How I Play Golf

by Tiger Woods

Book Overview

For the first time, champion Tiger Woods reveals the five secrets to his amazing success - a combination of physical, metaphysical and psychological practices he uses daily to keep his game in top... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446529311
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 3.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.1" x 1.0" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Such a great book.

This is such a great book loaded with great detail of the fundamentals of Tigers game. It’s Tiger woods, the book is amazing.

Great instruction and a good look at Tiger.

Tiger teaches golf from the green to the tee. A smart process. The book reads like Tiger is speaking to you, not like a ghost writer has written the book. It’s clear why Tiger is so loved and respected by devoted golf fans. Great instruction and much more.

A book I Keep coming back Too

I bought Tiger's book several months ago as a I started learning to play golf in earnest. My experience has been similar to those others who have reviewed this book - excellent! However, one point I wanted to add was that I find that the book as a wealth of specific points (such as tee and ball address positions depending on club selection etc), that at first seem too detailed, though ultimately are sought for as your level of play increases. Even the ordering of the book's chapters at first seem odd (the swing is somewhere in the middle), but it's fair to say make much more sense once you've been using it for some few months. This alone indicates it's excellent value for money as a resource of pictures, advice and lessons learned you can keep coming back too as your game progresses and you're ready to move onto the next level. And when Tiger hands over some golfing advice - you pay attention

The best instructional golf book by far

"How I Play Golf" is easily the best instructional golf book I've ever come across. As I read the book, I was amazed at both the amount of information and the level of detail. Yes, Tiger obviously covers the fundamentals (vital information!) but he also discusses numerous more advanced topics (like hitting stingers and chipping with a 3-wood). Golfers of all skill levels can benefit enormously from this book. However, if you're just starting out, buy this book. It could save you years of frustration on the course.For what it's worth, the (mild) review/criticisms of this book are weak. I don't see why Tiger was supposed to exclude (or re-write and re-photograph) great pieces previously included in issues of Golf Digest (which probably represents less than 1% of the book). To say this book is a rehash of old Golf Digest articles is flat-out wrong (I also subscribe to Golf Digest).I have both "How I Play Golf" and a couple of David Leadbetter's instructional books - including "The Fundamentals of Hogan". In my opinion, Tiger's book is more far more understandable and useful (but that's just my opinion). Is this Tiger's version of "Five Lessons"? No. Why re-invent the wheel. Besides, that was 1957. Different time, different equipment, different players, different courses, different approaches, different books. Both good, but different.

Excellent

My husband and I took up golf a couple of years ago for fun, and to introduce our eight year old son to a sport we could all play together. My son is now plays in tournaments each week. The problem is he never listens to any advice I give him! Obviously I am no Earl Woods but now I have Tiger by my side! My son can read the book, look at the photos and see exactly what he should be doing. The book is easy to read and contains precise instructions. The photos are superb and guide the reader through every step of the swing. Tiger's thoughts about the game are inspiring and insightful. I also recommend you read 'Open Your Mind, Open Your Life: A Little Book of Eastern Wisdom' by Taro Gold, which contains many great quotations and inspiring messages based on the Buddhist teachings that Tiger practices.

Tiger Watching: Lessons in Patience and Perseverance!

If you are like me, your golf swing will never be confused with Mr. Tiger Woods’s magnificent arcs. On the other hand, I enjoy watching him on television (even a lot of nongolfers do, too), and How I Play Golf is a very valuable, detailed look a how he eats, exercises, practices, prepares mentally, thinks through shots, sets up, and executes. I found this book to be the most revealing look at one golfer’s game that it has ever been my pleasure to look at and read about. Even if I can never learn anything from his game, I will certainly watch his game with a more educated eye in the future!One of my major complaints about the photographs in most golf books is that the images do not illuminate what the text describes. These photographs are both well coordinated with the text, and easy to evaluate from an amateur perspective. I especially enjoyed seeing the details of the different grips Mr. Woods uses. I got several ideas for experiments to try in order to cure faults in my swing with those grip examples.Another complaint about books by famous golfers is that they encourage too many people to emulate them. Mr. Woods makes it clear that this is how he plays golf, and why. In several places, he points out that his solutions will not be right for you. On the other hand, he plays with a lot of amateurs in pro-ams and studies with top teaching professionals. From those perspectives, he has a lot to say for the amateur, weekend golfer. A great strength of this book is that it shows you and describes each element of the game from many different perspectives. You often see very large color photographs, from different angles. In other places, the degree of grip pressure is explored in considerable detail, with useful calibrations to experience. The text also describes why one approach works in a given situation and another one does not. For example, there are almost as many illustrations of common faults as of proper practice and performance. Seeing the "wrong" and the "right" side-by-side makes the message much clearer. In a few places, Mr. Woods also explains how his special physical skills permit him to do things that won’t work for very many other people. For example, he can feel the degree of "squareness" of the club head as it approaches the hitting zone and can make fine adjustments with his hands just before contact. He uses a grip that takes advantage of that talent. On the other hand, he cautions the reader to model the full swing on a golfer who has a similar physique and stature to oneself. The book contains a lot of sound advice of the sort that you would eventually pick up by reading about 50 issues of Golf Digest. Those who want to see basics outlined all in one place will like this book. It has a lot of the richness of a Dave Pelz book, but is simplified to make the material easier to absorb and remember. I also liked the way that key points are repeated throughout the book, in order to help drive them home. Having w

If Only I Could Play Like Him!

I'd love to play golf like Tiger -- what golfer wouldn't! This coffee table size book is chock full of instructive pictures of Tiger's address, grip and swing, and shows him in the sand, in the rough and in the fairway.. The editors do a good job letting the reader in on how Tiger thinks thru his golf game. Whether you are a charter member of the Tiger Woods Fan Club, or just a golfer in search of a way to drop your handicap down a few strokes, this book is for you.