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Playing a Round with the Little Pro

A Life in the Game

About The Book

In the world of professional golf, everyone knows "the Little Pro" -- Eddie Merrins, the head professional at the Bel-Air Country Club. A living bridge between the Golden Age of the sport and the greatest champions of today, his experiences and friendships reach back to Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, and Ben Hogan, and all the way forward to Tiger Woods, Amy Alcott, and Vijay Singh. Both on and off the course, he's an embodiment of the highest principles of the game.

In dozens of short, personal anecdotes told with his trademark wit and modesty, Merrins invites readers to share the decades he spent in the very good company of famous Hollywood stars, celebrated athletes and coaches, and countless lovers of the game seeking his advice and encouragement. In these pages, Merrins generously offers for the first time all his insights on the mental, physical, technical, and even spiritual aspects of the sport. Ranging from swing fundamentals to setting goals to shotmaking, this advice is relevant to players at every level of experience.

Playing a Round with the Little Pro celebrates a wonderful life lived in and for the great sport of golf, and it is destined, like its author, to be a classic of the game.

About The Author

Eddie Merrins is a true golf legend, one of the most admired and respected figures in the game for more than half a century. An accomplished junior and amateur player growing up in Mississippi, he turned professional in 1957 and has played in over 200 PGA Tour events. After stints as an instructor at the legendary Merion Golf Club outside Philadelphia, Thunderbird Country Club in Palm Springs, and the Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York, in 1962 he became head professional at the Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles and has stayed there ever since. At Bel-Air, Merrins has worked with some of the biggest names in professional golf and in the entertainment industry. In his spare time, he has coached the UCLA golf team to national prominence, winning the NCAA championship in 1988.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Atria Books (April 25, 2006)
  • Length: 240 pages
  • ISBN13: 9780743299213

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Raves and Reviews

"Eddie Merrins will go down in history as one of the best men in golf, and one of its best teachers."

-- Byron Nelson

"This book is entertaining, amusing and a well-deserved tribute to one of golf's true gentlemen."

-- The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

"The best golf book that I have ever read when it comes to the combination of instruction and storytelling....You feel like you have had the great privilege of receiving an all-afternoon lesson with the Little Pro."

-- Jim Nantz

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