Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf | 
 enlarge | Author: Harvey Penick
Creators: Bud Shrake, Jack Whitaker
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $0.99
You Save: $18.96 (95%)
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Rating:  58 reviews
Sales Rank: 694924
Format: Abridged, Audiobook
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Abridged
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 5 x 0.5
ISBN: 0743544757
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.3520973
EAN: 9780743544757
ASIN: 0743544757
Publication Date: April 4, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New! May have ink mark on book edge and/or very light shelf wear
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Amazon.com
Before titanium drivers, before oversized heads and bubble shafts, before electronic systems to tell you how far you are from the pin, golf was much the same game it is today. The lessons Harvey Penick taught in the pre-gadget days still stand. The golf swing is basically the same, and Penick could teach it better than anybody. For most of his life, he never intended to publish his Little Red Book, a notebook of golf wisdom and anecdotes that he compiled with the idea that he'd pass it on to his son. But, for the sake of history, it's a good thing that he changed his mind. Contained in its 175 pages is just about all you need to know about golf from a technical standpoint, along with Penick's priceless memories of working with famous pros, teaching absolute nobodies to get the ball in the air, and finding a horde of bat guano and hauling it across town in a pickup truck to fertilize his golf course. This book makes you feel good about playing golf, that you're part of something steeped in ritual and mystery and tradition, and that the game was played perfectly well before perimeter-weighted, graphite-shafted irons came along.
Product Description
The classic book of golf wisdom from the game's greatest teacher.The Little Red Book has become required listening for all players and fans of the game of golf, from beginners to seasoned pros. The legendary Harvey Penick, who began his golfing career as a caddie in Austin, Texas, at the age of eight, worked with amaizing array of champions over the course of nearly a century, dispensing invaluable wisdom to golfers of every level. Penick simplifies the technical jargon of other instructional books and communicates the very essence of the game, and his Little Red Book is full of inspiration and homespun wisdom that reflects his great love of golf as well as his great talent for teaching.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 53 more reviews...
 Essential Golf Book for any Serious Golfer September 1, 2008
A must have. Great tips on how to improve your golf game. Unlike the ad naseum wave of golf instruction that one can get bogged down in in Golf Magazines and instructional videos, this is simple straight forward approaches to improve your game.
 Somewhat disappointing read July 22, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
If I could compare this book to a golf swing, I would say the set-up and approach looked good, but the writing fell apart through the impact zone and follow through.
There is a lot of praise out there for Harvey Penick, and based upon the numerous comments in the book's forward by the well-known golfers he mentored, I have no doubts that the praise is well warranted. Unfortunately, while Penick himself in the book's introduction sets up his "Little Red Book" as a lifetime's masterful compilation of golf wisdom and best kept secrets finally made public, the book fails to live up to the author's own advertising and is a bit disappointing.
A fair amount of down-to-earth tips, techniques, and golfing philosophy that Harvey had applied to his students are shared in the book. And if just one of those tips can improve one's golf game, then I would say the book is worth the price. But too often, the "Little Red Book" comes off as an exercise in name-dropping and rambling golf anecdotes, many of which are not all that interesting nor amusing. It pains me to say that, knowing what a revered figure Harvey Penick has been to some in the golfing community, but that is just my honest assessment.
What also disappointed me about this book was that although Harvey Penick gives a couple of concessions to the virtue of humility, there appears to be a somewhat bragadocious quality to the narrative. That would be more excusable if the "Little Red Book" was in fact packed from cover to cover with the invaluable tips Penick promises in this introductory chapter, but that is not the case. Here is a short example of what I am talking about:
In the chapter titled "First Things First," Harvey writes about a man who came to his country club seeking out "this famous teacher, this Penick fellow." The man says if Harvey is "such a great teacher" perhaps he can give some advice on how to get out of sand traps. Harvey 's response - which abruptly ends the brief chapter - is something to the effect that it is better not to get into sand traps to begin with...a response that is not only rather obvious but neither practically helpful nor particularly clever.
That exemplifies too much of the tone of this book, which is unfortunate, because there are some good down-to-earth visualization techniques and other bits of instruction, which, if solely focused upon, would have made this a far better and more useful read.
 Not a "Must Read" but a Very Good Read March 12, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
An interesting mix of story, sayings, memoir and instruction..only the most ardent golfer or golf instructor could get much out of the instruction, but the story, sayings and memoirs are good, many outstandng.
The concept of the Little Red Boook is interesing and alluring to the reader. An interesting mix of information. Well worth the read, but it leaves the reader--at least this reader--wishing it was two books, one of instruction, one on the other interesting and insightful informaton in the book.
A Good Walk Spoiled (Golf Defined) January 27, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book contains many entertaining anecdotes gathered over the course of may decades. Harvey Penick chose to become a teaching golf professional rather than barnstorm the country during those early years of golf tournaments when many professionals were simply glorified hustlers. Eventually Penick became widely respected and many notable players and duffers stopped over to visit him at the practice tee. Over time, the wooden shafted golf clubs gave way to titanium steel.
I certainly enjoyed the historical perspective that the book provided. Although some golf instruction is included in the book, it is more of a nostalgic look backwards to days spent in the Texas sun mowing the lawns and watering the greens. Reading a book like this is not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Harvey Penick had a good life.
If you are searching for a serious golf instruction manual, however, you may want to choose another book.
The People He Knew November 29, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am the author of Striking It Rich: Golf in the Kingdom with Generals, Patients and Pros
This book has been reviewed a lot and the golf advice is worthy of mention but the best parts of this book were the stories about the people he met along the way:
1. The story or Morris williams, Jr. dieing in a plane crash before going out on tour. "I had to relate the tragic news to his mother and father. His daddy fainted in my arms."
2. The day they played a money game with Titanic Thompson and the mystery player (Herman Kaiser) whom they recocnized only months later when his picture was in the paper (because he won the Masters).
And best of all...
3. The story of John Bredemus.
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