The Complete Short Game [Hardcover]

Ernie Els (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 1998

Watch out, Tiger Woods! In the first three majors of 1997, 27-year-old Ernie Els earned a better average finish than any other player in the world and won more prize money than Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, or Davis Love. Els's extraordinary skills especially shine near the putting green, and The Complete Short  Game shows exactly why.

With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, 150 full-color illustrations throughout, and exercises for players of all levels in every conceivable golf situation, The Complete Short Game offers an arsenal of solutions and information including:
Mastering left- and back-handed pitches
Using height, spin, and roll to diversify chipping
Understanding how weather affects your trajectory
The complete basics of sand traps  A "shot menu" for putting, with a guide to reading greens, mastering slopes, and judging weight
A "catch-all' section on out-of-the-ordinary trouble and recovery shots such as tree-trunk chips and bladed chip shots from the rough

With Els's accessible, engaging tone, The Complete Short Game offers a unique chance to learn from a great new golf talent about the aspect of the game that made him the best. His guide to perfecting your short game is an essential key to consistently scoring under par.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With a pair of U.S. Opens in his bag by the age of 27, Ernie Els is a walking promo for the "power" of the short game. His swing is textbook--languid, long, and strong--but it's his superb skills from 100 yards that have hoisted him to a place on the leader board of the game's new generation. His short-game instructional is both comprehensive and imaginative, conversationally written and thoroughly illustrated. He does the expected--taking you through the requisite arsenal of chips, pitches, and putts--then tees up a little more, offering tips for reading greens, using weather, and judging distance. He's devised his drills to be entertaining, and his suggestions for how best to practice on the course--either alone or with a partner--are designed to concentrate the mind, add creativity to shotmaking, and subtract a couple of strokes from your scorecard. --Jeff Silverman

From the Inside Flap

Watch out, Tiger Woods! In the first three majors of 1997, 27-year-old Ernie Els earned a better average finish than any other player in the world and won more prize money than Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, or Davis Love. Els's extraordinary skills especially shine near the putting green, and The Complete Short Game shows exactly why.

With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, 150 full-color illustrations throughout, and exercises for players of all levels in every conceivable golf situation, The Complete Short Game offers an arsenal of solutions and information including:
Mastering left- and back-handed pitches
Using height, spin, and roll to diversify chipping
Understanding how weather affects your trajectory
The complete basics of sand traps A "shot menu" for putting, with a guide to reading greens, mastering slopes, and judging weight
A "catch-all' section on out-of-the-ordinary trouble and recovery shots such as tree-trunk chips and bladed chip shots from the rough

With Els's accessible, engaging tone, The Complete Short Game offers a unique chance to learn from a great new golf talent about the aspect of the game that made him the best. His guide to perfecting your short game is an essential key to consistently scoring under par.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; 1 edition (May 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076790253X
• ISBN-13: 978-0767902533
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #790,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent simplification of the short game., June 24, 1998

By 

Mike Granato ([e-mail]) (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Short Game (Hardcover)

Ernie describes and simplifies the key fundamentals of the short game. He covers every aspect from full wedges to chipping out from under trees. The book is repetitive in much the same way a driving range is repetitive - it's useful! His easy going demeaner really comes across, which helps in understanding his "big easy" swing. Once his physical and mental drills are practiced, your short game will start to yield the results you are looking for. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has any doubt on how to play any shot from any lie within 100 yds of the flag.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed with Authors veiw of intended Audience, September 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Short Game (Hardcover)

You can tell while reading this book that Mr. Els is very pleased with himself and it is quite apparent that he has a low regard for amateurs and club level players (his intended audience!). I got frustrated reading how the reader probably didn't have time, didn't practice a particular shot or 99 out of 100 times would do something wrong. There are better ways to teach people then constant criticism and comparison to "the Pros" or himself. On the other hand the photography was outstanding, I learned more viewing the pics then reading the content.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable and useful primer on the short game., March 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Short Game (Hardcover)

This is a very solid, readable introduction to the short game. Although Els covers most of the bases, from chipping, pitching, and sand saves, with trouble shots thrown in for good measure, the book has the virtue of keeping things simple and uncomplicated. The illustrations are also excellent. It can be read from start to finish, but I find that I continue to enjoy picking it up and reading about whichever subject I have on my mind. This book is as enjoyable to read as Els' swing is to watch, and will be more than adequate for 90% of amateur golfers.