Previously available only to the media, the PGA Tour guide now also is available to the fan.

Want to know Phil Mickelson’s best Tour finishes in 2004? What about Tiger Woods’s average driving distance? How much money has Ernie Els won since being on the Tour? Who won the Buick Open last year? Who won it in 1990? Who has had the most victories in a single year? Detailed, comprehensive, and presented in full color throughout, this is the ultimate guide to the PGA TOUR. Key features include complete 2005 tournament schedules for the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, and Nationwide Tour, including network coverage; a career biography for every player on the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour; Tour summaries for the PGA, Champions, and Nationwide Tours; all-time PGA TOUR records and awards; 2004 facts and statistics and exclusive ShotLink data; and a letter from PGA TOUR commissioner Tim Finchem

You should get one. Mine is on order.

According to his press release, author

David Nevogt says “The Simple Golf Swing” has helped 7,987 golfers during the past 2 years”. David suggests that the system has a success rate of 95%, and bogey golfers are able to lower their handicaps by AT LEAST 7 strokes within the first couple of rounds.

If only it were this simple. But maybe it is (hope springs eternal. Or is that, I hope for an eternal spring?). 

Its available here: Golfswingguru

Doing some last minute shopping? How about giving a magazine to the golfer in your life. The Golf Blogger subscribes to GOLF Magazine and  Golf Digest , both of which are great general-interest golf magazines that cover tips, equipment and lifestyles. I also occasionally buy Golf Tips . Finally, as a golf coach, I get a subscription to Golf World , which has terrific coverage of the professional and college games.

Tour Tempo
Grade: B+

I've been working with Tour Tempo off and on all summer and into the fall. Author John Novosel's idea is that the difference between the hacker and the tour pro lies mainly in the tempo. Using high speed video, Novosel claims to have discovered that all tour pros have a swing that falls into a 3:1 ratio. Some swing faster, some a little slower, but they are always in the 3:1 swing-set-through tempo.

It's a slim volume, but it comes with a cd that has video -- and more importantly, different soundtracks with beeps that are supposed to ingrain the idea of 3:1 into your head.

When you set up to the ball, the only thought that is supposed to be in your head is the 3:1 tempo. Listen to the beeps on the cd long enough and it will be.

I'm a musically talented guy, from a musical family (both parents were music teachers), so the idea came pretty naturally to me. From years of playing in bands and orchestras, I can set a tempo inside my head automatically. After listening to the tracks, I just swung on tempo.

I think I did see some improvement -- especially on tee shots -- when I concentrated only on the tempo. The tempo thought kept me from being in such a rush and kept my swing smooth and fluid.

Now, if only I could get rid of that flying left elbow fault.

You Might Be A Hack

Grade: A

I got this book in the mail the other day, and I have to say that at first, I was a bit ... well ... underwhelmed. The cover has to be one of the worse I've ever seen.

But this book proves the rule about not judging a book by its cover.

What's inside is screamingly funny if you've played a lot of golf.

"You Might Be A Hack" is a variant of the old Jeff Foxworthy line about "You Might Be A Redneck." But the collaborators at Juggo Golf take it one step further: It's "You MIGHT be a hack if ...." and then, "You ARE a hack if ..."

Here's a couple of examples:

"You might be a HACK if: You lose your driver on the course.
"You are a HACK if: You ask in the golf shop if anyone turned one in and when they ask you what kind, you don't know."

"You might be a HACK if: You pull out an X-Out golf ball on a par 3 over water.
"You are a Hack if: X-out golf balls are the only balls you have."

The authors are right on the mark with most of these two-liners. You certainly will recognize some of the people you've played with. Unfortunately, you may also recognize yourself.

After reading it, I've resolved to stop doing some of the things that I've done. The Golf Blogger does not want to be known as a hack. He's already known by his wife and kids as a geek. Another title would not be seemly.

I recommend this book as a good stocking stuffer for the golfer in your life. Order it now, and you can have it for Christmas. You can get it by clicking on the banner below: