Rating: 
Summary: A great book...for the most important part of the game
Review: Arguably one of the most readable and plain speaking golf books I've ever read. Pelz definitively makes the argument that the short game is the most important part of your golf game, and then provides the techniques, drills, and practice tips to help you improve. Get this book if you're serious about improving your score.
Rating:
Summary: Best golf instructional book ever written
Review: Reading and applying what is in this book is guaranteed to make you a better golfer. The book is very readable and well organized. Pelz's methods are based on scientific research not opinion and they definitely work. I've been to his 3-day school and this book covers everything in the school except putting.
Rating:
Summary: THE SHORT GAME BIBLE--ABSOLUTELY!
Review: Book arrived on Thur.--read about 2/3,s by Sat.-- practiced 3 hrs Sun.---On the first hole Mon. hit 2nd shot into the cup --sandwedge + "9 o'clock swing"--for a two{par four}--honest injun! I was impressed how straight my wedges are going. Mr. Pelz has written the best short game instruction I've ever read [many,many golf books].
Rating:
Summary: A great read with great instruction
Review: This is the first instructional book that is very readable. The book is best read front to back. The pure instructional portion is well thought out, well illustrated, and immediately useful on the golf course. There was alot of planning that went into this book and it shows. This should be the way instructional books are written in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: dave pelz short game bible
Review: I bought this after looking at it several times in the bookstores. I have always carried a pw, sw and occassionally a lw. I was a pretty good wedge player but didn't always get it close to the hole or stop it. After reading the book, I went to 4 wedges, adding a gap wedge. I practiced the system and last week I was 70 yards out on a par four. I knew that would be a 10:30 gap wedge. It took one bounce and in the hole. It is really neat when this stuff works. You learn how far a chip will run based upon the club and the swing. I was struggling in the sand and the very first swing I took after reading the sand chapter was 5 feet from the pin. Most of the people I play with including some scratch players could use the information in this book. I also had the Putt Like a Pro book and I am automatic from 7 feet in now. It is kind of expensive but you will make that back with the first few bets you win. Now when you play you can see how bad the short game of the other players really is. Actually I hope none of my opponents read this book. I like taking their money.
Rating: 
Summary: improves short game, terrible to read and weak instructions
Review: The Good:
Peltz introduces a smart and easy system of getting to know 3 distinct (or 6 if you include swings where you are gripping down on the shaft) shooting distances for each wedge in you bag. The system is very useful and gives reproducible results on the course, so the book definitely does gives you an edge training wise. I also liked how he by "scientific" analysis found out how to score better and why the short game is so important (and under rated) - very convincing. I found myself measuring off different wedge shots, putting labels with numbers on the shafts of my wedges (and having fun at it) immediately after reading the book.
The bad:
The book itself is however a terrible read. Peltz stated that he had read a book on learning theory at some stage, but I really wished that he had read a book about communication theory before writing this book. He repeats himself over and over and over and... it gets to a point where it is just not any kind of fun. Even some of the illustrations are repeated at least three times in the book. You constantly go either 'I got it I got it I got it - snap out of it!' or you go 'come on Peltz, get to the f..... point'. He also includes long and detailed annecdotes about how he and his tour friends discovered the facts that he now teaches in the book. This might be great if you are into the semi historical perspectives sitting in front of the fireplace with hot chocolate, but if you buy this book as a reference for improving your short game it just distracts you from the essence.
Another thing annoying me is how he sneaks in this feeling of "Trademark-of-Dave-Peltz-golf-school" all the time. F.ex. your swing plane and grip now becomes the "finesse swing plane" and the "finesse grip" for your "finesse swing" as if he invented the concepts of an upright swingplane and a loose grip for the short game.
The teaching of the mechanics of the short game swing was not very clear (at least for me they weren't). I had hoped for something along the lines of "Ben Hogan's five lessons" where you can feel the words in your body right there from the sofa. The pictures are inconsistent with what is being said. F.ex. he writes 'arms, hips and shoulders move back synchronized - no coiling takes place between shoulders and hip in the finesse swing' and the picture shows a 45 degrees hip turn with a 90 degrees shoulder turn :(
The description of the chip shot is also very weak. I now know where to place the ball, but what to do with the arms relative to hips and shoulders is still not clear.
To conclude:
The book will make you focus more on your short game and most likely result in lower scores if you practice was is being said, but the lessons does not justify a whopping 400 pages - not at all! Also the reading experience is very cumbersome.
The 3 stars reflects the fact that you do get some very useful knowledge from reading the book but also that after going through 400 pages of agonizing repetitions there are still some very fundamental issues about the mechanics that are not completely clear.
Rating:
Summary: Good hints for short game
Review: This is a good book for the short game. Dave Pelz has a good analytical mind. There are good hints on chipping, pitching and putting from all kinds of yardages and surfaces. If you really want a great book on the entire game of golf, including the short game, I highly recommend the following:
The Ultimate Golf Instruction Guide: Key Techniques for Becoming a Zero Handicap Golfer or Better (ISBN: 1933023090)
This last book is right on the money for both the long and short game of golf. It helped me to get my scores in the seventies, which I never achieved before.
I recommend Pelz's book because it showed me the different kinds of short shots. However, the second book helped me to improve so much faster than anything else I tried on the market.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent perspective for beginners and high 'cappers
Review: I am a high-handicapper. This book really changed the way I look at the game, and I'm out besting my friends now.
The evidence in the first few chapters is enlightening demonstrating that the game of golf is really 3 games: the long game, the short game, and putting. The money winners are those golfers with the best short game. This book covers the short game (obviously).
The evidence uncovers that, while the long game is a question of timing the swing to aim left to right, the short games is accurate left to right and requires accurate short distance swings.
Pelz then goes on to lay out a system whereby one measures their average distance at full, half, and quarter swings for several wedge clubs. This provides a matrix of distance selection when faced with a short shot.
I found immediately implementation of the system to be easy and fun. I measured distances for chips from the edge of the green with a variety of clubs. Now I prefer a 10-foot chip to a putt from the edge and can control the ball much better.
Rating:
Summary: It Works, and It's Fun
Review: THIS book is quite loaded with instructions/tips for all sorts of different short game situations, but at the same time it does not lose its coherence all the way through. It will help you understand how to look at the game and how to lower your score. Very well-written, indeed.
For me, this book was exceptionally helpful 'cause I had been rather a ball-striker-type of player in the past. (If you are, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!) I've taken finesse shots a lot more seriously after I got the book, and it gives me joy in an entirely different dimension. After some practicing with the book, you will start to notice that you are one-putting quite more often than before. And of course.. your score is dropping rapidly!
Rating:
Summary: Great Golf Book Though Not for Everyone...
Review: Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible can be intimidating at first glance. It's somewhat techinical with alot of pages. People who want to understand the science behing short game shots will really appreciate this book. In addition to thoroughly explaining the various shots, Pelz provides convincing data to support his short game concepts. To implement his 'system' you'll need a lot of time and access to good practice facilities (or at least an open field). Since implement Pelz's '3x4' system, I've significantly improved my shots from within 70 yards. It's amazing how many times I've heard people say 'Nice Shot!' after one of my distance wedge shoots. I've had a little more difficulty incorporating Pelz's chipping method...though I should note I haven't put as much time into it! Overall this is a great golf book for people with the time and effort to read through it and practice.
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