Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Golfer's Alert!: Run, Don't Walk, and Buy this Book!
Review: You've seen all the golf how-to's: lots of text, smallish pictures, boring layouts... watching grass grow would be more exciting.
I'm a book editor: I read and evaluate books for a living. When I first laid eyes on HOW I PLAY GOLF, the hairs on my arms stood on end.
You will not find, at any place nor for any price, a book about golf(!) that's more interesting or downright exciting to read. The experience is more like savoring. You'll turn every page reverently and won't skip a word. Tiger extends his passion for the game, as well as his storied perfectionism, to the pages of his book. You'll hear his voice as you read it, and will come away feeling as though you know a bit more about the man with--let's face it--frightening talent. He's willing to share, though, and he is patient and generous with his explanations. The photography is superlative and the sidebars are filled with charming caricatures of the young Master giving us all tips, hope, and encouragement that we can actually achieve some of the magic he performs with his clubs and a little dimpled ball. There are gatefolds that open to show his stance and the progression of his swing. It's a beautiful thing to see, even frozen in photographs.
This is the perfect gift for the golfer in your life, especially if it's yourself. I'd recommend that you buy it for a holiday gift, but that's really much too long to have to wait to enjoy this spectacular volume.
By the way, I wouldn't know a driver from a divot. I do not play golf, but I do know a killer book when I see one. And this book is AWESOME.
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC STEP BY STEP APPROACH
Review: "How I Play Golf" is a fantastic step by step guide. It lays out every stroke and club. It provides a great reference guide after you've been out on the greens. I find myself referring back to it to work on the fine points of my game.The photos are very well done showing each swing and common mistakes. It's a great book for the beginning / intermediate golfer and it avoids the "fine tuning" detail of some books which just seem to complicate the game with too many rules. It's the basic, classic strokes that will help you perfect your game on your way to becoming the next Tiger Woods!
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Summary: Tiger Watching: Lessons in Patience and Perseverance!
Review: 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 watched a lot of Mr. Woods’s tournament rounds, I was pleased to see that he used many references to shots that I remember to make certain points. I was particularly impressed by his assessment that he seldom hits a “perfect shot” in remembering only one in the 12 tournaments he won in 2000. Perhaps the most interesting advice in the book is to swing at only 80 percent of the effort you can make. I have always found that it makes sense to build my game from the putting green back towards the tee. I was delighted to see that this book takes the same approach. Naturally, you will be tempted to skip ahead to the “blast away with the driver” sections, but do read all of the book. There’s lots of good information here. I have played with a number of pros who love to hit their drivers from the fairway. Imagine my fascination when I saw that the book has a section on how to do that.
If you are like me, you will come away with increased respect for the dedication that it has taken to develop this amazing level of skill and coolness. As Mr. Woods says, there are no short cuts. In fact, he has added a lot of discipline since first winning on the tour at 21. No matter what happens to you on the course, or in life . . . keep your chin up and relax!
Rating:
Summary: TOP-NOTCH BOOK, TOP-NOTCH GUY!
Review: I first learned of this book when Tiger appeared as a guest on Oprah. Tiger, as fans know, is a highly competititve man with sheer determination to win, win and win. He gives golf his best with all the heart, soul and passion for the game one could possibly muster.
Although not everyone will fall into the same league as Tiger, the book appeals to every golfer from the novice to the expert. The book is well organized and contains memories of Tiger's best shots, first-hand tips and techniques, and to the book's credit, it contains beautiful photographs and illustrations. The illustrations, in particular, will appeal to every age group from teens through to adults. Tiger has written a book which is far more than an instructional guide to the game, but one that is truly motivational. Tiger is a true pro in every sense of the word. He has a knack for making it seem as if anyone can become a pro and that is is as effortless and simple as one, two, three. In reality, most amateur golfers will only dream of attaining the heights of Tiger Woods, and there is no question that despite his natural flair for the game, his accomplishments are a result of dedication, hard work and commitment. Not only does Tiger show his true professional colours throughout the book, he comes across as a straight-forward, down-to-Earth, "heck-of-a-nice-guy!" Golf enthusiasts will not want to miss this one; the book is most deserving of a five-star rating.
Rating:
Summary: The Book Of Golf
Review: Tiger Woods does an amazing job with this book His 306 pages of great golf is unbelievable.Tiger takes you from being on the green to having to hit through the trees. Chose this book to learn golf or to improve your golf game. He'll tell you about his life and the situations he was in too.
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Summary: The best instructional golf book by far
Review: "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.
Rating:
Summary: You have changed my game!
Review: I don't have a lot of time to play golf but have tried to play the game since I was a kid (I'm now in my 50'sl. I enjoy playing a lot but, because I play so infrequently, I've never seen any improvement in my game. I have only taken a few lessons in my life but never could get the "swing" until I read this book. I have experienced a renewal in my love for the game and I am motivated to constantly improve my skills rather than to continue to be frustrated. This book is extremely well-written and the pictures make the game come alive. Tiger's grip has changed my game forever. I have already sent this book to other golfers in my family since I found it to be the best that I've seen. Thanks, Tiger, for this great book and for being such a terrific role model for all of us old duffers and for the kids in the world too!
Rating:
Summary: How I Play Golf
Review: Tiger Woods does an amazing job with this book. His 306 pages of great golf lessons is unbelievable. Tiger takes you from being on the green to having to hit through trees. Woods will also talk about his life for a bit.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful photos of one of the greatest of golfers
Review: This is a beautifully illustrated book that has a lot of good things to think about and pointers from one of the greatest of all golfers. The book is laid out logically starting with putting and the short game and works its way back to the tee. I think that is a very sound approach. This book really isn't a golf method, but you can certainly use it to look up the part of your game you are interested in working on and looking through how Tiger does it. I find that kind of thing helpful. And there are a lot of photographs. I find it helpful to put those images in my head as I am trying to get myself thinking right in trying to make a shot. While this book is certainly up to date and more modern than Nicklaus' "Golf My Way" or Penick's books, I don't think it is better than theirs. Maybe that is prejudice on my part, but I think they are better teachers of the game and go more in depth on what you are trying to do and why. Tiger explains what he does and is pretty light on the theory. But who cares? The book says it is just about how Tiger plays golf and that is what it delivers? Did Tiger write this book? Probably not. I am sure he thought about it and talked it through with the folks who put it together. I have no idea. It is all written in the first person, but has a sort of distanced style of writing that is often a tip off that someone else wrote it for him. But it is certainly Tiger in the pictures and I believe that Tiger agrees with what is in here. So, at that level it is a pretty useful book for someone who wants to think about how a virtuoso of the highest caliber plays this difficult sport.
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