Harvey Penick's Little Red Book by Harvey Penick

I read this book at the driving range and I like it enough that if the second book is still at BookOff the next time I visit, I'll probably get it (I obviously didn't learn my lesson  about having too many books when I moved).

Harvey Penick's Little Red Book is basically a collection of golfing tips and stories (and even one poem). Harvey Penick is supposed to be this really great teacher, although I haven't heard of him before. But he sounds really kind and like a good teacher.

Basically, Harvey's philosophy is that golf is a game you can spend your whole life learning (agree) and that although each person has their own style of playing, there are certain principles that can help you play a better game. So while he talks about people who are exceptions to the rules, he does give you the 'rules' that can help you improve golf.

And a lot of stories. I think there are more stories about golf than tips about golf in the book. I found most of them interesting, but I have a feeling that I'm supposed to be impressed at the people who wrote the introduction/are mentioned in the book. Then again, I like playing golf but not really watching it, so that probably explains my ignorance regarding those people.

This is definitely a book that fans of golf would like. But I don't think this is a good book for people looking to get into the game because it uses quite a lot of golf terminology (do the words "hook your putts" and "squaring the club face" mean anything to you?). In fact, I would probably understand and appreciate this a lot more when I was in MG because I was learning and using those terms regularly back then. Reading it now, I have to think hard to understand some sentences.

Still, I'm glad I got this book. It's always fun to read about golf from someone who loves it, and it serves as a good motivator for me(:

The Flexible Golf Swing by Roger Fredericks

I asked for this book because I'm in golf. I'm not a very good golfer though (like most of the things I do) - I can't seem to hit very far or very straight. This book says that the problem is that I'm not flexible enough.

The Flexible Golf Swing is structured like a handbook. There is a forward from Arnold Palmer, a personal account from the author and then the book delves into the fundamentals of a golf swing, what the muscles do, a few tests you can take, exercises you can do and so on.

When I did the test, I found out I have tight calves, but other than that I was fine. I could not try hip flexor test though - I didn't have enough space.

Personally, I think this book is more suited for golf coaches rather than amateur golfers like me. I would have really liked to have gone through this book with my coach but sadly, he's in Malaysia. I didn't quite understand some of the explanations, even though they came with pictures. This however, could be due to the fact that I'm not very familiar with golf.

All in all, this book looks interesting, but I'm not sure how effective it is. If you're thinking of picking up golf, just go out and start playing, don't read a book! If you're looking to improve your game, it's worth asking your coach to go through the book and help you apply the drills.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.