The Complete Short Game
With a pair of U.S. Opens in his bag by the age of 27, Ernie Els is a walking promo for the "power" of the short game. His swing is textbook--languid, long, and strong--but it's his superb skills from 100 yards that have hoisted him to a place on the leader board of the game's new generation.  His short-game instructional is both comprehensive and imaginative, conversationally written and thoroughly illustrated. He does the expected--taking you through the requisite arsenal of chips, pitches, and putts--then tees up a little more, offering tips for reading greens, using weather, and judging distance. He's devised his drills to be entertaining, and his suggestions for how best to practice on the course--either alone or with a partner--are designed to concentrate the mind, add creativity to shotmaking, and subtract a couple of strokes from your scorecard.--Jeff Silverman