Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game
Posted by GolfReviews on September 29, 2009 · 3 Comments
Review
?The lessons in Zen Golf make the mental game seem so simple. Dr. Parent has given me very effective methods for working with thoughts and emotions, and for taking the negatives out of the picture.?
-Vijay Singh, Masters and PGA Champion
?Soothing and enlightening, Zen Golf exposes us to the storm-tossed waters of the golfer’s psyche, but in short order, Dr. Parent has us bobbing easily amidst the waves.?
-Guy Yocum, Senior Writer for Golf Digest
?There?s no other book like this one. If you want to know what has gotten in the way of playing better and what you can do about it, look no further.?
-Mike ?Radar? Reid, PGA Tour Winner
?Doc?s unique teaching methods helped me to concentrate and to go from the range to the first tee in a way that gets my round off to a much better start.?
-Willie Wood, PGA Tour Winner
?Dr. Parent?s use of golf as a metaphor for business is full of great insights that have helped our staff grow as people and professionals.?
-David Hausdorff, Vice President, Merrill Lynch, Private Client Group
?Here is a roadmap to inner confidence, self-awareness and the feel of a purely struck golf shot. This approach to learning and life is a wonderful and powerful expression of the future for golf instruction.?
-Fred Shoemaker, author of Extraordinary Golf and co-teacher of Golf in the Kingdom seminars with Michael Murphy — Review
Review
“The lessons in Zen Golf make the mental game seem so simple. Dr. Parent has given me very effective methods for working with thoughts and emotions, and for taking the negatives out of the picture.”
-Vijay Singh, Masters and PGA Champion
“Soothing and enlightening, Zen Golf exposes us to the storm-tossed waters of the golfer’s psyche, but in short order, Dr. Parent has us bobbing easily amidst the waves.”
-Guy Yocum, Senior Writer for Golf Digest
“There’s no other book like this one. If you want to know what has gotten in the way of playing better and what you can do about it, look no further.”
-Mike “Radar” Reid, PGA Tour Winner
“Doc’s unique teaching methods helped me to concentrate and to go from the range to the first tee in a way that gets my round off to a much better start.”
-Willie Wood, PGA Tour Winner
“Dr. Parent’s use of golf as a metaphor for business is full of great insights that have helped our staff grow as people and professionals.”
-David Hausdorff, Vice President, Merrill Lynch, Private Client Group
“Here is a roadmap to inner confidence, self-awareness and the feel of a purely struck golf shot. This approach to learning and life is a wonderful and powerful expression of the future for golf instruction.”
-Fred Shoemaker, author of Extraordinary Golf and co-teacher of Golf in the Kingdom seminars with Michael Murphy
What’s the point of golf? What are we trying to achieve while we’re out there? Simply put, the point is to get the ball in the cup as quickly as possible and enjoy the process. I played a round early this summer, had an awful time, came off the course stressed and feeling bad about my behavior. I was literally hyperventalating over putts. Turns out I scored well. So something was amiss, right? This book has me enjoying the game again. Zen Golf is not a deep and difficult treatise of the deeper meaning of life and golf. It is closer to an instruction manual on how to play better golf and enjoy the game more. It addresses concepts like trust, confidence and positive thinking. I now enjoy those 3-iron punch shots out of the trees. I’m learning to enjoy those 5-footers. Every shot is an opportunity and there’s no need for fear or negativity. My “evil caddie” seldom comes around, and when he does, I know what to do. This is simply the best golf book I’ve ever read.
The one time I had a perfect (for me) round of golf I noticed that the game seemed extremely simple. The rest of the time, I wonder how it can be so complicated to try and reproduce that simplicity. Zen golf gets to the root of this and offers a path there, and the opportunity to have that round at any time.
Joseph Parent’s advice applies to all levels of golfers and is a guide to consistent and reproduceable results. It is one of those rare books on golf that doesn’t fill your head with things to consider while you play, it does the opposite by showing you how to clear your head and in doing so clear away the obstacles that prevent us and our bodies from naturally performing the way we are capable of. I expect that the short time it took me to read this book will have a long-lasting effect on the way I will play golf from now on, and I am in the process of reading it for a second time.
As an avid, yet struggling golfer I was ready for just about anything that could improve my game, including a lobotomy. Zen Golf was not only straight forward, but incredibly useful. Shortly after reading the book, I went out and “trusting” my swing not only hit a lot of great shots, but actually began having fun again. I enjoyed myself so much that I scheduled a full day lesson with Dr. Parent. Talk about a book brought to life. He was wonderful. Not only was he full of insight and stress relieving approaches, but he was really fun to play with. In the last year or so, I have been shooting a lot of 80’s and even some 90’s. Employing Dr. Parent’s concepts I shot 77 AND had a fun time. I don’t dread golf anymore. I highly recommend the book to every golfer looking to play to their full potential and take the hernia out of the game. For those luckier still, I recommend a lesson with Dr. Parent. If you are struggling with your game, either take up tennis or get this book.