Runyan and Rotella Short Game Book Reviews
This past month I took the time to read these two books, and here are some thoughts and hopefully tips from them:
The Short Way to Lower Scoring (Paul Runyan)
Mike Dickson, Head Pro at Congressional Country Club and a very successful Edel fitter, suggested Paul Runyan's teachings as a short game resource. It was written in 1979, and since Mr. Runyan was well know as a short game guru it is a classic.
The key thing that struck me from reading this book is his recommended approach to putting and chipping. Most instruction these days suggests that your putting grip should have the palms of your hands parallel to your target. He, however, recommends a putting grip that will encourage a firm-wristed stroke, here is his description:
"The ideal position for the hands when putting and chipping is for each palm to be facing inward and upward at a 45-degree angle."
When reading this, I remembered the way that Corey Pavin holds the putter - like Runyan recommends. And then I looked back at a Jack Nicklaus putting book that I have - same thing. So those are certainly two pretty good putters who have used this approach.
He also recommends that golfers should chip like they putt - with the same putting grip and a similar motion. I have personally tested this approach and it works well and is worth considering.
Finally, in his portion of the book where he talks about Wedge Bounce, he has a wonderful paragraph on the principal of bounce on wedges. He drew an analogy to excavating a basement with a team of horses pulling a large shovel or scoop. When the "operator" would want to cut into the ground, he would lower the shovel's leading edge. When he wanted to have the shovel come out of the ground, he would lower the shovel's trailing edge and raise the shovel's leading edge - Just Like Wedge Bounce!
A very good read and well worth having in your golf instruction book collection.
The Unstoppable Golfer - Trusting Your Mind & Your Short Game to Achieve Greatness (Dr. Bob Rotella)
This book was released a few months ago, and is another of a series of books by Dr. Rotella written to help golfers improve the mental aspects of their golf games. There is a quote in the book from an early golf instruction book written by Harry Vardon - The Complete Golfer:
"There is a tendency to regard a very long drive as almost everything in the playing of a hole and to be utterly careless of straightness and the short game."
The more things change the more they remain the same no? Dr. Rotella emphasizes in this book that the golfers scoring clubs - short irons, wedges, and putters - are the most important clubs to a golfer's success. He also emphasizes that you will never fulfill your golf potential embrace, love, and take pride in your short game, and stop longing for someone else's long game swing.
The book provides a lot of suggestions for improving the mental aspects of your short game. The most enjoyable part of the read for me were the chapters on his efforts to provide advice to Trevor Immelman and Darren Clarke that helped them win major championships - particularly the chapter on his discussions with Darren Clarke during the 2011 British Open. A great read!
