Golf For Dummies Paperback – March 1, 2011

The book is well written and easy to follow. It also covers a wide variety of golf related topics. I would encourage anyone, even if they have been golfing for some time, to get a copy of this book. It makes for a good reference book as well as a "How To" book.

Golf for Dummies - 4th EditionGary McCord's Golf for Dummies gets an update for the 4th edition in 2011. I used the 3rd edition (published in 2006) extensively in 2008 when I first started getting into golf. I thoroughly enjoy how McCord treats golf with an open, light, and humorous approach. Golf for Dummies straight out tells you that it covers almost every aspect of golf and not just the swing. It is truly designed for the beginner and intermediate level players and it isn't necessary to go from cover to cover. I use it as a reference from time to time because it covers subjects ranging from clubs, clothing, sportsmanship, to different hazards.The Tin Cup / Kevin Costner anecdotes still remain in the 4th edition, but I have only noticed a few minor differences. In the 3rd edition, McCord stated that hybrids are also known as utility clubs while in the 4th edition, it is just called a hybrid. If you look at any modern golf club catalog or selection in the stores, the hybrids are fairly popular. From my experience, a good hybrid like a 18 or 19 degree, could be used on the fairway or in the rough depending on what you need. McCord's club selection has changed from the 3rd edition. He now has a 3 iron and a 19 degree hybrid instead of 21 degree and 18 degree hybrids.Overall: 5/5 stars, perfect for golf players that are beginners or who have some experience.

Always good to review the basics

This book is a easy read for those of us that have forgotten the basics to the game. Gary does an excellent job with his descriptions and illustrations to get you back on the golf course and with practice your game will improve.

The writer is very entertaining, but the first several chapters just glazed over subjects with no detail that there was no point to even include the chapters about what to wear, etc. He has some nice suggestions for techniques. These intro books rarely give enough pictures for the beginner to really learn the technique being taught. The golf swing should be more like 5 chapters instead of one chapter because that is what we all struggle with in the beginning and probably always. I have never been a fan of books that indicate to see your golf pro to learn more. Often, those that are buying the books probably do not have access or limited finances to seek out a golf pro to continue our training thus why we buy the book and we are hoping for more step by step pictures and instructions. Overall, a fair book. Did not address anything specific for women which since it is a growing sport for women, it should being written in last few years. Entertaining book and I did learn some things.

Easy read

To get back into golf after off many years, I thought this would be a great read but gets to technical for a new golfer or one coming back

Helpful book, I enjoyed reading it to get the lay of the land, so to speak. There is an error/mistake, however. On p. 24, he says, "If you slice, for example, you can try clubs with less loft..." I told this to my teacher, and he told me that to correct a slice, you use a club with more loft, not less. I did some Googling and found websites that confirmed what my teacher said. Just figured I'd mention it, and perhaps it will be corrected in the next edition.