The Art of Putting: The Revolutionary Feel-Based System for Improving Your Score [Hardcover]

Stan Utley (Author), Matthew Rudy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2006

A breakthrough approach to putting from the PGA Tour’s premier short-game guru

PGA stars such as Jay Haas, Craig Stadler, Peter Jacobsen, and Darren Clarke have all sought advice from fellow pro Stan Utley about their putting, and have gone on to such immediate success on the green that Utley has become the most in-demand teacher in the game. Now, in The Art of Putting he outlines his unique approach to putting for golfers of all skill levels. In a welcome change from mechanistic and overly-complex putting "systems," Utley breaks down the putting stroke to a simple, natural motion, revealing a straightforward method for learning this sure, repeatable stroke.

As he guides you through the fundamentals of the proper grip, posture, alignment, and swing, Utley will overhaul and improve your stroke by putting feel back into your game. This definitive book also provides:

• A complete primer on club design, with tips for finding the putter most in tune with the nuances of your swing
• A guide to the sensory aspects of a good putt, from grip pressure to impact response to the way a putt should sound
• Simple steps for reading greens accurately, every time
• Drills to commit your putting stroke to muscle memory and overcome the tics that can knock your putts off line
• Cures for the mental hurdles you’ll face on the short grass

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Praise for Stan Utley

"Golf's latest superstar guru"
-Golf Digest

"The hottest instructor in golf."
-Sports Illustrated

"Stan's help with my short game was the difference between playing some nice golf and winning again on the PGA Tour and winning majors on the Champions Tour."
-Peter Jacobsen, 7-time PGA Tour winner, and winner of the 2004 Senior U.S. Open and 2005 Senior Players Championship

"The short game was always hard for me, but Stan showed me how it could be easy. That part of my game improved straight away."
-Darren Clarke, 11-time winner on the European Tour

"The first 30 minutes I spent with Stan, I learned more about putting than in the previous 20 years. No matter where I am putting from I feel like I can make it. I was never thinking that way before."
-Rocco Mediate, 5-time winner on the PGA Tour

"When I started working with Stan, I saw that all of the fundamentals from my long game applied to my short game as well. Coordinating the two was a big step in improving my results."
-Paul McGinley, two-time European Ryder Cup player

About the Author

STAN UTLEY has been a professional golfer on the PGA Tour since 1989, and has earned over $1 million in prize money. He has set records for fewest putts per round, and for the past five years has worked with fellow pros including Peter Jacobsen, Jay Haas, Craig Stadler, Paul McGinley, and Darren Clarke on their short games

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Gotham (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159240202X
• ISBN-13: 978-1592402021
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple, Eye-Opening, Revolutionary, September 7, 2006

By 

Mike McIntyre (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Putting: The Revolutionary Feel-Based System for Improving Your Score (Hardcover)

This book improved my golf game overnight. Contrary to the contrived Dave Pelz system in which the eye line rests directly over the target line, the shoulders rock up and down, and the putterhead moves straight back and through, Stan Utley advocates a more natural stroke: the eye line is inside the target line, the putterhead moves in an arc, and the shoulders turn around the spine. In short, it is a mini version of the full golf swing. What amazed me was how little the grip end of the putter moves in relation to the putterhead. The book's pictures of the proper grip, stance, alignment and stroke are taken from multiple angles, making Utley's technique easily visualized and grasped. Some may criticize the thinness of the book (barely 100 pages), but that will leave you more time to practice a putting method that really works.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is much better than Dave Pelz's Putting Bible., April 29, 2007

By 

Frizzante - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Putting: The Revolutionary Feel-Based System for Improving Your Score (Hardcover)

If I could recommend one book on Putting it would be this one.

It is as good as Tom Watson's Getting Up and Down, which is a short game guide.

I mean no disrespect to Mr Pelz, but I find his book overly scientific and mechanical. His ideas did not help me as much as Stan Utley's more natural and human approach to Putting.

His book is a quick and stimulating read. The ideas he puts forth are practical, proven and original. His preference for the "curved" putting path, as compared to the "straight through" putting path are challenging, well argued and convincing.

I especially liked his suggestion that you should look at your putting line from the side as well as from the front and rear. This has improved my putting immediately.

This is a good purchase. Forget about all the Zen golf books and focus on the real world of putting, helped by practical suggestions and proven methods.

A really good book.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most natural and consistent method to putting, October 29, 2006

By 

Eagle Vision (Southeastern United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Art of Putting: The Revolutionary Feel-Based System for Improving Your Score (Hardcover)

Stan Utley is brilliant when it comes to conveying the method of putting. From the set up to choosing the correct equipment, to reading the greens and strategies for putting, this book has converted me to this method of putting. He outlines the type of putter and how the putter should fit you to optimize the stroke.

Utley describes what is termed the Arc method of putting which is more natural than a pendulum or straight back / straight through approach. This is the method recommended for Toe Hang putters (e.g. most conventional blade putters).

Well illustrated in both every angle of the putt to get an idea of what he is trying to convey - he even summarizes the key points in the end of the book. Drills are outlined to practice his teaching points.

This method has improved my accuracy of short - as well as long putts.

Before you get that new 2 or 3 ball putter, read this book! You may save yourself a couple hundred dollars.

Some of his notable tour pupils include Jay Haas, Sergio Garcia and Rocco Mediate.

I highly recommend this book.