Dave Pelz's Putting Bible: The Complete Guide to Mastering the Green (Dave Pelz Scoring Game Series)

The reviewers name is Cheryl but I'm her husband giving this review. I'm also going to post this review with the Pelz Short Game Bible also since most comments apply to both books. The big caveat mentioned is that I took the Pelz 3-day short game school and then bought and read the Putting and Short Game Bibles. Because I went to his school these books are invaluable as resource material and as reminders of the tools and techniques we learned in the school. I have friends who've read the books and have tried to apply the techniques without the advantage of having had personal instruction and they've had less success. If you're reading this you're a golfer who wants to improve but you probably understand it's hard (impossible in my opinion) to self-teach and self-correct putting and swing flaws. For example, I read Pelz's earlier book "Putting Like the Pros" and followed the techniques to a tee (no pun intended) or so I thought. I thought I was doing everything right but was still putting poorly. I learned in the school I was doing several things incorrectly even though I thought I was doing what Dave outlined in his book. That's not to poo-poo the Putting or Short Game Bibles if you haven't, or don't intend to take one of his schools, because there's a lot of valuable information in both books that should improve your game. Just be aware that much of the material is difficult to fully comprehend via the written word as opposed to visual input from real professionals. As an example of some changes that I made that you wouldn't get from the book had to do with my putter. I had a standard lie putter that was 35 1/2 inches long. I'm 6'3" so that sounds reasonable…right? Well, it was determined in class based on my set-up, posture, putter path, eye-line, etc., that I really needed a putter that was 33 1/2" long which "forced" me to get into a proper posture and set-up. I also had to change the putter head weight, lie angle, and grip. These are things that you won't get from the book but may be critical to your ultimate success. There's some other things too, like the "finesse grip" and 7:30-9:00-10:30 swing positions in the short game that some might find confusing. Also, be aware that even though I went to the school making changes to your putting set-up, putter, stroke, etc., can be very frustrating and it will take time and require some serious practice. The same applies to the short game. Nobody ever said golf is easy though great players make it look as though it is. There are two putting aids that I will highly recommend if your serious enough to get the book and work on your putting and that's Dave's "Putting Tutor" and his "Teacher Putting Clips". He has a bunch of aids but these two are the best if you want to improve your putting. They can make a real difference in your putting accuracy. The Clips give you feed back on hitting putts on the putter sweet-spot (a critical element to good putting), and the putting tutor will confirm that your eyes are over the line of the putt and that you are able to stroke the putt along the intended path. The nice thing is that they can, and should, be used in your home. The putting tutor can be used on the practice green but that's not necessary except perhaps as a periodic check. These can purchased on Pelz' web site. I do have one criticism of the Short Game Bible and that has to do with the pitch shot (3-30 yards from the green) situations that you will confront on any course. That chapter is too general and I think more time should have been devoted to the numerous situations and alternative shot options and techniques that you should consider. In short, if your serious about learning some new putting skills and enjoy practicing you'll be please with the book. Best of luck.

I recently purchased the putting bible, short game bible and Damage Control for a friend of mine. I actually found his original Putt like a Pro (now the putting bible) in thrift store back in 2013. Admittedly I was a terrible putter at this time and only got the book as it was one of the last I had to choose from. It changed my perspective on putting and significantly improved my game. I also struggle to get to greens in regulations, so the short game bible helped greatly. I mention the Lumpy Donut as I play a lot of late afternoon golf and understanding his explanation of this will help sink putts. If you are an excellent putter this will not likely help. If you suck, and regularly have 3+ putts get the putting bible through one of the thrift stores. It is worth the discount price.

This is not a new book, but there is really no other book that so methodically shows you the way. He calls it his bible, not the bible. So it is possible to take his information and apply to what you are doing. I will bet, that you are only doing part of what is required to become a good puttter There are plenty of aspects you are not applying or perhaps just ignoring. The book is interesting just to read. If you have a dominant personality where you want instant success, you probably should be doing something else. Unlike many putting guides and instructions, this one spends an enormous amount of time explaining why something works or doesn't work. Although there are many who disagree with his methods, they are certainly founded on years of research about what happens before, during an after the putt has gone on its way. He provides guidelines on how to improve, although 90% don't improve because they don't follow through. Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a new result! Although you may not become a better putter, you will certainly never look at a green or over a put the same again. I have, like nearly everyone who buys a book like this, tried a lot of ways -- instruction, aids, practice, etc -- to improve. Some have made a difference and some haven't, but this one did. It spends a lot of time on areas of putting that most instuctors gloss over or ignore as they start with grip, setup, alignment, stroke, etc. Dave spends time with all the building blocks or a good putt. His primary message is that practice has to have a purpose, and that purpose should be to improve the parts of your game that are the weakest and where improvement leads to better scores. In a natural round of 18 holes at even par with a par of 72, 36 shots are putts. Putts are important yet under practiced. His research will clearly demonstrate the fact that the worse you putt, the higher your score and that some errors are worse than others -- alignment is bad, but where you hit the ball on the club face is many times worse. He takes you step by step, and yes, some steps are over written. The steps are there if you want to follow them. This is not a book of tips, it is a book of why and what you need to do,followed by how to do it. Clearly there is more information than most of us can handle. With the book, however, you can easily reread the sections. I gave it a 4 as it is overwhelming.

... this book really started out slow. After about 70 pages it dawned on me, "I'm learning new information, and it's going to help me. A lot!" This thing really drags out for awhile, but I really understand so much more than I did before reading it that it's worth every penny and every minute I spent with it. After awhile it gets very, very interesting as things start to come together. After a few hundred pages Pelz starts to go through drills and they look like real gems. He's got more drills than my dentist. There are months and months worth of great things to work on! I love that because it means I'll get better, and I look forward very much to the work. This book should have an index. It does not and I would recommend that you highlight useful text in yellow, and write in pen atop each page a short summary. What's the best putter grip, the best club, the best way to putt at an angle downhill, why putt at a target at 3X your ball deviation from the aimline, etc., etc? Dave Pelz covers it all. Pelz pushes some of his products but that is useful. Who knows better how they work? And a workperson is worthy of her/his hire. Glad someone has these useful tools available though I plan to make some of the more expensive ones myself. If you want to putt better, need some exercises and some basic information so you can figure out your own problems on the green? Then buy this book. If there is a better book on putting, I have not seen it....END

Comprehensive book which covers everything about putting backed by statistics. Breaks down tangibles which are controllable and can be improved upon with practice and intangibles and learning to accept that sometimes things happen even when you have perfect stroke and aim line. Also recommend his other book on "Short Game". So impressed that I have other books of his on order.

A long book to get through but by the end you realize that there is no better way to teach the intricacies of a good putting stroke. Well worth it. I would recommend for any person struggling with their putting game or want to get better

Book is in very good condition

4 stars for great content. You probably already know a lot of the issues with putting, but this will definitely add some more things to consider. I like the stats and data on what the pros experience. Lots of exercises given to help refine the different areas of putting. I believe most of friends and I focus on getting the speed of the greens before the game and warming up muscle memory. But the book has exercises showing there are other things to work on. 1 star deduction ... it is a little too conversational and repetitive, so this is more about the writing style than the content. Also, there are a couple of things and exercises that I've learned over the years that are not discussed in the book. For example, popping a chalk line and seeing if you can put straight, which also shows you how your putt drifts if you hit off center (by as little as a 1/8"). Or how to putt with feet at 45 degrees to target so that the pivot point of the putt is one shoulder socket (as opposed to trying to make 2 shoulders lock-in as one effective pivot point) and helps take the putter straight back for a longer distance. So it wasn't a complete 'bible' ... but again, I gave it 4 stars overall. I mostly enjoyed reading it and I would recommend it to others that really want to understand the nuances of putting.

Another classic from one of probably the best short game tu tours there has been. Practical useful advice with loads of clear photos and diagrams. This is in my opinion a must if you want to improve your short game and save a few shots. It’s a book you will come back to again and again for advice.

I read this book at least once a week. So much info.

Damaged book received, with corners bent.

Amazing book...recommended!! For the average golfer like me, you can save easily 5 strokes per round....thank you dave ...well done

Damit meine ich in erster Linie die große Herausforderung, dem guten Dave beim Sezieren des Puttens bis ins kleinste Detail zu folgen. Wer dieses Buch gründlich durcharbeitet, der braucht fast schon zwangsläufig 10 Schläge weniger je Runde. Die Lektüre dieses wirklich hervorragenden englischen Fachbuches ist eine sehr gute Vorbereitung auf das, was einem anschliessend auf dem Putting Green blüht. Auch wenn ich nicht in allen Teildisziplinen in gleichem Maße eingetaucht bin, es hat mein Spiel auf dem Green deutlich verbessert. Sogar das Trainieren macht mir nun richtig Spaß.