As Davis Love III walked the fairways of the Oakland Hills Country Club, in contention during the final round of the 1996 U.S. Open Championship, he had a powerful ally on his side. For the rest of the nation the day may have been Father's Day, but for Love every day on a golf course is father's day.It was Davis Love, Jr., master professional and legendary teacher, who taught his son the game in all its beautiful complexity. As a child, Davis III was encouraged just to play, to enjoy the game as he grew and developed his athletic skills, to find the pleasure in the game that can lead to the desire for improvement. But when, early in his teens, Davis III declared himself ready to take golf seriously, to put in the time to learn and understand the physical and mental components of the game that turn a golfer into a champion, his father was delighted, determined, and ready.With every shot he takes, Davis Love III provides a tribute to the strength and the value of his father's teachings. And in Every Shot I Take, he shares with us the lessons he learned about how to play golf with power, with skill, and with joy. Those lessons range widely, from the psychological ("Let your attitude determine your golf game; don't let your golf game determine your attitude") to the physical ("To hit the ball far, hit the ball straight; I try to hit the ball at 80 percent of my overall power, because at 80 percent I have a much better chance of hitting the ball with the center of the clubface") to the technical ("When you begin your downswing, and your left foot returns to the ground, put your cleats in the same holes they were in originally"). They include drills like the Hitchhike Drill, where you place your right hand behind your back and your left thumb on your right shoulder, then in a spinning motion move your thumb to your left shoulder -- that's the golf swing in miniature! There are the Ten Commandments of Putting, six steps to successful long bunker shots, and tips for playing in the wind and rain, on fast greens, or out of long rough. Yet all are ultimately about something more than golf.

ContentsAcknowledgmentsCHAPTER 1: My Dad's the ProA Tip for My MotherThe Feel of the SwingBall PositionA Baseball SwingOther People's MistakesOne Set of HolesAlignmentObstaclesA Quiet HeadAdvice for Teaching ProsSpray PaintNot Just Another StudentAdvice from a LegendFeel the ArmsA Natural RepellentThe Left ArmOur Favorite DrillCHAPTER 2: "Do What Tom Kite Does"The Key to DistanceDo's and Don'ts for a Husband and WifeStand ProudThe Hitchhike DrillDrivers off the GroundA Pleasurable DrillGrip PressureWhere Confidence Comes FromKeep on TrackA Little at a TimeThe Power of the PencilKeep It SimpleHalf-SpeedA Real Round of GolfAs the Shoulders TurnWhen You Don't Need a ProCHAPTER 3: The Day Dad Fired MeWhat You Need to KnowForgive YourselfSlow DownPractice with a PurposeThe Best Time to PracticeTry Less HardOne SentenceBackswing PositionsA Question of BalanceMake Practice a GameGo for the HoleHow Far?Fred CouplesThe Kincaid JournalsBe a Good CoachGame ConditionsIncentiveCHAPTER 4: On Winning and LosingSwing ThoughtsLong Bunker ShotsMake It RoutineOvercoming DoubtChange SpeedsMore Pleasing with WoodKeep Your Grips DryA Once-in-a-Lifetime ShotThe Words of GolfA ColdWeather TipA Teacher's GoalCHAPTER 5: On the Road to WaycrossFollow Your DreamCHAPTER 6: The CrashLettersCHAPTER 7: RobinCHAPTER 8: Brotherly LoveCHAPTER 9: Penta LoveCHAPTER 10: Jack LumpkinControl Your WedgesAn Underhand TossGet It RollingA Handful of SandThe Buried BunkerShotA Match for AnyoneA Match-Play TipLeave It to PhilCHAPTER 11: Harvey's BoysLooks Don't CountGive Luck a ChanceA Wide LaneReading Greens"I Putt as I Drive"Practice Your StrokeThe Eleven-Cent DrillDoctor's OrdersPractice on LineA Firmer GripDo What WorksThe 10 Commandments of PuttingCHAPTER 12: An Open DoorFast GreensOut of the RoughLearn to ForgetIn the WindOne Shot at a TimeRepaid in FullRestoring RhythmTiger WoodsTarget GolfCHAPTER 13: The Next Generation