Filled with insightful stories about golf, Dr. Bob Rotella’s delightful book will improve the game of even the most casual weekend player.Dr. Bob Rotella is one of.

My first comment on reading the title of this book was “No Shit Sherlock!”. As you will be aware if you have read my blog over the past year, my golfing experience has been very up and down. I have won over £400 in cash and prizes, my handicap has dropped 8 points, I have played one round of 79 and I have played some fabulous golf shots. However, I have also failed to break 90 as often as I had wished, messed up innumerable shots and generally been inconsistent. So Rotella’s book makes a very important point in its title, viz. You will make mistakes (and so does everybody else!).

Rotella is a very widely read and respected “performance consultant”, and many pro’s rate him. His books are very “human”, they are not technical, they are full of common sense and real examples of the problems encountered by people at all levels of the game. I read this book before Christmas, along with the John Richardson one I wrote about yesterday, and it has also helped me in a number of ways. So, here is my “potted version”, a list of the salient points which I have gleaned that made the most impression on me. Think your ball to the target, focus on it during your pre-shot routine and trust your swing. Keep a “hot-streak mentality”, remembering how you felt during a good phase of play – loose and confident.

Don’t think about technique on your shot swing. Aim for a small, elevated, specific target (a twig on a distant tree for example) and keep it in mind as you swing.

Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect

(This has been particularly effective for me). Your pre-shot routine is very important. He suggests: (Choose) Club, Target, Stance, Visualise, Grip, Practice, Waggle, Look at the target then at the ball. Short game practice should take up 70% of your time.

Always aim to hole the ball. Believe the putt in going in but don’t care if it doesn’t. Visualise the line but make a straight putt to a target you judge the ball will turn from.

Take practice putts with your eyes on the hole. (This has been a very helpful tip for me). Accept the bad shots and concentrate on the next. Allow yourself 7 mistakes a round (this is a Walter Hagen tip). Only think about what you want to happen (especially when there are obvious hazards!).

Remember and savour your good shots. Be an artist not a scientist. Have a conservative strategy but a cocky swing. Have a game plan for important matches and new courses. Think backwards from green to tee. If in doubt, go for safety.

Be loose, free and confident and stick to your routines and game plan. Try not to think ahead and think about your score or your opponent’s score. Don’t play shots you normally wouldn’t. 60% of your practice time (whether on long or short game) should be on acceptance, targets and routines, 40% on technicals. Practice putting to the fringe of the green (not to a hole) to develop pace and confidence. Before an important competition, imagine the sights, sounds, smells and feelings of winning it. Have an improvement plan and stick to it.

Hope this helps you a bit!

Filled with insightful stories about golf, Dr. Bob Rotella’s delightful book will improve the game of even the most casual weekend player. Bob Rotella is one of the hottest performance consultants in America today.

Among his many professional clients are Nick Price (last year's Player of the Year), Tom Kite, Davis Love III, Pat Bradley, Brad Faxon, John Daly, and many others. Rotella, or “Doc,” as most players refer to him, goes beyond just the usual mental aspects of the game and the reliance on specific techniques. What Rotella does here in this extraordinary book, and with his clients, is to create an attitude and a mindset about all aspects of a golfer's game, from mental preparation to competition. The most wonderful aspect of it all is that it is done in a conversational fashion, in a dynamic blend of anecdote and lesson. And, as some of the world's greatest golfers will attest, the results are spectacular. Golfers will improve their golf game and have more fun playing. Some of Rotella's maxims include: -On the first tee, a golfer must expect only two things of himself: to have fun, and to focus his mind properly on every shot.Golfers must learn to love 'the challenge when they hit a ball into the rough, trees, or sand.

The alternatives—anger, fear, whining, and cheating—do no good.Confidence is crucial to good golf. Confidence is simply the aggregate of the thoughts you have about yourself.It is more important to be decisive than to be correct when preparing to play any golf shot or putt.

Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect Paperback

Filled with delightful and insightful stories about golf and the golfers Rotella works with, Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect will improve the game of even the most casual weekend player. Topics: Sports.