Product Description

'You drive for show, you putt for dough'. This old saying is familiar to all golfers and Bob Rotella, one of the foremost authorities on golf today, is a firm believer in its truth. In PUTTING OUT OF YOUR MIND he reveals the unique mental approach that great putting requires and helps golfers of all levels master this essential skill. Much like GOLF IS NOT A GAME OF PERFECT and GOLF IS A GAME OF CONFIDENCE, PUTTING OUT OF YOUR MIND is a resonant and informative guide to achieving a better golf game. While most golfers spend their time trying to perfect their swing so they can hit the ball farther, Rotella encourages them to concentrate on their putting, the most crucial yet overlooked aspect of the game. Great players are not only aware of the importance of putting, they go out of their way to master it. And of course mastery begins with an understanding of the attitude needed to be a better putter. Rotella's mental rules, which have helped some of the greatest golfers in the world to become champion putters can now work for golfers everywhere. With everything from true-life stories from some of the greats to dozens of game-changing practice drills, PUTTING OUT OF YOUR MIND is the new bible of putting, and is sure to bring about immediate results for anyone who plays the game.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7209 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Bestselling author Bob Rotella, the guru-cum-sports psychologist of choice among the world's top golfers, lines up a perfect double entendre with Putting Out of Your Mind. To putt out of your mind--to master this crucial part of the game--you've got to get putting out of your mind--to make it so second nature that you're not actually thinking and stressing once you're standing over the ball.

As Brad Faxon, a Rotella devotee and one of the best putters on the PGA Tour, emphasizes in his introduction, "The secret of great putting is not in the stroke. It's in the mind. When you putt, your state of mind is more important than your mechanics." Once you can imagine yourself sinking a putt, you've exponentially improved your possibilities of actually knocking it in. It's an important lesson, and he learned it from Rotella.

Rotella demystifies the mechanics, accenting instead the importance of a pre-shot routine to help you more effectively visualise your putts and serve as a security blanket when you're facing a breaking downhill five-footer with the match on the line. Most important, Rotella preaches the idea that putting is actually fun for good putters. It's the part of the game they relish most. You'll no doubt find yourself relishing it, too. --Jeff Silverman

About the Author
Dr. Bob Rotella is a consultant to the PGA of America, the PGA Tour, and the LPGA Tour. He is the author of several bestselling golf books including GOLF IS NOT A GAME OF PERFECT.

Customer Reviews

Do Not Read this Book
I say "Don't Read This Book" because I'd really like to keep it as my own "secret weapon". It's very selfish and I won't be blabbing about it to my friends. But...

... if you want to watch your scores go down, *buy* this book. Right Now.

Applying Bob Rotella's psychology to your putting will help your entire game. I find that I don't worry about my drive or my approach shots anymore - they take care of themselves. I now actually look forward to getting to the green. I just can't wait to go putting!! I've played a few rounds lately where my partners have stared open mouthed as I drain putt after putt....

It's a good feeling to stand over every putt and think "This is going in" before you've even hit the ball.

Bob Rotella, if you read this, *YOU* are the man. Respect.

My putting bible
If you are an amateur and like me, you can't (couldn't putt!) this is the book for you. Sure if you don't ever have to go to work, are a millionaire so you can afford all his stupid gadgets and have the patience to read 400 pages of repetative scientific wittering please go with Dave Pelz's Putting Bible. If you are a twice a week amateur who has a life outside of putting and doesn't want to be sent into an eternal sleep from reading a book, then this is the book you want. Rotella keeps it simple. He's worked with the best and thus his method is proven. There is no scientific rubbish or stroke mechanics, just plain simple common sense for the average golfer. Although i'm sure the likes of Sergio Garcia (Who can't seem to putt anymore) would find this sort of help a site more useful than Pelz's warbling garbage...

Commit to Process Goals for Subconscious Putting Competence
"Take your satisfaction not from whether the putt drops but from whether you got yourself in the right frame of mind to hit it." That quote summarizes the key point of this book.

Think of Dr. Bob Rotella as someone who sees putting as being totally about controlling your mental processes, to eliminate the effect of your conscious mind. He is at the opposite end of the spectrum from Dave Pelz's engineering-based evaluations. I find much value in both approaches. Having taken lessons at Dave Pelz's Short Game School, one of the most useful parts was getting an automatic routine and rhythm for putting that clears my mind of tension-creating thoughts.

The advice in the book is easy to understand, but you will probably find it hard to apply. I suggest that you find a pro to help you create a mind-clearing routine that you feel comfortable with. Then commit to using that routine always.

Here are a few quotes that will give you a further sense of the book's advice:

"No matter how skilled you are . . . you're going to have to make roughly 40 percent of your shots with your putter."

When you arrive at the green, you're going to think: "Oh good! Now we get to putt!"

You will "just focus on the target." You will have "selective amnesia" about putts you've missed in the past.

You will spend 15 minutes a night "visualizing making putts."

Before putting, you will be "always relaxed and confident."

During the putt, you will "putt as though the putt [is] conceded."

When you putt, you will "simply let the putt go and trust."

I especially liked the metaphors from other sports like shooting baskets and making passes in football. Those actions are done in the flow of play, rather than in some rigid, controlled way with the conscious mind.

The book has interesting sections on how to practice putting, and what top putters say about how they go about putting. Many of the pros quoted in the book use Dr. Rotella's methods, so they will help you to understand the message here. You will also find an exercise to encourage you to practice your chipping so you will have shorter putts to make.

One of the most difficult aspects of any activity is explaining how champions think about the activity while they are doing it. I think that Dr. Rotella has done an outstanding job of sharing that information here.

After you have finished enjoying and starting to apply this book to your putting, I suggest that you think about other places where you are trying to use your conscious mind when subconscious processes might work better. Imagine if you always tried to ride a bike by thinking about each thing that you do. That wouldn't be much fun or very successful, would it? Where do you find yourself tied up in tense knots now? That's where you need to let go.

Trust yourself to accomplish more!