The Practice Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Golfers

Short version : it's a very good book for getting you to focus on your practice routine and stresses the importance of being mindful during practice, and tracking and scoring your progress. This instruction is geared towards trying to get you to apply your practice skills on the course and using measurable ways to improve. Longer version : If you're like me, you've spent a lot of time on ranges and practice greens, trying to improve, working with instructors, and just generally spending a lot of time hitting balls. If you're still like me, you probably HAVE improved, but feel like you could have used your time more wisely, or you've circled back too often onto things you should have already "mastered". You're probably even working on some of the same issues you were working on two years ago. This book is for you. The strength of the book is that his main ideas of what makes a good golf shot are simple and he never loses sight of them as he moves through the book. What are the main ideas. . . 1) Hit the ball in the center of the face, not too near the toe or heel. 2) Strike the ground in the right place, not too fat nor thin. 3) Make sure the clubface and path are correct (he demands that you understand the ball flight laws. If you're not willing to do that, don't read this golf book) 4) Faster club head makes the ball go further. Duh. 5) Finally, angle of attack and dynamic loft. He spends less time on those final two ideas. The key point he stresses is this (I quote verbatim), "'What' we achieve at impact is far more important than 'how' we achieve it. Ultimately, form should be changed only if it produces better function. Form changes should not be made to simply look more like a model, or to achieve some kind of pretty symmetrical look." I don't want to misrepresent him. He believes that swing flaws need to be addressed through instruction. He's an instructor himself, so he's not poo-poo'ing instruction; he's just giving the reader a lot of things to focus on to help the reader improve. Basically, after outlining WHAT the reader should be trying to achieve, he spends the rest of the book explaining the means to go about getting it. And, believe me, this book is not for someone looking for a shortcut. This is about going out and making sure you're hitting the center of the face to a certain degree of precision (based on handicap level) You got that? Good. Now, start working on hitting the ground in the right place a significant amount of the time. Got that? Start working on getting your club path and face right. You got all that? Move on to the next level and tighten the parameters on every one of those things. At no point does he talk about what to do with ball position, grip, posture, etc. He seems to be of the opinion that you'll figure a lot of those things out on your own in your process of practicing impact. In addition to drills and techniques to measure these things (he also gives parameters for improvement based on handicap level), he presents a very interesting look at the mental game of golf. He breaks "swing thoughts" down into 5 categories. . . -Internal (an idea like "keep your left arm straight" or "head still" or "shift weight") -External process. I'd say, "what you do with the club." (an idea like "hit the ground in the right place") -External result. I'd say, "what you do with the ball." (an idea like "draw the ball" or "flight the ball low") -Neutral. (an idea like "1 2 3 go" or a breathing exercise while you're hitting) -Transcendental. (essentially no thoughts at all). He offers the strengths and weaknesses of each, but more importantly, and this is a key idea concerning everything in the book: EXPERIMENT WITH THEM AND SEE WHICH WORKS BEST FOR YOU, on the range and the course. So, I think that's enough to give you an idea of what the book is about and the author's focus. I'm not going to explain in a page what he uses 400 pages to do. He has a lot of other fun/interesting/useful ideas in the book that I've already implemented in my practice. E.g. as he mentions, you don't play golf from perfect lines off flat surfaces, so get good at adapting and being athletic. . .do a Happy Gilmore swing. Do a swing where you start by hovering the club a foot above the ball. Try a claw grip for full swing. Try a cross-handed grip. Etc etc. Cons: he's somewhat wordy and repetitive about his ideas. I kept wanting to get to sections on practice and it felt like, "you're harping on this again?" He has a section on the process of change where he comes up with an acronym (SIPFATS) to help you remember the process. It almost seemed unnecessary in light of the other yardsticks and techniques he offers. In summary, I don't know if the book is going to drop my handicap or if it will be THE LAST GOLF BOOK I'LL EVER NEED!!! but for a guy who feels like he's put in a lot of work, and could use a jolt to get off the current plateau, I feel like I'm all of a sudden armed with a whole new box of tools to do that. For now, 8/10. Get back to me in a year. I could find it utterly useless, but if I had to guess, I think it's more likely I'd move the book into the 9+ range. I think it's going to prove to be quite useful. One final thought if anyone has made it this far: I think this would be an excellent book for instructors to read. I've liked the instructors best in my life who have talked about contact, and ball direction more prominently than swing positions (I had a guy once who, when I asked him about my foot alignment, said, "you don't hit the ball with your feet". Sure, he talked about footwork a little, but something like lining your feet up right. . .wasn't meaningful to him).

This book has been the number one influence in helping me internally understand how I need to practice golf to become a master at the craft. I have read golf books of every kind but this one trumps them all, it honestly makes the information I learned from those books more valuable because it all makes sense now. I hate trying to summarize something in one word because it doesn't do information justice but I know some people do not want to read a long review so for you this book is about DELIBERATE practice. If you have never heard of this concept then you are in luck because now you get to learn about while applying it to something you love, golf, and that is probably one of the best ways to learn new things. You'll learn how to record and measure your progress in golf and that is important because if it can't be measured then it can't be managed. This isn't you're average golf book about how to keep your head down and left arm straight. If you are trying to make a Swing Change then the author and I would both recommend that you at least see an experienced teacher a couple times to better understand the movement that you need to make to swing the club in a more efficient manner. This book is full of new concepts that some readers may be skeptical about and that is understandable, no one wants to find out that what they have been practicing for 20 odd years isn't the best way to get better at golf. If that's you then you're in luck because this book has the answers for you and you should start to see vast improvement in no time when you put some of these principles into place. I realize that not everyone will experience the same aha moment from this book as I have and it would be silly to think so. Aha moments come from a lifetime of searching and learning new things. I think the way to get the most out of this book is to think of it like a new exercise routine, you must gradually increase your level of difficulty every day to see results in the gym and it is the same way on the course or practice tee. If you don't leave your practice session feeling a little mentally or physically drained then you aren't gaining any muscle. Because I want the reader to gain as much as possible from the principles in this book I would like to add some topics and books that may help you in getting more from this book and getting better at golf. I believe that if you understand habit loops and how new habits form then you will better understand how to create practice habits that suit you. I also think that if you realize that creativity is a very messy process and that it's better to make a ton of rough drafts and learn from all of them that you will gain immensely when trying to create practice plans for yourself if you do them without a couch. This isn't a plug for other books but I am just adding a few extra ones that helped me get more out of this one. Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull- Learned about how anyone can be creative and great ideas are the result of a long and rigorous process. The 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferris- Learned about minimum effective dose as it relates to exercise but really can be applied to anything. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg- Learned about habit loops and helped me understand how to get rid of or make new habits. This is great for getting you out to the course to practice. Every Shot Counts by Mark Broadie- Learned about how to use statistics to shave strokes off my game. This book could be viewed as complex by some but it is great information and a real eye opener into what the pros do way better than you or me. Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool- A lot of good books out there on deliberate practice but this author is the grandaddy of the subject so I would start with this one. There are also some great podcasts on iTunes about learning and golf that you should totally check out. This book is a really great book for someone who has been searching for the answers to why they practice all the time and never get any better. I don't think this is the last we'll hear from Adam Young. Checkout his blog if this kind of stuff interests you, should be an easy google search. Ted Huffingham

This book is for advanced students of the game! If you just want to play golf for social and exercise purposes stay away. However, if you want to learn why you can work hundreds of hours on your game and the scores don't change, Adam Young has the answers. This book appears to apply neuroplasticity theory from Jeffery Schwartz's revolutionary The Mind & The Brain to the game and learning of Golf. If I had only two books to read on advanced Golf instruction it would be Young's The Practice Manual and Rotella's The Unstoppable Golfer. The Practice Manual is a groundbreaking Golf book that marries neuroscience (“hacking your brain”) with quality instruction. Adam Young is an fresh, innovative coach who draws heavily on his own learning experiences and golf game mastery. His resolute focus on the most important element of the swing, IMPACT, and how the learner can find it, is refreshing given the golf teaching industry’s single-minded attention to swing positions. Young explains how we learn, and it’s not beating thousands of balls on the range. He offers the diligent learner a process how to most efficiently hack their own brain saving many years of practice. This book is perfect for the educated student who has just a few hours a week for practice but deeply desires that single digit handicap! The Practice Manual is also not a prescription for the prettiest swing, rather it is a method for finding form but only if it has a function in the swing. This manual uses advanced neuroscience concepts like Perception Action Coupling and Uncontrolled Manifold Hypothesis to explain how our brain analyzes golf learning tasks and why experimentation (and failure) in practice is so valuable. Young doesn’t spend much ink discussing on-course strategies or the “mental game,” but his Internet blog (https://www.adamyounggolf.com/blog-2/golf-blog/ ) is superb at tackling those topics. Overall, a five star manual for diligent students of the game. No matter your handicap, The Practice Manual offers a process to better your golfing skills and ultimately lower your average scores...in other words - how the brain, the body and the mind combine to practice and perform in unison.

Lots of really interesting, useful information about how your brain works when doing things that require motor skills -- like golf. Really helps explain why things happen with your swing and your golf shots. The downside is, this book could be much, much shorter (probably 75% shorter). The author repeats things many times (hey! I got it in Chapter 3! You don't have to tell me again in Chapter 6, and Chapter 8, and again in Chapter 12). He also goes into way more detail than necessary. He needed a good editor for this book, and apparently didn't have one. Also be prepared for the author's ego to intrude (he calls this the "ultimate" book on golf, and "the book that everyone is waiting for"). So you just have to look past the braggadocio and focus on the useful info. He also uses a lot of psycho-technical jargon. He does define those terms, but often with more jargon, so you may have to google a few terms to figure out what he's talking about. But, for all the negatives, I still found this to be a very useful book and I think it will help me to improve my practice, and my game.

Like any golfer, I've read countless books and magazine articles focusing on tips, and have seen little benefit. I have more knowledge about the technical golf swing than I used to, but the books and magazines have little effect on my scores. When used effectively, I think that this book can lower scores by changing the way we practice for the better. Rather than focusing on technical tips (grip, ball position, swing, etc.) this book informs us of the end goals that are necessary in order to hit the ball effectively. Goals such as controlling the low point of the swing, hitting the ball in the sweet spot, and having an effective face/path delivery. There are many technical ways to achieve these goals, but it is more important to achieve these goals than to have a "perfect" golf swing. The main purposes of this book are to inform us of how functional impact is made and to let us know how to practice more effectively in order to make functional impact easier to achieve. The author encourages us to work on making functional impact with our current swing, and to only make technical changes if they will lead to better impact, rather than simply looking better. Not only does the book give drills to try on the range, but it also gives strategies for how to structure a practice session, a week of practice, or even an entire year of practice/play/competition. In general, the book encourages us to fine tune our swings during the season, and to reserve more of our technical changes to the off season. Whether you practice twice a week or are a serious player, this book should benefit you. I'd definitely encourage anyone to read this book before you spend more money on golf equipment.

Great book on human learning, not so great book on applying it to Golf (imo). I think the book has some good concepts and probably goes into too low level detail in some aspects, but needs to be more directive on golf practice suggestions and practical training for the different areas of the golf game. I believe the existing materials could be simplified and just explain that there are different approaches to learning and we have to find what works for us and possible sequences of the learning. Then, go into different example practices for the sand game, driving, putting, short game, irons and provide drills that could be used for the different learning approaches. We do get 3 example students in the book (one being a potential pro which nobody really can relate to), but the examples was not enough for me. That part of the next version should be expanded upon. Overall, not a bad book and definitely unique. I was hoping for more.

This is not a technique book, do not go into this thinking I’ll learn this position, this style, this grip, because you will not. But if you want to achieve results with the swing you have now, whether you look like a Hogan, a Trevino, a Woods, or a Furyk this will do it. There is no perfect way to swing a club. If there was we would not have as many unique swings on tour or in the history books. But these players have skills that we don’t. But we could through practice. The great thing is if you want to swing using TGM, Stack and Tilt, McLean, Leadbetter, Haney, Bender, or whoever’s teaching, you can. This book will help your results regardless. This book is very dense. The first part focuses on motor learning and concepts that you may not be interested. If not go to phase two and you’ll still get your moneys worth. But you need to read the 7 laws Adam outlines along with skills versus technique. This will explain why so many different styles work. Phase two focuses on practice and how you can achieve these skills. You will not need anything more then what you already have in your golf bag. Those section alone is worth the cost of the book. Adam does a great job making such a dense topic readable and this is my favorite golf book I’ve read from a learning standpoint. I’m tempted to buy another copy to keep while using the one I have for highlights and note taking. This book has helped me strike the ball better then I have in years. And I guarantee it will you too if you apply what he says.

This is perhaps the most unconventional golf instruction book you will ever read. You should know what you're getting before you buy it, though, because you need to commit to thinking differently about how to learn to improve. If you're looking for swing tips, positions, weight shifts, models of the "one way" to swing it right and so on, this is not your book. This is a book written by an author who is interested in two things: golf, and the psychology of learning. He knows a great deal of sophisticated psychology about learning, and his conclusion is that in important ways, people go about learning how to play golf all wrong. From his point of view, a successful golf swing requires 3 things and three things only: (1) you must hit the ball before you hit the turf; (2) you must hit at or near the sweet spot of the club; and (3) the face of the club must be reasonably square to the swing path. Everything else is details. If you can do those three things consistently, you will be an excellent player. So how do you do it? Adam Young thinks you will improve better and faster by experimental practice (think in terms of all kinds of different swings, grips, angles, etc., many of which you would never actually use on a course) than you will by being told one way to do it and trying to force yourself to follow one prescription. Find YOUR swing, not one in a book or in an instructor's head. An instructor can help with this, but what he's recommending is based on strong science. And there are other benefits you'll learn. You'll learn more about what the different experiments cause the ball to do, and in so doing, learn to do things on a course you had not previously thought you could. You'll also learn more how to help yourself when things go awry, because you'll have learned more tools to work with. I strongly recommend this. It's unconventional, but if you're the type that has mashed 1000 golf balls swinging from the heels and wonder why you aren't improving, this is well worth a try.

Adam's approach to golf is very analytical and practical. He is a unique thinker. His way of laying out the golf swing, practice habits, routines, and the way we learn as humans is very fascinating. This book made me take a real hard look at my own motor patterns in my quest to rewire my brain as a life long slicer. A must have for any golf enthusiast taking the game seriously and wanting to improve. This book will be a great accessory for your golf learning. Note this is not a traditional golf advice book and the technical aspects may turn some people off.

Wow, this book is a revelation, it has without a shadow of doubt really inspired me to become a much better golfer and practice more effectively. I'm a 6 h'cp, love practising and this book has made it so much more enjoyable and less mundane. All the exercises and drills are measurable, so you can easily plot your improvement, which subsequently has had a positive impact on my confidence, whilst on the course. Just by incorporating the ball flight laws my 7 iron carry distance has gone from 155 yards to a consistent average 170 yards! I, like probably a lot of of people, spend hours on the range hoping by the end of the session to have at least flushed a satisfying few out of the middle, I have a different swing for each day of the week and have several different swing thoughts for each of those days. This book addresses all those issues, it resonates with me on so many areas I thought it was my golf biography on all the errors I've made over the years! My consistency has gone up, confidence and distance gains are remarkable. I strongly believe I have become a more rounded and accomplished player by adopting the guidelines in the book. I have read volumes of technical golf books, bought every DVD on the market, watch every Youtube golf video there is - I wish this book was written 10 years ago, it would have saved me a lot of time, money and frustration! Its a no brainer!

Not saying he is the panacea but maybe…Forget all the free stuff on YouTube. Read and digest this book and you will understand why. It’s not flashy. It’s fact.

I can understand why this book is popular

Realmente todo lo que tienes que saber para poder ser mejor golfista