£5 to take shots off your H/Cap anyone ?

[Macster]

I know a lot of you HAVE read Bob Rotella's 'Golf is not a game of perfect' , but for those of you that havent, - Buy it asap and read it at least twice before the season gets underway !!!!

Without doubt, this is the best £5 you can possibly spend on your game, and is such a good book, it should be law for all Club Gofers to read !!

If I think it can help me take at least 2 shots off my 11 H/Cap, which I do, .....unreservedly, ....... then I think that it can also help any of you to seriously improve your game !!

Read it twice, make notes on pertinent points, which jump out at you most definitely, and make sure you keep a copy at hand at home to refer to frequently, and a copy in your Golf Bag to review before each round.

Thats what I'll be doing

DO IT !!

 

[minty18]

Chris, where can i get this magical book you speak of? I'm going to do a google search but surely such a book will be hard to find.

 

[Macster]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Golf-Game-Perfect-Robert-Rotella/dp/0743492471

 

[minty18]

for £5 that cant hurt!

Going to order it now.

 

[birdieman]

I feel it's a load of old psycho-babble claptrap really, stating the bleeding obvious mainly and I sold my copy a while back.

Leopards don't change their spots, we are the way we are and reading this book won't 'change you' or take shots off your game unless you are a bit of a mentallist.

You need 1 simple swing thought in your head to play good golf imo, not Bob says this and Bob says that.

If you are just starting out in golf it is possibly worth a look but for those who've played many a year it is a waste of time.

All the book basically says is "relax, it's only a game, play the percentages according to your ability and enjoy it" but takes 180 pages or whatever to say so.

I bet Rory McIlroy didn't spend hours reading Rotella books, he's just good at golf, something we'd all like to be but alas simply don't have the talent for. Talent can't be bought or read or psychologically installed I'm afraid.

 

[jeffc]

amazon got mine for £2.95

 

[brendy]

amazon got mine for £2.95

Mine should be arriving today, paid 1.68 plus postage, new. Hopefully it will sort my head out as I simply cant keep a whole round in check at the moment.

 

[Macster]

Birdieman. - very simplistic reasoning i'm afraid. Perhaps true to a great degree, but then again, - any good Pro has Sports Phsychologists in the wings to help them all the time, or a lot do at least.

I challenge you to find a Sports phsychologist for £5, which is basically what I'm suggesting here.

The key will be in reminding yourself regularly of the points you found useful, which I feel are sure to help the majority of Club/Forum golfers.

As a fairly handy 11H/cap, I feel its a great read, so pretty sure there are lots on here that will too.

Perhaps we are not as good as yow ? *bows*

 

[Macster]

Talent can't be bought or read or psychologically installed I'm afraid.

I beg to differ - I bet if you or I had £40k to pay to each of our Golf Coach & Sports Phsycologists, our game would improve markedly.

£5 isnt such a bad option surely ?

 

[Twire]

I feel it's a load of old psycho-babble claptrap really, stating the bleeding obvious mainly and I sold my copy a while back.

(

Yes it does state the obvious....but some of us need it stating

I found it a good read, and a lot of it made perfect sence. I think it's one of those books you need to pick up now and again to refresh your memory of what it's all about.

 

[Robobum]

I've read it and whilst it was an okay light read it didn't exactly reinvent the wheel.
It's a bit like lessons with your pro, at the time with his eye on you to check things it's okay but it's all down to you when you get out there.
Same with Rotella's ideas, reading the book you will think "bingo" dead easy, time to shoot some low numbers. But, once you get out there on your own again, one read of a book won't help on it's own.
As Chris McC said the pros pay top dollar to have this kind of help on tap and it's an ongoing process for them, so this book will not solve all problems.
If you have an open mind to this sort of thing then it will prove helpful......IMO

 

[Mike_j_golf]

Harrington has won 3 majors listening to Bob enough said a must read.

 

[haplesshacker]

Is Bob Rotella the Anthony Robbins of the golf world then?

A lot of the same principles perhaps?

I've not read Bobs book, but I have read Anthony Robbins, and once had some of his audio stuff.

They all make sense, but it is a long, slow process changing someones physcology. We are who we are. Some folks are more susceptable to 'auto suggestion' and take it on board easier. If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a stubbon git, and despite my best efforts years ago, I am still me.

However visualisation does work for me, when I remember to go through it. Whether it be for golf, sailing, skiing or gliding.

Each to their own.

Another good sports book is The Inner Game Of Tennis. Which I believe I mentioned quite some time ago. But the constant praise that Bob's book has been getting on here does intrigue me. Maybe I'll try it.

 

[birdieman]

I read the book maybe 3 years ago, I found it ok but found nothing enlightening or particularly useful or memorable about it, just common sense written down. Three years on I had never gone back to the book once so it clearly didn't make an impression on me.

Clearly I'm in the minority here but I made a decision to get rid of the countless golf instructional books I had over the winter and approach things with a clear head this year.

Concentrate on basics - ball position, alignment, a good turn and smooth tempo and not try to hit it too hard. Also going to try and enjoy it more and relax, it is recreation after all!

Book selling is a business designed to part you from your cash. Sports psychology is a useful tool for some but for real golf champions like Sevvy, Jack, Arnold, Tiger....I suspect it isn't/wasn't really needed at all.

By all means buy the book, it's not bad but don't expect as the post title says to take shots off your game by reading it, that's all.

This quote - "Perhaps we are not as good as yow ? *bows*" is petty and uncalled for imo just because I don't think as much of your 'shot-saving' book as you do.
In the scheme of things a 5 handicap is still fairly crap and I would readily accept that.

 

[Macster]

"In the scheme of things a 5 handicap is still fairly crap and I would readily accept that "

Oh c'mon, thats a bit rich and you know it.

I take my comment back, it was meant tongue in cheek, and petty I dont want to be.
Some may see your own views on the book as a bit negative, but I genuinely feel it can/has helped me, and can for others too.

For £5, its worth a try.

 

[birdieman]

I played off 6(5.7) in 1987 with wooden Ryder woods, some crappy Macgregor offset irons and an el-cheapo putter, so 22 years later with gear miles better I am only half a shot better! That often feels fairly crap to be honest, no kidding or desrespect intended. Once a player is off 2 or better then I think they are 'a good golfer'.
Appreciate everyone has different levels of what they consider good.

 

[USER1999]

I think the first step towards good is single figures, and the next step is to have a county cat 1 h/cap. Most will never achieve single figures, so 5 is pretty good.

However, being off 5, you will obviously appreciate how hard it is to get from there to 2 in a way a higher h/cap can't.

In the same period you have played off 5, I have played off 12. Same kit advances, but not even a half shot better (ok, I am temporarily off 11, but have no doubt I will be back to 12 soon). If you are crap off 5, I must be double crap off 12. Happy days.

 

[minty18]

I played off 6(5.7) in 1987 with wooden Ryder woods, some crappy Macgregor offset irons and an el-cheapo putter, so 22 years later with gear miles better I am only half a shot better! That often feels fairly crap to be honest, no kidding or desrespect intended. Once a player is off 2 or better then I think they are 'a good golfer'.
Appreciate everyone has different levels of what they consider good.

If 5 is fairly crap i'd love to know what my golf is labelled as. I wish i could be fairly crap at golf.

 

[DCB]

As Birdieman says a lot of it is basic common sense.

One of the storys that Rotella details is of an older chap who was committed to his golf, then he found flyfishing and spent more time doing that, thus his golf suffered.

Is that not the same for all of us, if we don't play or practice then our golf suffers usually the short game or putting first then terminal decline.

I have read it, but won't rush out to buy another just because its a Rotella book.

 

[haplesshacker]

I love the way you guys talk about being crap. At the moment I can only dream of getting below 20, plus some hard work of course. Now that is crap!

I guess it's just different expectations, and us wanting to always better ourselves.

I guess it's the whole, 'I look up to him because he is a mid h'cap player, and I look up to him because he's a low h'cap player' Apolgies to the 'class' sketch!