Cracking the Code: The Winning Ryder Cup Strategy: Make It Work for You

by Paul Azinger, Ron Braund

The Wall Street Journal called it, “Team USA’s management victory . . . a group-dynamic philosophy with lessons for golf and beyond.” With only three wins in twenty-five years for the United States Ryder Cup team, 2008 captain Paul Azinger employed a management style that focused on building strong relationships among the players. The resulting team won with the largest U.S. margin of victory in almost three decades. In Cracking the Code, Azinger and management consultant Ron Braund share the team-building philosophy that helped win the Ryder Cup and can work for you.

Genres: Nonfiction

220 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2010

Reviews

[Brett Gorney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, short,energy packed read. Being a golf pro and remembering that Ryder Cup and the excitement behind it made it all the more entertaining.

Love the correlations to leadership and culture creation for business and other areas where teams are built and needed to “win” or execute a plan.

[Jacquelyn McDonough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Candy for an avid golfer. Perhaps only for a limited audience but I couldn't put it down.

[Alan Livingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding book from both a golf and a business perspective. Paul Azinger’s approach to captaining the United States’ Ryder Cup team began with the realization that something had to change in the way we went about competing in the event: The old adage, “If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting”. How he found a new and ultimately successful method is fun to hear as a golfer and golf fan, but also has many applications away from golf. He first heard of the techniques themselves as they were being used by Navy Seals, and then found his primary advisor (and co-author of the book) in someone experienced in instilling these teambuilding traits into business situations.

This is a very quick read. I don’t know what people do these days when travelling on business, but I kept thinking that it is the perfect book for reading while waiting in the airport and then sitting on the plane. Terrific not only for those interested in golf and the dynamics involved in winning the Ryder Cup, but also for anyone seeking clues for how to successfully direct a team toward a goal.

[Tim Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like golf. i don't know that i like golf enough to read a book about it.
but i heard author Paul Azinger interviewed about Cracking the Code on Jim Rome's radio show and the book sound surprisingly interesting.

i ordered it and read it and i have to say - it lived up to my expectation.

basically, it's a book about the formation of the 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup team - and the success of the selection process.

Azinger used team building techniques from the NAVY SEALs and took the 12 man team and broke them into pods - based on personality and compatibility over skill on the golf course.

i really liked his model of team building.

frankly, i intend to take some of these ideas and implement them in the development of leadership teams (or 'pods') in my youth ministry.

who knew?

it's an easy and interesting read.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for not only golf fans, but also anyone looking for a unique way to build a winning team. Paul Azinger explains the amount of effort and work that goes into the Ryder Cup. Paul also explains how he came to find the winning team strategy and how he executed on his winning team philosophies. A great book for coaches looking to build winning teams.

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

A must read for golfers interested in the Ryder Cup.