Synopses & Reviews
Harvey Penick's life in golf began when he started caddying at the Austin, (Texas), Country Club at age eight. Eighty-one years later he is still there, still dispensing wisdom to pros and beginners alike. His stature in the golf world is reflected in the remarkable array of champions he's worked with, both men and women, including U.S. Open champion and golf's leading money winner Tom Kite, Masters champion Ben Crenshaw, and LPGA Hall of Famers Mickey Wright, Betsy Rawls, and Kathy Whitworth. It is not for nothing that the Teacher of the Year Award given by the Golf Teachers Association is called the Harvey Penick Award.
Now, after sixty years of keeping notes on the things he's seen and learned and on the golfing greats he's taught, Penick is finally letting his Little Red Book (named for the red notebook he's always kept) be seen by the golf world. His simple, direct, practical wisdom pares away all the hypertechnical jargon that's grown up around the golf swing, and lets all golfers, whatever their level, play their best. He avoids negative words; when Tom Kite asked him if he should "choke down" on the club for a particular shot, Harvey told him to "grip down" instead, to keep the word "choke" from entering his mind. He advises golfers to have dinner with people who are good putters; their confidence may rub off, and it's certainly better than listening to bad putters complain. And he shows why, if you've got a bad grip, the last thing you want is a good swing.
Throughout, Penick's love of golf and, more importantly, his love of teaching shine through. He gets as much pleasure from watching a beginner get the ball in the air for the first time as he does when one of his students wins the U.S. Open.
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book is an instant classic, a book to rank with Ben Hogan's Modern Fundamentals of Golf and Tommy Armour's How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time.
Review
and#8220;The most humble and humane golf book I have ever read. Relying on insight instead of striving to incite, Pennington reduces golf to its most basic charms and makes the game remarkably accessible. Pennington...is the most noble of guides, encouraging and realistic, light and enlightening. Laid out like a challenging but attractive tract, On Par spares us the wiseguy tweaking with wisdom and earnest good humor. [On Par] should be handed to every first-time golfer as part of a welcome packet. Better yet, it should be in the zippered compartment of every new golf bag, like an in-flight magazine. Or a Bible.and#8221;
-Bill Scheft for the New York Times Book Review
"Golf writing may be unique among sportswriting for the way it often manages to convey the deadly seriousness those passionate about it feel toward the game, while simultaneously joking at their expense. Penningtonand#8217;s tone shares this trait and will be familiar to those who have read any of the many golf books out there. None of those books, however, offer nearly as much real-world advice to golfers on how to improve their experience.and#160; A must for beginning golfers or players looking to get more enjoyment out of their time on the course."
-Kirkus Reviews
"A hilarious, informative primer on the essentials of golf, schooling novices or the professional bewitched by mastering the links... A chapter on golf-speak will tickle readers with a sampling of the colorful jargon of golf pros... With a few chuckles and basic instruction, Penningtonand#8217;s book effectively consolidates the wealth of knowledge from his beloved column, while delighting those who are perplexed by the puzzle that is the sport of golf. "
-Publishers Weekly
"No one can completely cover the game of golf like Bill Pennington and no book can comprehensively tell the story of the sport with the same wit, wisdom and knowledge like On Par."
- Jim Nantz, CBS Sports
"As a regular reader of Bill's On Par column in The New York Times, I was wondering what fertile golf terrain could possibly be left for him to farm? I soon found out his surplus was even better. And I know he can dig with the best of them. I played a round of golf with him!"
- Dan Hicks, NBC Sports Golf Host
"Bill Pennington takes his first-hand experience as a golfer, as well as his years of getting to know professionals, and delivers a phenomenal guide to the sport I love so much. He does a great job of breaking down the fundamentals of golf to something everybody can enjoy and understand. As all golfers know, the sport is about more than being able to hit a good shot and this book takes you through the journey, arming you with everything you need to know."
- Annika Sorenstam
"Put a copy of Bill Pennington's On Par on your shelf and another copy in your golf bag. Often funny, always smart, Pennington zeroes in on the essence of a royally crazy old game."
- Kevin Cook, author of Titanic Thompson and Tommy's Honor
"One of the great joys during the golf season is reading Bill Penningtonand#8217;s golf page, 'On Par,' in The New York Times each Monday morning. Imagine that and#8211; a whole page devoted to all things golf! My heart be still. And now we have this wonderful book thatand#8217;s much more than my Monday morning read. Trust me, if youand#8217;re an avid golfer, youand#8217;ll devour each and every word."
- Martin Davis, golf historian and author ofand#160;The American Golfer
"On Par is the ideal guide for golfers who donand#8217;t hit their pitching wedge 160 yards, get paid for wearing white belts, or hang out with Las Vegas cocktail waitresses. And it wouldnand#8217;t do those other guys any harm, either."
- David Owen, author of My Usual Game
Synopsis
Inspired by his New York Times weekly column "On Par," Bill Pennington has created a delightful compendium of all things golf that no golferand#8212;whether a weekend duffer or a PGA proand#8212;can afford to miss.and#160;Part instruction, part education, part hilarity, On Par is the go-to guide for the 21st-century golfer.
Synopsis
Bill Pennington, author of the beloved and widely read and#8220;On Parand#8221; golf column for the New York Times, knows how to interpret the experts and pros for the rest of us. For years, he has traveled the globe in search of golfand#8217;s essentialsand#8212;those basic principles, those elusive truths (and who are we kidding, any trick or quick fix he can pick up along the way) that will improve anyoneand#8217;s game. He has consulted the worldand#8217;s leading golf instructors as well as countless caddies, groundskeepers, parking lot attendants, and bartenders. He has played rounds with Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam, and Justin Timberlake. He has sought the advice of psychiatrists, physicists, economists, zen masters. And on a particularly bad golf outing, he has even discussed the fickleness of golf with a quite helpful raccoon.
On Par captures it all: From equipment and instruction, to the rules and language of golf, to camaraderie and psychology, to the short game/long game debate, Pennington informs and entertains as he gets to the essence of this mercurial game, including golfand#8217;s holy grail, the hole in one.
Part instruction, part education, part therapy, and shot through with Penningtonand#8217;s trademark wit, this is a book for everyone who has ever felt the gameand#8217;s distinct pulland#8212;and slice.
About the Author
BILL PENNINGTON is an award-winning sportswriter for the New York Times. A former syndicated columnist, Pennington was a beat writer who covered much of Billy Martinand#39;s tenure with the New York Yankees. A fifteen-time finalistandnbsp;and six-time winner of the Associated Press Sports Editorsand#39; annual writing award, Pennington lives with his family in Warwick, New York. This is his fourth book.
Table of Contents
Contents Introductions
My Little Red Book
Golf Medicine
What's the Problem
Looking Up
Hand Position
The Three Most Important Clubs
The Grip
The Waggle
Holding the Club
The Easiest Lesson
Palm Reading
Starting Young
Hole Them All
Learning Around the Cup
Do You Need Help?
The Right Elbow
Take Dead Aim
Beware
How to Knock Five Strokes Off Your Game
Reassurance
The Practice Swing
The Average Golfer
How to Tell Where You're Aimed
Seasoned Citizens
The Left Heel
Backspin
Heavy Clubs
Hints on Greenskeeping
The Wrist Cock
Hit a Full Approach
Easy Bunkers
Bunker Play
Don't Relax
Positive Thinking
Psychology
Stay Behind the Ball
Hitting From the Top
Hypnotism
The Slow-Motion Drill
Powder the Ball
Ball Position
Swing the Bucket
The Weed Cutter
Placing Your Feet
The Turn
Instant Humility
Maxims
The Mythical Perfect Swing
First Things First
The Prettiest Swing
Hitting the Target
The Magic Move
How to Practice the Full Swing
Warming Up in a Hurry
Chipping
Putting
The Dreaded Four-Footer
The Shank Shot
Why I Decided to Become a Teacher
The Stance
A Very Bad Habit
The First-Time Student
Competition
Kids and Carts
A Story by Helen
Learning
Some of the Women in My Life
And Some of the Men in My Life
The Sexes
A Practice Rule
John Bredmus
Hooking and Slicing
Strange Penalty
Yardage
Long and Short
Best Dressed
My Best Boys
Chip or Pitch
Out of Sight
The Follow-through
A Little Bit
A Golfer's Poem
Preparing for a Big Match
Uphill and Downhill
Playing in the Wind
Titanic Thompson
Trick Shots
Caddies
A Life in Golf