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The Practice Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Golfers
A golf instructional book, not teaching the swing, but teaching the learning process and how to practice. The author writes, "[t]his is not a swing instruction book. You are not going to find the latest 'secrets' of golf, it is not going to tell you the 'one magical key' in your backswing, and it is not going to replace your teacher or golf coach. This book deals with something far more important than what to learn; it deals with HOW to learn, and how to transfer that learning to the course."
- GenresNonfictionSports
385 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
70 people are currently reading
428 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 8, 2015
MIGHT BE THE MOST IMPORTANT GOLF BOOK YOU'LL EVER READ
If you are a golfer that wants to improve, this book is a game changer! It might very well be the most important golf book you'll ever read. Here's why: for every 1,000 golf instruction books, articles, and videos, 999 involve the technical aspects of the swing (e.g. swing on plane, grip, hip turn) and 1 involves something else--course management, how to think about golf (think Bob Rotella), but statistically ZERO involve the most important topic-- HOW TO LEARN AND PRACTICE GOLF. If you've been in the golf world, you know that most player's handicaps go up not down, and most players don't make positive changes to their golf game, even after spending a lot of money on lessons.
FINALLY, an instructor is addressing the HOW to learn and practice and not the WHAT to learn and practice. Even if all this book does for you is introduce you to the concept of thinking about HOW to learn and practice, it'll be worth a hundred times what you paid for it. We serious golfers have seen it over and over: The instructor tells a student something she or he already knows (start the downswing with your hips, don't come over the top, post up on your front leg, shift your weight forward on the downswing ...) and then the instructor gives the student, that just ponied up $150 for an hour, a few drills to work on ... and then the student tries to implement the change ... but then a while later, the student reverts right back to their old habits and the only thing that changes is that the student wasted a lot of time and money. It is really sad. I know, I've been there; and I think it drives a lot of people out the game.
SO... BUY THIS BOOK! And do what Adam Young says! Stop wasting your time! Make those changes! I tell you: if you are, let's say, a 15 handicapper, and trying to get down to single digits, this book could save you years and thousands of dollars.
I COULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK MORE FOR ANYONE THAT WANTS TO IMPROVE THEIR GOLF GAME AND DO SO AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE.
The obvious response to my review is, if it's so great, why did you give it 4 stars and not 5? Here's why: I have never seen a book in more desperate need of a heavy handed story editor, copy editor and proofreader than this book. This book is cumbersome, unorganized, full of syntax errors, typographical errors, run-ons, and any other type of editing issue you can imagine. It's 400 pages and it should be 250, tops. I don't blame Adam Young for this, necessarily. He's obviously a smart guy and a dedicated golf instructor who is trying to do more than the usual regurgitation of swing fundamentals. My sincere hope is that Mr. Young will take the proceeds of the sale of this first edition (which I hope are high) and hire a story and copy editor and have this book properly edited and published. It's a gem, and needs to be polished.
The good news regarding the unfortunate lack of editing is that it will have little effect on you golfers that need this book (other than a few eye rolls and sighs). This book could be written in crayon, and it will still change your life as a golfer dramatically.
So, bravo Adam Young. Your students and the readers of this book are in your debt as they watch their handicaps drop.
If you are a golfer that wants to improve, this book is a game changer! It might very well be the most important golf book you'll ever read. Here's why: for every 1,000 golf instruction books, articles, and videos, 999 involve the technical aspects of the swing (e.g. swing on plane, grip, hip turn) and 1 involves something else--course management, how to think about golf (think Bob Rotella), but statistically ZERO involve the most important topic-- HOW TO LEARN AND PRACTICE GOLF. If you've been in the golf world, you know that most player's handicaps go up not down, and most players don't make positive changes to their golf game, even after spending a lot of money on lessons.
FINALLY, an instructor is addressing the HOW to learn and practice and not the WHAT to learn and practice. Even if all this book does for you is introduce you to the concept of thinking about HOW to learn and practice, it'll be worth a hundred times what you paid for it. We serious golfers have seen it over and over: The instructor tells a student something she or he already knows (start the downswing with your hips, don't come over the top, post up on your front leg, shift your weight forward on the downswing ...) and then the instructor gives the student, that just ponied up $150 for an hour, a few drills to work on ... and then the student tries to implement the change ... but then a while later, the student reverts right back to their old habits and the only thing that changes is that the student wasted a lot of time and money. It is really sad. I know, I've been there; and I think it drives a lot of people out the game.
SO... BUY THIS BOOK! And do what Adam Young says! Stop wasting your time! Make those changes! I tell you: if you are, let's say, a 15 handicapper, and trying to get down to single digits, this book could save you years and thousands of dollars.
I COULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK MORE FOR ANYONE THAT WANTS TO IMPROVE THEIR GOLF GAME AND DO SO AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE.
The obvious response to my review is, if it's so great, why did you give it 4 stars and not 5? Here's why: I have never seen a book in more desperate need of a heavy handed story editor, copy editor and proofreader than this book. This book is cumbersome, unorganized, full of syntax errors, typographical errors, run-ons, and any other type of editing issue you can imagine. It's 400 pages and it should be 250, tops. I don't blame Adam Young for this, necessarily. He's obviously a smart guy and a dedicated golf instructor who is trying to do more than the usual regurgitation of swing fundamentals. My sincere hope is that Mr. Young will take the proceeds of the sale of this first edition (which I hope are high) and hire a story and copy editor and have this book properly edited and published. It's a gem, and needs to be polished.
The good news regarding the unfortunate lack of editing is that it will have little effect on you golfers that need this book (other than a few eye rolls and sighs). This book could be written in crayon, and it will still change your life as a golfer dramatically.
So, bravo Adam Young. Your students and the readers of this book are in your debt as they watch their handicaps drop.
April 3, 2022
This is one of the most thorough books on golf instruction I've ever seen, but I'm not sure it's the most effective. It is a dense tome that I think may overload most golfers with more information than they can wrap their heads around. It is extremely verbose and could benefit from the use of more tables and diagrams and fewer (a lot fewer) words. I'm not sure the deep dive into learning theory was needed to establish the validity of the teaching methodology, most readers would have simply taken he author's word for it.
In regard to its verbosity, the main issue is the author's need to include an analogy to accompany almost every topic. You know how sometimes writers like to add a little story to help explain a topic because they think the reader won't understand it otherwise? That's an analog. You can see how unnecessary it was in this review. They were equally unnecessary in the book.
In regard to its verbosity, the main issue is the author's need to include an analogy to accompany almost every topic. You know how sometimes writers like to add a little story to help explain a topic because they think the reader won't understand it otherwise? That's an analog. You can see how unnecessary it was in this review. They were equally unnecessary in the book.
February 19, 2023
I am probably in the smaller group of golfers that didn’t enjoy or appreciate this book. I learned a lot from the first chapter which discussed practice drills, ball flight mechanics, and the more technical side of things. But the remaining chapters were about mental state, learning methods, etc. I think the book would be great for instructors or others in the sports field. But it didn’t resonate with me. Perhaps I’ll try going through it again sometime. But for now it’s not a book that I’d recommend.
August 13, 2025
~4.5 Stars. A lot of really good information on here on learning- in fact probably one of the best books I've read on the mental side of understanding learning and progression (even outside of Golf). Also if you're looking for detail- this book has it in spades. I'm usually a detail heavy person and this book had even me crying Uncle. Knocking one half star off largely because the writing in here can be pretty dry- almost like a text book which to me makes the book harder to recommend to all people.
August 21, 2020
I really liked this book. It gives you a scientific approach to golf that you can understand. It really helps your game and shows a great way to practice. I will forewarn anyone that this is not a drill guide even though he does include some in the book but more of a way to practice to get better. I am honest and will say that I am a terrible golfer but after reading this book I now understand what I need to do to get better and how to incorporate a routine to do so. Very helpful.
October 25, 2024
This book is in need of 2 things: an update/edit, and an abridged version. For the audience it's written for, it's (almost) perfect the way it is, but Young's methods of differential and variable practice are two tools that I almost never see written about outside of this book that I think every golfer on the road to low scores needs to understand. It wouldn't be unfair to call this the 'golf textbook', though it's shockingly light on details about swing mechanics (a feature, not a bug).
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August 1, 2019Think of golf practice in a new way - less about the swing, more about skills and how to improve them. Ball-striking and getting from here to there are given more attention than mechanics. A long read with a lot of technical information, but well worth the time to take in the wisdom.
September 9, 2024
I got this at the library but will need to purchase a copy as every golfer interested in improving their game should read and own a copy of this book. Whether you are a 20+ handicapper or trying to get to scratch this book is loaded with information to help you. Highly recommended for golfers.
August 25, 2019
Yes, there are some editing issues. However, that should not deter the would-be reader from getting benefit from this content! Excellent approaches to training periodization.
November 20, 2021
Good self start for golf practice
February 10, 2022
As others have mentioned, definitely needs some editing and cleanup. The content and ideas about how to think about practicing are very good and something I will definitely try at the range.
May 6, 2019
The best golf book I've ever read and one of the best books period. So many "lightbulb moments" and a fundamentally different and much much better way of thinking about how to improve at golf.
The two overarching themes of the book could be summarised as impact and self-organisation.
It details what exactly is happening to the ball at impact and then works out from there. Too many books focus on a specific swing change which may or may not affect impact but this book correctly focuses on impact itself.
The second theme of self-organisation flows from this focus on impact. In a nutshell the theory is that if we give our minds and bodies a clear goal about what we wish to achieve between the club and ball at impact then our bodies will organise themselves automatically around this goal in order for us to accomplish it. In other words we can focus on impact and allow our technique to arrange itself on its own. This concept is one of those "This is so obvious why didn't I think about it before" moments.
The author gives the example of learning to use a spoon to put food into our mouths. We would never dream of focusing on the specific muscle movements and positions required to do this but rather we focus on the goal or task of getting the food onto the spoon and then into our mouth. Our specific muscle movements or arm positions (i.e. our technique) simply arranges itself accordingly and without any conscious thought from us. When applied to golf this idea has revolutionised my understanding and training.
The book also teaches us how humans learn motor skills and the different kinds of focus that we can use depending on what it is we wish to learn.
Comparing the more typical golf instruction book to this book is like comparing giving a man a fish to feed himself for a day versus teaching him how to fish so that he can feed himself for a lifetime.
If you want to learn how to teach yourself how to improve your golf for the rest of your golfing life I would thoroughly recommend this book. It is truly an amazing and transformative book.
The two overarching themes of the book could be summarised as impact and self-organisation.
It details what exactly is happening to the ball at impact and then works out from there. Too many books focus on a specific swing change which may or may not affect impact but this book correctly focuses on impact itself.
The second theme of self-organisation flows from this focus on impact. In a nutshell the theory is that if we give our minds and bodies a clear goal about what we wish to achieve between the club and ball at impact then our bodies will organise themselves automatically around this goal in order for us to accomplish it. In other words we can focus on impact and allow our technique to arrange itself on its own. This concept is one of those "This is so obvious why didn't I think about it before" moments.
The author gives the example of learning to use a spoon to put food into our mouths. We would never dream of focusing on the specific muscle movements and positions required to do this but rather we focus on the goal or task of getting the food onto the spoon and then into our mouth. Our specific muscle movements or arm positions (i.e. our technique) simply arranges itself accordingly and without any conscious thought from us. When applied to golf this idea has revolutionised my understanding and training.
The book also teaches us how humans learn motor skills and the different kinds of focus that we can use depending on what it is we wish to learn.
Comparing the more typical golf instruction book to this book is like comparing giving a man a fish to feed himself for a day versus teaching him how to fish so that he can feed himself for a lifetime.
If you want to learn how to teach yourself how to improve your golf for the rest of your golfing life I would thoroughly recommend this book. It is truly an amazing and transformative book.
June 23, 2015
Read what the author wrote in the description. It's all spot on. Very interesting golf book. Might seem wordy and repetitive at times but I think the points he is repetitive about are the important ones.
I have only just finished this book, but as a frequent practicer who has been in a run for a while, this book has given me some excellent ideas to explore on the range and practice green. Time will tell if my game improves, but I feel pretty energized to get out there.
I have only just finished this book, but as a frequent practicer who has been in a run for a while, this book has given me some excellent ideas to explore on the range and practice green. Time will tell if my game improves, but I feel pretty energized to get out there.
October 3, 2015
Great book. Full of interesting info and far beyond what the average golf instruction book talks about. I think this one will stay around for many years
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews