Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game
by Dr. Gio Valiante
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Book Summary Information
Author: Dr. Gio ValianteCollaborator: Mike Stachura
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-05-03
ISBN: 0385511922
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Doubleday
Book Reviews of Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game
Book Review: This book cut 13 strokes off my first round. Really.
Summary: 5 Stars
I know that sounds like ridiculous hype, but it's true.
I swear I'm not the author's brother, cousin, agent or employee. I am a weekend golfer - not even every weekend. I live up north so only play 4 or 5 months out of the year. I've consistently scored 103 to 107 per round over the past 4-5 years.
At the driving range, I hit the vast majority of my shots right down the middle, or at least well enough so that they'd be in play 90% of the time. It's when I get out on the course that it all falls apart. So I knew my technique was okay... it had to be a mental problem. I was thinking of seeing a sports hypnotist but couldn't find one and besides, I just don't play that much golf - maybe about 9 holes a week - and didn't want to invest the time or money.
So I went online to see if I could find a book that would address my problem and found Fearless Golf. There is no technique in book, so if your swing or putting stinks, look elsewhere. This book is all about what's going on inside your head. For me it was a bullseye.
When I first started reading it, I was a little defensive; I'M not fearful... I'M not afraid. But as I went though the book, I realized that I was and just didn't realize it. I was afraid of going with what works... I was holding back and sabotaging myself. I was "afraid" of posting yet another lousy score, "afraid" of losing another $10 bet, "afraid" of wasting my valuable time on another awful round. , etc., etc. This book helped me figure that out and get things straight. Why do I golf? Why don't I trust my swing like I do at the range? Why do my bad shots turn in to more bad shots? I got answers to these questions and more importantly, a few solid, concrete things to do mentally before each shot that have made a huge difference.
The results: on my first 9 holes after finishing the book I went birdie-par-bogey-par and ended up with a 45 (there was a 9 in there). My next 9-hole round was another 45 including another birdie and a few pars. That may not sound so great to you, but in my world pars are rare and birdies were extinct! Those two rounds added up to a 90 - or 13 strokes less than my low-end typical 103!! And 17 less than my typical high-end 107! I've seen all the infomercials on TV and in the magazines of products "guaranteeing to shave 5, 10 or 15 stokes off your score", but this one really worked, not that there's any such promise in his book.
Yesterday I played in a company tournament of which I play 2 or 3 a year. In this pressure situation, on a totally unfamiliar course (in 95 degree heat), I scored a 96, still 7-10 strokes lower than my usual. Several times during play, I realized that I was forgetting to do the mental "warm-up" before each shot and as soon as I went back to it, my shots instantly got better.
Not only are my scores much better, but 80% of the frustration is gone. Whereas last year I was thinking about quitting the sport, I now am thinking that consistent play in the high 80's is realistic. (Hey - I only missed by one stroke on those two 9-hole rounds!)
If my story sounds like you - good at the driving range but much worse on the course, then buy this book. It costs less than a dozen decent golf balls and was EASILY the best $15 investment I've made in years.
Summary of Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game
A detailed plan for conquering the FEAR that sabotages swings and ruins psyches, from the pioneering psychologist whose techniques have benefited Davis Love III, Justin Leonard, and numerous other world-class golfers.
As Jack Nicklaus once observed, fear is the golfer?s greatest enemy, inspiring Tiger Woods to "refuse" to give in to this debilitating emotion. It can turn professionals into jelly and dominate the games of most amateurs. It alters swing paths, causes ?tap-in? putts to go awry, and transforms a golfer from a brilliant shot-maker on the practice range into an incompetent hack on the course.
Most golfers understand this, but do not have the tools to overcome it. That?s where Dr. Gio Valiante comes in. A pioneering sports psychologist, Valiante has studied the sources of an athlete?s fear, investigated the physiological and neurological impact of fear on performance, and, most important of all, developed a groundbreaking program for conquering it. With Valiante's help and by applying Fearless Golf, Justin Leonard went from three consecutive missed cuts to three consecutive top tens, and Chad Campbell recently moved from 98th in the world to 7th. Davis Love III went from zero wins in 2002 to four wins in 2003, and Chris DiMarco made the 2004 Ryder Cup Team.
Emphasizing the need to replace a fixation-on-results with a commitment to mastery of one?s body and one's mind, Valiante?s approach will not only help golfers reach their true potential, it will make playing every round fun again. Through concrete confidence and mastery drills, he presents specific ways readers can break free of fear?s grasp and perform at their best?even under the most extreme pressure.
With detailed quotes and anecdotes given exclusively to Dr. Valiante from the best players in the game?including Jack Nicklaus, Ernie Els, and other tour professionals, Fearless Golf is the ultimate guide to the mental game, the hottest topic in golf today.
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