Rating: 
Summary: Up and Down
Review: Scenario: ball on the fringe, flat chip, fast green, 15 feet. The moron I was.... I would use my "L" wedge, place the ball in the back of my stance, and flub the ball only half way to the hole. My "up and down" succes rate was a mind-boggling 30% (which resulted in many Tarzan-like cusses to the jungle). I still wonder which lousy golf magazine I read this devilish tip. However, thanks to the reading of the Dave Pelz Bible, I discovered my chipping technique was bad all along. By chipping with my 7 iron, instead of my "L" wedge, and by simply stroking the ball with the same motion as my putter, my success rate has climbed to nearly 100%. By eliminating the risk of having to hit a "perfect" chip with a lofty club ("L" wedge), not only do I get up and down, I sometimes get UP AND IN TOO!!! . It's amazing how such a simple technique can help improve my scores. I went from a whopping 18 handicap to a single digit handicapper overnight (much to the chagrin of my fellow golfers who continue to worship their "L" wedges). Thanks to DAVE PELZ's Bible I'm born again and cleansed of my old bad habits. Don't worry, I won't come knocking at your door! May the golfing gods be with you.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy it, apply it...see the results!
Review: This book is very well written, illustrated and logical. Dave Pelz can put into words, his method or system for allowing you to consistently control your short game shots. You must read and try the method to understand Pelz's system. Easy to read...the next day I practiced the concepts, measured the results and applied the lessons learned from the system. Over the next month...with some short game practice, my overall handicap dropped 4 strokes. The guessing game of which short game stick and how much swing to put on the ball were over...my confidence greatly improved because of the system. Try it yourself. Very recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Scientific to help.
Review: much too analytical a look at the short game. His NASA background does not help, it confuses. Too much statistical data and too little basic fundmentals. The graphs and photos do not illustrate enough teaching and techniques. Deviation numbers, probability schemes, statistic abnormailities, yada, yada, yada.
Rating: 
Summary: Pleaz Pelz...
Review: Dave Pelz will tell you right away that he was a NASA guy...he had the engineering degree to study golf's most scientific components. I liked what I read and have been attempting to replicate the lessons on the links. I know with his technical descriptors, the book's lessons can be difficult to replicate, but I've been increasing my carbohydrate intake and in conjunction with the hops and barleys, I, like our teacher, am having difficulty seeing my foot-joys when I line up a putt. Now I know why the long-handled putter has become so popular. One very important thing that Dave reinforced, but has been a longstanding inspirational phrase from my pal Dr. Love, "let gravity be your friend". If you take nothing else from Dave's book, remember to hit the up-hill putts harder. And of course...never up, never in. And don't forget...DO NOT hit the big ball first. mj
Rating:
Summary: Good, very good, but ...
Review: Get this book, it will help you improve your score. But understand that you will need to work at it for two reasons. The first being that while David tells you what you have to do to improve, it requires practice to move from thought to action. Lots of practice. The second was a surprise to me. This book if more an odyssey of David's experience in seeking to improve golf than an instruction tome for improvement. It has a number of contradictions (when chipping you get the tightest pattern from a ball between your feet, yet he recommends placing the ball outside your right ankle) and the style is, well, rambling. If like me you were looking for a tight scientific premise, data and conclusions you might be disappointed. None the less, 5 stars; but with a bit of help structuring the writing, it could have been so much more accessible and actionable than it is. Further update November 2003. Also understand that EVERYTHING you could possible do is presented in this book. There is no prioritisation, and if you are a beginner like me, you are better off getting an introduction book such as "David Leadbetter 100% Golf: Unlocking Your True Golf Potential" which will help you get the basics right first.
Rating:
Summary: Too much information
Review: Our game should be simple, understandable, easy, and a joy for a lifetime. In order to accomplish this goal we need to understand that the swing has got to be something that just happens, without conscious thought. Whenever we hit a good shot, invariably it is because we are not thinking. Dave Pelz obviously has not learned that. The swing is not a bunch of parts. It is a full swing back and a full swing through. As with all great golfers the head stays reasonably still. The swing is smooth. The swing is grooved through practice. The swing is powerful with no display of effort. You can't buy a golf swing. Most golfers believe that they could benefit if they could take lessons from the golf coach of a top tournament professional. Most golfers think that golf resorts, books, and lessons from PGA golf pros will help. Instead they only add to more frustration and confusion....and are a waste of money. Countless numbers of golfers have read dozens of books, viewed scores of videos, taken more than one series of lessons and yet they still haven't found their swing. If one could buy a golf swing, millionaires would have great swings. Those who have spent a great deal of money trying to "buy a swing" do no better than the rest of us.....or as well! Can you fix your own slice, drive over 250 yards, break 80, and play with a decent amount of consistency? Is your swing low maintenance? Will it serve you well for a lifetime? All that is needed for a great game is adhering to a few sound and proven principles and lots and lots of practice.
Rating:
Summary: If you play golf, you need this book.
Review: This book is a must have by any golfer at any skill level. It is a particularly necessary item for the novice or beginning golfer who will not become even a "fair" golfer unless they learn and practice the skills illustrated and taught in this valuable book. Even if the golfer takes lessons from a professional teacher of the game, this book is one of the most valuable reference tools available. The research that went into the development of the material in this book is fully outlined and discussed and is as facinating as one will find in any book covering any subject. Your friends can't show you what you need to learn to become an accompished golfer, this book will provide you with a giant step toward that goal.
Rating:
Summary: Complete, instructive but toooooo wordy
Review: See the other reviews for the content. It's very complete and instructive - it makes a great resource. However, you have to wade through a lot of prose to get to the point. The book could easily be half the size. I wanted to use a highlighter for the important points, but his writing style is so imprecise, it wasn't possible. So in summary, Dave - great book! But hire a writer.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding the short game
Review: As a second year golfer, I found this book extremly useful in describing two elements of the game. First is deciding the desired trajectory of the ball - how high, spin, where it should land, speed etc.. Second is making the ball do what you want by selecting from an arsenal of specific shots, clubs matched with swings that have been practiced so that the results are predictable. I did not get immediate results in my score, but I did get an immediate increase in enjoyment through confidence in my game. After about twenty games, my score has dropped fifiteen to twenty strokes.
Rating:
Summary: Concepts difficult to put into action
Review: It's difficult to imagine a more clearly written book than "Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible". It has the look and feel of a college textbook, complete with scientific-style decimal section headings, but it has been written by someone with a genuine interest in your comprehension. One almost expects review questions at the end of each chapter to check your retention. But, it is not a book for the faint of heart. Rather than a collection of short game tips and tricks, Pelz offers an integrated system for hitting short shots precise distances. He directs his narrative toward serious golfers who know and love the value of practice. Others need not apply. Pelz defines the short game as shots hit from 100 yards out to the edge of the green. He does not include putting (covered in a subsequent book). His method involves learning a "finesse swing", which is different from the power swing, and calibrating it to produce repeatable yardages. His goal is to have you hit your shots inside of 10 feet from the pin, because his research indicates that at that distance the chance of holing your next shot increases drammatically. His methods are based on years of the sort of research one would expect from a scientist, which he is. Many of his conclusions are surprising, but they take as much of the guesswork out of the short game as is humanly possible. With doubt removed, all that is left for the reader to do is practice, practice, practice... And therein lies the problem, for unless you have a football field-sized back yard, there is nearly nowhere on earth where you can do the kind of practice Pelz recommends. Pelz wants you to learn three variants of his basic wedge swing and use them with four different wedges to produce 12 reliable ball flight distances. To calibrate this system, you have to measure the distance of *every* practice shot. Unfortunately, diving ranges won't let you walk out and measure your shots, and golf courses won't like you peppering their greens with the thousands of practice shots required to master this system. So, buy the book if you'd like the clearest description of the short game imaginable, but don't be surprised if you won't be able to put any of it to work.
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