Golf Books #230 (The Three Principles of Outstanding Golf)

My journey began chipping balls around a rural back garden. It took me all over the world playing golf and chasing my dream before bringing me back to England to help other people get better at chipping balls round their back gardens. Growing up playing golf with the likes of Luke Donald, Ian Poulter and Justin Rose gave me first hand experience of the difference between what good players do, and what the best players in the world do. The problem is you can’t see it. You only see the results. The difference is invisible, barely tangible.

But if you get curious, and get quiet enough, sometimes you can sense it. For most golfers, the gap between what they do, and what they think they do is huge. The better the player, the smaller the gap. If I were to sum up what the great players have that the average player doesn’t, it would be one word. Awareness. Awareness is one part of the understanding I share in this book The other elements are the nature of Thought, the tool all human beings use to create their own reality, and lastly, a Spritual Intelligence which we all share.

An inner wisdom, the root of our of mental strength and resilience. Understanding these three principles provided the explanation for the problems I had playing my best golf when I really wanted to, the state of mind that led to me constantly fixing my golf swing, and then the breakthrough when I finally saw where the anxiety and insecurity I felt on the golf course were really coming from. So who is this book for? I’m guessing if you’ve picked it up or downloaded it, you aren’t completely happy with your game.

Maybe you aren’t enjoying it as much as you used to, or you have had some lessons and haven’t improved in the way you had hoped? Maybe you’re feeling anxious and under pressure when you play, and are looking for ways to overcome or cope with those feelings? Maybe you feel the progress in your game has levelled off, and you’re looking for a way to improve without yet another round of ‘worse before it gets better’ swing changes?

I hope this book will help you see the game differently. Instead of looking outside, at another swing model, another coach, more new golf clubs, the latest training aid, more balls at the driving range, or a new fitness programme, let this book point you inwards, to how you feel when you’re playing golf, and to think about where those feelings that hold you back are coming from. Are you relaxed, calm, decisive, resilient and free when you play, or are you tight and anxious, a bundle of nerves, just waiting for the wheels to come off as seems to happen more often than not when you least want it? What problem does the book solve? Most people struggle to play their best golf for the simple reason that they think too much. We all play our best when we have less thinking going on, rather than more.

Unfortunately most golf psychology books seem oblivious to this fact. They are packed with well meaning advice on how to think positively, offer routines and strategies to help you cope with the pressure, and tips and tricks to perform in stressful moments. Unfortunately, all of this advice leads to more thinking, not less, and makes golfers feel worse and play worse, not better. This book explains how a golfer’s mind really works. It explains where feelings of pressure and anxiety come from. It reassures that you have everything you need within you, to play well regardless of the situation or circumstances or how you feel, and enjoy your golf again. You just need to know where to look for it.

Publication date: March 11, 2016 (source)