Without question, this is one of the books that changed my golfing life. Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible brings science to the game of golf in a way that is easy to understand and practice. It helps take guesswork out of the short game by providing an understanding of the finesse swing and the statistical realities of the game of golf from 100 yards and in.

Pelz left a career in NASA to pursue his love of golf. His scientific background and love for the game come together perfectly to bring order to the short game, where before there was chaos.

Chapter Listing

1. Score Counts in Golf
2. Understanding the Game and Its Realities
3. The Five Games of Golf
4. Mechanics of the Short Game
5. How to Score
6. Distance Wedges
7. The Pitch Shot
8. Chipping and the Bump-and-Run
9. The Sand Shot
10. Short-Game Equipment
11. Everyone Has a Short-Game Handicap
12. Secrets of the Short Game
13. The Future

Highlights

As would any book that covers the short game, this book covers the swing technique for every shot you’re going to face within 100 yards of the pin. He gives extensive coverage to the finesse swing, pitching, chipping, sand play, and several other short game shots. Techniques are clearly defined and described in a way that’s easy to understand. But to me, the scientific and statistical concepts are what makes this book worth it’s weight in gold.

Percent Error Index

Pelz introduces us to the PEI as a way to statistically measure the performance of a golf shot. For instance, if a player has 100 yards to the pin, and hits a pitching wedge to 7 yards, it can be said that the PEI for that shot is 7% or 7 yds. / 100 yds. Using this, it’s easy to evaluate any shot, since a PEI of 0% means the ball went in the hole. Any other result is a miss and the PEI is used to judge how bad the error was.

The Golden Eight Feet

Through many, many hours of research and observation, Pelz discovered that regardless of skill level, the chances of making a putt rises drastically when the distance of that putt is within eight feet. As the distance becomes shorter, the chance of sinking the putt nears 100%. This led him to the conclusion that putting technique is less important than where you putt from to begin with. This is why the PEI and short game precision are so important for shooting better scores. All the techniques introduced in the book are geared toward reducing PEI for all short game situations. If you’re taking fewer putts, you’re obviously shooting lower scores.

The 3×4 System

While I consider all the information contained in the book to be fascinating, I find the 3×4 system to be most important. The idea is that you imagine your left arm (for a right hander) to be a hand on a clock with the left shoulder being the center of the dial. The back swing length can then be measured as a time on the imaginary dial. A short swing might register as 7:30, a half swing would be 9:00 (with the left arm parallel to the ground) and the longest back swing would be 10:30. This gives three back swing lengths that are easily repeatable. He then recommends carrying 4 different wedges: a pitching wedge, sand wedge, lob wedge, and an extra lofted wedge. Combined together, you get three repeatable back swing lengths times four different lofted wedges for a total of 12 repeatable short game distances. Practicing each of these wedge/swing length combinations until it is easily repeatable removes a lot of short game guess work and gives the best chance to get into the Golden Eight Feet.

Conclusions

If you’ve read this far, then you already know that this book gets two thumbs up. It’s very easy to follow with plenty of photos and diagrams. While it does take a mathematical and scientific view of the short game, by no means is it dry or boring. Pelz has a knack for turning a technical analysis into an interesting read. This book changed the way I play the short game. When I first started practicing the techniques outlined in the book, it didn’t take long before I began to see my PEI drop drastically.

The Good

• Easy to follow
• Lots of technical information
• Gives comprehensive techniques for every shot you’ll encounter within 100 yards
• His techniques are proven on many tour players

The Bad

• The only downside to this book that I can think of is that some people might find all the technical analysis to be a turn-off. If you prefer to cut to the chase and just learn the techniques, you might get bored with all the explanations. To me, this is a plus because I want to know why AND how. I recognize, however, that some people won’t like that.

How well do you know the rules of golf? There are only 34 rules defined by the USGA (not counting Appendix I, II, and III which involve local rules, conditions of competition, and equipment). Unfortunately, it’s easy to encounter situations where it might not be apparent how to score a specific situation, so there’s a whole book covering decisions on the rules.

Many people have a vague understanding of the rules. The major stuff, at least. However, having a solid understanding of the rules, and playing by them, will help you post an accurate score. This is critical if you ever hope to play in serious competition. First off, your handicap will more accurately reflect your real skill level. Secondly, while it’s important to know when to penalize yourself, it’s just as important to know about the things that will work in your favor.

For instance, did you know that if your ball is in or lost in a water hazard, you have two options of how to proceed (not counting playing it where it lies if you happen to find it) but if it’s a lateral water hazard, since it’s not practical to drop behind the hazard you have two additional options? Did you know that you have three options of how to proceed when your ball is unplayable? Do you know when you can clean your ball when lifted? Did you know that water (outside a hazard) that becomes visible after you take your stance is still considered casual water and you are entitled to relief?

The rules work nicely with our recent discussions about gamesmanship. A person who is well versed in the rules is better prepared to call their opponent on the carpet for violations. Seems picky? Tough. We’re supposed to be on a level playing field. I’m not calling a penalty on myself and then standing by and watching my opponent take improper drops or do anything else that gives him an advantage over me.

I try to play by the rules most of the time. About the furthest outside the rules that I go is playing practice shots where I re-hit a bad shot (still counting and playing the first) or maybe trying the same shot different ways to see what will happen, but always playing the original ball. If I’m posting a score I especially try to play by the rules. I think in the long run it’s going to make me better because when I play competitively, I’ll be better prepared to deal with the strict scoring of tournament play.

The debate has been raging for decades. Walk, or ride a cart? It seems like both sides of the argument are full of absolutists and lots of opinions that use the words “right” or “wrong”. It’s like the Coke versus Pepsi debate.

To me, walking wins out. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I never take a cart. If I’m playing with a friend that I know likes to ride, I’ll ride. But I believe that walking definitely has a positive effect on a round. For one, it helps keep you more loose. Especially on a cooler day. Taking a shot then sitting down/riding until the next shot keeps you from really getting and saying loose. Cart riders will notice that they do loosen up some after several holes. Usually, that’s because they end up having to do some walking to the places they can’t take carts, like in sensitive areas or around the greens.

Another benefit to walking is that it gives you a chance to think about your next shot, or what you did right or wrong on your previous shot. As you walk up to your ball (assuming it’s not still a few yards ahead), you can be thinking about how you’ll be attacking the rest of the hole, going over some swing thoughts, or clearing out any negative emotions left over from the last shot or hole. Cart riders generally have a much shorter trip and may not get the same benefit. I really feel that when I walk, I’m more focused and play a better game, in general.

One undeniable benefit of walking is the exercise factor. While riding a cart provides some exercise because players still have to do some degree of walking where carts can’t go, walking the course provides a great workout. Consider the fact that a 7000 yard course is almost 4 miles of walking, and that doesn’t include the distances to get from one green to the next tee and extra walking you have to do to hunt down errant shots.

Not only does the player benefit from walking, but the course does too. Cart paths require maintenance. Carts cause a lot of wear and tear when coming off of cart paths where players tend to favor the same areas. I can also tell you from my four years working golf course maintenance in college, that way too many players ignore cart rules altogether. They ride their carts too close (or ON) to greens and tees, ignore roped off areas (you knew that little opening in the ropes is for mowers and walkers, right?), ride through wet areas, and so on. All of this has an adverse effect on playing conditions.

I believe that pace of play can be affected by carts too. It’s not so much the cart itself. Of course a person in a cart gets to his ball and is ready to hit faster than a walker. But in a foursome, what ends up happening sometimes is that both guys go to one ball, take the shot, then both go to the second ball or they engage in some other time-wasting cart antics. They should both be ready to hit in turn when next leg of the hole is clear. Four walkers typically fan out to their own balls and are ready to go when the coast is clear. I guess that’s more of an etiquette issue, and mostly just comes from ignorance, but it’s one that wouldn’t be so prevalent if more people walked.

While I can’t say I look down at people who use carts (especially since I do it sometimes), I really feel that there are just too many benefits to not walk some rounds here and there. You might find, like I did, that it helps your game more than you might think.

The only real way to make any kind of permanent change to the golf swing is through repetition. It sounds like a given, but often times we start learning something and achieve some success then move on to something else before going through enough repetition to commit it to muscle memory. It’s like rolling a boulder up a hill. If you stop pushing too soon, it’s going to roll back down to the bottom. Repetition doesn’t just build muscle memory. It also builds mental strength. As you begin to groove the swing, confidence grows. When it comes time to execute under pressure, you’re more likely to perform well.

Repetition is especially important in putting because it’s such a delicate matter. Some of you may be familiar with Phil Mickelson’s 100-ball putting drill. It was shown to him by the great Jackie Burke. I remember reading about it a while back before hearing that Phil had given it a try, and it fascinated me.

The basic idea is that you line up ten balls in a circle around a hole in a three-foot circle. You then move around the circle, putting each successive ball in the hole. Then you line up ten more and continue until you’ve made 100 in a row. If you miss one, you start over.

Talk about pressure. Wow. It probably gets to be a tedious drill after the first 20 or 30. Can you imagine missing after 80 or 90?

In the article above, Rick Smith describes two benefits: first, you’ll be grooving a solid putting stroke. Second, you’ll be building a confidence and mental toughness that will help you to perform under pressure out on the course. The seemingly endless repetition you engage in during practice will turn you into a machine when it counts.

Last Sunday I thought about this drill for the first time in a long while. I’ve been having a rough time with my come back so I need to capitalize wherever I can. I had about a two-foot putt for par. I lined it up and just before I was about to stroke it in, I thought, “don’t muscle it by.” That was dumb. No, I didn’t muscle it by. I left it short. A two-footer. If I had repeated that shot in practice enough, it would have been automatic. I’d have just made a directional read and let it fly. There would have been no need to worry about muscling it or shorting it or any other negative thoughts. It would have been robotic.

Immediately after that, when the expletives stopped, I decided that it’s time for the 100-ball drill. I’m going to give it a shot at my next putting session. I’ll let you know how it works out. I’d also love to hear from anyone who’s already tried it.

Within hours of my post yesterday about gamesmanship, I got a phone call and e-mail from my mom. She was quick to point out that the definition for the word “gamesmanship” according to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition indicates that it is a synonym for “cheat” or “trick”. She added, “It would appear that when you emphatically imply that you never cheat but suggest that you use verbal trickery under the ruse of gamesmanship they are not the same thing. Aren’t you very close to crossing the line?” I’d say that gamesmanship does come close to the line, but does not cross it.

I sent my mom an interesting article at golfonline.com about gamesmanship. The author, Eamon Lynch says, “Let’s be clear: Gamesmanship isn’t cheating.” Lynch then goes on to quote Dr. Richard Coop, Golf Magazine’s mental game guru who says, “It doesn’t violate the rules but may violate the intent of the game, which is sportsmanship.” She explicitly pointed that blurb out to me. Mom makes a good point there.

From there, I turned to one of my favorite players in the world. Tiger Woods has an interesting section in his book, How I Play Golf, concerning gamesmanship.

He says, “If you can get into your opponent’s head and throw him off his game, that might be the edge you need to close a game or match.” He goes on to say, “I love mind games. They’re part of the fun of golf.” He then lists his top five favorites (probably where I got some of my own):

• Really lean on a drive, then react as if you mis-hit it.
• On your way to a drive that you nutted, take a quick look at your opponent’s ball as you walk by, hesitate for a moment as if you think it’s yours, then proceed to your drive.
• Concede two or three short putts then make your opponent putt a kick-in.
• Make your opponent putt several gimmes, then concede a questionable two-footer.
• After you’ve out driven an opponent on a day marred by swirling winds, take a club you have no intention of hitting on your opponents approach shot and make a few practice swings. If he’s stealing your club selection, you might get him to guess wrong.

He discusses more about tempering the mental game. I recommend picking up the book for a look into the mind of a player that should eventually go down in history as the greatest of all time.

I think the key to the sportsmanship concern is determined by what you’re playing for. If you’re playing for fun with someone you just hooked up with at the course, then these things are probably bad form. But if it’s against someone in a match that you’re committed to win, then you’re not doing everything you can if you don’t employ a little psychology. There are obviously limits, like if you’re already pounding your opponent into the dirt. There’s no need to step on his back on your way to the awards presentation.

I don’t condone breaches of etiquette like coughing or moving during someone’s swing. But I think mind games between shots are in play. Once you reach a certain level of skill, the game becomes very mental (at least more so than when you’re a weekend duffer). If you haven’t tempered your mental game, then you’ve left yourself with a weakness that can and will be exploited, no different than if you don’t work on your sand play or long approaches or any other aspect of your physical game.

Make no mistake: if you and I are in a serious match then I’m in it to win it. I’m going to do what I can to win. I won’t break the rules, and I’ll do my best not to commit any intentional breaches of etiquette like moving or making noise during your swing and the like. I’ll be cordial, respectful, and friendly. However, if you show up and aren’t mentally prepared, then I’m going to use it to my advantage. If I manage to topple you for the win, I’m going to reach down, help you get up and dust yourself off. I’ll offer to buy you a soda. I’ll smile and genuinely mean it when I wish you the best. But I won’t for one second regret employing psychology to win.