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

Stan Utley's short game method was not really "easy" for me. It was a definite change from my usual short game techniques and initially it felt very awkward. I had one great short game round with a lot of up and down par saves followed by some very frustrating rounds that included score-inflating skulled or stubbed chips and pitches. I am commited to making this work as I trust that Utley knows of what he speaks and since I did have some initial success- far better than my typical short game.

I've gone back and reviewed sections of the book and the associated drills and have dedicated some time to practice. I am finally "getting it." I've ordered a 58 deg wedge with 12 deg of bounce as Utley suggested. This will replace my current 56 and 60 deg wedges and will make room for an additional club at the other end of my set. With experimentation I have been able to hit a wide variety of shots with one wedge (either the 56 or 60) and I think the 58 deg wedge will work better for this. It was surprising to me that changing shot trajectory was not really too challenging a skill to pick up and it will come in very handy.

Utley's sand shot method is pretty unique but this alone was worth the price of the book for me. I have never been very confident from the sand despite carrying a low single-digit handicap. Once I got the feel for this method I started getting up and down from the sand more regularly and now actually enjoy hitting shots from greenside bunkers. I would recommend the book for this technique alone.

I prefer learning golf techniques with personal lessons or from video formats. I was somewhat skeptical about the relative effectiveness of learning golf skills from a book. The illustrations were helpful but not entirely clear. I spent considerable time trying to conceptualize Utley's lessons and would have liked a DVD format but hey, it worked. I can't argue with the results. This is a quick read, but as mentioned I have re-read sections multiple times and will probably continue to do this to compliment my practice and to keep me from drifting back to my old bad habits.

The bottom line for me was that this is not a magic fix for the short game but it is solid advice and proven techniques that WILL work with some practice. Good luck.

simple effective explanations regarding the short game 'swing' ... will see some tie-ins to the 'stack & tilt' concepts ...

The author presents a method to improve your short game that truley works. The more you apply the method on and around the practice green the greated the amount of improvent in chipping, pitching and bunker play will improve on the course.

This book was delivered promptly and as advertised. I have read the book and am currently applying some of the concepts within my golf game. The instructions are clear and the illustrations are very helpful. I recommend it to any golfer wanting to improve thier game.

Within a couple of weeks, with meaningful practice, the methods taught in the book significantly improved my chipping and pitching. Bunker game has improved too although implementation is harder.

Strongly recommended.