harvey penick/bob rotella

[leewestrudd1]

over the last 2 months i've been playing regularly with a 2 handicapper,he plays alot to par(gross)and under par just as many times,he plays the game simply without taking too many risks,doesnt try blasting the ball into orbit and is a steady influence on my game,the only slight drawback is that he is quite scientific in his opinions regarding swing,grip,etc. because i'm obsessed with this game i want to learn fast and get the handicap down occasionally when hitting a bad shot or playing the wrong club/shot he'll say something not malicious or anything,in his eyes constructive criticism,a good round and i'm talking dropping 5 or 6 shots on the front 9 turns into dropping 9 or 10 on the back 9,just because i'm thinking of what he's said.anyway he told me to buy the little red golf book by harvey penick and the series of books by bob rotella,mentally my game has improved loads,i still hit the odd bad shot,but now we are singing off the same hymn sheet the only difference now is the consistency and about 15 strokes. anybody else read these books and your thoughts?

 

[HRC99]

Both very good books. Playing with a 2 handicapper is a great way to pick up good course management and a lot of very good habits that might otherwise escape you.

 

[leewestrudd1]

playing with the 2 handicapper is an unbelievable experience,every round i pick up something else to add to my course management diary in my head! for now i'm leaving my driver in the van,hardly missing a fairway with the 3 wood and i'm only 30 - 40 yrd behind the big hitters with the big sticks,knocking the wedges down abit instead of trying to nail them has give me more control too,my short game is improving all the time,the only thing that needs some serios consistency is my long to mid irons.the books have certainly helped, i ordered 5 of the rotella books from amazon,i've read the first 2 and the harvey penick book twice,he makes it sound so simple! if only,lol

 

[NickSwan]

I've read the Rotella books and they are a good read, but I feel they lack a little bit of substance. Two good books I've read on the mental side of things recently are

Mental Ketchup
Golf at the Top (by Steve Williams - Tigers caddy)

These give you exercises to do off the course, that you can then take on with you.

Playing with a 2 handicapper will definitely help a lot, but make sure you get out with other players so you don't become 'too comfortable' playing with the same person all the time. When a competition comes around you could be playing with anybody.

Hope this helps
Nick

 

[leewestrudd1]

i play with a few other people as and when work allows,the 2 handicapper is available every sat and sun as am i,its convenient,he doesnt play medals in the winter anyway. i always put my name down on my own on the medal sheet and play with anybody that puts their name down,i usually play well that way. i know exactly what you mean though,spent most of last year playing round with a mate at the other club where i was a member,he plays off 10 and he used to grind me down and i struggled to play to my then hcp of 20,play with the other lads and i was getting 40,42,45 pts etc because i was more relaxed.

 

[pokerjoke]

Playing with a 2 handicapper must be great you can learn so much.On the mental side of it i see it like this.I have read a few positive mental attitude books due to my job and even thou they are helpful it really is down to the individual.We all have this little demon in our heads giving negative thoughts just about anything,it really is just down to the individual and how you handle negative thoughts.People say try to take a positive out of a negative.Remember out of every adversity comes a seed of a equivilent or greater benefit.Reading PMA books make you positive for a short term but as soon as something negative happens the little demons back.little bu--er.

 

[TWM]

Just playing alongside a low handicapper is beneficial because you will automatically get into the same relaxed tempo without anything in the way of instruction.

 

[Hogan_Fan]

Couldn't agree more with you 2 handicap friend!
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book is the best instruction book I have ever read (and I've read an awful lot!). He makes everything so simple and so understandable. I especially find his "Slow Motion Drill" helpful.
I've also read Bob Rotella's book "Golf is not a game of perfect". Again, this book is so simple to understand and has completely changed the way I set up to & visualise my shots and has revolutinised my putting (before always my worst area). So YES - buy them both and good luck!

 

[leewestrudd1]

agreed,the short of it is that i'm in a better place mentally on the course,i am still going to make mistakes but i'm not worrying about missing putts anymore,i aim to hole out all putts and if i do miss,so what i'm going to drop the next one,i dont 3 putt half as much as i used to! if i hit abad iron or tee shot i dont get angry aslong as i've used my pre shot routine and ive taken 'dead aim' if i havent then i'll have a quiet word to myself.

 

[Faldo_Fan]

both the books you mention are exellent sources of information. Playing regularly with a good player will prove invaluable especially when you do play in comps with highr handicap players because as they make mistakes you'll tend to think like your friend and make the right decisions when needed.
I always try and get paired with better players as i feel i feed off of there consistency. I'm also lucky enough to play fairly regularly with a european seniors tour pro.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I've read the Rotella books and think there is a lot to them. They've certainly helped me visualise a lot better and not to get in front of myself too much if I'm playing well.

As I think I alluded to before here and on my blog I'm going to be doing some work at the start of the season with a sports psychologist who has experience of working with some tour pros to see if there is anything he can do for me. It should be an interesting experience.

I've not read the Penick book although I've heard so many good things by wise old sages on here that its now on order from Amazon.

 

[TRS30]

Can only speak of the Rotella - It not a game of perfect, an excellent book.

Like Homer, have not read the Penick book so just ordered it off Amazon (with a Rotella putting book too!!)

 

[leewestrudd1]

Can only speak of the Rotella - It not a game of perfect, an excellent book.

Like Homer, have not read the Penick book so just ordered it off Amazon (with a Rotella putting book too!!)

with the rotella books i'd buy the 5 of them and read them in order as i'm on the 3rd book now (golf of your dreams) and he keeps referring to things in previous books(perfect and confidence) you maybe dont have to but the 2 handicapper thats keeping me right swears by them all in order. you can see some of rotellas interviews tips and stuff on you tube.

 

[Faldo_Fan]

Just a thought, but i tend to order the audiobook versions off itunes and listen to them on my ipod while either practising, meditating (sitting with my eyes closed more like) or when i have a long journey in the car!

 

[leewestrudd1]

i have the rotella audio cd's too,havent had time to put them on the ipod yet