Best Golf Instructional Books for Women 2023

It’s time to get out there and start hitting that ball. You’ve heard it a million times before: “Keep your hands soft, your grip loose, and your feet close to the target.” But when you’re trying to learn new things, it can be difficult to know what’s relevant and what’s not. So, we decided to put together a list of the best golf instructional books for women. These books are designed for women, beginners, and for all golfers, no matter what your skill level is.

Here are some of the best golf books for women.

Five Lessons: The Soul of Golf by Ben Hogan

If there was one book that changed the course of golf history, it would have to be Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Soul of Golf.

The book was originally published in 1934, but it was only reprinted in 2007. If you want to learn the basics of how to play golf, this is the book you need.

Cindy Reid’s Ultimate Guide to Golf for Women

Throughout the history of the sport, Cindy Reid has been widely regarded as one of the best golf instructors. Since 2007, she has been offering lessons on the pro-LGPA and US Professional Futures Tour, where she won four events, as well as working with pros – both men and women – for decades. Her indispensable Cindy Reid’s Ultimate Guide to Golf for Women distills all that knowledge. 

The book covers pretty much every aspect of golf as it pertains to female players, including mechanics such as driving, putting, and course management, as well as more nuanced topics such as etiquette, fashion, fitness, and flexibility to help women succeed at golf. Aimed at both beginners and experienced players, it includes easy-to-understand strategies to improve your skills, in addition to color photos. 

However, it goes beyond merely teaching correct mechanics to explore why – and how – women should approach the game differently than men. A minimum amount of jargon is used, and a section is devoted to buying the right equipment.

Golf Handbook for Women

She was the first European woman to qualify for the U.S. PGA Tour and the British Ladies Open Champion in 1977. Viven Saunders’ book includes photos and illustrations to help illustrate her suggestions on how to get the best shot every time.

This book covers all the basics from a female perspective, including knowing which shot to play, reading greens, judging distance, formulating stroke- and match-play strategies, and tips on avoiding trouble spots. 

Additionally, she discusses how to form good habits from the beginning, conquer fears, and focus on enjoying the game fully. Although some of the product recommendations may be a bit dated (it was published in 2000), her tips on what different clubs do – and how to choose gear according to the situation – have proved invaluable to many readers.

Feeling Naked on the First Tee

Feeling Naked on the First Tee is more than a book on the differences between men and women. It offers solutions to ease the trepidation and self-consciousness felt by many first-time female golfers. This guide explains everything a new golfer should know, from what to wear to where to stand to where to park and how to mark your ball. 

This slim volume isn’t a comprehensive resource; it’s more of a crash course told in a light, humorous tone with an undercurrent of authority. The book benefits from Kelly’s more informal approach, as he isn’t a golf pro or instructor with decades of experience. It feels like your best friend is virtually holding your hand as you walk up to the tee for the first time without worrying about all the things you think you ought to know. 

She describes herself as an average golfer who started playing after her two kids left for college, and the overall tone of the book makes walking up to the tee for the first time feel easy.

Venus on the Fairway

Golf for Women magazine consistently ranks Deborah Steinbach as one of the top 50 instructors in the United States after she played on the LGPA tour for 11 years. In this book, she uses her experience to offer a detailed overview of what a woman golfer needs to learn in order to perfect her swing in a way that is both instructive and entertaining. 

Using photos and simple visual keys to enhance the book, includes the women-specific aspects of grip and set-up before exploring all aspects of the swing, teaching readers how to “feel” the key swing movements as opposed to overthinking them.

It has a playful tone (example: “The Boob Factor”) but is jargon-free. She also offers some tips on playing with male golfers and finding the right equipment, as well as proper etiquette on the links.

Par Golf for Women

During her career, Louise Suggs won so many tournaments that she cannot even remember them all, according to a 1954 article. When playing the game, she took a no-nonsense approach, as one of the 13 founding members of the LGPA. Women often view her seminal book as the women’s version of Ben Hogan’s classic Five Lessons. 

This book offers a glimpse into a time when women were bona fide golf pioneers, capturing her playful, yet the serious, approach to the sport.

Despite passing away in August 2015, her thoughts about golf endure, as evidenced by this oft-repeated quote: “Golf is like a love affair, if you don’t take it seriously, it’s no fun, if you do, it breaks your heart.” Be open to the possibility, but don’t let it crush you.”

A Girl’s On-Course Survival Guide to Golf

Christina Ricci’s book addresses many of the same topics as the other books in this round-up: course management, mental tools, rules, and etiquette. The best part of this wire-bound book might be the joke section. At 30, Ricci started playing golf after working as a marketing executive. 

After five years, she possessed a handicap of 5 and a serious passion for encouraging other women to take up the sport. She uses bright and colorful illustrations to convey her tips and to infuse a bit of whimsy into what is often a fairly “straight-laced” profession.

The book is small enough to keep in your golf bag for on-the-go reference (or joke-telling), with clear definitions of how the various rules of the game help female golfers gain confidence, enjoy the game, and succeed.

Wonder Girl

This nonfiction book by Don Van Natta chronicles the astounding life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias, a singular athlete who was an All-American basketball player and won gold medals in track and field in 1932 Olympics before finding golf. And that’s when it all changed. Despite her gender, she is one of the greatest athletes of all time since she won more consecutive tournaments than any other golfer in history. 

As the pioneer that she was, she fiercely defended her tomboy looks and embraced every one of her rough edges, shattering stereotypes and charging through life on the field. This book won’t teach you any of the fundamentals of golf from one of Sports Illustrated’s top 10 athletes. This book will inspire you to keep playing your way no matter what obstacles life (or patriarchy) throws at you.

Power Golf for Women

In this book, you’ll be able to tap the expertise of noted golf teaching professional and owner/operator of her own school of golf in Pittsburgh, Penn., Jane Horn. Among the biggest misconceptions about female golfers is that they don’t have the strength and power to hit hard and achieve distance. 

She believes it has less to do with physical strength and more to do with a misconception about how power is generated, particularly in female golfers. As well as teaching distance hitting, she provides lessons on aiming and setting up the proper stance, increasing arm length and width, and developing a plan for longer tee shots to help women get the power they want. 

While her exercises and drills have proven essential for regular players, some readers wish there were photos rather than pencil illustrations to illustrate her tips.

People also ask

Can you learn to play golf by yourself?

Golf is absolutely something you can learn on your own. A little practice allows anyone to swing a club, play a chip shot, or make a putt. Nonetheless, if you want to become a low-handicap golfer, you will likely need lessons from a professional golf instructor so that you can fine-tune some of the technical aspects of your swing.

Should a new golfer take a lot of lessons?

Before hitting the golf course, every beginner should take one or two golf lessons. If possible, you should take about five lessons before playing; however, this is not always possible. Golf beginners need to have some idea of what they are doing before they head out onto the course.

How difficult is it to learn golf?

To learn golf, you need to focus on chipping. In times of frustration, practice short chip shots. A chipping swing is the foundation of the entire swing; it’s the full swing in miniature. As the chipping motion is so short and slow, you can more easily understand what’s going on.

Summary

There are many more books for women providing a better understanding of golf, but these are widely known as the best. It has been found that while men play golf for the competition, women use it to develop and maintain relationships. This is why golf is so popular. There’s nothing more refreshing than spending time with your closest friends in the sun and on the green. Despite the fact that you’re there for your friends, you shouldn’t ignore the fact that you have the opportunity to win as well