

[Golf472]

I changed my grip to the specs in The Art of Putting, thanks Stan. That, with a few hours of practice with Eyeline Golf tools and I am having my best putting year ever.

 

I also liked Putt Like a Pro by Brian Lake.

 

I will look into the Mangum book. Thanks

[1iron]

My favorite is "The Secret of Holling Putts" by Horton Smith.

[jick]

The Scotty Cameron World

[Emm]

Thanks to the people that suggested a book recently called "putting out of your mind”.

 

I have read Dr Bob Rotellas book on putting and it probably doesn’t fit very well with everyone on this forum section, simply because of his approach to mechanics, putters and grips. Personally I found it refreshing to move away from the tools for the job and into the mind.

 

One of the interesting quotes: “putting after all, isn’t about which club is best or which grip is best. It’s about whose mind can best master the discipline that putting requires”.

 

Listening to his views on touch and the fact that people feel they have poor touch, while in fact “You toss them a ball and they can toss it perfectly back to your hand. Then throw them something of completely differing weight (soft toy) and they can adjust subconsciously and toss the soft toy back perfectly, indicating that touch has nothing to do with it.”

 

 

The comments that left me the most happy with my putting was “if there was one grip, one putter stroke, one stance and one routine that works everyone would use it. The fact is there isn’t”. That’s why he never asks pros to accelerate at impact, swing straight back and through or anything else. The biggest problem a player has is in the mind and the player getting in his “own way”, when over the ball. Thinking is my swing right? Is my grip right? I must accelerate through impact, I must get this putt so I don’t 3 putt.

 

Thanks again for mentioning this book, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new approach to putting instead of the tried and tested ways (being a golfer) we all know about...

[Geo]

Thanks to the people that suggested a book recently called "putting out of your mind”.

 

I have read Dr Bob Rotellas book on putting and it probably doesn’t fit very well with everyone on this forum section, simply because of his approach to mechanics, putters and grips. Personally I found it refreshing to move away from the tools for the job and into the mind.

 

One of the interesting quotes: “putting after all, isn’t about which club is best or which grip is best. It’s about whose mind can best master the discipline that putting requires”.

 

Listening to his views on touch and the fact that people feel they have poor touch, while in fact “You toss them a ball and they can toss it perfectly back to your hand. Then throw them something of completely differing weight (soft toy) and they can adjust subconsciously and toss the soft toy back perfectly, indicating that touch has nothing to do with it.”

 

 

The comments that left me the most happy with my putting was “if there was one grip, one putter stroke, one stance and one routine that works everyone would use it. The fact is there isn’t”. That’s why he never asks pros to accelerate at impact, swing straight back and through or anything else. The biggest problem a player has is in the mind and the player getting in his “own way”, when over the ball. Thinking is my swing right? Is my grip right? I must accelerate through impact, I must get this putt so I don’t 3 putt.

 

Thanks again for mentioning this book, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new approach to putting instead of the tried and tested ways (being a golfer) we all know about...

 

I seriously got to get around to dusting off that book and reading it. One of the very first that was recommended to me once upon a time. I just got so hung up on the information overload in the Bible and the Gospel according to Pelz that I never got around to the faith aspect of Rotella. Well, guess who's laughing now. :beee:

 

 

 

 

(hint: it's not me. :rolleyes:)

[Emm]

Haha

 

Yes their are a few subtle comments about the bibles out there and the slope at the hole blah blah blah.

 

Its an amusing read not that its supposed to be, but it dispells the common theories that you mention to other people or pick up for other players, "never up, never in" or " just get it within a dustbin lid" I laughed when reading it as i recall saying all these to my dad, wife, friends :rolleyes:

[Geo]

Haha

 

Yes their are a few subtle comments about the bibles out there and the slope at the hole blah blah blah.

 

Its an amusing read not that its supposed to be, but it dispells the common theories that you mention to other people or pick up for other players, "never up, never in" or " just get it within a dustbin lid" I laughed when reading it as i recall saying all these to my dad, wife, friends :rolleyes:

 

Ah, don't get me wrong though--Putting Bible has tons of great information in it and is one of the best to those ends, once you sift through all of Pelz' self-promotion and Nasa/scientist references and glean those parts that are good for you. Even people who ascribe to the Utley method can probably get a bunch from the book as far as green-reading and putting drills go. The stuff is definitely sound, but again; beware of information overload. :beee:

[Emm]

Yeah i hear the peltz book is a little heavy and self promoting. but I'm sure lots of it is great to get your game sorted. The Rotella ideas are more about you than about the green or the putter or the mechanics, and these ideas to me are new. As I always blame the tools or the green or my dad for not teaching me better when i was 7 lol :beee:

 

Now I don't mind when I miss, I move on and only think about the good putts. :rolleyes: