Reading the Green

Most golfers want to get better, and that pursuit of excellence takes many paths. So why not enlist the help of the average (Joe) golfer? Golf enthusiast Chris Kalwa tells his story in The Legend of Joe Golfer—A Salute to the Regular Player. 

Like many thousands of golfers before him, Kalwa got hooked on golf during the “Tiger era,” and took his athletic abilities and strength and conditioning background to transform himself into a pretty good golfer. It’s a perfect read for those of us who may prefer to learn on our own (also known as the hard way). 

Kalwa combines personal stories of his misspent youth and golfing buddy adventures with drills, exercises and practice tips that make all the self-improvement drudgery sweeter to swallow. 

Besides, who wouldn’t want to learn from a guy who struggled just like us?

If you are looking to transform your golf game with the help of a golf professional, then Ollen Stephens and Andrew Cohn’s How to Overcome the Power of the Golf Ball may be more your speed.

The book promises to “MacGyver-ize your swing by spring,” with Cohn (the writer) wielding the pen behind this project, while also playing guinea pig as he improves his game utilizing Stephens’ (the golf professional) process of improving a player’s game while enhancing his or her enjoyment.

With a heavy dose of “how you practice is how you play” thinking, the book really helps you improve by focusing on making your practice sessions better and more reactive to the elements of your game that need the most work.

Neither of these books will help you get a tour card, but what they will do is make you think about the areas of your game to work on, how to improve on those deficiencies, and above all else, enjoy the process.