Smart Golf: Wisdom and Strategies from the "Thinking Man's Golfer" [Hardcover]

Hale Irwin (Author), Robin McMillan (Author), Jim Hartley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 1999

One of golf's all-time greats shares his winning strategies with the millions of golfers looking to better their golf games.

Hale Irwin is one of only 32 players in PGA tour history with 20 or more career victories. Today he's the leading player on the Senior Tour. How has he done it? He's done it with the winning strategies he shares in Smart Golf. Focusing less on mechanics and more on practical and tactical strategy, Irwin shows golfers how to manage their game and handle the course to arrive at a better score. Less technical than the average golf-instructional, Smart Golf is a practical, easy-to-follow guide that will appeal to the player frustrated with cryptic swing diagrams and impenetrable putting physics. Irwin also provides tips on physical conditioning, equipment, and tournament play. For all levels and ages, Smart Golf is the above-par choice for golfers looking for below-par scores.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Three-time U.S. Open winner Hale Irwin's message is an obvious one, but even good golfers fight it every day--the lowest score on the course wins. Period. A Fred Couples swing and the power ofTiger Woods might elicit oohs of envy from your playing partners, but the ability to navigate the course in the fewest strokes requires more than looking good and hitting long. It's a talent that takes its inspiration and direction from a golfer's most powerful but overlooked muscle: the brain. And that's exactly the muscle Irwin wants to help you stretch; he'll let others tweak your mechanics.

Irwin, like any good teacher, mixes instruction with encouragement, drawing on personal experience and anecdotes to illustrate his points. The first half of his course covers "Smart Game Management," which includes setting reasonable goals, establishing an intelligent practice routine, choosing the right equipment and properly caring for it, and--the most radical concept of all--staying healthy. This latter lesson includes tips on mental fitness ("Temper and smart golf don't go together"), physical fitness ("Those that stay in shape have a better chance of succeeding"), and proper diet and nutrition. The second half of Smart Golf targets course management--setting up pre-round checklists and strategies, using the game's byzantine rules to your benefit, and saving valuable strokes with an intelligent short game. In the end, Irwin guides you through an imaginary round, thinking you through various tactics and shot options. Smart stuff indeed, regardless of your level of play. All Hale! --Jeff Silverman

Review

"Raymond Floyd, Tom Watson, and Butch Harmon have all recently mined this vein of mental preparedness, but this three-time U.S. Open winner brings a lot of authority to the subject. Never the most gifted player on tour, Irwin is meticulous about describing every aspect of competition, from how to eat right and how to select and mark your golf ball to how to plan your attack on a given hole." -- -- Rick Shefchik, Pioneer Press

"The three-time U.S. Open champ and reigning senior star teaches game management and course strategy the way he plays: with admirable directness and an unadorned style." -- -- Golf Digest

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; First Edition edition (March 24, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062716107
• ISBN-13: 978-0062716101
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,197,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Golf Tips, June 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Smart Golf: Wisdom and Strategies from the "Thinking Man's Golfer" (Hardcover)

I've always admired Hale Irwin and regarded him as the smartest golfer. He golfs more with his brain than anyone else on the PGA or Senior PGA Tour. And I think its great that he shares all his wisdom with his readers in this book. I find it extremely helpful and sometimes read bits and pieces in the cart between holes! This book also has become this year's birthday gift for ALL my gofing buddies. The only one who hates this book is my wife because now, not only am I playing golf all day, I'm reading about golf the rest of the time!!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best golf instruction book I've ever seen., March 14, 1999

By A Customer

In my opinion, Hale Irwin is the smartest golfer I've seen play. So, when I saw his Smart Golf book I decided to buy it. I'm glad I did. There is so much great advice in it to help me play better and none of it has anything to do with drills to change my swing. It's all about ways to make the most of your game. I learned a lot reading the book. It's also cool to get inside a pro golfer's head to see what he thinks when he plays a tournament. I've never read anything like that before.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Full of smart tips, May 17, 1999

By 

Eiji Takano (Meridian, Mississippi U.S.A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Smart Golf: Wisdom and Strategies from the "Thinking Man's Golfer" (Hardcover)

This is not a book about your golf swing. It's about preparation (tools, diet and nutrition, practice, knowing the rules etc.) and strategies.

I think Hale Irwin honestly wrote everything he knows/does. I was impressed especially about quality of practice, swing thoughts and his course management.

This book is not filled with eagles or double eagles but good birdies like Hale Irwin's golf. (I know he won at Nationwide Championship '99 with an eagle, though)