Books Travel and technique At the outset we have to acknowledge the obvious conflict of interests in reviewing a book by our own Philip Reid; that said, we have no hesitation in acknowledging that his guide to golf in Ireland is superb.

It has quality stamped all over it, from Philip's fine and entertaining prose to all of the production values, the layout, the illustrations, the ease of use. It is bang up to date, and provides the potential visitor with all the advice and information they need to make a success of their holiday, from the obvious, such as transport (e.g., don't even think of attempting to drive across Dublin during the day), to the easily-overlooked (what to wear on the course) to the thoroughly contemporary (the availability of Internet cafes).

While aimed primarily at the US and UK markets, it should be within handy reach of the reception desk of every hotel and guesthouse in the land.

While Philip's book tells you where to play golf, Fred Shoemaker's Extraordinary Golf comes off the ever-accelerating assembly line of how to play golf books. The cover is off-putting, the illustrations are a disaster, some of the exercises seem laughable.

And yet. Within days of beginning to read it I went out and won a proper competition for the first time in my long and notably undistinguished career. All because of the book? No. Since I became a member of a proper club last year my game has been steadily improving.

But I can honestly say that when I stood on the first tee of Arklow Golf Club (not my home club) a few weeks ago my attitude to the game was fundamentally altered from my norm: there was a lot less fear.

For while Shoemaker does include some useful technical advice, his primary message is the need to break away from what he calls "the Culture of Golfers", which states: "There is something wrong with my game, and I must fix it." He insists there is another way to approach the game: "There is something going on in my swing, and I must be aware of it."

This awareness can lead to trust, and trust can lead to an absence of fear.

This is not doing the book justice. There is so much more. Shoemaker writes: "I hope this book will help you see how you 'are' on the golf course, and help you open yourself up to a freedom that you may rarely have experienced in your game, or your life. This freedom is what turns ordinary into extraordinary."

Ireland - Golfer's Guide, by Philip Reid, New Holland, £13.99 sterling.

Extraordinary Golf: The Art of the Possible, by Fred Shoemaker, Souvenir Press, £14.99 sterling.