This second edition of Golf: Steps to Success provides more than 80 drills and practice techniques that will help golfers of all abilities improve their game. The book encourages golfers to be active participants and learn correct skills and techniques by practicing them out on the course.
By following the book’s sequential program of lessons and drills and by studying the 180 illustrations that show proper form, golfers will learn to make great shots using every club in their bag. The drills in the book come with performance goals, a list of key points to remember when performing each drill, and many include instructions for increasing or decreasing the difficulty of the drill.
With Golf: Steps to Success (Second Edition), golfers will learn how to:
• develop a consistently good swing motion; • select the proper golf club based on the distance to the pin, trajectory needed, and lie of the ball; • control the flight pattern of the ball by hitting the ball with the proper club angle; • properly execute a pitch shot, chip shot, and two different types of sand shots; • develop a good putting stroke and accurately read the contour of greens; • adjust shots for two types of uneven lies—sidehill lies and uphill/downhill lies; and • plan the best strategy to play each hole.
Golf: Steps to Success (Second Edition) contains 12 steps (chapters) that teach players the physical and mental aspects of the game. The steps progress from basic to intermediate skills. Each step:
• explains why the skill is important, • identifies the keys to proper execution of technique, • points out common errors and shows how to correct them, • provides drills designed specifically to develop players knowledge and performance of the skill, and • lists specific performance goals for each drill, which help challenge players to improve and progress toward the next step.
Written by master teachers DeDe Owens and Linda Bunker, Golf: Steps to Success (Second Edition) is part of the highly popular Steps to Success Activity Series—the most extensively researched and carefully developed set of sport skills instruction books ever published.
Golf Instructor Guide: Steps to Success features an 80-question test bank and sample course schedules for 24-, 36-, and 45-session classes. Also covers:
• Being an effective golf instructor • Making the class setting safe • Rating students’ starting points • Setting up class sessions • Introducing students to the course • Teaching skills and strategies • Providing feedback • Conducting drills • Evaluating students
About the Author
DeDe Owens, EdD, now deceased, was the Director of Instruction at Cog Hill Golf Club in Lemont, Illinois and a member of the Wilson Sporting Goods staff and Golf Digest Magazine professional staff. A former golfer on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour, she holds the LPGA’s Master Teacher ranking. She was selected Midwest LPGA Teacher of the Year five times (1989-1993) and was the LPGA Teacher of the Year in both 1978 and 1993. She was also the national president of the LPGA Teaching Division.
In 1986 Dr. Owens received the Joe Graffis Award from the National Golf Foundation for her "outstanding contribution to golf education." She was full-time golf professional and consultant who also shared her skills as a faculty member at the University of North Carolina, Delta State University, Illinois State University, and the University of Virginia. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award from both the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of Virginia. Dr. Owens coauthored five books: Golf for Special Populations, Golf: Better Practice for Better Play, Advanced Golf: Steps to Success, Teaching Golf: Steps to Success, and Coaching Golf Effectively, all published by Human Kinetics.
Linda K. Bunker, PhD, is a professor of physical education and Associate Dean for Academic Student Affairs at the University of Virginia. She is a consultant for both the National Golf Foundation and the Ladies Professional Golf Association and is on the advisory boards of the Women’s Sports Foundation and the Melpomene Institute, the Minneapolis-based research institute for women in sport.
Dr. Bunker has worked as a consultant to the Holland Golf Team and has given golf workshops for PGA professionals from Japan, Holland, and the United States. In 1994 she received the President’s Award from the Women’s Sports Foundation and was also elected to the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education. She currently works with professionals on the LPGA and PGA tours. Widely published, she has written over 50 journal articles and is the coauthor of many other books, including Mind Mastery for Winning Golf; Mind, Set and Match; Sport Psychology; Maximizing Sport Potential; Parenting Your Superstar; The Courtside Coach; Golf: Better Practice for Better Play; Advanced Golf: Steps to Success; Teaching Golf: Steps to Success; and Coaching Golf Effectively.
Table of Contents
The Steps to Success Staircase The Game of Golf Equipment
Step 1. Swing Motion: Developing Feel, Rhythm, and Tempo Step 2. SetUp and Preswing Routine: Consistency Is the Key Step 3. Distance Swing: Hitting Full Irons and Woods Step 4. Golf Ball Feedback: Learning from Ball Flight Step 5. Pitch Shots: Approaching the Green Step 6. Chip Shots: Scoring With Your Short Game Step 7. Putting: Reading, Rolling, and Recording Step 8. Sand Shots: Getting Untrapped Step 9. Uneven Lies: Adjusting for Terrain Step 10. Mental Control: Focusing and Letting Go Step 11. Shot Selection and Course Management: Becoming a Thinking Player Step 12. The 19th Hole: Postround Tips and Practice Strategies
Rating Your Golf Progress
Appendix: Shotkeeper Scorecard
Words of Praise
"Owens and Bunker have come up with a unique approach to learning the game, good for beginners or experienced players. Their ideas are based on 50 years of research in education techniques, teaching golf and playing at tournament-level competition. If you follow the steps in correct order, you are sure to meet with your own golfing success." Roger Schiffman Executive Editor, Golf Digest
"Golf: Steps to Success is the perfect fit for the beginning golfer looking for a complete golf instruction guide." Joe Beditz President and CEO, National Golf Foundation