Best Short Game Book

Secrets of the Short Game by Phil Mickelson — It has been a few years since this book came out, but it is our pick as the best golf short game book.  We believe there is no better source of information for improving your chipping, pitching, sand play, and putting.

No matter what you think of Phil Mickelson, in his prime, he demonstrated the talent, skills, and imagination that set him apart from his peers as one of the best golfers from 50 yards in. The Secrets to the Short Game distills Phil’s knowledge of the short game into a highly readable and actionable set of lessons that will help beginning and advanced golfers improve.

The Secrets of the Short Game is easy to read and understand and has highly relevant photos to drive the key lessons home. The book covers all aspects of the short game with a potent mix of science and Phil’s unique flair.

The book has five extended sections:

• Putting
• Chipping
• Sand Play
• Pitching
• Flop & Lob

Each section starts by teaching the stroke basics and then progresses through more challenging concepts and playing situations. For example, the chipping section has 23 lessons that will teach you everything from setup position to trajectory to handling a ball in a fluffy lie. Sand Play has 19 lessons teaching you how to hinge and hold the club, succeed with a buried lie, hit long bunker shots, and more.

Editor’s Note: I usually keep extra copies of this book at home to give to friends when they struggle with their short game.

Check out Amazon’s Review for Phil’s Book

Pros and Cons of Our Pick as the Best Short Game Book

PROS:

• Easy to read and easy to understand
• Tons of visuals to reinforce the lessons
• Comprehensive instruction on all aspects of the short game
• You can clearly hear Phil’s voice and experience throughout the book

CONS:

• The book does not come with the available DVD
• Some readers have felt that the putting instruction could have been a little more in-depth

Buy the Best Short Game Book from Phil Mickelson!

An Alternative: Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible

We highly recommend Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible for those who want to study the short game further. This short game book has fewer images, much more science, and less Phil flair. That said, it is considered the bible on how to improve your short game.  Pelz is regarded as one of the true short-game teaching masters.  He has also been Phil Mickelson’s long-time short-game coach. At 450 pages, you will be amazed at how readable and actionable the book is. Every serious golfer should own it.

Whether you believe Mickelson’s or Pelz’s offering is the best short game book ever, either of these books is a fantastic start to learning the fundamentals of the short game. But to improve your short game, you must practice the teachings.

If you cannot get to a course that has a good short-game practice area, you should try to get some practice at home. As an aid to training at home, we recommend this chipping net for backyard or basement practice.  Please take a look at our chipping net review by clicking here.