Getting Up and Down

by Tom Watson

A guide to the most difficult and important shots in golf and how to score well from forty yards and in. 118,000 sold to date. Today's most successful golfer-twice Masters champion and winner of the U.S Open and five British Opens-has now written a book on the most challenging and imporant aspects of the game-from the forty--yard wedge to the three-foot putt, from sand play to chips and pitches, both the basic and the intricate shots. Tom Watson's guide addresses the problems that all golfers, whether pros or just beginners, face dozens of times in every round. As all golfers know, in the 982 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Tom Watson holed out a seemingly impossible chip on the 17th hole to break a tie with Jack Nicklaus and win the championship. In Getting Up and Down, Watson explains how he made this spectacular shot, and shows you how to think about and execute a wide variety of strokes, form the "easy" ones to those that seem nearly impossible. As Watson's instruciton proves, even a high-handicapper can manage without disaster. No one can get up and down all the time, but those who study this book will know how to in almost any situation. By applying Watson's lessons to your own game, you can hope to lower your score by 5 to 10 percent, no matter how well you play.

Genres: Sports

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 12, 1983

About the author

Thomas Sturges Watson (born September 4, 1949) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions, formerly on the PGA Tour.

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[Alan Livingston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides good instruction on what is arguably the most important part of the game, the shots from 40 yards and in. Who is more knowledgeable about playing the game than Tom Watson? Not many. This is a nostalgic look of a timeless subject, with sketched drawings instead of photography. Even the significant changes in equipment and balls that have happened since the book’s publication in 1983 haven’t affected this manual’s point, of how to get the ball into the hole in the fewest strokes you can.

Still, like many golf instruction books, this one may not be so much for the beginner, since Watson speaks to the reader with the assumption the player knows more than just the basics. While knowing what the difference is between pitching and chipping is not a big deal, knowing what differentiates a weak from a strong grip will give you more benefit from his teachings.

The good news is Watson addresses not only how to handle many special situations you’re not likely to find in other such guides, but ideas for how to structure your practice. The bad news is that some solutions are not the kind the average golfer has access to, e.g. taking over part of a course for a lengthy practice session. I first thought maybe this was a more likely scenario back in the ‘80’s when this was written, but since that’s when I played most of my golf, I should know better.

A nice book for the shelf, and for occasional reference.

[John Bluck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a concise, simple golf instructional text to help players improve their scores quickly by working on the game that is played 40 yards and less from the pin. The book includes tips on putting, chipping, pitching, and getting out sand traps. The short game is where more than half of golf's shots are taken.

I will read and re-read this book and sections of it again and again. I believe this book will help me and the weekend golfer to score better, if we apply some of player Tom Watson's suggestions to our games.

[Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid account of the short game from an experienced pro. I think it will be more valuable to me as a reference tool, although I definitely gained quite a bit from the basics of the different types of shots.

The book presents golf in a digestible way, with solid illustrations and thorough explanations. While some nuances are difficult to follow, the book ultimately is an incredible help to amateur golfers looking to shave a couple of strokes off their handicap.

[Elizabeth Rakos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful

[Robb Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

An old book of great short game wisdom given to me by a friend. it goes up to 4 stars if my golf handicap goes down! lots of good ideas in this classic.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un must per i giocatori di golf. Sia che mirino al basso handicap che al gioco domenicale.