"Golf is Not a Game of Perfect" (and his other mental game books) by Bob Rotella

[iWALK18]

Just finished Golf is not a game of perfect, and really enjoyed it. It has been super hard to get myself out of my bad habits on the course but i do see some promising results, especially in putting.

[Jay-Bird]

I love Chapter 6. All of the Hogan stuff.

"I played by feel," Hogan told me...

[Pinseeker81]

Just bought it. Looking forward to enlightening thoughts that drop 30 strokes off my game.

[Pinseeker81]

So far I think it's helping. At least some. One thing I have trouble with is clearing my head of mechanical thoughts when I start to swing.
I'll get ready to swing and think to myself, "pull back low and slow rotate rotate wrist hinge spine angle spine angle - TURN HIPS DROP ELBOW HANDS LEAD - *chunk* - $%$^%((*^$#$%^@"

Today at the range I just focused on my target. Wouldn't start my swing till I had everything quiet in my mind but a picture of the target. Then I just swung.

Didn't work every time, but for the first day I'd say it was good progress.

[shortgrass lover]

I just finished reading "The Golfer's Mind/ Play to Play Great". The book is awesome! I read it last Thursday night, and Friday I shot a 75 (+3), which ties my lowest round ever. Sunday I shot 79 (+7) on a day which I had NO mojo. My putter was ice cold, but I still hit 11/18 greens on a course with very small greens. So today I read some of Rotella's stuff on putting. I went out after school and shot a 37 (+1). But the back nine was closed so I couldn't finish my round.

Rotella is amazing. His visualization process in the pre-shot routine is my new bestfriend. I have loads of confidence in my ability to repeat my swing under pressure.

[AmenCorner]

So far I think it's helping. At least some. One thing I have trouble with is clearing my head of mechanical thoughts when I start to swing.

Try focusing on those things during a nice, slow practice swing. Then, fix your target and try repeating the feel of your practice swing. This worked the best during my developmental years of going from a 20+ handicap to a 9 or so. It also helps to develop a very strict routine during this time.

[iWALK18]

So first of all i think this book is awesome. Taking his mindset and thought process to the practice green, I have never holed such a large percentage of chip shots before. But, it certainly has not helped my game.

My biggest problem is that I cannot take the "no mechanical thoughts" part of things to the course. I find myself standing over the ball for WAYYYYY to long trying to get my mind in the right place, and even then if I ignore mechanics, I can feel the swing is wrong half way back.

In the end, I think some things in this book should be ignored if you aren't a very low handicapper, but there are many things which are useful for everyone.'

Things I will ignore:
- No mechanical thoughts on the course.

Things which are very useful:
- Pick a very small target.
- Try to hole everything inside XXX yards
- Let your mind react to the hole as a target when putting.

[Pinseeker81]

Ignoring the mechanics helped me so much today. I'd stand behind it and visualize the shot, then take a stance and do a couple swings to feel what I wanted to do and think mechanics, then set up to the ball, clear my mind (sometimes it would take me a couple times) think of the target and let it go.

[perfectsim]

I read this book over the winter while taking some lessons to improve my game. The first time I went out this spring it was very frustrating. I couldn't hit anything well at all.

After returning to the book and playing another round, my temperament has improved. Using a cocky/aggressive swing with a conservative strategy has really impacted my ability to hit clean shots and keep the ball in play. When I step up to the ball, now I do so with more confidence than previously and this has really improved my ball striking.

I'm currently reading his putting book and I plan on spending time on my short game so my score will see the impact it deserves from the mental side.

[golfbarefoot]

In the winter months, I'm a nerdy bookworm and have read all Rotella's books. They are all great, but "the golfers mind, play to play great" in my opinion is hands down the best golf book he's written. the audiobooks are cool too because it's Dr. Bob reading himself.

[mkrolewski]

I read it and well, I do not get it.

The basic premise(s) seems OK. But there is really nothing in the book to tell or train or practice to make it happen. Just doing it is great slogan for a shoe, but how am I supposed to make it happen?


Mike K

[iacas]

The basic premise(s) seems OK. But there is really nothing in the book to tell or train or practice to make it happen. Just doing it is great slogan for a shoe, but how am I supposed to make it happen?

By doing the things he tells his name-dropped students to do.

Focus on the target. Think only of the target. Forget bad shots immediately, and always look at the next shot, which you give your full attention. Have a repeatable pre-shot routine. Etc. One year I was struggling (this was several years ago when I was still barely a 5 handicap, if not a 6), and simply "make the target your only swing thought" took 2-3 strokes off my scores instantly. The ball magically seemed to go where I wanted it to, regardless of how craptacular my swing was at the time.

[Brakkus]

In putting out of your mind I liked the point about making your shots more athletic rather than manafactured.Like a tennis player who goes for a forehand down the line on the run,has he told himself how to hit it.No there was no time it happened although he has practiced this consciously in training.

I find myself standing too long particulary over wedge and especially chip shots because I'm saying to myself this must hit the green so I can putt for a par or birdie.

[TheRebel88]

I have the same problem with my wedges. I think I need to go to a hypnotist

[1par2win]

[QUOTE=iacas;291564]By doing the things he tells his name-dropped students to do.

I think this is what bugs me about him. Don't get me wrong, the content in his books is quite useful and I have picked up quite a lot but he tries just has hard to validate his credentials. We get it, the pros love you. Same thing about Hank Haney. Everytime I see him wearing that TW hat... never mind. That's another topic altogther.

[AmenCorner]

I think this is what bugs me about him. Don't get me wrong, the content in his books is quite useful and I have picked up quite a lot but he tries just has hard to validate his credentials. We get it, the pros love you. Same thing about Hank Haney. Everytime I see him wearing that TW hat... never mind. That's another topic altogther.

Well, wouldn't you be proud of your students as well? A good golf coach is highly subjective to some people, so it helps to back up your talk with proof of good players that agree with you. Haney is a jerk though so maybe I agree with you.

[TN94z]

Yeah, but the majority of the books I have read by different golf professionals are all the same way. They all seem to mention their students over and over. But that is fine with me. It helps to reinforce the point that they have all been in the same swing situations that we have. I like to hear them say it a lot...it keeps me in a different mindset.

[TN94z]

I forgot the one question I was going to ask...have any of you ever bought used books from Amazon? If so, did you have any problems with them?