The twentieth anniversary edition of this classic workthe bestselling golf instruction book of all time and hailed as "the golfer's equivalent of The Elements of Style" ( The New York Times)includes a new introduction by a prominent golfer, twenty new illustrations, and never-before-published materials from the Penick family archives.The most beloved golf book ever published, the Little Red Book has become required reading for all players and fans of the game of golf, from beginners to seasoned pros. The legendary Harvey Penick, who Sports Illustrated called the "Socrates of the golf world," began his golfing career as a caddie in Austin, Texas, at the age of eight, and worked with an amazing array of champions over the course of nearly a century. In this classic book, which is named for the red notebook he always kept, Penick's simple, direct, practical wisdom pares away the hypertechnical jargon that's grown up around the golf swing, and lets all golfers, whatever their level, play their best.

Harvey Penick was a renowned golf pro who began his career at the Austin (Texas) Country Club as a caddie. Though he coached golf at the University of Texas for thirty years, and worked with the likes of Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, and Betsy Rawls, he never left the country club, where he continued to teach until his death in 1995. Bud Shrake, an avid golfer and the coauthor of all of Penick’s books, died in 2009.

Contents

Introductions

My Little Red Book

Golf Medicine

What's the Problem

Looking Up

Hand Position

The Three Most Important Clubs

The Grip

The Waggle

Holding the Club

The Easiest Lesson

Palm Reading

Starting Young

Hole Them All

Learning Around the Cup

Do You Need Help?

The Right Elbow

Take Dead Aim

Beware

How to Knock Five Strokes Off Your Game

Reassurance

The Practice Swing

The Average Golfer

How to Tell Where You're Aimed

Seasoned Citizens

The Left Heel

Backspin

Heavy Clubs

Hints on Greenskeeping

The Wrist Cock

Hit a Full Approach

Easy Bunkers

Bunker Play

Don't Relax

Positive Thinking

Psychology

Stay Behind the Ball

Hitting From the Top

Hypnotism

The Slow-Motion Drill

Powder the Ball

Ball Position

Swing the Bucket

The Weed Cutter

Placing Your Feet

The Turn

Instant Humility

Maxims

The Mythical Perfect Swing

First Things First

The Prettiest Swing

Hitting the Target

The Magic Move

How to Practice the Full Swing

Warming Up in a Hurry

Chipping

Putting

The Dreaded Four-Footer

The Shank Shot

Why I Decided to Become a Teacher

The Stance

A Very Bad Habit

The First-Time Student

Competition

Kids and Carts

A Story by Helen

Learning

Some of the Women in My Life

And Some of the Men in My Life

The Sexes

A Practice Rule

John Bredmus

Hooking and Slicing

Strange Penalty

Yardage

Long and Short

Best Dressed

My Best Boys

Chip or Pitch

Out of Sight

The Follow-through

A Little Bit

A Golfer's Poem

Preparing for a Big Match

Uphill and Downhill

Playing in the Wind

Titanic Thompson

Trick Shots

Caddies

A Life in Golf