Customer Reviews

The Art of the Short Game: Tour-Tested Secrets for Getting Up and Down

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This book is awesome! I've got about 15+ golf books/videos and this one tops them all. In literally 45 minutes with a small bucket of balls and a practice green I was hitting 5 out of 7 chips within 2' of the pin from 15-20 yards out. The one's not inside the leather where less than 4'. Another hour of practice and I was doing the same with pitches from 15-25 yards. Before reading this book I dreaded taking out the sand wedge for any shot less than 40 yards. Now I welcome the opportunity. The book is a really fast easy read and jammed with information. There is one thing I would caution readers about - read the book completely. If you try to simply stop on one part and practice what you read (chipping, pitching, sand play, etc...) go to the back of the book and read the drills first. They will help you better understand what your body is supposed to be doing. I'm a visual learner and couldn't quite grasp the pictures and words. The drills put it all together and they are very simple.

Bottom line - this is a GREAT book! Stan makes hitting chips and pitches VERY SIMPLE! As you read through the chapters, believe what you read. You'll probably find yourself saying "It can't be this easy." Get out and try it, the shots really are just as simple as they are described.

I'm a 2 handicapper, who played college golf 35 years ago. I learned the traditional short game method. Ballstriking was my strength and it covered up mediocre putting, chipping and pitching. Utley challenges conventional wisdom and I've learned from experience he IS right. He brings your chipping, pitching and putting back in sync with the full swing. Consequently, the results are truly magical as to consistency of ball contact with chips and pitches (now I know the REAL difference between the two) and the correct roll you now see on your putts. The Pelz method is probably a good Rx for 15 handicappers, but Stan's methods are tour tested and mimic the full swing. For the first time in my life, I now routinely have 30 putts per round OR LESS. And I'm not shocked by it. Now, instead of dreading the awkward in-between 20 yard chip or pitch, I'm thinking possible chip in. Great book for low handicappers wanting to break 70. This is the Bible for Up and Down.

I have been playing about four years and have never had too much success with my short game shots. I was looking forward to reading Stan's latest after having much success with his first, 'The Art of Putting'. I was not disappointed. After a few glitches getting the strokes down I can now say that my short game is the best it has ever been. Lately I am finding that I can get to 2-4 feet from the pin for makeable par savers. Now I feel like I have a decent chance of getting up and down instead of entering a crap shoot when I 'leave it short' or fly the green. Word of advice: learn the chip shot first, get it down, than learn the pitch shot where you learn to use the bounce of the club to control the ball flight distance. I had a little trouble incorporating the bounce technique. It's a good one to practice a lot off the course before bringing it to your game.

I would say that this one is a classic and will positively effect your golf game forever.

'hit 'em straight and less often!'

I bought Stan Utley's other book, The Art of Putting, a few weeks ago, and immediately improved my putting stroke and results. So, I bought this subsequent book the day it arrived in bookstores. His theory goes against what most other instructors teach (Dave Pelz perhaps being the prime example). Again, I experienced immediate results: my chips are crisper and more consistent; I have much more confidence in my pitches; and, I have less fear when hitting out of the sand. The book is very well written and to the point (i.e., no 300+ pages a la Pelz!). I have a library of over 60 golf instruction books, and consider the two Stan Utley titles the best of them all.

Golf is difficult but does not require world class strength or skill to play well - especially around the green. While I do not agree with 100% of the theory presented in this book - I like a lot of it. For example - Stan advocates using only 1 club for most all shots around the green. There is no way I will give up my 8 iron bump and run shot when the situation presents itself! I have holed more of them than all other chips combined. We all have our own style, but if you are not getting up and down 50% of the time from around the green you really should read this book. There are techniques that even as a 10 year player of the game with a single digit handicap I had no clue on the correct methods. You will not be disappointed with this book.

I read golf books in all shapes and sizes and about all aspects of the game, not necessarily because I am looking for the one great secret of how to play better, I just enjoy reading about golf. Once in a while a book comes along which gets it right. It is easy to follow, intuitivley it makes sense and it is capable of being applied. This is such a book.

It is a misnomer in some ways to talk about Secrets for Getting Up and Down this is just good plain common sense and solid instruction. Congratulations to Stan Utley this is a real contribution to helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game.

Stan Utley has written a very helpful book for those who want to improve their short game and, therefore, lower your scores. His method is simple to understand and easy to execute. It does not involve elaborate adjustment or complicated set-ups. It takes the mystery out of chipping and Pitching by explaning their similarities and differences.

I am an 8 handicap, with a decent short game, but found the principles of his chipping and pitching stroke very easy to understand and to implement. With a little practice, my short game improved, and so did my confidence. I recommend this to anyone who is trying to improve their short game, which is the fastest way to lower your score.

Stan Utley describes his unique ideas for short game pitching and chipping. His approach uses a mini-swing and the bounce of your sand or lob wedges to get it close to the hole. I've been trying it for about a month; the techniques work, but do take some time to learn well enough to carry it to the course.

With the author's recognized expertise in the short game area of golf, this book had a lot of potential to be very helpful. Unfortunately, it did not deliver. The book was poorly edited with pictures in the wrong chapters, subsequently not matching up with their descriptions or were out of sequence.

Though mildly entertaining, this book was supposed to be an instruction book but the information was vague and did not supply the information it said it would in the first chapter or so.

For a novice golfer the book could be hard to understand in parts. For an expert golfer looking for help with their short game or another technique to consider, the information was vague and not descriptive enough to really be of much help.