For many people this is the book on the relationship between golf and mental wellbeing. While plenty of others, many pre-dating this one, examine the links between brain and ball from a performance standpoint, this was probably the first to suggest the mindsets we adopt when playing golf, and when managing our lives away from the course, are two sides of the same coin– each having the power to positively reinforce the other.
In the opening section, A Different Perspective, Dr. Parent suggests that instead of asking ourselves “what’s wrong with me?” we should focus on “what’s right with me?” and in so doing sets a positive baseline he builds from throughout. Along with practical advice for more effective practice on the driving range and the putting green, and how to play with greater focus and calmness on the course, he goes on to confront some bigger questions around how and why negative thinking occurs, and it’s fair to say his conclusions reach beyond golf.
Using the relatable example of a person who starts a round playing unexpectedly well, Parent illustrates how believing in our thoughts gives them power. Rather than leaning into a potential personal best score, the player in question begins visualising the mistakes that could ruin it; the resultant anxiety introduces tension into their swing, and they inevitably start hitting the wayward shots that sabotage their scorecard. His examination of this concept culminates in one the book’s most quoted chapters, in which he argues if a caddie you’d paid to take you round a course talked to you the way you talked to yourself sometimes, you’d fire them. It’s a powerful metaphor; how often do we subject ourselves to the kinds of criticism we wouldn’t dare direct at others, for fear of hurting their feelings?
Zen Golf’s instructional content is grouped in three parts – Preparation, Action and Response (to results) – that combine as an overall approach titled PAR. The book evolved through the author’s study of Buddhism, and practical introductions to meditation and mindful thinking are threaded through the text along with extracts from Zen teachings and modern-day quotes and anecdotes. Parent signs off with the wish that reading his work “arouse(s) your basic goodness to inspire unconditional confidence in yourself and those you encounter, on the golf course and everywhere you go.”
Anyone wondering what mentalitee is about should start by reading this book.
About the author:
Husband, father, IT Security guy, mental health advocate, golfer, dog owner. And now blogger, by the looks of it.