Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game

Product Information

I first came across Marcus in 1996, when my wife Sue and I ran the Professional’s Shop at Newark Golf Club, near Nottingham in England. I was the Head Club Professional and we were looking for another member of the professional team. Marcus applied, and we thought there was something about the then 19-year-old. I could not have predicted then where Marcus would take his career, but I recognised that he had a special sauce that made him stand out.

There’s no other book like this one. If you want to know what has gotten in the way of playing better and what you can do about it, look no further.” There's a big difference as one method is restrictive and inhibiting of a functional sequence and the other method is free flowing, more in alignment with an effortless, powerful and repeatable kinetic sequence. This book is now a little bit dated due to some of the references and because knowledge of mindfulness practices is becoming more commonplace. Still, this is a good read for anyone who loves golf or who wants to think about how mindfulness can support a fitness, sports, or competitive practice. I wrote a review of this book for the Brilliant Legal Mind blog here:Marcus wanted to talk to me about high-performance environments, my career in golf and where golf for the disabled is going. I got into some areas of my thinking that I have not discussed in public before, and because we had a ‘cuppa’ it went on for over an hour.” An exciting opportunity has arisen to run 2 x 1 day golf schools in Holland at my good friend and GRFi Ambassador Jonathan Willis' Golf Academy at Grevelingenhout Golf Club.

I've been playing golf for over a decade competitively, and I still struggle to keep my head down on those 3-footers. Why is it so hard? Here's my take on it. The normal day-to-day frequency of our brain waves are called “Beta” waves and they are associated mostly with left-brain activity – that is the logical, analytical and verbal side of the brain. Adding a Zen Green Stage has transformed my coaching and business. Offering players a dynamic environment for their training through a moving floor allows for markedly improved performance.’ I really enjoyed Zen Golf because of its practical mental tips, its enjoyable stories, and its ability to make you see a different perspective. What I love about all the mental game techniques I use in my coaching, is that they not only lower scores, but if practiced daily, can help in overall happiness and productivity.

Accessing the Golf State of Mind

Over the past few years, I’ve been practicing meditation. Zen Meditation has been used for thousands of years by Buddhist monks, but more and more people are taking it up each year as a way to reduce day to day stress and feel happier. TITLE: Why a book about golf has value for all business leaders, regardless of whether they play golf or not! Preparation- Do you have a small, decisive target on every shot you hit? Could you tell me your pre-shot routine without thinking about it? Do you ever hit a shot even though you had the wrong club? Do you fear o.b. stakes and ponds? Do you visualize in your pre-shot routine? All of these things and more are covered in the preparation phase of the PAR approach.

Here at Sinclair Golf we installed a 20x8ft Zen Green Stage along with PuttView in our new Putting Bay earlier this summer. It is fantastic! The putting surface is the best I have ever seen. The ability to change the green and give the client the experience of any putt they may face on the golf course is key. The double breaks make this green stand out over others we looked at. There is no issue with standing on the green with my clients and it moves quietly and seamlessly. It has been hard to get the clients to want to work on their swings! This overlaps with how we might approach our behavioural awareness too... Are you forever finding a new swing tip, working with it with small success here and there but really not making any long-term effective change?A lot of golfers seem to think playing golf in the zone is an elusive mental state which happens at random. In reality, the brain can be trained to get closer to the optimal state of mind needed to consistently access your very best skills on the golf course. What is “The Zone”? I have practiced meditation and read Zen for some time. Most people, myself included, struggle with how to viscerally feel a vision (whether the next golf shot I am about to take or next years business goals). Without living/feeling as if a vision is your reality, we all make it much much harder to manifest/create a vision. What Parent does so simply and clearly is to explain steps to getting your intellectual head out of the way and how to get those powerful feeling states engaged, increasing your ability to succeed! Doc’s unique teaching methods helped me to concentrate and to go from the range to the first tee in a way that gets my round off to a much better start.”