Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1417 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
One of golf guru Jim Flick's mantras is that golf is 90 percent mental and the other 10 per cent is mental, too. Dr. Bob Rotella, a noted sports psychologist and performance consultant, roots around the golfer's mind to expose--and analyse- -the doubts, the fears and the frustrations that haunt anyone who's ever picked up a club and swung it. Through anecdote and aphorism he suggests how these mental and emotional hazards can be played through, and, regardless of skill level, how teeing off with a more positive and confident outlook will translate into better performance.

Synopsis
Dr Bob Rotella is one of the hottest golfing performance consultants in the world today. Unlike other performance consultants, Rotella goes beyond the usual mental aspects of the game and the reliance on specific techniques. In this extraordinary book, and with his clients, he creates an attitude and a mindset about all aspects of the golfer's game, from mental preparation to competition. And, as some of the world's greatest golfers will attest, the results are spectacular. Filled with charming 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.

Customer Reviews

A Classic
In a few years this book will probably have become one of the classic golf texts. Bob Rotella who recently helped Padraig Harrington win 2 consecutive Opens (British Open) has a simple message: you will never play a perfect round of golf. Even the best pros will only hit 2 or 3 hots in a round really cleanly. Therefore, the golfer has to accept that the game is about good course management and a sharp short game.
This book may change the way you approach golf and will probably stop you beating yourself up over a bad round! A must buy.

Sharp, inspirational writing
I don't play golf, I write speeches for golfers, so I thought I'd read a book to see if it gave me any ideas. Rotella uses golf as a metaphor for life, so I found the lessons that he had to offer could be applicable to writing and any other sport or discipline. There is nothing profound or original about this book, but it is well-structured and easy-to-read.

I got out of it, the importance of enjoying yourself when your playing, and not getting too hung-up about mistakes. Change your technique in your own time, just play on the course. Don't allow past disappointments to get you down. Do some 'creative visualisation'. Note that professionals just reduce the number of bad strokes they play to an absolute minimum, they aren't trying to play a winner every shot. (Tennis is a good example of that). Short game is what sorts out the sheep from the goats.

I found it a refreshing read, and I got an insight into a golfer's mind.

Good advice but a bit long winded
I like the Bob Rotella books and find them helpful. The advice can be summarised in just a few pages, but he builds his chapters around the points so that they are a bit more memorable. This will help many golfers and I think it has helped me a bit, but nowhere near as much as improving my technique through mixture of coaching, practice and the odd DVD/technical book. Ultimately if you have good technique the mental side becomes a lot easier as you hit good consistent shots a lot better and think less about your technique when on the course as a result. Also many of the mental lessons are learned through experience anyway eg loosing your temper after a bad shot often affects your next shot if you are not careful and you do not need a book to learn this. Nevertheless, a good read that I still ocassionally refer to as a refresher.