Golf For Dummies

408 Pages·2006·14.44 MB·english

by  Gary McCord

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Golf
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
3
RD EDITION
by Gary McCord
Foreword by David Feherty

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Golf
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
3
RD EDITION
by Gary McCord
Foreword by David Feherty
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GolfFor Dummies®, 3rd Edition
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
Copyright ©2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2005936643
ISBN-13: 978-0-471-76871-5
ISBN-10: 0-471-76871-5
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About the Author
“Life is full of ups and downs, good and bad, but it wouldn’t be fun
any other way.” Living by this optimistic philosophy, Gary McCord
persisted through years of mediocrity before finding success. An
outstanding player, television announcer, instructor, author,
speaker, and even movie actor, he has become a golf celebrity.
McCord is well known for enduring 23 years and 422 tournaments
on the PGA Tour without nabbing a single victory. A man of good
humor, he sported a “NOWINS” license plate for years to poke fun at
his less-than-glamorous work as a professional golfer.
“Trapped in the headlights of bankruptcy,” as he liked to put it, McCord pur-
sued other avenues in golf, and found himself launching a broadcasting career.
He scored big when a CBS Sports executive tossed him a headset and asked
him to do golf commentary — giving him only 15 minutes to prepare. A friend
of failure, McCord jumped in with no fear and impressed CBS with his perfor-
mance. Twenty years later, he is still providing color commentary for CBS golf
events. Fans and critics alike praise him for his knowledgeable perspective,
refreshing humor, and sometimes irreverent wit toward a game known for
taking itself too seriously.
Broadcasting changed his perspective on golf. Realizing that a better under-
standing of the golf swing would help his TV work, McCord studied under
Mac O’Grady, a legendary guru of the game. After two years of study he
emerged with knowledge, confidence, and an improved golf game.
Gary’s own golf really came together just as he began his career on the
Champions Tour after his 50th birthday. In 1999, his first full season on that
tour, he won two events — the Toshiba Senior Classic and the Ingersoll-Rand
Senior Tour Championship — to finish 17th on the official money list with
nearly $1,000,000 in prize money. Since then, he has continued to play well,
usually finishing in the top 30 on the money list while playing a limited sched-
ule of 10 to15 events per year.
When he isn’t broadcasting or playing golf, McCord keeps busy with myriad
other projects. He portrayed himself in and served as technical director for
the golf movie Tin Cup,starring Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, and Don Johnson.
He is also a writer. In addition to writing Golf For Dummies,he is the author of
a collection of essays about his life on tour, Just a Range Ball in a Box of Titleists.
His bestselling Golf For Dummieswas released in DVD form in 2004.
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McCord and his friend and CBS Sports colleague David Feherty are known
tomillions of golf fans and gamers as the voices of EA Sports’ Tiger Woods
PGA Tour video games. McCord also instructs and consults with more than
20 PGA Tour players. Along with another friend and fellow CBS commentator,
Peter Kostis, he co-founded the Kostis/McCord Learning Center at Grayhawk
Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Gary brings a sense of fun to everything he does and never takes himself too
seriously. He and his wife, Diane, share the “ups and downs” of a busy life
together at their homes in Scottsdale and Denver.
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Dedication
I dedicate this book to my mom, Ruth, and to David Feherty’s make-believe
best friend, Flossy — his pet goat. They light up our lives.
Author’s Acknowledgments
It is a smart dummy who surrounds himself with good people. This book was
taken to the next level by Kevin Cook. Very good people. Here’s hoping we’ll
keep up with our readers’ ascent to the top of golf’s food chain. Grip it and
read it!
My wife, Diane, is simply the best. Her patience with my work and understand-
ing with my schedule I am unable to comprehend. She is my life’s caddie, and
a better one I could not have. To my mom, Ruth, my daughter, Krista, and
myfour granddaughters, Breanne, Kayla, Jenae, and Terra: You will all get
still more free books. Thanks for thinking about me when I’ve been away
mywhole life.
Many thanks to the Wiley team: Acquisitions Editor Stacy Kennedy, Project
Editor Elizabeth Kuball, Technical Editor John Brott, Photographer Daniel
Mainzer, Project Coordinator Kathryn Shanks, Editorial/Acquisitions Intern
Jenny Baylor, Associate Graphics Processor Lauren Goddard, and Supervisor
of Graphics Shelley Lea. They worked hard to get this book just right!
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Publisher’s Acknowledgments
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration
form located at www.dummies.com/register/.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Composition Services
Media Development
Project Coordinator:Kathryn Shanks
Project Editor:Elizabeth Kuball
Layout and Graphics:Andrea Dahl,
(Previous Editions: Pamela Mourouzis and Denny Hager, Stephanie D. Jumper,
Colleen Totz) ClintLahnen, Barbara Moore,
LynseyOsborn, Heather Ryan
Acquisitions Editor:Stacy Kennedy
Special Art:Pam Tanzey
Consultant:Kevin Cook
Photography:Paul Lester, Scott Baxter
Technical Editor:John Brott
Photography, Daniel Mainzer Photography
Editorial Manager:Michelle Hacker
Proofreaders:Laura Albert, Leeann Harney,
Editorial Supervisor and Reprint Editor: Joe Niesen, TECHBOOKS Production
Carmen Krikorian Services
Editorial Assistants: Hanna Scott, Nadine Bell, Indexer:TECHBOOKS Production Services
David Lutton
Special Help
Cover Photos:© Steve Belkowitz/Taxi/Getty Jenny Baylor, Lauren Goddard, Shelley Lea
Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)
Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies
Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies
Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies
Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies
Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel
Kelly Regan,Editorial Director, Travel
Publishing for Technology Dummies
Andy Cummings,Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User
Composition Services
Gerry Fahey,Vice President of Production Services
Debbie Stailey,Director of Composition Services
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Contents at a Glance
Foreword....................................................................xix
Introduction.................................................................1
Part I: Getting Started: No, You Can’t Hit the Ball Yet....7
Chapter 1: What Is This Thing Called Golf?....................................................................9
Chapter 2: Gearing Up......................................................................................................17
Chapter 3: Do I Need Lessons?.......................................................................................33
Chapter 4: Getting Fit for Golf.........................................................................................47
Chapter 5: Where to Play and Who to Play With..........................................................71
Part II: You Ain’t Got a Thing
If You Ain’t Got That Swing.........................................81
Chapter 6: Getting into the Swing of Things.................................................................83
Chapter 7: Refining Your Swing....................................................................................115
Chapter 8: Putting: The Art of Rolling the Rock.........................................................123
Chapter 9: Chipping and Pitching................................................................................153
Chapter 10: It’s Your Sandbox: Bunker Play................................................................165
Part III: Common Faults and Easy Fixes......................175
Chapter 11: Typical Problems and Simple Solutions.................................................177
Chapter 12: How to Beat Bad Luck and Bad Weather................................................197
Part IV: Taking Your Game Public..............................215
Chapter 13: Ready, Set, Play!.........................................................................................217
Chapter 14: Rules, Etiquette, and Scoring...................................................................235
Chapter 15: Gamesmanship and Sportsmanship.......................................................255
Part V: Golf: It’s Electric!..........................................267
Chapter 16: Golf on TV...................................................................................................269
Chapter 17: Golf on the Web.........................................................................................285
Chapter 18: Tiger versus Golden Tee: The Best of Virtual Golf................................301
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Part VI: The Part of Tens...........................................305
Chapter 19: Golf’s Ten Commandments......................................................................307
Chapter 20: Gary’s Ten Favorite Courses....................................................................311
Chapter 21: Gary’s Ten Favorite Public Courses........................................................317
Chapter 22: Gary’s Ten All-Time Favorite Male Players............................................323
Chapter 23: Gary’s Ten All-Time Favorite Female Players........................................327
Chapter 24: The (More Than) Ten Worst Golf Disasters...........................................331
Part VII: Appendixes.................................................341
Appendix A: Golf Speak.................................................................................................343
Appendix B: Golf Organizations....................................................................................361
Index.......................................................................365