100 Best Golf Books of All Time (Updated for 2026)

1

Ben Hogan's Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf

Ben Hogan, Herbert Warren Wind, et al.

5.0

an alternate cover edition can be found here

A timeless classic with nearly one million copies in print, Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons outlines the building blocks of winning golf from one of the all-time masters of the sport—fully illustrated with drawings and diagrams to improve your game instantly.

Ben Hogan, one of the greatest golfers in the history of the sport, believed that any golfer with averag

2

The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever

Mark Frost

4.8

In 1956, a casual bet between two millionaires eventually pitted two of the greatest golfers of the era -- Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan -- against top amateurs Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi.

The year: 1956. Decades have passed since Eddie Lowery came to fame as the ten-year-old caddie to U.S. Open Champion Francis Ouimet. Now a wealthy car dealer and avid supporter of amateur golf, Lowery has just mad

3

Golf is Not a Game of Perfect

Bob Rotella

4.8

Preview Summary

Filled with insightful stories about golf, Dr. Bob Rotella’s delightful book will improve the game of even the most casual weekend player.

Dr. Bob Rotella is one of the hottest performance consultants in America today. Among his many professional clients are Nick Price (last year's Player of the Year), Tom Kite, Davis Love III, Pat Bradley, Brad Faxon, John Daly, and many others. Rotella, or “Doc,”

Recommended by Bill Cole.

Bill Cole

Bob Rotella is probably currently the most famous sports psychologist out there, still active. It’s very easy reading and it has the ring of truth because he’s in the trenches every single day, and has a huge amount of credibility. [source]

4

Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons And Teachings From A Lifetime In Golf

Harvey Penick

4.7

The twentieth anniversary edition of this classic work—the bestselling golf instruction book of all time and hailed as “the golfer's equivalent of The Elements of Style” (The New York Times)—includes a new introduction by a prominent golfer, twenty new illustrations, and never-before-published materials from the Penick family archives.

The most beloved golf book of all time, Harvey Penick’s Little

5

The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf

Mark Frost

4.6

THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED is the story of Francis Ouimet and Harry Vardon, who in pursuit of their passion for a game that captivated them as children, broke down rigid social barriers that made their sport accessible to everyone on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond, positioning golf as one of the most widely played games in the world. Ouimet and Vardon were two men from different generati

6

Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible: Master the Finesse Swing and Lower Your Score

Dave Pelz

4.5

"He who rules the short game collects the gold."--Dave Pelz's Golden Rule of Golf

Fed up with trying to imitate the pros, buying the latest expensive equipment, and seeing your handicap stay the same? The first book by bestselling author and internationally revered golf instructor Dave Pelz since Putt Like the Pros, his bestselling classic, Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible can show you the way to lowe

7

Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game

Joseph Parent

4.5

The best players know that golf is a game of confidence, and most important, concentration–the ability to focus and block out distraction. The goal of achieving clear thought is also at the heart of Buddhist teachings. In his highly original and groundbreaking book, noted PGA coach and Buddhist instructor, Dr. Joseph Parent, draws on this natural connection and teaches golfers how to clear their m

8

A Course Called Ireland: A Long Walk in Search of a Country, a Pint, and the Next Tee

Tom Coyne

4.4

The hysterical story bestseller about one man's epic Celtic sojourn in search of ancestors, nostalgia, and the world's greatest round of golf

By turns hilarious and poetic, A Course Called Ireland is a magnificent tour of a vibrant land and paean to the world's greatest game in the tradition of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. In his thirties, married, and staring down impending fatherhood, Tom

9

Tiger Woods

Jeff Benedict

4.4

The #1 New York Times bestseller based on years of reporting and interviews with more than 250 people from every corner of Tiger Woods’s life—this “comprehensive, propulsive…and unsparing” (The New Yorker) biography is “an ambitious 360-degree portrait of golf’s most scrutinized figure…brimming with revealing details” (Golf Digest).

In 2009, Tiger Woods was the most famous athlete on the planet, a

Recommended by Ryan Holiday.

Ryan Holiday

Author

I was riveted (and appalled) by Tiger Woods and probably talked to more people about this book than anything else I read this year. [source]

10

A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour

John Feinstein

4.4

In the highly acclaimed bestseller A Good Walk Spoiled, John Feinstein captures the world of professional golf as it has never been captured before. Traveling with the golfers on the PGA Tour, Feinstein gets inside the heads of the game's greatest players as well as its struggling wannabes. Meet superstars like Nick Price, who nailed a fifty-foot putt at the seventeenth to win the British Open, an

11

Golf My Way: The Instructional Classic, Revised and Updated

Jack Nicklaus, Ken Bowden, et al.

4.4

Hailed as a classic and read everywhere golf is played, Golf My Way has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide since it was first published in 1974.

Finally, Jack Nicklaus, golf's leading master, definitively covers the whole of his game through a lifetime of greatness. Golf My Way presents an all-inclusive, A-to-Z explanation of how this greatest of champions thinks about and plays the game.

-Ne

12

The Grand Slam: Bobby Jones, America, and the Story of Golf

Mark Frost

4.4

This Los Angeles Times bestseller takes a riveting look at the life and times of depression-era golf legend Bobby Jones.

In the wake of the stock market crash and the dawn of the Great Depression, a ray of light emerged from the world of sports in the summer of 1930. Bobby Jones, a 28-year-old amateur golfer, mounted a campaign against the record books. In four months, he conquered the British Am

13

The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods

Hank Haney

4.4

Hank Haney's candid, surprisingly insightful account of his tumultuous six-year journey with Tiger Woods, during which the supremely gifted golfer collected six major championships and rewrote golf history. Hank was one of very few people allowed behind the curtain and observed Tiger in nearly every circumstance. There's never been a book about Tiger that is as intimate and revealing--or as wise a

14

The Legend of Bagger Vance: A Novel of Golf & the Game of Life

Steven Pressfield

4.3

The time: 1931. The place: the golf links at Krewe Island off Savannah's windswept Atlantic shore. The event: a once-in-a-lifetime 36-hole match...in which the stakes are higher than anyone imagined. In Steven Pressfield's richly imagined, vividly detailed story, golf legends Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen are joined by a local unsung opponent, the troubled war hero Rannulph Junah. Played above ragi

15

Who's Your Caddy?: Looping for the Great, Near Great, and Reprobates of Golf

Rick Reilly

4.3

The funniest and most popular sportswriter in America abandons his desk to caddy for some of the world's most famous golfers--and some celebrity duffers--with hilarious results in this New York Times bestseller.

Who knows a golfer best? Who's with them every minute of every round, hears their muttering, knows whether they cheat? Their caddies, of course. So sportswriter Rick Reilly figured that he

16

Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son

Kevin Cook

4.3

17

The Majors

John Feinstein

4.3

America's bestselling sportswriter spends a year behind the scenes at the most competitive events in golf - the four tournaments known as the Majors.

18

The Practice Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Golfers

Mr Adam Young

4.3

A golf instructional book, not teaching the swing, but teaching the learning process and how to practice. The author writes, "[t]his is not a swing instruction book. You are not going to find the latest 'secrets' of golf, it is not going to tell you the 'one magical key' in your backswing, and it is not going to replace your teacher or golf coach. This book deals with something far more important

19

The Inner Game of Golf

W. Timothy Gallwey

4.3

SHARPEN YOUR MIND AND SHINE IN YOUR PERFORMANCE IN THE GAME OF GOLF AND IN THE GAME OF LIFE

W. Timothy Gallwey’s bestselling Inner Game books–with more than one million copies sold–have revolutionized the way we think about sports. As he did in his phenomenally successful The Inner Game of Tennis, Gallwey provides methods that can be applied to situations beyond the green. The Inner Game of Golf de

20

How I Play Golf

Tiger Woods

4.3

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 shape.

21

Golf in the Kingdom

Michael Murphy

4.3

Since its first publication, Golf in the Kingdom has been recognized as a classic work on the deeper mysteries of golf—a gospel of those who suspect, or know, that golf is more than a mere pastime.A young man en route to India stops in Scotland to play at the legendary Burningbush golf club and in twenty-four hours, his life is transformed. Paired with a mysterious teacher named Shivas Irons, he i

22

Every Shot Counts: Using the Revolutionary Strokes Gained Approach to Improve Your Golf Performance and Strategy

Mark Broadie

4.3

Columbia Business School professor Mark Broadie’s paradigm-shifting approach that uses statistics and golf analytics to transform the game.

Mark Broadie is at the forefront of a revolutionary new approach to the game of golf. What does it take to drop ten strokes from your golf score? What part of Tiger Woods’ game makes him a winner? Traditional golf stats can't answer these questions. Broadie, a

23

Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump

Rick Reilly

4.3

An uproarious indictment of Donald Trump's lying, cheating, and poor sportsmanship--by the bestselling author and acclaimed sportswriter.

Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump is an on-the-ground and behind-the-scenes look at Trump's ethics deficit on and off the course. Reilly will transport readers onto the golf course with President Trump, revealing the absurd ways in which he lies about h

24

The Masters: Golf, Money, and Power in Augusta, Georgia

Curt Sampson

4.3

The Masters golf tournament weaves a hypnotic spell. It is the toughest ticket in sports, with black-market tickets selling for $10,000 and more. Success at Augusta National breeds legends, while failure can overshadow even the most brilliant of careers. But as Curt Sampson, author of the bestselling Hogan, reveals in The Masters, a cold heart beats behind the warm antebellum façade of this famous

25

Every Shot Must Have a Purpose: How Golf54 Can Make You a Better Player

Pia Nilsson

4.3

Two legendary coaches give golfers a powerful new approach to the game... and to life.As coaches to some of golf's top players, Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott have designed and refined a revolutionary way of teaching the game, with phenomenal results. They don't believe in prescribing the same stance, grip, and swing to everyone, followed by hours of purposeless drilling. They don't even believe in

26

Paper Tiger: An Obsessed Golfer's Quest to Play with the Pros

Tom Coyne

4.3

"Think country-club clinic meets Navy Seals training. I will pay any price, bear any burden, leave my home to follow the seasons, build my own swing studio in the basement, construct a practice green in my backyard. . . . Everything the big boys have access to, I want double." Like most amateur golfers, Tom Coyne had often wondered whether the pros won because they were more talented or because th

27

Final Rounds: A Father, a Son, the Golf Journey of a Lifetime

James Dodson

4.3

James Dodson always felt closest to his father while they were on the links. So it seemed only appropriate when his father learned he had two months to live that they would set off on the golf journey of their dreams to play the most famous courses in the world.

Final Rounds takes us to the historic courses of Royal Lytham and Royal Birkdale, to the windswept undulations of Carnoustie, where Hogan

28

Dave Pelz's Putting Bible: The Complete Guide to Mastering the Green

Dave Pelz

4.3

Dave Pelz's Putting Bible is the second book in a four-book series, the Dave Pelz Scoring Game Series.

Over 150,000 readers have purchased Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible after just its first year of release publication, making the book an instant classic. Now, let Dave help you shape up your game on the greens with his new Putting Bible, which is sure to make all other putting manuals obsolete.

Dave P

29

And If You Play Golf, You're My Friend: Further Reflections of a Grown Caddie

Harvey Penick, Bud Shrake

4.3

Another round of inspiration and instruction.

When Harvey Penick signed copies of his now classic first book, Harvey Penick's Little Red Book, Bud Shrake, his coauthor, noticed that he often inscribed them with the line “To my fried and pupil.” When Shrake asked him why, Penick replied “Well, if you read my book, you're my pupil, and if you play golf, you're my friend.”

Taking up where the Little Re

30

Tales from Q School: Inside Golf's Fifth Major

John Feinstein

4.2

It is the tournament that separates champions from mortals. It is the starting point for the careers of future legends and can be the final stop on the down escalator for fading stars. The annual PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament is one of the most grueling competitions in any sport. Every fall, veterans and talented hopefuls sweat through six rounds of hell at Q school, as the tournament is universa

31

Missing Links

Rick Reilly

4.2

Missing Links is the story of four middle-class buddies who live outside Boston and for years have been 1) utterly obsessed with golf and 2) a regular foursome at Ponkaquoque Municipal Course and Deli, not so fondly known as Ponky, the single worst golf course in America. Just adjacent to the municipal course lies the Mayflower Country Club, the most exclusive private course in all of Boston and a

32

An American Caddie in St. Andrews: Growing Up, Girls, and Looping on the Old Course

Oliver Horovitz

4.2

In the middle of Oliver Horovitz's high school graduation ceremony, his cell phone rang: It was Harvard. He'd been accepted, but he couldn't start for another year.

A caddie since he was twelve and a golfer sporting a 1.8 handicap, Ollie decides to spend his gap year in St. Andrews, Scotland—a town with the U.K.'s highest number of pubs per capita, and home to the Old Course, golf's most famous ei

33

Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia

David L. Cook, Tom Lehman

4.2

Golfers and non-golfers alike will be moved by the powerful transformation that takes place in Golf's Sacred Journey.

This book is about influence. The story is based on thousands of athletes the author has counseled, and the great mentors and teachers from whom he has learned, told through the lives of two characters—a rancher with a passion for teaching truth and a young golf professional at the

34

Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black

John Feinstein

4.2

Tiger Woods has called the U.S. Open "the most difficult national championship." With Open, John Feinstein goes behind the scenes to tell for the first time the full story of how the 2002 U.S. Open Championship came into being-how a public course was transformed into one of the most difficult and surprising in the tournament's history, and how the greatest golfers in the world rose to its almost i

35

Be a Player: A Breakthrough Approach to Playing Better ON the Golf Course

Pia Nilsson

4.2

The founders of the world-renowned VISION54 training program and the authors of the bestselling Every Shot Must Have a Purpose take golf instruction to the next level in this groundbreaking new approach to mastering the game.

Golf is a beloved yet technical game, so a sound swing and precise technique are essential. Most golfers who want to improve their skills go to the range and work painstakingl

36

Men in Green

Michael Bamberger

4.2

The instant New York Times bestseller from acclaimed Sports Illustrated writer Michael Bamberger—a warm, nostalgic, intimately reported account of golf’s greatest generation, and “maybe the best golf book I’ve ever read” (Bill Reynolds, The Providence Journal).

With “exceptional insight into some of America’s greatest players over the last half-century” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), Men in Green is

37

A Life Well Played: My Stories (Commemorative Edition)

Arnold Palmer

4.2

The commemorative edition of the instant New York Times bestseller--now with a foreword by Jack Nicklaus!

"A wonderful compilation that reflects who he was as a person, as a golfer, and as someone who believed in giving back. He was a champion at each turn, and it was an honor not just knowing him and competing against him for nearly 60 years, but also being his friend." --Jack Nicklaus, from the f

38

The Anatomy of a Golf Course: The Art of Golf Architecture

Tom Doak, Ben Crenshaw

4.2

A core book for any golfer--how to read a golf course, through the eyes of a course architect.

39

Caddy for Life: The Bruce Edwards Story

John Feinstein

4.2

Beyond golf's polished surface there lies a world not often seen by the average fan. The caddy sees everything - the ambition, the strategy, the rivalries, the jealousies - that occurs behind the scenes. Award-winning John Feinstein, America's favourite sportswriter, got one of golf's legendary caddies to reveal the secrets behind the most popular sport of our time.

Bruce Edwards was diagnosed wi

40

Hogan

Curt Sampson

4.2

Ben Hogan won four U.S. Opens in six years, three of them after a near-fatal head-on automobile collision. Driven by an obsessive dedication to the game, legend has it, he practiced until his hands bled. The concentration and precision he exhibited on the course awed spectators and fellow players alike.

In this extraordinary book--the first full-scale biography of the enigmatic Hogan in twenty year

41

Putting Out of Your Mind. Bob Rotella with Bob Cullen

Robert J. Rotella

4.2

'You drive for show, you putt for dough'. This old saying is familiar to all golfers and Bob Rotella, one of the foremost authorities on golf today, is a firm believer in its truth. In PUTTING OUT OF YOUR MIND he reveals the unique mental approach that great putting requires and helps golfers of all levels master this essential skill. Much like GOLF IS NOT A GAME OF PERFECT and GOLF IS A GAME OF C

42

Golf Is a Game of Confidence

Dr. Bob Rotella, Bob Cullen

4.2

From the author of the bestselling Golf is Not a Game of Perfect comes a masterly illumination of golf's mental game.

When that book was published, Dr Bob Rotella made accessible for the first time what he had learned from working with the best golfers in the world. Dr Rotella follows up the success of Golf is Not a Game of Perfect with a book filled with anecdotes and motivational instruction focu

43

Power Golf

Ben Hogan

4.2

Now available in trade paperback—the best golf instruction book ever written from one of golf’s all time greatest players—featuring more than 120 self-teaching tips and illustrations to show readers how to lower their golf score.

"There is no such individual as a born golfer. Some have more natural ability than others, but they’ve all been made."—Ben Hogan

Considered one of the greatest golfers in

44

Dead Solid Perfect

Dan Jenkins

4.2

The legendary golf novel, rereleased in a special edition with a new foreword by the author.

Don Imus said it best: "Dan Jenkins is a comic genius." And nowhere is that genius more evident than in Dead Solid Perfect, his uproarious 1974 novel about life on the PGA Tour. To some, Kenny Lee Puckett, the star of Jenkins's ribald saga, is a more important figure in the history of golf than Bobby Jones

45

Back Spin (Myron Bolitar, #4)

Harlan Coben

4.2

Kidnappers have snatched the teenage son of super-star golfer Linda Coldren and her husband, Jack, an aging pro, at the height of the U.S. Open. To help get the boy back, sports agent Myron Bolitar goes charging after clues and suspects from the Main Line mansions to a downtown cheaters' motel--and back in time to a U.S. Open twenty-three years ago, when Jack Coldren should have won, but didn't. S

46

The Eternal Summer: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Hogan in 1960, Golf's Golden Year

Curt Sampson

4.2

Was there ever a year in golf like 1960?
It was the year that the sport and its vivid personalities exploded on the consciousness of the nation, when the past, present, and future of the sport collided. Here was Arnold Palmer, the workingman's hero, "sweating, chain-smoking, shirt-tail flying"; Ben Hogan, the greatest player of the fifties, a perfectionist battling twin demons of age and nerves; a

47

Golf for Dummies

Gary McCord

4.2

The fun and easy way to get a grip on golfGolf For Dummies, 4th Edition, gives you all the latest information on the game, including updated expert advice on everything from improving fundamentals to mastering the game's mental aspects. With advice from professional Gary McCord, this expert guide gives you easy to follow instructions for hitting the ball farther and straighter, and hints on how to

48

Your Short Game Solution: Mastering the Finesse Game from 120 Yards and In

James Sieckmann

4.1

Supported by state-of-the-art motion analysis research, "short game guru to the pros" James Sieckmann unveils his "finesse wedge" swing -- a proven and pragmatic way to learn, practice, and perform with each wedge in the bag in every situation -- and shows players that upgrading their short game is possible.

Since James Sieckmann first revealed his short-game methods two decades ago, he has amasse

49

The Golf Omnibus

P.G. Wodehouse

4.1

31 perfect golf shots from the pen of P.G. Wodehouse. Play the game the P.G. Wodehouse wayâ€”with wit, charm, and a touch of mischief. You'll discover:
• How love on the links can lead to the worst kinds of hazards.
• A nation where golf is God and all the subjects are in heaven.
• Wagers in the rough that can drive millionaires to distraction.
• The terrors of teeing off, the frustrations on the fair

50

Miracle on the 17th Green (Travis McKinley, #1)

James Patterson, Peter de Jonge

4.1

Travis McKinley is an ordinary man living an ordinary life - he has a job that he despises, a marriage that has lost its passion, children from whom he feels disconnected, and at age fifty, a sense that he has accomplished nothing of consequence with his life. But on Christmas Day, he goes out to play a round of golf, and for the first time, he finds himself in the "zone". He sees the putting line

51

The Downhill Lie: A Hacker's Return to a Ruinous Sport

Carl Hiaasen

4.1

Ever wonder how to retrieve a sunken golf cart from a snake-infested lake? Or which club in your bag is best suited for combat against a horde of rats? If these and other sporting questions are gnawing at you, The Downhill Lie, Carl Hiaasen's hilarious confessional about returning to the fairways after a thirty-two-year absence, is definitely the book for you.

Originally drawn to the game by his fa

52

The First Major: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup

John Feinstein

4.1

The rivalry between the U.S. and European teams was at an all-time high even before the first swing of the 2016 Ryder Cup. The Americans had lost an astounding six out of the last seven matches. With the U.S. team out for revenge and the Europeans determined to keep the Cup out of American hands, the showdown took place in Hazeltine, Minnesota--just days after the death of golf legend Arnold Palme

53

Your 15th Club: The Inner Secret to Great Golf

Robert J. Rotella

4.1

All golfers have fourteen clubs in their bag, but the real winners have a little something extra—that mental attitude that puts their game above the others. Dr. Bob Rotella, author of the bestselling book Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect, brings together his skills and years of experience as a golf psychologist to give readers the insight they need to improve their game—before they ever step up to th

54

Slaying the Tiger: A Year Inside the Ropes on the New PGA Tour

Shane Ryan

4.1

55

The Keys to the Effortless Golf Swing

Michael McTeigue, Jim McQueen, et al.

4.1

The biggest paradox in golf is that the harder you try to hit the ball, the worse you do so. In The Keys to the Effortless Golf Swing, Michael McTeigue offers you a simple system of sequential body movements that produces a true swinging motion with every club in the bag. The result is increased distance and greater accuracy for all sizes, shapes, and ages of golfers for a minimum investment in le

56

Golf Dreams: Writings on Golf

John Updike

4.1

John Updike wrote about the lure of golf for five decades, from the first time he teed off at the age of twenty-five until his final rounds at the age of seventy-six. Golf Dreams collects the most memorable of his golf pieces, high-spirited evidence of his learning, playing, and living for the game. The camaraderie of golf, the perils of its present boom, how to relate to caddies, and how to manag

57

Arnie and Jack: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Golf's Greatest Rivalry

Ian O'Connor

4.1

Surprisingly, one of sport’s most contentious, complex, and defining clashes played out not in the boxing ring or at the line of scrimmage but on the genteel green fairways of the world’s finest golf courses. Arnie and Jack. Palmer and Nicklaus. Their fifty-year duel, in both the clubhouse and the boardroom, propelled each to the status of American icon and pushed modern golf to the heights and po

58

To the Linksland: A Golfing Adventure

Michael Bamberger

4.1

59

American Triumvirate: Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, and the Modern Age of Golf

James Dodson

4.1

With compelling detail and pure passion, James Dodson recounts the singular brilliance of three golf titans and how they saved the professional tour and created the game as we know it today.

During the Depression golf was in crisis. As a spectator sport it was on the verge of extinction. This was the unhappy prospect facing Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, and Ben Hogan –two dirt-poor boys from Texas and a

60

The Art of the Short Game

Stan Utley and Matthew Rud

4.1

61

A Course Called Scotland: Searching the Home of Golf for the Secret to Its Game

Tom Coyne

4.1

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “One of the best golf books this century.” —Golf Digest

Tom Coyne’s A Course Called Scotland is a heartfelt and humorous celebration of his quest to play golf on every links course in Scotland, the birthplace of the game he loves.

For much of his adult life, bestselling author Tom Coyne has been chasing a golf ball around the globe. When he was in college, studying abr

62

The Elements of Scoring: A Master's Guide to the Art of Scoring Your Best When You're Not Playing Your Best

Raymond Floyd, Fred Couples, Arnold Palmer, Jaime Diaz

4.1

Say Good-Bye to Doubles and Triples Forever
Every aspect of golf, from the swing to the follow-through, is a means to one deceptively simple end: to get the ball into the hole in the fewest strokes possible. The Elements of Scoring explains how paying attention to the way you play -- regardless of your level of skill -- will guarantee you fewer strokes, a better overall game, and at the end of the

63

One Magical Sunday: (But Winning Isn't Everything)

Phil Mickelson, Donald T. Phillips

4.1

Every year, he came so close only to fall short. Every year, the dream grew larger, only to fade away. Yet every year, his gallery of fans grew in support of his quest. Then, on April 11, 2004, for the most beloved golfer of the decade, everything changed. It is a moment ingrained in the hearts and minds of millions, a moment of epic triumph and destiny fulfilled that will be remembered for the ag

64

Unconscious Putting: Dave Stockton's Guide to Unlocking Your Signature Stroke

Dave Stockton

4.1

"The Pro Tours' Hottest Coach" ("Golf Digest") reveals the secrets that helped Phil Mickelson win the 2010 Masters and can utterly transform every player's game.

When a resurgent Phil Mickelson won the Tour Championship in September 2009, he was quick to credit a series of simple putting lessons from veteran golf champion and instructor Dave Stockton. As a top coach, Stockton has taught a long list

65

The Making of the Masters: Clifford Roberts, Augusta National, and Golf's Most Prestigious Tournament

David Owen

4.1

The Masters. For any golf fan, the words evoke the immortal greats of the game and their quest for the most prized trophy of all -- the green jacket of Augusta National Golf Club.
But behind the legendary links and timeless traditions is one of the most overlooked and misunderstood figures in the history of the Masters and Augusta National: Clifford Roberts, the club's chairman from its founding

66

Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

Gary Mack

4.1

Drawing on his work with some of the top teams in professional sports, noted sport psychology consultant Gary Mack shares with you the same techniques and exercises he uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle." These 40 accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes will help you gain the "head edge" over the competition.

Recommended by Michael Gervais.

Michael Gervais

One of the books I often give away is Mind Gym by Gary Mack. It’s a very mechanical, easy, lots-of-white-space-on-the-page book. And it’s one of my favourites, a very applied synopsis of mental skills from a sport and performance psychology standpoint. [source]

67

My Life in and out of the Rough: The Truth Behind All That Bull**** You Think You Know About Me

John Daly

4.1

Ever since his astonishing victory in the 1991 PGA Championship, John Daly has enthralled fans with his big drives, bigger personality, and his "grip it and rip it" approach to golf . . . and to life. Usually seen with a cigarette dangling from his lip, Long John is the unchained, unpredictable, unapologetic bad boy of professional golf.

My Life In and Out of the Rough is the thrillingly—and someti

68

The Greatest Player Who Never Lived: A Golf Story

J. Michael Veron

4.1

When Charley Hunter goes to work as a summer intern at a prestigious Atlanta law firm, he has no idea that his passion for golf will come into play on the job. Stumbling onto a yellowed file containing correspondence between Beau Stedman, an astonishingly talented teenage golfer, and the legendary Bobby Jones (once a partner at the firm), Hunter finds himself embroiled in a decades-old murder case

69

The Secret of Golf: The Story of Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus

Joe Posnanski

4.1

New York Times Bestseller

The first time they met, at an exhibition match in 1967, Tom Watson was a seventeen-year-old high school student and Jack Nicklaus, at twenty-seven, was already the greatest golfer in the world. Though they shared some similarities—they were both Midwestern boys who had learned how to play golf at their fathers’ country clubs—they differed in many ways. Nicklaus played a g

70

Dream Golf: The Making of Bandon Dunes, Revised and Expanded

Stephen Goodwin

4.1

"Mike Keiser followed his instincts to build courses that speak to golf as a rugged adventure. Steve Goodwin's spirited book will speak to the golfing soul in you." —Lorne Rubenstein, columnist for The Globe and Mail (Canada) and author of A Season in Dornoch

On a wild, windblown bluff high above the Pacific sits one of America’s premier golfing destinations, Bandon Dunes. Golf enthusiast Mike Kei

71

Harvey Penick's Little Green Golf Book

Harvey Penick

4.1

72

Bud, Sweat & Tees: A Walk on the Wild Side of the PGA Tour

Alan Shipnuck

4.1

The PGA Tour is the most interesting subculture in sports, though you wouldn't know it from most golf books. The Tour is home to rowdy, randy young men often drunk with money and fame; fueled by alcohol and adrenaline, they barnstorm from town to town like rock stars, with all the attendant excesses. And in each player's shadow is his faithful caddie -- performing a thankless six-figure job that c

73

Shanks for Nothing

Rick Reilly

4.1

The hilarious sequel to Rick Reilly’s beloved bestselling golf novel Missing Links

Life is going pretty well for Raymond “Stick” Hart. He’s happily married to the former Ponkaquogue Municipal Golf Club assistant pro, the beauteous Cajun firecracker Dannie, raising his rambunctious son, Charlie, and getting by writing smart-mouthed greeting cards for fifty bucks a pop. Best of all, nothing has chang

74

The Spirit of St. Andrews

Alister Mackenzie

4.1

Alister MacKenzie was one of golf's greatest architects. He designed his courses so that players of all skill levels could enjoy the game while still creating fantastic challenges for the most experienced players. Several of MacKenzie's courses, such as Augusta National, Cypress Point, and Pasatiempo, remain in the top 100 today. In his "lost" 1933 manuscript, published for the first time in 1995

75

Ben Hogan: An American Life

James Dodson

4.1

Authorized, intimate, and definitive, Ben Hogan: A Life is the long-awaited biography of one of golf’s greatest, most enigmatic legends, narrated with the unique eloquence that has made author James Dodson a critically acclaimed national bestseller.

One man is often credited with shaping the landscape of modern golf. Ben Hogan was a short, trim, impeccably dressed Texan whose fierce work ethic, le

76

Lady Be Good (Wynette, Texas, #2)

Susan Elizabeth Phillips

4.1

A British Lady

Lady Emma Wells-Finch, the oh-so-proper headmistressof England's St. Gertrude's School for Girls, is a woman on a mission—she has two weeks to lose her reputation. Arriving in Texas with skirts flying, umbrella pointing, and beautiful mouth issuing orders, she knows only one thing will save her from losing everything she holds dear: complete and utter disgrace!

A Texas Rascal

World-fam

77

The Game for a Lifetime: More Lessons and Teachings

Harvey Penick, Bud Shrake

4.0

Timeless lessons from the master of the game.

This, the fourth book by Harvey Penick, was nearly finished when he died in April 1995. A return to the timeless wisdom that has made his first bestseller, Harvey Penick's Little Red Book, a modern classic, The Game for a Lifetime does not contain the technical swing tips and stance aids of today's instructional guides, but dispenses a philosophy on gol

78

Secrets of the Short Game

Phil Mickelson, Guy Yocom, T.R. Reinman

4.0

From 50 yards and in, no golfer in history has demonstrated more talent, flair, creativity and precision, or generated more raw excitement, than Phil Mickelson. His ability with the sand wedge and putter are legendary not only among fans but his peers as well, and it is his skill with those clubs that is primarily responsible for his winning 34 tournaments on the PGA Tour, including three major ch

79

The Golfer's Mind: Play to Play Great

Robert J. Rotella and Bob Cullen

4.0

For the last decade, golfers of all abilities have been drawn to the writings and teachings of Bob "Doc" Rotella. His books Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect, Golf Is a Game of Confidence, The Golf of Your Dreams, and Putting Out of Your Mind have all become classics for golfers everywhere. Weekend golfers and pros like Brad Faxon, Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Tom Kite, and Davis Love III all re

80

The Wisdom of Harvey Penick

Harvey Penick, Bud Shrake

4.0

When Ben Crenshaw sank his putt at the seventy-second hole for a one-shot victory in the 1995 Masters, he bent over, buried his face in his fingers for a moment, then wept in the arms of his caddie. This was Ben's way of telling the world that what he had just done was his own memorial to his great friend and mentor Harvey Penick, who had passed away almost exactly a week before. With Crenshaw's v

81

Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game

Dr. Gio Valiante, Mike Stachura

4.0

A detailed plan for conquering the FEAR that sabotages swings and ruins psyches, from the pioneering psychologist whose techniques have benefited Davis Love III, Justin Leonard, and numerous other world-class golfers.

As Jack Nicklaus once observed, fear is the golfer’s greatest enemy, inspiring Tiger Woods to "refuse" to give in to this debilitating emotion. It can turn professionals into jelly an

82

Payne Stewart: The Authorized Biography

Ken Abraham, Tracey Stewart, Mike Hicks

4.0

When his life came to a sudden and tragic end on October 25, 1999, Payne Stewart was at the top of his game on every level. In June of 1999, he enjoyed the signature triumph of his career and solidified himself as one of the exemplary personalities in his profession with a victory at the U.S. Open and a place on the coveted winning U.S. Ryder Cup team. However satisfying his professional accomplis

83

Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story

Chris Nashawaty

4.0

"More fun to read than the movie was to watch... a scene-stealing book."
-- The Washington Post

An Entertainment Weekly "Must List" selection

Caddyshack is one of the most beloved comedies of all time, a classic snobs vs. slobs story of working class kids and the white collar buffoons that make them haul their golf bags in the hot summer sun. It has sex, drugs and one very memorable candy bar, but

Recommended by Mike Sievert.

Mike Sievert

@GeorgeTakei Caddyshack, FTW! There’s a great book about the making of it! https://t.co/nOLfr7HbTh [source]

84

A Golfer's Life

Arnold Palmer, James Dodson

4.0

There has never been a golfer to rival Arnold Palmer. He's the most aggressive, most exciting player the game has ever known, a dynamo famous for coming from behind to make bold last-minute charges to victory. To the legions of golf fans known around the world as "Arnie's Army, " Palmer is a charismatic hero, the winner of sixty-one tournaments on the PGA Tour and still going strong on the Senior

85

The Impact Zone: Mastering Golf's Moment of Truth

Bobby Clampett, Andy Brumer

4.0

"Bobby Clampett is one of the most knowledgeable golfing minds in the game."
—Tom Lehman, 1996 British Open Champion, 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team captain

Impact has long been called golf's "moment of truth," and great golfers have spent countless hours working on their swings trying to upgrade their impact dynamics as the golf club approaches, contacts, then swings through the ball. For the first time,

86

Dream On: The Challenge To Break Par In A Year

John Richardson

4.0

John Richardson is a regular bloke who enjoys a round of golf in his spare time. That is until he sets himself a challenge to shoot a level par round within the year. With no natural talent, precious little time and no fitness level to speak of, can John pull it off? This text charts his progress.

87

A Season in Dornoch: Golf and Life in the Scottish Highlands

Lorne Rubenstein, Sean Connery

4.0

The town of Dornoch, Scotland, lies at nearly the same latitude as Juneau, Alaska. A bit too far removed for the taste of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the Royal Dornoch Golf Club has never hosted a British Open, but that has hardly diminished its mystique or its renown. In an influential piece for The New Yorker in 1964, Herbert Warren Wind wrote, "It is the most natural course

88

The Green

Troon McAllister

4.0

The Ryder Cup.

A biennial tournament considered the premier event in the golfing world, pitting the twelve best players in the United States against the twelve best of Europe in a contest so pressure-filled it can paralyze even the most battle-scarred tour veterans.

United States captain Alan Bellamy, with one precious slot unfilled and none of the remaining top tour players willing to sign on again

89

The Art of Putting: The Revolutionary Feel-Based System for Improving Your Score

Stan Utley, Matthew Rudy

4.0

PGA stars such as Jay Haas, Craig Stadler, Peter Jacobsen, and Darren Clarke have all sought advice from fellow pro Stan Utley about their putting, and have gone on to such immediate success on the green that Utley has become the most in-demand teacher in the game. Now, in The Art of Putting he outlines his unique approach to putting for golfers of all skill levels. In a welcome change from mechan

90

Unconscious Scoring: Dave Stockton's Guide to Saving Shots Around the Green

Dave Stockton

4.0

"The Pro Tours's hottest coach" (Golf Digest) scores the perfect follow-up to his bestselling golf guide, Unconscious Putting.

Dave Stockton is hotter than ever. The 2011 U.S. Open winner, Rory McIlroy, studied with the renowned instructor and two-time former PGA champion, and credits Stockton's teachings as the reason behind his own putting success.

In Unconscious Putting, Stockton introduced amat

91

Two Years in St. Andrews: At Home on the 18th Hole

George Peper

4.0

A YEAR IN PROVENCE for golfers - a wry, wonderfully entertaining account of what happens when golf writer George Peper lives every fan's dream and buys a home alongside the venerable old Course in St. Andrews.

92

For All Who Love the Game: Lessons and Teachings for Women

Harvey Penick, Bud Shrake

4.0

EVERY WOMAN CAN PLAY GREAT GOLF
Known in the world of golf as one of the game's greatest teachers, Harvey Penick worked with U.S. Open winners, great champions, and five out of the thirteen women who are members of the LPGA Hall of Fame. Mickey Wright, Sandra Palmer, Betsy Rawls, Kathy Whitworth, Judy Rankin, and Betty Jameson all had the privilege and honor of working with Penick. While he was p

93

The Last Stand of Payne Stewart: The Year Golf Changed Forever

Kevin Robbins

4.0

Winner of the USGA Herbert Warren Wind Book Award

From award-winning sports writer Kevin Robbins, The Last Stand of Payne Stewart is the story of legendary golfer Payne Stewart, focusing on his last year in the PGA Tour in 1999, which tragically culminated in a fatal air disaster that transpired publically on televisions across the country.
Forever remembered as one of the most dramatic storylines

94

The Anatomy of Greatness: Lessons from the Best Golf Swings in History

Brandel Chamblee

4.0

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

In the first book from popular Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee, the network’s “resident scholar and critic” (The New York Times) explores the common swing positions of the greatest players throughout history—and reveals how those commonalities can help players of every skill level improve their own games.

Every golf game begins with the swing. While no two are identic

95

Mastering Golf's Mental Game: Your Ultimate Guide to Better On-Course Performance and Lower Scores

Michael Lardon, Matthew Rudy, Phil Mickleson

4.0

Perfect your mental approach to your game

To be a golfer is to tinker—with everything from equipment to grip to swing. But one thing most players don’t give enough attention to is the mental game. Psychologists aren’t a new phenomenon in golf, but Dr. Michael Lardon is a different breed of performance coach. Instead of sending his players into a losing battle against emotion, indecision, and fear o

96

Are You Kidding Me?: The Story of Rocco Mediate's Extraordinary Battle with Tiger Woods at the US Open

Rocco Mediate, John Feinstein

4.0

June 2008's US Open produced one of the most unexpected and dramatic showdowns in golf history. Day after day the invincible Tiger Woods was challenged by Rocco Mediate, a respected journeyman. On Sunday, both ended play tied at par, forcing a playoff. Defying expectations, Mediate played Woods to yet another tie, losing only after forcing a sudden-death showdown.

Through it all, Rocco Mediate emer

97

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

Kadir Nelson

4.0

What began as a spiritual has developed into one of America's best-known songs, and now for the first time it appears as a picture book, masterfully created by award-winning artist Kadir Nelson.
Through sublime landscapes and warm images of a boy and his family, Kadir has created a dazzling, intimate interpretation, one that rejoices in the connectedness of people and nature.Inspired by the song's

98

Extraordinary Golf: The Art of the Possible

Fred Shoemaker, Pete Shoemaker

4.0

Most golfers approach the tee with a complex mental package: worries and judgments about their swing, the other person's swing, the course, the weather, looking good, looking bad. They think about what's wrong instead of what's possible, and this is what Extraordinary Golf teaches: the art of the possible. Drawing on his experience teaching both amateurs and professionals for more than fifteen yea

99

Call Me Irresistible (Wynette, Texas, #5)

Susan Elizabeth Phillips

4.0

R.S.V.P. to the most riotous wedding of the year....

Lucy Jorik is the daughter of a former president of the United States.

Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends.

One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible—Ted Beaudine—the favorite son of Wynette, Texas. The other is not happy about it and is determined to save her friend from a mess of heartache.

But even though Meg knows that breaking up her b

100

Miracle at Augusta (Travis McKinley, #2)

James Patterson, Peter de Jonge

4.0

One year after his big golf tournament win, Travis McKinley struggles to find a place in the world of professional sports in this inspiring novel.
A year ago, unknown golfing amateur Travis McKinley shocked the world by winning the PGA Senior Open at Pebble Beach. Now he's famous, he makes his living playing the game he loves, and everything should be perfect. Still, Travis can't shake the feeling